First Rifle

Both are good choices. I would go with a quality 22. You can learn all your basics and shoot a lot more for the same price. They can be fantastically accurate with good ammo. Check out some of the threads at Rimfire Central. If you do get to hunt animals to the size of woodchucks are within its capabilities.

That being said the 223 is a great round. Low recoil and very accurate. Usually not horribly picky about ammo. Everything I have tried in mine, factory and handloads, does better than 1.5 inches at 100 yards. Some better than 1 inch. It is easy to load for and some pretty cheap ammo is available. As far as hunting goes any small game shot with it is not fit to eat. Even fmj bullets do a lot of damage on small critters. As a varmint cartridge it is hard to beat unless you need to shoot longer range. Can even be used for deer with proper bullets.

Neither choice would be wrong. Agonize over it for a while and pick one. You will probably end up with both eventually if you enjoy rifle shooting. See if you can try both before purchasing

Both are good options. I suspect this is the first of several rifles you will own. If that is the case, go with a 22. As you said, it is a great gun to learn with.
Everyone needs a 22 long rifle.

Only one rifle? It can't be done. LOL. Seriously, I think it depends on your experience with firearms. I'm assuming you're an experienced shooter if you belong to 2 clubs. Now is the time to buy a .223. Bud's Gun Shop has bare bone Bushmaster carbines for about $550.00. If your wanting to reload, I strongly suggest starting out reloading pistol ammo....9mm or a 38 special. Having 5 grains of powder detonating in your hand is smarter than +25 grains detonating by your cheekbone. As you get more experience, move into rifle cartridges, .223 is a great place to start.

I tend to lean towards the bolt guns. A nice little .22 LR is always a nice gun to shoot and brings hours of enjoyment for a reasonable cost. There is also as you mention a .223 Remington bolt gun and I am also a fan of the .308 Winchester cartridge. Hopefully if someone at your club is on the range they can expose you to a few other rifle flavors. I doubt you would be unhappy with a .22 LR or a .223 Remington. There are dozens of little .22 LR bolt guns to be had used at a reasonable cost you may wish to consider.

Ron

I would go with FIRST finding some group that could give you some training AND that group that might provide you a loaner.

You might consider an Appleseed event as there are three scheduled for Mass next weekend and two in May.

https://appleseedinfo.org/find-an-event/

Contact those putting the even on and ask about the availability of a loaner rifle and your ammunition and personal equipment needs.

They will likely have (some, or maybe one) loaners, though likely in the form of a semi auto .22LR rather than a bolt action. Don't be surprised if some students show up with bolt action rifles though and you might pay attention when the Appleseed instructors are teaching them.

I would also go to the NRA and ask if they had an instructor doing classes locally and find out if that instructor could provide a loaner and equipment.

These options will cost you money, but give you the BASICS of what you need to be a safe and somewhat effective rifle shooter.

Personally I recommend folks start with a .22LR that has some sort of iron sights and the option of scope mounting. This upsets some "Men who are manly" who feel a "real man" has to have a "real rifle" rather than a .22. This is why many real men who are manly can not shoot for beans.

Here is a clue......even the USMC "sniper school" has used .22LR in training. You state that the longest range you expect to be shooting is 100 yards and paper is you target. Sounds made for .22LR to me!

The .22LR is a comfortable gun to shoot and can teach you MOST, as in 90 percent, of everything you will need to become a decent rifle shooter......and a lot cheaper than any center fire rifle.

Once you become proficient with a .22LR, should you decide you need a hunting rifle or home defense rifle, you can step up to the .223 or whatever prepared and with few bad habits about shooting or shooting safety.

Safe shooting!

-kBob

Your budget needs to be a consideration to help you pick a rifle and scope . I think you are on the right track with calibers .

22lr should be everyone's first rifle. Ruger 10-22 or a savage mark 2 are my favorites. I have a mark 2 American classic which has a high grade checkered walnut stock. That's an heirloom quality gun at a very reasonable price. The accutriger on the savage guns are really nice.

Yeah, as much as I love .22lr, in this particular case I'd go .223. Capable cartridge and still very inexpensive to shoot. Assuming you're on a limited budget, maybe something like this?

http://grabagun.com/mossberg-sons-inc-27720-mvp-var-24-tb-223-lam-11rd.html

peterk, how old are you? Do you wear glasses? Do you have any physical limitations? Do you plan to move eventually? How do you see target shooting?

Offhand standing?
Bench?
Three position (common hunting positions)?
Prone?
Do you envisage using a sling?

Do you want to reload?

Can you engage with one of the clubs to do some Cowboy Action? Do they sponsor two or three gun competitions?

Massachusetts gun laws are arcane and I don't know the in's and out's very well, but seems to me they allow shotguns... Does that include rifled barrels?

I think they have Assault Weapons (AW) definitions and bans ... I don't know how hard it is to build/buy a non-AW AR15 type platform.

Out here in Cali, we can go fixed magazine 10 shot max and be exempt from AW ban stuff. If you can do similar (?), even if it's limited to 5 round magazines, there are good reliable AR builds that will shoot match accuracy. Cheap enough to feed and accurate enough to make target practice fun. All sorts of accessories and sighting systems, etc.

Of course, If that is not possible, you can go 22LR. It will have somewhat less effective range, but with trajectory/bullet drop calc's can go to 100 yds...

But before we can really get into specifics, need to answer the questions above

For tiny groups at 100 yds. with a .22 I would go with an Anshutz and a Weaver T36 scope .

