Recommending a Rifle Caliber for a New Adult Shooter

calicojack · Sep 16, 2019

So a member of my wife's family is a young man. His dad never took him out shooting. He has a S&W 15-22 that he has been plinking with. He also has his Grand Dad's Remington 721 in 30-06 (and I saw to it that he received it). He has not shot the Remington yet; I am trying to get him to go to the range me.

Like a lot of young people, he does not have tons of cash. But he has saved enough to get a entry level bolt gun. He is talking about getting a 22 magnum.

I was wondering what you guys thought. I am thinking he should get a caliber that is substantial but not too intimidating, and it should be inexpensive, as I think he would be more likely to shoot. That is almost certainly why he is not shooting the 30-06.

I am thinking one of these rather inexpensive but capable enough calibers, all of which can be had for less than 50 cents a round, or in some cases 25 cents a round
1. 223 Rem
2. 7.62x39 (yes - the AK round in a bolt gun)
3. 6.5 Grendel

Thoughts?

TheOriginalMexicanBob · Sep 16, 2019

.223/5.56 is a very easy round to shoot and shoot well and is quite pocket friendly. Lots of choices out there in semi-auto and bolt guns.

danb · Sep 16, 2019

.223, hands down (of the three). And not a bolt gun either. But: you also forgot the trusty 9mm PCC. That is a lot of fun to shoot and easy on the wallet. But it depends what he'll do with it.

Art3 · Sep 16, 2019

danb said:
.223, hands down (of the three). And not a bolt gun either.

Yes.

But...if he's set on a bolt gun (for now), may I suggest the Ruger American (Ranch flavored) in 556 that takes AR mags. After he's started collecting the mags and ammo...he might as well then get an AR, right :shrug:

(

I wouldn't steer him towards the D60 as his first big mag for it though...spitefully cool :mdpatriot

, but not very handy

.)

calicojack · Sep 16, 2019

danb said:
.223, hands down (of the three). And not a bolt gun either. But: you also forgot the trusty 9mm PCC. That is a lot of fun to shoot and easy on the wallet. But it depends what he'll do with it.

A PCC. Had not thought of that. Good one to add to the list.

Speed3 · Sep 16, 2019

For a fun range toy, 9mm PCC is hard to beat.

If looking for more energy, its say 308 over 30-06. Lighter recoil and great factory match bullets if the person decides to shoot tint groups.

ohen cepel · Sep 16, 2019

Another vote for 5.56 or maybe a PCC. Lever gun in a pistol round may also be an option if he likes those.

Ruger American is a great gun for the price.

rob-cubed · Sep 16, 2019

Just get a decent AR and be done with it, if he wants the option of shooting a larger caliber sometimes. Training with small and large caliber out of the same style of rifle is a significant cost savings and a great way to get better.

I'm not sure I understand the bolt gun desire other than "to be accurate" but practice is far more important than a bolt-action or the best hand-loaded ammo.

danb · Sep 16, 2019

My AR is more accurate than many bolt guns I see at the range.

rseymorejr · Sep 16, 2019

The Thompson Center Compass is very inexpensive and a great rifle, .223 would be the cheapest ammo too.

cstone · Sep 16, 2019

.22lr CZ455 Good trainer and easy to upgrade the barrel with a Lilja or pick up a .22 WMR as well as .17 HMR barrels.

Savage short action. Begin with a .223, with a .384 bolt face. Several interesting barrel swaps in this configuration: 17 Remington, 204 Ruger, 222 Remington. Later he could pick up a .473 bolt head and begin collecting barrels in .308, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .260 Rem. If he ever decided to try out some of the magnum calibers, he would need a .540 bolt face along with the appropriate barrel. Have a nice field stock bedded along with the chasis of his choice and he would have both a hunting rifle as well as a longer distance precision rifle just moving the action.

The barrel nut makes the rifles very versatile. Given the money, one of the better Remage actions from Surgeon, Stiller, or Bighorn could be a nice step up one day and give him the ability to use all of the nice Rem 700 aftermarket accessories, but I would begin with a plain Jane Savage short action.

WildWeasel · Sep 16, 2019

Out of those 3, in a bolt gun, .223 all day. At the same time, I'll second what others are saying; if he can pinch his pennies a bit harder he could just get a a decent AR15. Way cooler, more fun, usable for home defense, and extremely easy to use. Only downsides are cost of the firearm and most likely more ammo, and possibly less accurate.

I'd look at Savage for bolt guns. Don't own one but I've shot a few and liked them.

Boats · Sep 16, 2019

since he already has a .22 and a 30.06 I would suggest a .223 or 5.56

calicojack · Sep 16, 2019

rob-cubed said:
Just get a decent AR and be done with it
...
I'm not sure I understand the bolt gun desire other than "to be accurate" but practice is far more important than a bolt-action or the best hand-loaded ammo.

That's a GREAT question; I think his Dad, or perhaps other family members, have made him think AR's are "trouble". A lot of the family members when I show them pictures of my AR's think I am sort of nuts. Kind of a Fudd mentality. His dad claims to be a conservative but is all in for an AR15 ban. Says we don'tr "need" them. I told him by that logic we don't "need" V8 Mustangs.

