Good first semi auto rifle?

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New to wanting to own a gun also looking for a good first semi auto rifle for any where under 500$ not above though please. Wanting something fun to plink around with at a range. But also looking for something accurate & reliable. And also looking for something in a 22 Caliber. And also looking for something with a barrel length between 16' to 20" Inches. Thinking of a good AR-15 or something else any recommendations? Also have a good day everyone I'm new to the forums.
When you say 22 caliber, are your referring to .22 LR, .22 Magnum, or .223/5.56?
 
First rifle considerations should be tilted toward ammo cost. You need to learn to shoot and ammo costs should be as low as you can get them. That's a Ruger 10/22. Once you master the 100 yd shot, or even the 200 yd shot, with a .22 LR you're ready for the .223/5.56 AR. I've seen new shooters who can't make the 100 yd shot with a 22 LR. They also can't make the 400 yd shot with a .223/5.56.

A lot can be learned with a 22LR if one is willing to take the time to learn the basics of precision shooting. I have several .223/5.56 rifles (both bolt and SA) and I still like the 200 yd challenge with my CZ 455 (22 LR).
 
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When you say 22 caliber, are your referring to .22 LR, .22 Magnum, or .223/5.56?

There are others as well as we all know......but this is a real good question.

Is this his first automatic....or first rifle.....that is a pretty big question. Then what kind of shooting places does he have access to....an indoor range that does not allow center fire rifle....if so that is going to change things pretty quick.
 
I’d say for a semi

Sks
Ar-15
A beat up used mini 14
Ruger pc9

That’s about it in my mind under $500 for a new shooter
 
I always recommend a .22LR as a first rifle and the Ruger 10-22 is a good one to start with. I also prefer the Deluxe stock that doesn't have a barrel band...preferably, a bull barreled, Target model.

A person can learn to shoot well with an accurate .22LR, but more than that, it's still fun to shoot the .22LR, even after you've become more proficient. It's easy to add a scope, red dot sight or receiver sight on them, as your budget and expectations for accuracy and/or longer range develop.

Cool thanks. Would you at least recommend AR-15 Chambered in 22 for a first? Also has anyone heard of the TC/22 Competition to the ruger 10-22? Also would y'all recommend the AR from tippmann arms?
 
I’d say for a semi

Sks
Ar-15
A beat up used mini 14
Ruger pc9

That’s about it in my mind under $500 for a new shooter
I'd pass on the Mini, especially if it's a beater, until you've got your chops down. Many moons ago I scored one that was a working gun and bore the scars. Only good for 2-3 shots before groups opened up too much. Others have given great advice already so I won't add what's been said.
 
Cool thanks. Would you at least recommend AR-15 Chambered in 22 for a first? Also has anyone heard of the TC/22 Competition to the ruger 10-22? Also would y'all recommend the AR from tippmann arms?
I don't own and don't really like AR-15s, but can appreciate the "Rambo feeling" it gives, especially to younger guys.

My brother had a really nice M1 Carbine that I really loved when a teenager. It was very accurate and easy to use. The AR's I've picked up in stores, etc. don't have any appeal to me. They seem really cumbersome and not very ergonomic. If a person has been in the military and has used one a lot there, they probably work well for them, but I don't normally recommend them to new shooters. To each his/her own rifle style!
 
Also would y'all recommend the AR from tippmann arms?

Nope.:)

Too many known good quality rifles to bother with a paintball manufacturer.

Of course, they might be very good.
But what are the odds they are S&W 15-22 good?

And to be sure your head spins...

A "real" AR with a CMMG conversion can use rimfire cartridges in your new AR. Saving the cost of another whole gun, and enabling inexpensive practice with the "real one".

I would just buy a rifle or perhaps a complete lower and upper. You want to shoot, not build, no?
 
Cool thanks. Would you at least recommend AR-15 Chambered in 22 for a first? Also has anyone heard of the TC/22 Competition to the ruger 10-22? Also would y'all recommend the AR from tippmann arms?

Isn't Tippmann a paintball company?

