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BigDHornfan

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For a $1200 budget with the idea of home defense and general target shooting I’d spend the money on a basic AR-15 in carbine length, a simple red dot or reflex optic, and then some training on the proper use and function.

Spend 1/2 to 2/3 on the rifle and sight and the balance on hiring an instructor to teach you the basics.... then shoot, shoot, shoot and become comfortable with it. 

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If you just want an off the shelf .223 AR, $1200 will get you a lot of gun, probably more than you "need" if this is your first one. Something like this wouldn't be a horrible choice:

https://grabagun.com/firearms/rifles/ar-15-rifles-ar-10-ak47/s-w-m-p15-sptii-556n-or-30rd-blk.html

Go to Grabagun or Bud's or PSA and do a search and make a list and then come back here and share.

Problem is that inventory of the entry-level guns is very short right now because of demand during the lockdown. 

Edited by crimsonlonghorn
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15 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

For a $1200 budget with the idea of home defense and general target shooting I’d spend the money on a basic AR-15 in carbine length, a simple red dot or reflex optic, and then some training on the proper use and function.

Spend 1/2 to 2/3 on the rifle and sight and the balance on hiring an instructor to teach you the basics.... then shoot, shoot, shoot and become comfortable with it. 

This is good advice.  For a "first" rifle, the AR is fine, but it has many more moving parts than a bolt-gun.  So training is paramount.  It's like getting a dog for the first time and opting for a Chesapeake Bay Retriever or Doberman.  Amazing dogs, but you have to do your part.  Spend as much time as you can learning as much as possible from as many people as possible.  

Carbine classes would be a fantastic idea.  

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31 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

For a $1200 budget with the idea of home defense and general target shooting I’d spend the money on a basic AR-15 in carbine length, a simple red dot or reflex optic, and then some training on the proper use and function.

Spend 1/2 to 2/3 on the rifle and sight and the balance on hiring an instructor to teach you the basics.... then shoot, shoot, shoot and become comfortable with it. 

Yeah- this. And at this budget I’d get a handgun  for home defense and a rifle for target shooting.

And for the first rifle, I’d buy a Ruger 10/22 takedown. I wouldn’t do an AR because it’s too easy to get carried away by the accessory game instead of learning the gun. 

Edited by Bozo_Casanova
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14 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Yeah- this. And at this budget I’d get a handgun  for home defense and a rifle for target shooting.

And for the first rifle, I’d buy a Ruger 10/22 takedown. I wouldn’t do an AR because it’s too easy to get carried away by the accessory game instead of learning the gun. 

Hey man, quit hating.....

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRgjnpZgpM-c-4Co4zD6kQ

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58 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Yeah- this. And at this budget I’d get a handgun  for home defense and a rifle for target shooting.

And for the first rifle, I’d buy a Ruger 10/22 takedown. I wouldn’t do an AR because it’s too easy to get carried away by the accessory game instead of learning the gun. 

The girlfriend and I have a little 223 pistol, but I wanted a long gun as well.

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12 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

If you wanted something bigger than a .22LR I'd go with a Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle. It's easy to swap the stock with a folder if you want, lots of magazines available, etc. 

Love the gun but have you seen the prices lately?  Crazy!!! Wouldn’t leave much room in the $1200 budget For optics and training classes, but it’s a great, fun gun.  Very underrated amidst the AR craze. 

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4 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

Love the gun but have you seen the prices lately?  Crazy!!! Wouldn’t leave much room in the $1200 budget For optics and training classes, but it’s a great, fun gun.  Very underrated amidst the AR craze. 

Used to have one.  Maybe a carry-over from youth watching the A-Team.  Always had accuracy issues with mine.  Thing would rattle every scope I put on it out of place.  

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3 hours ago, workswithseed said:

Probably an AR, but I figured I might as well ask y'all pros if there is a good rifle that I didn't know.

I would go to Primary Arms.com  a good Texas company. Would try and buy a Radical Firearms (Pearland) carbine like this:

https://www.primaryarms.com/radical-firearms-16in-5.56-nato-socom-ar-15-rifle-with-15in-fcr-gen-3-m-lok-rail

upgrade the trigger to a CMC 2.5 lb , another Texas company from Granbury, I think.

Would buy three more P Mags

a soft case and spend the rest on a Vortex strike eagle w QR mount, absolute cowitness. You can add some pop up metal sites if you want to invest in optics and mount later.
But if you get all of this from the get go you will be very happy and will quickly progress in your shooting, which will make you enjoy shooting. You can buy some hog hammers for hunting and will drop anything in Texas.

I own a radical firearms ar pistol in carbine length and am very happy w platform. It was 400 bucks and made a really nice buildout for a short stroke piston kit. One of my favorite shooters, and a helluva a value for quality.

All of the companies I mentioned have first rate customer support and will help you if you ever have a question or problem.

