Entry level rifle

Frost · Nov 23, 2011

I have been looking for an entry level rifle for my Grandson.
He won't be here till next summer but I look at that as having plenty of time to decide.

I have looked at the Remington 770 and the Savage Axis

The Remington gets love / hate reviews.
People who have one say they shoot good, people who don't have one generally say I looked at it and it was crap so I bought XXX.
I held one and the stock seemed kind of crude and the bolt was stiff.
The price was right though.

The Savage Axis generally gets decent to good reviews.
The biggest complaint seems to be the stock.
I held one and the fit and finish was definitely better than the Remington.
The stock seemed much nicer and the bolt was smooth.
The price is also ok

Opinions please

thebrasilian · Nov 23, 2011

How old is he?

Torontogosh · Nov 23, 2011

What about the Howa 1500 ? I picked up a combo pack from East Coast last year that came with the "Ranch" size rifle (20" .308 barrel), a scope and mounts, a black Hogue youth stock, and a OD adult sized Hogue stock. Basically, its a solid gun that has good features (floorplate, nice stock) that he can grow into, or you can use when he isn't around. The Weatherby Vanguard series are just relabeled Howa rifles, so, I think the quality is there.

http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/defa ... outh+2+N+1

OR...

What about an AR-15? You can use a 5 round magazine, buy an inexpensive polymer lower to keep it light, and have the option to teach with iron sights as well as various optics.

Shrapnel762 · Nov 23, 2011

I have a 710 in 30.06 with a nikon prostaff and love it. Perfect economical hunter for me. Adjustable trigger too. Only thing it might be a bit heavy for a youngster to carry around alot. Mines around 8.5 lbs. 770 is a restocked 710.

HHB Guns · Nov 23, 2011

Hands DOWN NO IFS ANDS OR BUTTS. Marlin XS7 Youth in 243, 308 or 7mm-08. Best/cheapest damn gun I ever bought. Stay away from the 770. I get bad reports all the time. The axis is ok but that Marlin is one of the best shooters I have and has dropped seven deer this past month in their tracks from 100-160 yards. It was the cheapest gun on the market and I was hesitant to buy it but I am truly in love. I recommend it to all my customers now. If you want to look at it just let me know.

Frost · Nov 24, 2011

He is 14 this will be his birthday present at 15.
He is half an inch short of 6' tall so I don't think we will need a youth stock.
Thanks for all the advice.

HHB Guns · Nov 24, 2011

Then I would go with a reg xs7. I personally like. 308. Dale at east coast was the one who sold me on it. He had nothing bad to say about it. I had never seen one before so I called and talked to him and went up there and look at it. He said for the price it has some really good features like a fluted bolt and so forth.

Tigerstripe · Nov 24, 2011

By tigerstripe1 at 2011-11-23
I love my Rem model 7
bottom is my wifes Rem 700 youth model in 243. she has the same in 308.

Tigerstripe · Nov 27, 2011

so why did they remove my picture?

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By tigerstripe1 at 2011-11-23

Enjay · Nov 27, 2011

Tiger:
You'll want to contact Imageshack to find out why they removed it. Is the picture till in your album?

Frost:
I hear that Lafayette is selling the Thompson gun, that'd make a heck of a nice gift.

Tigerstripe · Nov 28, 2011

no kidding.
ive hinted that same thought to her but she gives me this look...... :evil:

Frost
i tried again in the next post. lets see if it stays this time

armaborealis · Mar 15, 2012

I'd steer clear of the Remington 770.

The Marlin XS7, Savage Axis, and Weatherby Vanguard are all affordable entry level options which I think you will find provide higher quality and better value.