I'm personally not a fan of ARs in 22 LR, as they don't really do anything for ~$300 that a Marlin 60 doesn't do for half as much, and a real-deal 223 AR can be had as cheap as $400. If you are looking for a 22, I'm partial to the Marlin, but there are a zillion 22s for $200 or less that pretty much all shoot well.

I haven't heard of the TC/22, but looked it up and it sounds OK. For ~$50 more than a 10/22, you get a synthetic stock, a peep sight instead of the Ruger bead sight, and a threaded barrel.

The biggest functional difference among those is the peep sight. Every time you aim at a target, the bead sight will look like this, while a peep sight will look like this.

Peep sights are inherently more accurate than beads, because by a trick of optics, peep sights automatically align your front and rear sights when you look at the front post. They basically do half of the targeting work for you - a bead sight leaves you with 3 things to line up (rear sight, front, target), while a peep cuts it down to 2. The downside is that they achieve this effect by blocking out everything outside of the rear sight ring, so it leaves you with a very limited view around your target. Making that ring smaller amplifies the peep effect and makes the rifle even more accurate, at the cost of all peripheral vision, and a larger field of view can be bought with a wider "ghost ring" rear sight, at the cost of some accuracy.

I personally don't care for peep sights (the hole tends to be either too big or too small, and I don't like getting my peripheral vision cut off), but some shooters swear by them, and they are pretty much mandatory equipment for an iron-sight target rifle. I usually shoot 22s at pop cans and stuff offhand, so I don't care about gilt-edged accuracy and appreciate having the wider view of a bead. If I was on a bench trying to punch tiny groups in paper, I would probably want a peep sight.

Anyway, going back to your post, none of the features on the TC/22 are really make or break either way. But it's only $50 more than a box-stock 10/22, so if you want it, what the hell. It mostly comes down to if you like the look of wood vs synthetic and what kind of sights you want to shoot.
 
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My first .22LR was a single shot bolt action and my second was a semi-auto with a tubular magazine. The semi-auto stopped working well after a few years and the single shot died because it was a cheap one and it got a ringed chamber from shooting too many .22 Shorts.

These days, I have my accurized 10-22 that shoots half-inch groups at 50 yards and I love shooting my bolt-actions, one of which I converted to single shot. Yes, I love to mow down steel animal silhouettes at 50 yards with a semi-auto rifle or handgun, but also get a kick out of the single shots, probably because I can shoot longer and don't have to stop to reload magazines. It's a leisurely pace.
 
Nope.:)

A "real" AR with a CMMG conversion can use rimfire cartridges in your new AR. Saving the cost of another whole gun, and enabling inexpensive practice with the "real one".

I would just buy a rifle or perhaps a complete lower and upper. You want to shoot, not build, no?



While I like rimfire conversions (especially on service pistols), I gather this is will be an initial purchase for a relative newbie? In this case, I would suggest avoiding a chamber conversion like the CMMG and go for either an entire dedicated .22 rimfire upper or an entire dedicated .22 AR-type rifle like the S&W, assuming you are going the AR route. Keep in mind that a 'real' AR-15 centerfire lower plus dedicated rimfire upper can easily top your $500 cap, however.

FYI for the OP, the .223/5.56 and .22 LR are different species of .22 caliber, and they prefer different bore sizes and twist rates for best accuracy. The benefit a rig like CMMG offers is that you can change ammo in the field with minimal extra gear and cost. They allow cheap practice using basically all of the same components as your regular 5.56 rifle. However, these kind of rigs don't make for the best functioning or most accurate full-time rimfire setup. As an early or first-time fun rifle, a 10/22 is probably the better choice for a semiauto rimfire rifle.
 
Tippmans always built solid, if uninspiring markers. I'd expect them to do the same with any firearm they build.

If .22s are on the table, than I'd recommend a private label 10/22. The TC/R22 or if you feel like assembling your own, Brownells offers nice receiver barrel set, and all the parts to complete your build.

The reason I'd recommend a private label or self assembled, is that the only 10/22 I've ever been happy with out of the box was a heavy target model. Build a stock gun then tinkering with it (much like a bargain, off the shelf, AR) can end up being expensive.

Course that again is personal opinion, a great many folks are perfectly happy with stock rifles, and most any .22 will function and shoot accurately enough.
 
