no budget in particular, something for to save up for. ive always wanted a scar and the scar 20s looks beautiful but is it good for a beginner? id also love to have something semi auto in 458 socom. im relatively new to guns. what are my options? should i go with a plain old ar15? if so id like something with alot of options for custimization. thanks!

2 hours ago, Cory Marino said:

no budget in particular, something for to save up for. ive always wanted a scar and the scar 20s looks beautiful but is it good for a beginner? id also love to have something semi auto in 458 socom. im relatively new to guns. what are my options? should i go with a plain old ar15? if so id like something with alot of options for custimization. thanks!

Cover your bases first.  

You need a .22 long rifle, a 12ga shotgun, a 5.56/.223 rifle and a 9mm handgun.  You can go with bigger calibers, the issue is you need to be proficient in the aforementioned firearms.  To be proficient you need to shoot a lot.  To shoot a lot, it needs to be cheap.  .458 Socom is not cheap, even if you reload which is a whole different discussion.

Once you do some shooting, like after your first 10,000 rounds, you'll discover what you like to shoot and you can blossom out from there.  Also, heavy recoil firearms are interesting and can be fun to blow up watermelons, but you tend to limit how many rounds you shoot and you don't improve as a shooter.  Keep it simple.   Get in the game.  For casual shooting anything will do.   You probably won't do enough shooting, at least right away to worry about things like how well the bolt is staked or other specifics.  Not saying you don't build towards it, but find a cheap AR and go shoot.  You'll learn how to clean it and what you want in a better rifle.

 

 

 

Grab an AR.

You can swap uppers all day.  One of the most "customizable" firearms out there.  .223/5.56 is available all day on the cheap.  You won't (most likely) be shooting one hole groups but you will learn to shoot.  Run the rifle ragged and buy other uppers as you want to or see fit.  Also, upgrading the trigger and various small parts on your lower can be fun and you will learn what truly makes a difference in your chosen shooting "game".  

Good luck.

You need to decide what you want to do with this rifle.  You're probably best off getting a 5.56 AR and following @Bully''s advice.

@CageFighter will be here soon to talk about the goodness that is the SCAR.

When it comes to rifles I think there is "cool" and there is "practical."

Really can't go wrong with a basic AR-15 to start with.  You can get a decent AR for around $450 brand new right now.

Here is a Ruger AR15 for $549 (although it will need to be NJ compliant)

Also browse our WTS forums.

If you want to spend a bit more for a NJ ready gun... @myhatinthering is selling his Colt.

If you want to go the AK route... @CageFighter has his...

 

Do keep in mind, AK prices for quality guns have shot up quite a bit with the ban on imports.  The US made AKs are quite frankly not that good.

Once you get a basic gun... you can expand out based on what your desires lead you to... be it more AKs, ARs, or what type of shooting you will do.... 3 gun, long range, etc. 

Would suggest sticking to a basic popular caliber... 223/5.56 or 7.62x39 as it is plentiful and cheap.

You can go specialty such as 300 Blackout, 224 Valk,, 6.5, 6.8, etc... but it will prevent you from shooting as much unless you have deep pockets and quite frankly... unless you are shooting suppressed (300 blackout) or long distance (500+ yards) (224, 6.5, 6.8) are largely unnecessary and won't be appreciated.

In the long term, you are going to spend FAR more money on ammo than your guns.

I would also look into a 22lr gun, such as a Ruger 10/22, M&P 15-22 or even a Marlin Model 60.

Ruger 10/22 - classical gun, plenty of aftermarket for anything you want.

M&P 15-22 - "AR-15" in a 22lr.  Cheap to train with and just as fun if you are shooting rimfire matches with it.

Marlin Model 60 - tube fed 22.  The only good news that came out of Murphy is that now these are exempt from mag limits and you can have 15+ rounds.  Really fun guns. 

I also suggest starting with a .22 rifle.

When you want a first centerfire rifle, I vote for starting with a classic...a nice bolt action, with a wood stock, in a 'common' caliber like .223, .243, .308...

Cory, You are getting good info from all the above, I just want to rePEAT what a couple mentioned, with a little emphasis. 

