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Good, old, affordable rifle suggestions

Hey guys,

First post in this sub forum. Not sure if the scope is too broad on this question, but I am looking to buy my first rifle. I have done a lot of shooting with my father and grandfather's rifles so I have seen no need to buy one until now. What I have shot are mainly my dad's hunting rifles, a .35 Remington 141 Gamemaster pump (love that gun), a couple lever action .308's that I can't recall off hand, and various .22s. As for any sort of restrictions, I live in PA and I'm looking into it now and don't seem to be bound by any type of restriction. I am just looking for something a little more unique, strictly for target practice, that isn't going to break the bank. I am also a sucker for older weapons that have seen some experience, though ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Jim
 

Legion

Staff member
I used to have an old bold action Brno .22 that I liked, and was pretty accurate. The ammo is cheap for target practice, and the rifles are probably not too pricey.
 
Good point, sorry about that. Well I have no preference for centerfire or rimfire, but I want something that I could shoot off hand. Open sights are what I am looking for and I will be shooting paper targets at around 200 yards.
 
A Mosin Nagant seems like what I am looking for. Anyone have an idea as to whether I may find these in a shop, or is it a strictly web to FFL dealer type deal?
 
Gun shows would be the best place to look. If there aren't any around you, you can have your local dealer look around or ship to him from the web. Try armslist to find it locally where you can purchase face to face and check the gun prior to purchasing.
 
The Mosin Nagant is an excellent choice for what you are asking for. In stock form it's a great range rifle. Put a scope on it and you can take a variety of big game. The rifle used to run about $100 but now decent examples start about $180 from a dealer. Private sales, will be a bit less.

The 7.62 x 54R is plentiful and the mil surp stuff is cheap, about $.25 a round. Power wise, it is similar to a .308.

The rifle is available via the Internet. It is Curio and Relic eligible so if you have an FFL03 (which is easy to get), it can be shipped direct. Otherwise, a gun show would allow you to handle the rifle prior to purchase or it can ship to your dealer.

Fair warning: the shortened carbine model has a significant increase in both recoil and report. A five round magazine in a carbine will rattle your teeth!
 
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My neighbor just got a Mosin this year and it's pretty neat. I'm not sure I'd want to punch paper with it... much rather something with less recoil for that, but surplus ammo is cheap and the rifle will certainly hold up it's end of the deal.

I would suspect you could find one locally. Both Dunham Sports and Mills Fleet Farm in my town have a couple on the rack.

Also, Gander Mountain and Cabelas both list them online. Your closest store availability may vary, but I would think they could get one for you.
 
Lots of them out there, so you could probably find one pretty easily. They run the gamut from shiny bores (rare) to sewer pipes(fairly common) in my experience. Accuracy also varies a good bit from rifle to rifle, I've found.
 
You might look at the Ruger American. It really is getting closer to a target rifle with hunting potential. You can scope it with just about anything and it comes in common, easy to find ammo. The mosin ammo is usually military ball and corrosive. That make it unsuitable for hunting not to mention you have to tear it down And clean it every time you shoot it.

Why not just borrow of ask to buy the game master? Christmas is coming up and they would almost certainly rather see you with it than some rooshan "junk" rifle.
 
MN's are good, but for a bit more cash I would consider the Swiss K31. They tend to be in much better condition and are incredibly accurate shooters. The straight pull bolt is buttery smooth and locks in a 7.5x55 cartridge.
 
Mosins are kinda like the classic VW Beetle. Seems everyone has owned one or has a beat up example sitting somewhere. More often they are going to be functional, but not much more than that. The cherry examples are rare, but not impossible.

Mausers, I love these guns, but it takes some education to make sure you know what you're buying. MANY of these have been ham fisted by garage smiths with poor work into "sporters" and can even be dangerous. MauserCentral.com is a good reference.

I say find an old Savage. Maybe something like the 340. Parts are still available, can be incredibly accurate, come in many calibers that are inexpensive to shoot.

