Thread: Best first firearm?

Sorry if I’m unclear on my wording I struggle in the domain sometimes my idea was to make a video on the best bang for buck firearm a young fella could buy when he/she first gets there FAL if they want to hunt a variety of game but on a tight budget if that makes sense

Single shot .22 with open sights. Perfect for bunnies and possums. Deer, pigs and goats come later for a lot of young people.

A double rifle (the baikal 45/70 is cheap as that seems to be your criteria) you can load shot for it if you wish and theres nothing here it wont tip over. Not a long range more an up close and personal kind of firearm that will get you noticed

Originally Posted by Cody.a

Sorry if I’m unclear on my wording I struggle in the domain sometimes my idea was to make a video on the best bang for buck firearm a young fella could buy when he/she first gets there FAL if they want to hunt a variety of game but on a tight budget if that makes sense

Aaahhh now I get you. Ignore my reminiscence post earlier.

A 22 would be the answer, cost effective to enjoy shooting it lots and get the confidence up with accuracy and shot placement. Most new hunters want to get a result and cleaning up a few bunnies, possums and hares brings that satisfaction.

A Harrington and Richardson 12 gauge single shot. The H and R is a hammer gun but any single shot break gun with a hammer is great as a first gun very safe, it is a very deliberate action to cock the hammer just before the shot. Cocking the hammer is an extra level of safety over self cocking guns, this keeps the shooter connected to the firearm so they know what is going on.
Safe gun handling is the most important thing for a new shooter to learn imo

For a young falla/fallessa then .22lr or magnum. 12ga the recoil will put him off, unless you get him clay loads 7.5 21grams. Start trying to feed him 5 32grams in a gun that doesn't fit and your just going to put them off.

As an example my wife won't shoot a shotgun as she feels it's to much. All the trying to hit a moving target etc.
Yet target shooting with a rifle she enjoys.
My own example was I was given a 12ga to start with. Kicked the shit out of me as everyone was using 5s and 4 shot. I only stuck with it because I loved duck shooting.
My first rifles where 270 but again I sold these as recoil got to me. This is before sound moderators even became common place.

So the answer is two fold.
1: It needs to be enjoyable to use.
2: It needs to large enough to compensate for the mistakes that the inexperienced will make when hunting animals. (what I mean here is error in accuracy) We do need to look at the welfare of the game animal. No use going around trying to take out deer with a .22lr or WRM it's not ethical.
3: your budget v fit. We can't all by Holland & Holland but on the other hand we don't want something that is a peace of crap that is going to fall to apart in five minutes. I think a lot of people miss the second hand stuff. Nothing wrong with the old walnut and blue guns that are still out there.

As said above the old bolt guns and brake action shotguns will teach you a lot more about safe handling than a semi auto. (In this I mean you only ever have one round to worry about once the shot is taken) it will also teach you to become accurate.
One round is all you need V the whole magazine because you have a semi auto. (You can afford all that ammo anyway as this is back into the budget category).
There my look on it.

Not my first firearm but the first 'best' one! A Harrington & Richardson .22 Young America revolver with a 5" barrel that I was given (in pieces)for my 12th birthday. I rebuilt it, made a new coil mainspring system, made a set of antler grips and reblued it with Parker Hale 'Old English' hot blue (that meant I had to fold and weld a sheet steel tank and did the job on our gas stove). I learned a hell of a lot from that gun until it was taken off me by the Police when I was 19 (along with a few other tasty items!). I suppose that was only fair as a cop gave it to my father in 1939 instead of throwing it into the tide in Invercargill.

Single shot 22LR.
Old German made "model 24"

Yeah I'd probably say a .22 magnum (bolt action) would be the best first rifle. It's pretty hard to get a "one size fits all" caliber that can take down all NZ game (especially if you're a broke student like myself and on a budget). If they've never hunted before, probs best to start small with rabbits/hares then slowly move up in animal size (.22 magnum can take down goats pretty easy in my experience). Then for deer, pigs etc just borrow a mates bigger gun and go along with them, they'll also have more experience to help them learn. That's my 10 cents at least

It's a bloody good idea for a video, wish I'd thought of it first!

rossi 22 mag semi. bought one a few months back. bloody tack driver and enough knockdown for goat/wallaby

Originally Posted by Pommy

M107.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M107_s...7-latrun-1.jpg

I totally agree.

Bolt action 22 and a shotgun. 1 gun is never enough

Ak-74M is a solid option as well for the first firearm. Very reliable, easy maintenance, cheap ammo, fun to shoot as well

anything except a 270 ......

Originally Posted by Pushover

Bolt action 22 and a shotgun. 1 gun is never enough

neither is 10