Peterk1234;

I'm going to presume that both you and your wife are right handed and the right eye is the dominant eye, but if you don't know what the dominant eye is, find out. Usually the dominant eye should be the eye you aim with, which may dictate a left handed shooting position. Very few people are cross-dominant, but it does occur. It's not a huge deal, but accuracy is usually improved by using the dominant eye to aim with, and that aids positive feedback.

If one of you is a lefty & t'other a righty, then something like a 10/22 in .22lr would probably work best for you ergonomically. Though do be prepared to start "improving" it. Frequently these modifications exceed the original cost of the gun by several hundred percent, and leave you with all the spare parts to put back together into the original gun you bought. Then there's one for each of you! Upon rare occasion this can transpire without comment from the other person in the marriage, but don't count on it.

If both of you are of the same dominance factor, just get a CZ455 bolt gun. There, you can also easily modify it with different stocks, barrels, and rimfire calibers. Look into it, of course, before you spend your money, but do please investigate.

And, obviously, I think the .22 rimfire is the way to go for a first gun.

900F

I have a Remington 513T which is a clip fed version of the single shot Remington match 22LR target rifle. It came with precision iron sights and a sling as it was used by the US Army as a precision training rifle for their advanced "Marksmen" program. It was/is a tack driver. Heavy barrel and stock. They can be had in the $300 range used (the only way to get one). You might look into one of these as they will appreciate as you own them. Sort of a workingman's Anschutz

Another used option would be a Remington 540X. Another stunning USA target rifle. And it will also likely appreciate as you own it Here is an example:



I might be sorely tempted to buy a new center fire rifle in say 223/5.56 NATO or .308 after you have been at this for a bit. But there are so many directions you can go then, that it is not predictable at this point...

.308 fan here.

Ammo a bit more expensive but also more versatile

22lr is an ideal first rifle. A good bolt gun can be very precise. My daughter started with a Savage Rascal and with a globe front sight and some locktite on the rather fiddly rear aperture, she was competitive with the kids shooting $2000 + Anschutz rifles. So a CZ or an adult rifle made by Savage, or the River American rimfire would all be good candidates.

There are lots and lots of deer at the Western end of your state and to the North in VT and South in CT. Lots. Black bear in the Berkshires too. So I don't know what the firearms restrictions are hunting in MA, but I have rifle hunted in CT and shot quite a few deer in southern VT. Once you get comfy with your 22 and get in with some folks who can mentor your hunting, you'll be getting something in 30 cal. For New England deer and black bear, you can't beat the old 30-30, it's all woods hunting and small fields. Scope a Marlin with a fixed 4x if you need it and you've got a handy rifle that even that vile hag Maura Healy will have a hard time banning.

I would go with the .22.....when it comes to sporter weight rifles, I favor CZ's. I have several 452s and have had a 455 I let go only because I wasn't using it. I have yet run across a bad CZ bolt

Everyone should have a .22 bolt action. I already have a good one but if I were looking to buy it would be a CZ.

One ain't enough...you need one with a scope, one with open sights, one with peep sights, and the list goes on.

True enough

Since you are enjoying reloading I would go with a 223/5.56 rifle, you can dial in loads for your rifle that will shoot tiny groups at 100 yards and beyond,
There is some real nice bolt action 223 rifles out there or if you wanted a semi they are cheap right now things to consider is 223/5.56 ammo is everywhere
surplus,factory,reloading components are cheap just so many options with 223 ammo. Just pick a rifle with at least a 1/9 or 1/7 twist skip the 1/12 that way you can load/shoot heaver bullets.
With the 22lr you need to keep in mind 22 ammo is just now returning to the shelves, 22lr has been mostly unseen for years and high end 22lr ammo the
competitive shooters use to shoot tiny groups at 100 yards at my range is very expensive, you can load high end 223 ammo cheaper than the high end 22lr ammo will cost you, also who knows come next election 22lr ammo may be a ghost again for years.
So if it was me I would not pick a 22lr as my first rifle because you can reload match grade 223 ammo, and 22 lr ammo is volatile you may end up with a stick instead of a rifle down the road. Anyway this is just my opinion

You bring up a good point on the reloading. I don't shoot my 22's that much anymore due to it being a pain in the butt to find ammo to feed them. A 223 bolt gun makes for cheap and fun plinking that you can reload for. Brass is free. A 22 hornet is really fun and economical but it's to hard to get brass anymore.

Of course, If that is not possible, you can go 22LR. It will have somewhat less effective range, but with trajectory/bullet drop calc's can go to 100 yds...

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Our club shoot .22 events to 220yds. A neighboring club shoots steel silhouettes out to 300 yds.

Get a decent quality .22 bolt gun, CZ, Ruger American or an older Winchester or Remington. I have a 1940's Winchester 75 that'll shoot one big ragged 20 shot hole at 50 yds. It'll open up, but hold the 10 ring of a smallbore f-class target at a 100yds, paid less the $250 for it. Whan't to learn how to read wind? Shoot a .22 cal rifle at 100-200yds. Learning with a .22 affords you the opportunity to learn good habits without muzzle blast or recoil.

I don't shoot my 22's that much anymore due to it being a pain in the butt to find ammo to feed them.

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22 ammo is readily available with plinking ammo as low as $ .05/rd.
If you look at scopes a Weaver 6-24 variable is a great choice. Lower power for close work, high power for longer range or precision. IMHO 36x is too high for a new shooter and anything closer then 50yds. High power scopes while giving you more precise aiming introduce a whole 'nother set of problems. I say that having a Weaver T36 on a .22 4position target rifle.

I enjoy the versatility and accuracy of my Mossberg MVP in 223. Uses AR mags, which can be had in 10 round capacity. Mine prefers the Magpull brand. Also killed 2 nice deer with it.