.22 lr, like the Ruger 10/22 above is probably among the best places to put your early firearm money. A decent one will last a long time, and a good one will last almost forever, letting you, and others in the family, learn the simple basics and safety with a minimum investment and lots of ammunition to practice with. And as said before, plenty of ways to dress them up to match your preferences. 

Good examples of used .22s do pop up in lots of places, and they hold decent value. You don't HAVE to buy new, but they are reasonable enough that you don't have to feel guilty if you do.

Warning, you might find this stuff to be too much fun.

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the world of good clean fun and safe living. (mostly  )

I love my M&P 15-22. So much fun and when ammo is so absurdly cheap, I don't feel bad blowing through tons of it.

I think a lot of it comes down to what you want to do with it. Freaking ammo can cost a ton over time and I'm only buying .22lr, 9mm, and .223. It only gets worse from there.

1 hour ago, 345Sire said:

.22 lr, like the Ruger 10/22 above is probably among the best places to put your early firearm money. A decent one will last a long time, and a good one will last almost forever, letting you, and others in the family, learn the simple basics and safety with a minimum investment and lots of ammunition to practice with.

I second that, a 10/22 is one of the best investments and a great place to start.

28 minutes ago, Greenday said:

Freaking ammo can cost a ton over time and I'm only buying .22lr, 9mm, and .223. It only gets worse from there.

Don't play if you can't pay.

34 minutes ago, Sniper said:

I second that, a 10/22 is one of the best investments and a great place to start.

Don't play if you can't pay.

 

1 hour ago, 345Sire said:

Cory, You are getting good info from all the above, I just want to rePEAT what a couple mentioned, with a little emphasis. 

.22 lr, like the Ruger 10/22 above is probably among the best places to put your early firearm money. A decent one will last a long time, and a good one will last almost forever, letting you, and others in the family, learn the simple basics and safety with a minimum investment and lots of ammunition to practice with. And as said before, plenty of ways to dress them up to match your preferences. 

Good examples of used .22s do pop up in lots of places, and they hold decent value. You don't HAVE to buy new, but they are reasonable enough that you don't have to feel guilty if you do.

Warning, you might find this stuff to be too much fun.

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the world of good clean fun and safe living. (mostly  )

Thinking about it more... in Socialist NJ... I really think tube fed Marlin Model 60's are extremely attractive right now.  It is the only "high capacity" rifle you can legally own.

To add to it... especially used, they are dirt cheap and can be had for around $100 and I see them for less at PA gun auctions.

You can also dress them up really nicely and to reload them, buy one of these for under $20.... 

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/spee-d-loader-22lr-caliber-rimfire-tube-magazine-rifle-ammunition-loader?a=285127

What can it look like?

Marlin Model 60

Boyds Stock

Bushnell Rimfire 3-9 scope

This is a troll right?  458 Socom for first rifle and new to firearms and first post?  Smells like a troll.

7 minutes ago, gleninjersey said:

This is a troll right?  458 Socom for first rifle and new to firearms and first post?  Smells like a troll.

You know, I was kinda wondering about those choices too, and the SCAR, for a newbie?????

27 minutes ago, Maksim said:

Marlin Model 60

Boyds Stock

Bushnell Rimfire 3-9 scope

Nice touch with the addition of the teddy bear blanket! 

7 minutes ago, gleninjersey said:

This is a troll right?  458 Socom for first rifle and new to firearms and first post?  Smells like a troll.

No.... stop thinking like a gun owner and start thinking back to "new gun owner."

People are usually attracted to "cool".

One of the first non 22lr pistols I wanted is a Desert Eagle in 50AE.

458 socom is very popular with the magazines and youtube right now so should not be surprised it attracts attention. 

Go up to Easton and rent a couple to see what floats your boat.

Also just to add. Video games are a huge driver of gun sales... along with movies.

Keep in mind the video game generation is now maturing into gun owners...

My "wants"

Colt Anaconda - Resident Evil video games.