I am trying to keep the shooting sports alive in the family. I want the kid to learn marksmanship fundamentals and I am hoping his enthusiasm will be contagious.

You guys are asking the right questions though. All feedback appreciated.

lazarus · Sep 16, 2019

Another vote for a .223 bolt gun if he has 22lr and a .30-06.

Actually I’d personally say a 500 or 870 and get him in to shotgunning.

A cheap AR15 if you could convince him, but at least a .223 bolt gun if you can’t. Good middle ground between the 22lr and .30-06. Cheap to shoot. Can be stretched out. Useful. Low recoil. Low muzzle blast.

-Z/28- · Sep 16, 2019

Does it need to be a bolt action? What about a lever gun in 30-30? The ammo is a little more expensive but he can pick up a decent rifle second hand relatively inexpensive.

Uncle Duke · Sep 16, 2019

Has a 22 rimfire for plinking, or perfect for small game if a hunter. Again if a hunter, .30-06 has anything on this continent covered. Not an all day centerfire bench rifle though, nor is it even remotely ideal IMO as a first centerfire for learning fundamentals.

A good .223 bolt action covers a lot of bases. Easy on the shoulder in extended shooting sessions. Easy on the wallet with plinking ammo. Excellent barrel life.
Not a small consideration also IMO, is a typically slower rate of what tends to be much more deliberate and controlled fire, with a new shooter in combination with a bolt action.

A versatile cartridge that offers comparatively inexpensive grins and giggles ammo, as well as excellent availability of upgraded match and hunting ammo. A very good varmint caliber that is sufficiently powerful for coyotes and smaller, and is capable of excellent midrange accuracy. .223 Rem as a third rifle is the natural fit here in my view.

fidelity · Sep 16, 2019

I have 6-7 rifles in 22 WMR. It’s fetish to an extent, lol. I couldn’t stop getting them after stocking the ammo. These guns are a lot of fun (sharp report with no recoil), but the ammo is comparable in cost to 223/556 and does less (less power, less range, and typically less accurate). One of the biggest advantages of 22 WMR is that it’s easier to pack loads of it as the round is just a bit bigger than 22LR.

7.62x39 is also a good option (esp with the reasonably priced Ruger American bolt) based on ammo price, but one typically doesn’t shoot as much out of a bolt action rifle as one might out of a semiautomatic.

The Ruger 77/357 is also a neat option, but it is a bit pricey compared to the non-stainless Ruger Americans.

As such, I agree with the advice below, in particular the Ruger PCC in 9mm or Ruger American in 556 that takes AR-15 mags. Both are on my future want list.

danb said:
.223, hands down (of the three). And not a bolt gun either. But: you also forgot the trusty 9mm PCC. That is a lot of fun to shoot and easy on the wallet. But it depends what he'll do with it.

Art3 said:
Yes.

But...if he's set on a bolt gun (for now), may I suggest the Ruger American (Ranch flavored) in 556 that takes AR mags. After he's started collecting the mags and ammo...he might as well then get an AR, right
...

TheBert · Sep 16, 2019

calicojack said:
So a member of my wife's family is a young man. His dad never took him out shooting. He has a S&W 15-22 that he has been plinking with. He also has his Grand Dad's Remington 721 in 30-06 (and I saw to it that he received it). He has not shot the Remington yet; I am trying to get him to go to the range me.

Like a lot of young people, he does not have tons of cash. But he has saved enough to get a entry level bolt gun. He is talking about getting a 22 magnum.

I was wondering what you guys thought. I am thinking he should get a caliber that is substantial but not too intimidating, and it should be inexpensive, as I think he would be more likely to shoot. That is almost certainly why he is not shooting the 30-06.

I am thinking one of these rather inexpensive but capable enough calibers, all of which can be had for less than 50 cents a round, or in some cases 25 cents a round
1. 223 Rem
2. 7.62x39 (yes - the AK round in a bolt gun)
3. 6.5 Grendel

Thoughts?

You can buy quite a few .30-06 rounds for the price of a new or used rifle.

Biggfoot44 · Sep 16, 2019

Or complete handloading setup for .30-06 .

Some people LIKE bolt actions, walnut , etc, and that's perfectly fine. Viva freedom of choice !

I Like .22WMR , but unless your young friend specifically wants one on purpose , plenty of more suitable and versatile choices for 3rd gun of a three rifle battery .

Of the three listed choices , my first thought , and second thought both went to .223 bolt actions . ( My third thought was any of the three, if willing to trade off dirt cheap plinking ammo in exchange for more capability .)

BUT , I whole hartedly would sugguest looking into a lever action and/ or pistol caliber .

The lowest purchase cost, and dirt cheap plinking ammo would be a HiPoint 995 .

Henry lever action , or various M92 clones . The .38/ .357 flavor would have cheapest factory plinking ammo , .44 or .45Colt more potential versatility .

I really like the idea of the Ruger 77/ 357 , but unless you stumbled onto a heck of a deal on a used one , the purchase cost is steep .

Recommending a Rifle Caliber for a New Adult Shooter

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