One thing that I do not recommend is a single shot .22. It will either end up in back of a closet or safe or sold at a dramatic loss! Get yourself a decent quality repeater, be it bolt, lever or autoloader. Rimfire's are fun to shoot and have a wide number of uses! A good quality .22 with proper sights can hit, oh say a human eye or squirrels head at 50+ yards! I guess what I'm trying to say is spend a little more and get a rifle that will be useable for a lifetime! A note about autoloaders. A Ruger 10/22 is one of Bill Rugers absolute masterpieces! It is one of the most versatile .22's ever created! I'd certainly not suggest one for a child, but a 29 year old is a different story! You can load one round at a time at first. It's a little finicky but doable. A lot of folks buy extra magazines for they're Rugers, I have many! Do that and then you're cookin' load a round in each magazine insert a mag in the rifle, work the bolt, get a careful sight picture, control your breathing, gently squeeze the trigger, hit the bullseye , safety on, switch magazines and repeat! Have fun!
While I agree with the 22 rifle, lots of places where you can get a lot of practice in with air guns and the modern pellet rifle is not my childhood Red Ryder by a long shot and you do not have to go 10 miles to a range. Neighbors don't call the cops when you shoot it if you are discrete and they are more accurate at 50 to 75 feet then my eyes. For about $100 to 150 you can find a decent one new and ammo is dead cheap. 17 is faster and more accurate, but 22 in pellet is a good squirrel, chipmunk, etc gun. If I had to get one long gun for a first gun it would be a pump or semi auto shotgun. Can learn on it, use it for self defense, and buy cheap gun and ammo and most areas in the US don't panic if you own one. A 12 gauge with buckshot in the hands of the semi skilled is probably much more effective at 25 feet than an AR type weapon and with slugs and a little more precision it will stop a bear. While I like 45 cal in pistols, I think I would select a 38-357 revolver or a 9 mm auto for first short gun. Reasonable price, relatively cheap ammo and a lot more effective than a 22 for self defense. I guess the question is if this is to be your first gun for 2 months, 2 years or 5 years, and do you plan on keeping it for a useful "spare" after you up grade. Some major changes if you plan to keep it for self defense as well as learning. Civilian marksmanship program gave me a Springfield bolt action for being in my high school shooting team in the early 1950's, I still have it, and with that and with the old style Lee loader, some powder, a couple thousand pulled bullets, and a couple thousand primers, it is still my first choice for a long term survival gun.
Heaven help me, I am going to sound like Gunkid. A 22lr 40 grain solid will and have killed many deer with head shots and even at least a couple coastal brown bears in Alaska. I would seriously not advise trying that unless you have no choice. My point is anyone who discounts a 22lr rifle in the hands of someone who has practiced enough to be proficient with it can hit a coke can sized target at 25-50 yards almost all the time. A head of a human is smaller than a coke can. Most handgunners without lots and lots of practice can not do nearly as well. In good hands a 22lr rifle can do the job on a man. With a pistol I will give the less than average handgunner 10 to 15 yards maximum just to hit the torso shooting for center of mass on a fully exposed target. jmho and I have personally trained several 1000 shooters with the 45 government model colt semi auto.
Nope, not even near Gunkid. FWIW, I have a 10/22 takedown in Mossy Oak and I absolutely love it. Check CDNN Sports, they go on sale for $299. pretty regularly or maybe that's even the regular price.
If you want a semi auto 22lr all you need to know is ruger 10/22, been around since 1964 and few changes have been made to it. My first impression of S&W 22lr pistols was I saw a guy take a brand new one out of the box at the range and it broke the first or second time he fired it. That day I learned everything I needed to know about S&W semi auto pistols. For your first gun that shoots anything you might want to start with a air gun.
