When it comes to shooting rifles and long guns, some folks have a rough start. I know I did. The first long gun I ever fired was simply too powerful for my small frame, enough to knock me over. That gave me bad habits, and frankly, I hated shooting for about a decade until I started small and unlearned most of those habits. But as time goes on, I am surprised to learn my story isn’t particularly unique. Many first-time gun owners enter the firearms world with a gun that is ill-fitting for their needs or simply too powerful to start with.
In the world of rifles, the sky is the limit in terms of options, but the catalog of terrible rifles for new shooters has expanded right along with excellent options. With all of this in mind, I often asked myself the question: what would I choose if I were to go back and start over? Let’s discuss some of the best rifles my younger self might have preferred and many first-time gun owners might want to take a hard look at.
Best Rifles for First-Time Gun Owners: What to Look For
With so many options out there, there needs to be a way to narrow it down. First, it bears thinking about what you are most likely to use your rifle for before what is least likely. If your goal is simply to learn shooting and perhaps get into hunting small game or simply to have something to shoot recreationally, you can get a lot of mileage out of a rifle chambered in .22LR. But that same rifle is a little light if the new gun owner is selecting a rifle for personal protection. Second, we have to look at simplicity and reliability. No firearm is worth its salt if it is not easy to learn to use or reliable.
Experienced shooters can get away with cantankerous guns in some capacity, but it can be a hazard. It is especially hazardous for new shooters who might not know how to work the buttons and switches or handle a malfunction while trying to remember the basic safety rules all at the same time. Finally, price is always a consideration.
Nothing is more discouraging than sinking money into a new venture on something that does not deliver the value you want or is cost-prohibitive to keep in good repair. Under the same banner of cost-effectiveness is the ability for the user to grow with her firearm. It is of little use to get a gun that is too small for a growing shooter or too limited in some way only for you to replace it or give up the hobby altogether.
Ruger 10/22
I overcame my bad shooting habits through sober instruction and a clean range day with a borrowed Savage Model 64 in .22 LR. For the new gun owner, a rifle in .22 LR is the first to evaluate. Its lack of noise and recoil does not intimidate. The rifles and ammunition are easy to buy and inexpensive compared to centerfire rifle rounds. These factors are impossible to ignore, never mind that the .22 LR is not a powerhouse.
There are many good .22 rifles made expressly for youths and new shooters. Often, these rifles are single-shot, bolt-action, or scaled down enough in size that a kid will eventually outgrow them. The Ruger 10/22 was the first .22 rifle I actually owned, and it is an easy first rifle for anyone.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The Ruger 10/22 is one of the most popular rifles made, and there is no shortage of magazines, stocks, and accessories. The scale of production has kept prices low despite the number of variations you can find. The base model 10/22 has a shoulder stock long enough for an adult, yet it is light enough to be wielded by smaller-statured shooters. It features a reliable 10-round rotary magazine, but 25-round magazines are readily available if you desire.
The one knock on the Ruger 10/22 is that it is semi-automatic and prone to user-induced safety concerns. I often remembered to remove the magazine from the rifle while forgetting there was a round still in the chamber. You have to remember to clear the chamber when unloading. It is a definitive two-step process, and one I got wrong quite a few times before I got it right.
Smith & Wesson Sport
The times, they are changing. The AR-15 was once a luxury item, but now it is available at prices that rival traditional hunting rifles. The difference between the AR and those other rifles is its sheer ease of use and versatility, which is part of the reason why it rose from a niche item to become America’s most popular rifle (except perhaps for the 10/22). Most AR-15s chamber the 5.56 NATO or .223 Remington cartridges. These rounds might be loud, but both are soft shooting and inexpensive. The AR’s safety, magazine release, and bolt release are ergonomically placed, and it is not hard to get a carbine that comes in under seven pounds. In addition, the telescoping stock available on most models allows the shooter to adjust stock length to their preference on the fly.
If you are a first-time gun owner but want a rifle that can take on bigger tasks than a .22 rimfire, the AR-15 is a no-brainer. The sky is the limit in terms of what you would want to spend on a rifle, but in keeping with budget concerns, rifles like the Ruger 556, the PSA P-15, and the Smith & Wesson Sport series provide an excellent price-to-quality ratio.
A Personal Favorite
My personal favorite is the Smith & Wesson Sport series. Smith & Wesson has produced so many of them that they are often listed as the most popular model. The company also reissues them with periodic upgrades through the original Sport, the Sport II, and now the new Sport III. Another benefit is that Smith includes either an optic or iron sights in the box, which some budget makers like to skip to give you a false sense of price tag economy. Although you may want to change some things later, the Smith & Wesson Sport is a rifle that is ready to shoot out of the box.