Also, why not consider a 30-30? There are a lot of used lever guns out there which offer great value -- they're cheap! On the east coast in brush I think it is hard to beat the handiness of a 30-30, and the recoil is quite manageable.

tucker · Mar 16, 2012

I will put in my 2 cents worth. I went thru the same thing with my son a while back. I got a Mossberg ATR .243, wood stock and mounted a Nikon Buckmaster 3x9x40 on it. He really likes the gun. Little recoil and the .243 is fine for deer in our area. Not alot of shots beyond 100 yds. Excellant gun on yotes and hogs..... I have to admit, if I am headed out by myself, I will grab his Mossberg and put in the truck....

bigfutz · Mar 16, 2012

You said entry level rifle, but you didn't say if it would be his first rifle. I just feel the need to state the obvious, just in case. Every American should own a Ruger 10/22, first and foremost. There, I said it. You can go back to your discussion on deer rifles now.

armedpig · Mar 21, 2012

How about a Savage Axis in 5.45x39? No it is not a production gun. A local smith near me has converted a few. It would be a great starter rifle and REAL cheap to shoot.

fiundagner · Mar 21, 2012

Caliber wise I would recommend something "light" if this is his first rifle. I have heard it said, and I agree with it, that if you are only going to own one weapon in your lifetime, make it a 22. Although I might change this slightly to a .223 (hey .22 is in there at least). If he has never shot before, get something with iron sights so he learns how to shot with them. I also recommend a bolt action rifle, or possibly break action, simply for the reliability. Don?t get me wrong, I love my semi-autos, but a bolt action rifle will be reliable long after a semi has had to go to the shop for repairs and tune ups . A good option along those lines is the Rossi wizard. It?s a break action, and it can fire everything from 22 to 12 gauge. Reliable and versatile, all in one. In fairness I have never used one myself, but we got one for our youngest, with the .22 & .410 barrels, and he loves it.

My oldest son has the savage axis in .223, we bought it for him for his first rifle. My wife?s review of the weapon can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=1770&start=30

We decided on this because we had taught him to use iron sights with our rifles, and the price was right. And the Rossi Wizard had not come out yet. Even after adding the scope it was well within a budget.

My first rifle was a marlin 96(?) bolt action rifle that my dad introduced me to when i was 8-ish. I loved shooting it then, and i love shooting it now. It was manufactured sometime before 1968, and in those 40+ years it has been around i have only had 2 problems with it. the stock is getting worn to the point that it needs adjusted after every magazine so you can seat the mags, and the extractor spring/lever has become worn out and needs replaced. In fairness i would not be surprised to add it all up over the years and find out that i had shot 100000 rounds through it, at least.

Basically, IMO, it boils down to get him something cheap to shoot, easy to work with, and most of all?..wait for it?here it comes... FUN.

tucker · Mar 21, 2012

I must follow-up on my earlier post. I assumed that you were looking for a deer rifle. After reading the above few post, I may, ( and more than likely ), assumed wrong. As stated above, I am a firm beliver that every kid should own a .22. And learn to shoot on iron sites, how to break it down, clean it and put it back together. Ammo is cheap and a .22 is easy for a kid to learn to shoot on. My son's first was a Rossi single shot, then the Ole Henry lever action. He loves that gun. No matter what we take to the range to practice, that Ole Henry is always taken along. Like he says, the lever action is just down right cool......

Pathfinder2012 · May 10, 2012

You should set him up with a AK variant Maybe a Saiga. you wouldn't have to worry about him cleaning it everyday or abusing it. it is a Great overall Rifle for all age groups even Beginners.

armaborealis · May 20, 2012

tucker said:
I must follow-up on my earlier post. I assumed that you were looking for a deer rifle. After reading the above few post, I may, ( and more than likely ), assumed wrong. As stated above, I am a firm beliver that every kid should own a .22. And learn to shoot on iron sites, how to break it down, clean it and put it back together. Ammo is cheap and a .22 is easy for a kid to learn to shoot on. My son's first was a Rossi single shot, then the Ole Henry lever action. He loves that gun. No matter what we take to the range to practice, that Ole Henry is always taken along. Like he says, the lever action is just down right cool......

Concur... My post also assumed you wanted a first centerfire.

A .22 makes a GREAT first rifle. For younger kids a single shot may be most appropriate. Otherwise there's a lot of choices... The 10/22 is a great classic which is easily customized (with, say, an appropriate stock for his size), there's many other affordable semiauto .22s out there, and lever actions are also great. My household's first rifle as adults learning to shoot was a 10/22.