If you're a serious precision shooter you want a good quality barrel. An aftermarket 10/22 bull barrel can be had for $100. Lots of 10/22's out there for $300 and with a good bull barrel you can turn a 10/22 into a tack driver. Or just buy a good precision bolt rifle for about the same money. Auto loading rifles are inherently less accurate than bolt guns. To match the accuracy of a bolt rifle one has to spend more money on a barrel and some still can't match the accuracy of a good precision bolt rifle.

Of course this all depends on your goal, precision or PBR ( Pabst Blue Ribbon (( point blank range)) :D) shooting. Many never experience LRP which is becoming the new thing pretty fast. Of course that doesn't interest many shooters but I think as ammo prices creep up and places to shoot become fewer precision shooting will become more popular.
 
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Hey you should really look at this cool new rifle. Called an AR-15.

Although if you are somehow opposed to the AR-15 or can't find one in your price bracket, A Marlin 60 or 10/22 make a really good plinker. Just picked up a few 25 round magazines for my 10/22 to spend less time loading.
 
As one of the resident curmudgeons, I will invite you to consider beginning with a 22 LR, and working on the fundamentals of marksmanship. Get to know your rifle, then learn to fire from stable positions, then load one round at a time and refine your ability to hold your breath, squeeze the trigger, and know where your shot will land. If you don't take the time to work through these details from the outset, it is easy to develop bad forms that can be frustrating.
 
I don't own and don't really like AR-15s, but can appreciate the "Rambo feeling" it gives, especially to younger guys.

My brother had a really nice M1 Carbine that I really loved when a teenager. It was very accurate and easy to use. The AR's I've picked up in stores, etc. don't have any appeal to me. They seem really cumbersome and not very ergonomic. If a person has been in the military and has used one a lot there, they probably work well for them, but I don't normally recommend them to new shooters. To each his/her own rifle style!

ergonomics is somewhat subjective, but I would disagree highly with the notion that the AR platform is not ergonomic. In my experience, it is one of the most ergonomic rifles I've handled. New shooters is also an area I would highly disagree, my 8 year old daughter dumped her bolt action 223 in a hurry for her AR once I let her shoot one. It had nothing to do with the rate of fire, as I do not allow her to mag dump or even have more than a few rounds in the magazine at once, and everything to do with the fact that she liked the safety placement, the adjustable stock, the grip, the weight etc.

The AR platform is what I generally refer ALL new shooters to for the ergonomics, accuracy, ease of use and lack of recoil.
 
I’m sure you already have something in mind, and you’ll find many, many opinions as to what to buy. My opinion (that and $1.50 will buy you a Coke) is to get a Marlin 60. It is relatively inexpensive, reliable, inherently accurate, cheap/bulk ammo tolerant, and you can shoot a crap-load of ammo through it with minimal cleaning. Of course that might be said of some others as well. Throw on a cheap scope, and you can shoot a squirrel’s eyes out at 50 yards.

Some don’t like the old fashioned tube magazine, but I’d take one any day. They’ve been doing it right since the 1860s.
 
You are not going to find a good, solid turnkey AR for $500 or less. ARs in that price have a good chance of needing tinkering to get them to run reliably. If you have good troubleshooting skills and like to tinker, no problem. Otherwise, plan to spend more. A good basic AR is the Colt, but you're not gonna find one for $500. If you're lucky and find a screaming deal, you might find one for around $800. More than likely, you're gonna spend close to a thousand. Yes, they're worth it, especially for a first AR. Most gunshops offer a layaway plan. Take advantage of it.

However, shooting is better than not shooting. For $500, I would buy a 10/22 Sporter, a few extra mags, a pile of ammo, a few steel targets and find someone qualified to show you the basics. Do not buy any fancy stocks or tactical conversions or other goodies, until you've shoot your new rifle enough that the empties reach your ankles.
 
If accuracy on a budget is what you want, you’d be hard pressed to find better than a Ruger 77/22 with a v-boltt. Lots of board members also like the Marlin 39a.
 
Your first rifle ?? I'm going to say either a Ruger 10-22 or a Ruger 9mm carbine. My third option would be an AR15 or a Mini 14.
kwg
 
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