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On 6/19/2020 at 10:03 AM, BabaYaga said:

Used to have one.  Maybe a carry-over from youth watching the A-Team.  Always had accuracy issues with mine.  Thing would rattle every scope I put on it out of place.  

Before the AR mainstreamed and the .300Blk became a household name, you’d be hard pressed to find a better truck/hog rifle than the Mini-30 loaded with nickel a round surplus ammo.  

Edited by Reagan1k
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On 6/19/2020 at 12:06 PM, Alien Octopus said:

I would go to Primary Arms.com  a good Texas company. Would try and buy a Radical Firearms (Pearland) carbine like this:

https://www.primaryarms.com/radical-firearms-16in-5.56-nato-socom-ar-15-rifle-with-15in-fcr-gen-3-m-lok-rail

upgrade the trigger to a CMC 2.5 lb , another Texas company from Granbury, I think.

Would buy three more P Mags

a soft case and spend the rest on a Vortex strike eagle w QR mount, absolute cowitness. You can add some pop up metal sites if you want to invest in optics and mount later.
But if you get all of this from the get go you will be very happy and will quickly progress in your shooting, which will make you enjoy shooting. You can buy some hog hammers for hunting and will drop anything in Texas.

I own a radical firearms ar pistol in carbine length and am very happy w platform. It was 400 bucks and made a really nice buildout for a short stroke piston kit. One of my favorite shooters, and a helluva a value for quality.

All of the companies I mentioned have first rate customer support and will help you if you ever have a question or problem.

Stafford

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On 6/19/2020 at 10:03 AM, BabaYaga said:

Used to have one.  Maybe a carry-over from youth watching the A-Team.  Always had accuracy issues with mine.  Thing would rattle every scope I put on it out of place.  

Early models like mine had the pencil barrel which vibrated too much after lots of rounds. Ruger went with the current heavier barrel in the 1990s to correct that problem. 
 

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I hear the newer models are much better than the old ones for accuracy, but still not quite as good as the AR platform.

Gave my early 1980s Mini14 to one of my sons, and have been procrastinating ordering an Accustrut for him to install for better accuracy. Cheaper than rebarreling.

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On 6/10/2020 at 4:00 PM, Reagan1k said:

So is that basically a 6.8 variant but using standard mags and BCGs?  I have to say I don't recall ever seeing that which is a blessing for my pocketbook.  Thats' the only thing that has kept me from the 6.8 previously.

sorry for the delay -

 

yes - it is basically a 6.8 that doesn't require a unique bolt and mags.  you can check out the ballistics of the two but it's way better than a supersonic 300 and slightly less than a 6.8spc - 

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On 6/21/2020 at 7:59 AM, Armybrat said:

Early models like mine had the pencil barrel which vibrated too much after lots of rounds. Ruger went with the current heavier barrel in the 1990s to correct that problem. 
 

Even with the heavy barrel, heat dissipation was also an issue with the original design. Once you ran a mag or two through them, you couldn't keep rounds on paper at 100 yards.  They are just flat out not better than a much less expensive AR in almost every way (save for A-Team cool factor)

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On 6/19/2020 at 9:44 AM, Bozo_Casanova said:

If you wanted something bigger than a .22LR I'd go with a Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle. It's easy to swap the stock with a folder if you want, lots of magazines available, etc. 

Or you could go with the Ruger PC Takedown Carbine. Supposed to be a fun 9mm plinker that takes Glock magazines, besides Ruger’s. Hard to find now like most everything else.

 

A72FB97E-37E8-493A-9316-73BA9131C489.jpeg

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On 6/19/2020 at 12:38 AM, workswithseed said:

I'd like to buy my first rifle. I've shot some, but never had my own. What's a good rifle for about 1200 and under? 

I'd also recommend an AK variant or cheaper SKS variant which is infinitely easier to operate than an AR15 for a new shooter.   They require less maintenance/upkeep, and are great platforms to teach new shooters on.  Little bit more recoil than an AR.  Better caliber for deer and hog should you ever want to take it hunting.  

 

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1 hour ago, krevo said:

I'd also recommend an AK variant or cheaper SKS variant which is infinitely easier to operate than an AR15 for a new shooter.   They require less maintenance/upkeep, and are great platforms to teach new shooters on.  Little bit more recoil than an AR.  Better caliber for deer and hog should you ever want to take it hunting.  

 

Sure, if you care about actually shooting it you should buy an AK, but your vajazzling options are much more extensive with the AR. 

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1 hour ago, Armybrat said:

Or you could go with the Ruger PC Takedown Carbine. Supposed to be a fun 9mm plinker that takes Glock magazines, besides Ruger’s. Hard to find now like most everything else.

 

A72FB97E-37E8-493A-9316-73BA9131C489.jpeg

That's a great shot with the shell in flight. I've been thinking about one of those.  Also I dig that sight. 

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