Desert Eagle - Matrix

HK P7M13 - Die Hard

AUG - Die Hard

MP5 - Die Hard

Colt Python - For many... Walking Dead

The SCAR is a pricey gun and well known.  I think it was also on the cover of the first or one of the first Recoil Magazines.... that sells LOTS of guns.

3 minutes ago, Maksim said:

No.... stop thinking like a gun owner and start thinking back to "new gun owner."

Paranoia strikes deep..........it starts when you're always afraid.......  (Stephen Stills BTW) 

Also... just thinking for my brother... nearing 50...  His "wants" and some of his first guns were... Desert Eagle 44 mag and recently Smith Wesson 500, and a WW2 Luger.

Practical? HELL NO.... but new gun owners are not practical.

15 minutes ago, Maksim said:

Practical? HELL NO.... but new gun owners are not practical.

And we are?   Could of fooled me.

I’d say AR and 10/22 and Glock, and probably a regular pump shotgun.

in whatever order. Also don’t forget a gun safe!

1 hour ago, Zeke said:

I’d say AR and 10/22 and Glock, and probably a regular pump shotgun.

in whatever order. Also don’t forget a gun safe!

You can do just about anything with those 4 guns.

2 hours ago, Maksim said:

Practical? HELL NO.... but new gun owners are not practical.

 

2 hours ago, Maksim said:

Keep in mind the video game generation is now maturing into gun owners...

but usually broke with no money..

5 minutes ago, Sniper said:

 

but usually broke with no money..

Your better FFL's accept credit cards. =)

Doesn't stop them from paying $1,000 for the latest iPhone.

sorry guys, yeah like i said im new to guns and am still doing my research, im not a troll, i dont think it would be very fun to troll on a gun forum like this anyway. i asked if a scar would be a good starting rifle because ive heard nothing but good things about them and the scar 20s looks neat and id ideally want to buy one rifle and it be top of the line since i really only want a single rifle, maybe a shotgun and pistol as well and that applies to them aswell. as for what i said about 458 socom, i know that was a far out there question, but i seen a rifle from cmmg called the anvil and ho boy was that thing kick ass. but im going to go with what most of you said and go with a standard ar15 to get familiar with shooting. im not into building one myself and would prefer to buy new from a reputable website. anything you guys would recommend? id prefer if it had some type of rails to put a scope and grip and all that tactical jazz. thank you all btw, you guys were more helpful than i expected. 

4 minutes ago, Cory Marino said:

sorry guys, yeah like i said im new to guns and am still doing my research, im not a troll, i dont think it would be very fun to troll on a gun forum like this anyway. i asked if a scar would be a good starting rifle because ive heard nothing but good things about them and the scar 20s looks neat and id ideally want to buy one rifle and it be top of the line since i really only want a single rifle, maybe a shotgun and pistol as well and that applies to them aswell. as for what i said about 458 socom, i know that was a far out there question, but i seen a rifle from cmmg called the anvil and ho boy was that thing kick ass. but im going to go with what most of you said and go with a standard ar15 to get familiar with shooting. im not into building one myself and would prefer to buy new from a reputable website. anything you guys would recommend? id prefer if it had some type of rails to put a scope and grip and all that tactical jazz. thank you all btw, you guys were more helpful than i expected. 

Where are you located?  Visit any of the vendors here and they will have plenty of guns for you to look at.

I do challenge the notion of "id ideally want to buy one rifle and it be top of the line since i really only want a single rifle," because quite frankly... that is a huge fallacy.  

As good as the SCAR is... they are expensive and generally, in NJ you cannot enjoy all of the cool evil features such as that folding stock.

Also, do you want a shooter?  Or a safe queen to show off?  Would you want something for long range shooting?  gun games like 3 gun?  or something more "historically accurate"?  There really is no "top of the line" rifle that does it all really well... there are always trade offs.

If you want really good long range shooting, you would get or build something like a 24" AR in 6.5, 6.8 or 224 Valk.  That gun is going to be extremely accurate, and could be top of the line, but completely impractical for shooting at most NJ ranges, or run and gun stuff, and certainly home defense.

The beauty of the AR platform is that you can have one lower and swap out the upper receivers for different purposes.

So my suggestion, go out and figure out what you want your gun to do, then shop for that purpose.