Henry Big Boy
The AR-15 has largely taken over from the lever action in the role of the tactical or quick-shooting rifle, but there is still something to be said for them. Lever actions generally have a decent capacity and can be worked quickly for fast follow-up shots. It is not sensitive to the power of the ammunition it cycles and is inherently ambidextrous. It is also legal in all fifty states! If that is not enough, the lever gun just oozes cool. Whether you are looking for a defensive rifle, a hunting rifle, or a means to live out Red Dead Redemption, don’t overlook the lever gun. It will do all of these tasks, and it is not a bad platform to learn on either.
Lever-action rifles come in a number of cartridges. You might opt for one in .22 LR all the way to .45-70 and .500 S&W Magnum. For the new shooter who wants to learn on a lever gun and get some mileage out of it on the range or in the field, versions in pistol calibers like .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, or .45 Colt are particularly compelling. Perhaps the best rifle that chamber these rounds is the Henry Big Boy.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Available in traditional walnut and blued steel furniture or in black tactical, the Henry Big Boy would have been my first big boy rifle if it existed at the time! This handy tube-fed lever action has a healthy 7- to 10-round capacity, depending on whether you opt for a full-length rifle or a shorter carbine. Although it chambers rather stout handgun cartridges, these rounds have little felt recoil and blast when fired from a rifle barrel, but the hit on the target is authoritative. The lack of external safeties to forget and its ambidextrous nature makes it ideal for training new shooters. If the full-powered rounds are still too much, the .357 and .44 Magnum versions can also chamber the lower-powered .38 Special and .44 Special rounds.
The chief disadvantage of rifles like the Henry Big Boy is their short range and price. These pistol cartridges, when fired out of a rifle barrel, can hit targets past 100 yards, but beyond that, drop becomes an issue. The economies of scale that make the Ruger 10/22 and the AR-15 so inexpensive works in reverse for the lever gun. Although lever guns are resurging in popularity, they are not nearly as prolific as they once were. But if a lever gun suits you, its advantages will likely outweigh its higher prices.
Ruger American
While you will probably train on your new rifle at shorter distances, you might need your rifle to reach out and touch something. Unfortunately, many rifles that are excellent for training new shooters also happen to be lower powered and, thus, shorter ranged. The AR-15, with the right load and an optic, can reach out, but the 5.56 may not do the trick as well as traditional hunting rounds. This is particularly true if you are a new hunter. Even if most of your shots are close, you might be called upon to shoot at further distances, and it pays to have equipment in which you are confident. The traditional answer, and a viable one, is a good bolt-action rifle.
If you are looking for a good bolt-action with a good quality-to-price ratio, the Ruger American is likely to come up. It is part of a newer generation of budget hunting rifles that feature a lightweight synthetic stock, a tapered 22-inch barrel, and an adjustable trigger. The Ruger American may not be as ubiquitous as the Remington 700, but Ruger and other markers have gone to great lengths to give it a healthy aftermarket in terms of parts and magazines.
A Testament to Reliability
For the new shooter, the detachable magazine will be straightforward to load and remove from the rifle instead of thumbing individual rounds into a fixed magazine. The rifle is relatively light and comes in enough variations for shorter and adult shooters. In addition, the cold hammer-forged barrel is capable of delivering tight groups at a distance. Our own Jim Davis swears on his 6.5 Creedmoor model, which delivers groups measuring under 2 inches at 200 yards. The Ruger American is available in a number of calibers to suit your comfort level and mission.
These include the .223 Remington all the way up to the .30-06, the latter of which is capable of taking any North American big game. If you are interested in hunting in states that require straight-wall rifle cartridges, take a look at the American in .350 Legend. For the brand-new shooter in unrestricted states, you might consider the .243 Winchester model, which is deer capable out to 400 yards but doesn’t beat the shoulder.
Go Forth and Shoot, First-Time Gun Owners
While we have discussed some specific firearms a first-time gun owner should look at, that does not mean you should buy any of them. Rather, focus more on each as part of a specific category of rifle–essentially rimfire rifles and low-recoiling centerfire rifles. As long as you remember your why for getting into rifle shooting and honestly assess how you handle a rifle and what instruction, if any, is available. Only then can you make an educated choice. Once that choice is made, the fun of developing skills and putting holes in things comes in.
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