I was given my First FireArm, on my 12th Birthday, as is the custom in my Family, going back Generations.... I still have that Winchester Model 69A, Magazine Feed, Bolt Action, 22LR..... When I had completed the NRA Marksmanship Program, AND the State Hunters Safety Course, I was allowed to keep the Ammunition for my Weapon, and the Cleaning Kit... I killed my first Deer with that Rifle at age 13... a 25 Yd Shot, in my GodFathers Apple Orchard..... I never hunted with anything else, until My Partner and I, left for the High Country, in the North Cascades for 2 years, after College.... I bought a Winchester 94, SaddleGun in 30-30, for that period of my life. Small, Light, Enough Power to take ANY of the local Critters, and ReSupply was available in EVERY Mountain Village Store.... I still have that rifle, as Well.... My First Handgun, was a present from an OLD Alaskan Buddy, when I got Married... He said "Every Married Man, needs a HandGun." and allowed me to select, from his considerable collection. I choose a Colt 1903 Pocket Automatic in 38ACP.... I carried that Weapon with me as I traveled thru-ought the State of Alaska, for the next 20 Years, and I still have that FireArm, as well.... It is Willed, to the Buffalo Cody FireArms Museum, in Cody Wyoming, upon my Death, to fill out their Colt Collection.... Over the years, I mostly have added FireArms to the Gun Locker, as i found need, and only sold off a very few, to others.... These days My Sidearm is a Belgian Browning HiPower in 9MM, carried in a Shoulder Rig, When needed... My Rifle is a DPMS AR10 in .308 Winchester, sporting a 24" Stainless Bull Barrel, and Eliminator III Optics.... My Shotgun is a Winchester 1300, Stainless 12Ga. with Extended Tube Magazine, that lives on Pegs above the Front Door Jam....In the Pipe is a LowBase #9 BirdShot, and the rest of the load out is OOBuck & Slugs, Alternating..... Alaskachick sports a Dan Wesson Stainless .357 Magnum Pistol Pak and usually has the 8" Barrel fitted, which lives on top of the Fridge in the Kitchen.... Her Rifle, of choice is our 30M1 Carbine with a Simmons 3X9 40mm Scope.....
I have no idea what a FOID card is? Good luck with that crap! 10/22 is a fun banger Learn how to air it out to 100 yds or so Challenge is the name of the game when it comes to plinkers. I like hand gun shooting at 110 yds or so
My vote to is for a bolt action .22 (CZ all the way) get it with iron sights, learn to shoot it well that way before you move onto anything else.
Wow, tough question - new shooter - first firearm ever - I'd go .22 LR semi auto. That's where you will end up anyways, and you could pick up a bolt rifle .22 later if the quest for superior accuracy still maintains your interest. If you start with a bolt you will lust for a semi auto until you buy one too. .22 bolt guns capable of extreme accuracy usually require higher quality ammo to be able to stack shots on a 10x. Competition is fierce amongst those who pursue this game, and it can get very expensive. Some semi autos are surprisingly accurate, and can provide acceptable levels accuracy in the field. Most small game hunters I know prefer semi autos over bolts in the field, I like them both. Learn to shoot with iron sights before you move on to scopes. Many shooters today don't do well shooting with irons, because they never learned how but went straight to glass. Iron sights are basic, and are capable of excellent accuracy. Glass doesn't make you shoot better, it just helps you see your target better. Seek an instructor, the basic learning curve with a .22 is pretty fast, safety is your ultimate objective with firearms, and will follow you the rest of your life, every shot you take. This is all from an old fart, but I've been burning powder since I was maybe 5, so in 57 years hopefully I've learned something, but could be bouncing off the wall, so take your own council and follow your heart in the matter or you will never be satisfied with your decision.
Soooooooooo much information here. Thank you everyone! I think this will be a great thread for anyone else who may be in the same postion i am in. I have bb guns. Its fun to shoot them! I have a target that allows me to save the metal bb's without the fear of them bouncing back. BB guns are fun but, they wony stop an intruder. The pistol would be for home security until able to get a CC permit. The rifle would be for training purposes of begining to shoot. This will be my method of hunting when i figure out where it is im going. As a backup to guns, i have a compound bow. I practice with it often but, i also want to get a recurve bow as it could be made from a smaller tree times call for it. As for getting the AR15 .22 my eyes have been opened that i would be ruffling up the police. So i will look into the .22 semi autos noted above. Thank you everyone for your imput!!