Another option might be a lever action in a pistol caliber, then you can get a pistol to match as well.

Find a local gun shop and browse their consignment rack. Don't be afraid to put offers on rifles. I usually ask if they will take the sticker price "out the door." That means after tax, dros and transfer. The less expensive the rifle, usually the less willing they will be to do that.

Google what a bad bore looks like, if they have a smith in the store ask them to check headspace, be sure to ask if the gun has any magazines to go with it (if they take them), look for any extra drilled holes in the action, ask if they will be a problem, personally I don't consider a poor stock finish a down side, but it is a great bargaining chip. I refinish them anyways.
 
I like the replies you have so far, all are very good advice, the only PA restriction you may keep in mind is, if you decide you want to deer hunt in PA sometime in the future you cannot use a semi auto loader. That may change as legislation is pending.

There is a shop you may want to check out, SARCO in Easton PA that is just the guys you are looking for this type of arm. I linked to one they have on the website but Butch LITERALLY has warehouses full of stuff. I would suggest you keep ammo costs in mind when making this purchase, over the life of the rifle you will shoot 10-20x's the cost of the gun so don't be afraid to spend more for the savings later on ammo if you get one that is inexpensive to shoot. SARCO also carry a fair selection of used commercial firearms that may be of interest to you.
PA is a great state to be a shooting sports enthusiast, they are a shall issue state for handguns and are friendly for non standard firearms with the correct federal permits.

Where are you going to be shooting? State ranges or?
 
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Another consideration is if you have any plans to reload. If by "target shooting" you mean occasionally going to a range and blasting some paper, factory ammo won't be much of an issue beyond cost limitations. But if you mean trying to get really precise in you target shooting, consider the reloading options. Of course that opens a whole new can of worms for your wallet. That first cartridge you reload is REAL expensive, but they get cheaper after that. :w00t:
 
Another consideration is if you have any plans to reload. If by "target shooting" you mean occasionally going to a range and blasting some paper, factory ammo won't be much of an issue beyond cost limitations...

This is a very good point. One downside of the MN mil surp ammo is that you will be restricted to outdoor ranges. You probably assumed an outdoor range. I have a local indoor range that allows the MN but you must buy their ammo because the mil surp stuff has a steel core. The cheap mil surp ammo just can't be used indoors. Steel core is bad juju for the indoor range bullet stop.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. I'm not looking for a super accurate shooter or anything, just looking for a fun gun to go out and shoot a little with. There's a state range near me that my friend frequents a lot and that I have been to a couple times. Hunting isn't a big concern but that's an added bonus.

I would totally ask for the .35 (Love asking dad for his stuff for Xmas; Good for me, easy for him) but my dad is pretty attached to that gun. I actually have a funny story, a little off topic but it's a goodie. My father and grandfather were avid deer hunters and after my grandfather passed away, my dad inherited a .308 Winchester Savage Model 99c from him which he gave to my grandfather as a gift at one point. I asked him about it and he told me he got it for my grandpa for Christmas the one year, and it was the only gift he ever got where he broke down and cried after he opened it. He went out the next day to get it scoped. Dad said "No matter how much I thought that .35 was the greatest thing in the world, your grandfather never touched it again. He only ever used that .308."
 
I have my dad's old Marlin in 35 Rem. The only way I will part with it is to pass it on to my son or grandson.
An excellent rifle for what you want wil be a Swiss K 31. They have two big advantages over the Mosin. First, they were never used in combat, and two precisely build like the proverbial Swiss watch. The downside is that ammo is a bit pricy and not that easy to find. If you can buy the Swiss standard military round, the GP-11, it is almost match grade ammo.

I have an earlier version, their 1911 Schmidt Rubin and it's probably the most accurate military rifle I have.

My other choice is the Swedish Model 96 Mauser, again very finely made, and it shoots the fine 6.5x55 Mauser cartridge, and lastly like the Swiss rifles, never used in combat, so generally in better condition than the Mosin and other models of Mauser rifles.
 
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