By your second range trip you will be bored to death of the 22lr and regretting not getting real rifle. Shooting sports is not cheap, especially nowadays. There is just no way around it.
And BTW, 5.56 is a 22 caliber.
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That is quite presumptuous. While .22LR may bore you personally, America buys roughly four times as many rounds of .22LR as .223/5.56.
Last year alone, approximately 2.5 billion rounds were sold. That’s a tremendous number of shooters who clearly are NOT bored with 22lr. Perhaps some of that volume comes from the stockpiling habits that started back in the 2012–2013 shortages, but even accounting for that, the numbers show .22LR remains America’s most favored pew pew for a reason.
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My first purchase was a .22lr as it’s the best bang for the $. I probably have more .22lr firearms than anything other caliber. I also have several conversions (AR, Beretta 92, Sig 220) to shoot .22lr. Been shooting fairly often for 30+ years and yet to get bored with .22lr.
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And that is a cornerstone of my argument for 22lr. A new shooter will be more inclined to go out and shoot 200 rounds of 22lr, costing only $14 or so, compared to spending $130 for the same quantity of ammo.
In addition to the substantially lower cost for serious training, or even just plinking for fun, a new shooter will be far less likely to develop a flinch as they become accustomed to mild 22 recoil and noise.
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22lr is possibly the worst caliber for SD/HD also. Hunting, useless, unless it’s squirrel. Zombie apocalypse, you’re dead.
22lr is great for plinking beer cans in the yard, but it shouldn’t be your primary weapon. Your primary weapon should be able to do all the above, and a Semi-Auto 5.56 checks all the boxes.
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My first rifle was an AR, spent good money on a Wilson combat and have no regrets, unless you are going to be shooting it at outdoor ranges, shooting indoors is as boring as watching grass grow, hard to miss a bullseye at 25 yards with a dot or scope on there, I can tell you the last time it saw sunlight, last year at the clay shoot and probably won’t see sun light again until I go to an a outdoor range. With a .22 lever and iron sights you can have a great fun rifle at indoor ranges while having your small game rifle, if you want a little more oomph get a .22 mag lever or semi auto rifle, you can watch the squirrel heads go poof.
As you see, everyone here has a different opinion, you are going to have to go with your gut and buy what will work best for you to start out with.
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What are you going to primarily use the rifle for?
You need to identify THAT first.
After you have decided the purpose, then you can begin narrowing down specific caibers and types of action (semi-auto, bolt action, etc).
If you are considering using it to hunt small game, as you mentioned, where would you be doing that? Research the laws of the State you would be hunting in. In some States, you can’t hunt with a semi-auto rifle. In others you can.
Also, consider how much ammo is going to costs. Sure an AR is fun, versatile and cool. But if you can’t afford to shoot it regularly or can’t hunt with it, then it’s a rather foolish option.
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Do you know of any outdoor ranges only one I saw was the Clinton WMA one
Stafford forge also, there are some private if you become a member.
Colliers Mills as well
You’ll need a hunting license for all the WMA’s
I was looking at some Henry .22s they seem pretty fun. Any issues or common problems? Also what .22 ammo would you recommend?
Located in Hunterdon county. If I were to get a 10/22 what would be a good optic for it?
I have never had any issue’s with any of my Henry’s.
CCI is usually considered the gold standard for rimfire ammo, lever .22’s though will cycle pretty much anything, semi-auto not so much.
Asking what’s a good optic for a rifle here will get you 15 different answers, best to do your research, narrow it down to two or three options then ask opinions on those, a $50 scope may suit your needs just fine. You will hear this often around here “buy once, cry once”, with that said this is my go to rimfire scope.
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I go by a rule of thumb I heard or read somewhere. The amount you spend for an optic should be on par with what you paid for the rifle.
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Not sure if Palmetto State Armory will ship a semi-auto rifle to NJ or not, but you might save ~$50 ordering it through them and having them ship to your FFL, depending on what your FFL will charge to transfer it to you (~$50 is a “customary” charge for the transfer):
https://palmettostatearmory.com/ruger-10-22-carbine-22lr-semi-auto8.html
If you want the quickest/easiest route, then yeah, just buy it for $350 directly from your FFL (hopefully they don’t charge a transfer fee on top of that).
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I still have the 10/22 my dad bought me for my 7th birthday…53 years ago.
These days, I have more firearms than I shoot, but I still get the biggest kick out of that old 10/22. It has been upgraded a good bit over the years, but it’s still one of the first guns I grab when I go to the range, and the ranch. That little rifle has shot more cans, and small game than I can ever count, but most importantly, it’s built a LOT of great memories.
With a suppressor and an optic, it’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on. I giggle like a little kid every time I shoot it.
Highly recommend a .22 of some flavor as a starter rifle. Great to learn the fundamentals of shooting, and amazing to make memories with. You’ll have other firearms in your lifetime, but a .22 will be the most fun and memorable.
Added bonus, one day you’ll be able to pass it on to your kids, so they can learn to shoot and make their own memories.
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With a $1000.00 budget, and as a new shooter, I would get 2 long guns.
1- Ruger Precision Rimfire 22 Long Rifle Bolt Action.
Very fun to shoot and cheap to feed. My wife and I will set up some steel spinning targets at 50 and 75 yards and plink targets all day long. Get a budget scope and have a blast.
2- Winchester SXP Trap.
Very budget friendly shotgun with the basics you need to start shooting Trap or any Clay or Fowl shooting.
I have one that I bought for my son and it hasn’t disappointed us at all. Monte Carlo Stock, Mid bead, Fiber-Optic front sight, and interchangeable Chokes.
Both are listed on Buds Guns at your budget for both.
Also Buds Gun shop, I just bought a rifle through them for a stupidly great price
And if you’re in the Central Jersey area, Monmouth Arms in Marlboro only charges $35 for the transfer, and Steve is a great guy to boot.
I have a question about getting into this. It would be my first shotgun so would I just start out at the range then go to a public clay range? Also does that mean buy my own trap or clay equipment.