In the mean time, get a 22lr and go practice practice practice.

In reality, you need at least 12 guns or so, and we discussed this before... but as far as rifles.. you will eventually get/need...

1. 22lr for plinking, cheap shooting.  500 rounds for $20 vs 500 rounds for $125.

2. Home Defense type AR  16" or 14.5" plus brake in 223.

3. Bolt Action longer range 308... Remington 700, Savage 10, etc.

4. Mosin Nagant... cause everyone needs a Mosin... or 2... or 20.

5. AK variant.... because you need a backup gun for when your AR dies down.

 

3 hours ago, Maksim said:

 

Thinking about it more... in Socialist NJ... I really think tube fed Marlin Model 60's are extremely attractive right now.  It is the only "high capacity" rifle you can legally own.

To add to it... especially used, they are dirt cheap and can be had for around $100 and I see them for less at PA gun auctions.

You can also dress them up really nicely and to reload them, buy one of these for under $20.... 

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/spee-d-loader-22lr-caliber-rimfire-tube-magazine-rifle-ammunition-loader?a=285127

What can it look like?

Marlin Model 60

Boyds Stock

Bushnell Rimfire 3-9 scope

That thing is beautiful! The wood grain, and the thumbhole grip, (sigh)

Laminated, right? That gets it that look of heavy grain striations? Looks nicer than your wood floor! 

Are they now legal even if they hold more than 15? Like, 18? I know they changed some of the restriction on it, but,,,,,,,,???

Just now, 345Sire said:

That thing is beautiful! The wood grain, and the thumbhole grip, (sigh)

Laminated, right? That gets it that look of heavy grain striations? Looks nicer than your wood floor! 

Are they now legal even if they hold more than 15? Like, 18? I know they changed some of the restriction on it, but,,,,,,,,???

Tube fed guns can typically run 22lr, 22 short, etc. so depending on which.... it ca mean 15 or 18.  

If you like those stocks, check out Boyd's Stocks.  They have similar stocks for most guns out there.

Tube fed .22s have no restrictions for # of rounds. .22 shorts will not cycle the action.

33 minutes ago, Maksim said:

I do challenge the notion of "id ideally want to buy one rifle and it be top of the line since i really only want a single rifle," because quite frankly... that is a huge fallacy.

I kinda had that attitude at first. "Oh, I don't plan on getting many." I've heard quite a few people new to guns say it. Now if I had my way, I'd have:

M&P 15-22
S&W P22
Ruger American Ranch 5.56
Desert Eagle .50
Some AR in 5.56
An AK in 7.62
A 9mm handgun
A .45 handgun

3 down...

5 minutes ago, Greenday said:

I kinda had that attitude at first. "Oh, I don't plan on getting many." I've heard quite a few people new to guns say it. Now if I had my way, I'd have:

M&P 15-22
S&W P22
Ruger American Ranch 5.56
Desert Eagle .50
Some AR in 5.56
An AK in 7.62
A 9mm handgun
A .45 handgun

3 down...

Hi, my name is 345 and I'm a gunpowder addict,,,,,,,

I actually surprised myself last month when I counted what we had between my son and I.

I wasn't kidding when I told Cory this could be too much fun. 

44 minutes ago, Maksim said:

In the mean time, get a 22lr and go practice practice practice.  YES

In reality, you need at least 12 guns or so, and we discussed this before... but as far as rifles.. you will eventually get/need...

1. 22lr for plinking, cheap shooting.  500 rounds for $20 vs 500 rounds for $125. <--YES

2. Home Defense type AR  16" or 14.5" plus brake in 223. <--  YES

3. Bolt Action longer range 308... Remington 700, Savage 10, etc.<--YES In fact, there a couple of 1000+ yard rifles , for sale, right here in the forum

4. Mosin Nagant... cause everyone needs a Mosin... or 2... or 20. <-- YES

5. AK variant.... because you need a backup gun for when your AR dies down. <--BAD DOGGY, NO TO COMMIE GUNS

 

I've highlighted in color my responses to your post and I agree, wholeheartedly.    Cept the commie guns.