A can o' worms I tell ya, rifles and sights and scopes and such...
One thing begats another thing which begats another thing...
Whacha gonna shoot at? Paper, bunnies, deer? (Don't answer that yet)
How old are yer eyes? Glasses or glass free? (Don't answer that yet)
Anybody in yer family do much long gun shootin'? (Don't answer that yet)
Got kids -or- going to someday? (Don't...well you know)
Got a place to go shootin'? How far/long a range they got? (DATY)
You rich? (You can answer that one cause I'm nosy
)
Rifles with iron sights... all of the above posts apply as to stock design, etc., you want good eyes, short ranges, slow targets (unless you're in the military)
Rifles with no sights to be scoped... a couple of ways to go here. Get a GOOD scope of magnification level you'll actually use for the purpose you'll be using it. (i.e., don't let someone sell you a 1,000 yd 20X mil-dot reticle rangefinding super duper whatever if you're punching paper at 100 yds or planning on shooting bambi at 150 yds or less)
Plan on spending about an equal $ amount on the scope as the rifle cost you or thereabouts for lasting quality.
I'd suggest having a good smith do the mounting and instruct you on the hows and such-not of different mounts/rings w/ your cheek weld/eye hgt/eye relief all taken into consideration.
.22, .223 and .243 can be found with and without scopes mounted on them. At my age (we won't answer that) a single focal plane is best as Messr's Jaywalker and Eatman described... YMMV
For learning a long gun, a .22 with open or iron sights and getting the sight picture basics down should be a requirement... so there! Grownup or kids. Besides that, ammo is cheap, so you'll practice more...
For hunting bambi near dusk hours, scopes help pull in a bit more light.
For plinking and paper... your call.
Just remember what your overall intent is with each rifle, factor in your eye sight and budget and your answers to the rest of the above questions...
I am kinda surprised that you're looking at Remingtons tho', being a good Italian girl and such (heck, for all I know you could be Irish). Beretta handles SAKO and Tikka (EXCELLANT RIFLES!) and unless they're on the banned list in MA, I figured you for a Beretta freak through and through (even tho' they're a little more scandanavian than mediterrainean in nature). Do you live in Remington Country or is that all you can get locally?
http://www.remington.com/default
http://www.berettausa.com/
And then you said something about shotguns... but since this is rifle country... we won't go there. (However, Sshhhh... Beretta makes some really fine smoothbores)
