What rifle should I buy?

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Banger said:
When I am at my most vulnerable (hunched over my patient), my primary weapon is my side arm so I like to be most proficient with that.

Thanks for the suggestion. I am talking to my buddy who's the OPP weapons tech. Seeing if he has anything for sale I may like.

I don't want to bear hunt. At the most, I'd want to hunt birds of all kinds and deer / rabbits.
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Ahh ok, you're a medic.. In that case, I'd shoot what I carry if I were you. Now if you wanna get a long gun for the fun of it and you wanna go for deer/birds/rabbits, then you definitely wanna get yourself a shotty. Many indoor ranges frown on them, though so you either hit outdoor ranges or Crown Land.
 
Cool! Yeah, looks like I may be getting a good shotgun. Talk to my buddy today and he had some sweet suggestions. Any you'd suggest to compare?
I think it may be ideal for me to start off with that - go out have some fun then save up and get a descent handgun.
Does that all make sense then?
 
Banger said:
Cool! Yeah, looks like I may be getting a good shotgun. Talk to my buddy today and he had some sweet suggestions. Any you'd suggest to compare?
I think it may be ideal for me to start off with that - go out have some fun then save up and get a descent handgun.
Does that all make sense then?
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My Remmy 870 express super mag was my first purchase. It came in waterfowl camo and only ran me $550 or thereabouts. No complaints here. It'll accept 3 1/2 inch shells which is useful for geese and such... or a godamn rhinoceros if you get your hands on a slug
 
As said before, Remington 870 or a mossberg 500/590 variant are great, inexpensive shotguns.

There's also something to be said for a good ol .22 or 17 HMR bolt action. Low cost, cheep to feed, fun to shoot. Great for smaller game and just plain shootin sh*t.

The 17 HMR's are wicked accurate, I picked up a base model savage for less than $300. It's my go to exterminator. I was consistently connecting on mini bic lighters at 100 yards and a 12" plate at almost 400 yards.
 
If going with rimfire, I'd stick with .22LR. The ammo's dirt-cheap. WMR and HMR are already putting the costs in the centerfire range. You might as well go for a poodle shooter instead. At least you can bag coyotes with that.
 
Just to update this thread and bump it back up...

I am going for my PAL next weekend.

RedLiner took me to Silverdale with his buddies and I can't even remember what I all shot. I think there was an SKS, a Mosin, a Marlin .223, a Remington .223, a remington 870, a remington 597 VTR, and a mini-14?... not sure anymore. Definitely a lot of fun, thanks Redliner.

Although I still have probably 2 months to go until I can buy, thanks to more reading, advice here and from at the range I think I will likely get a M14/M305 (because it is a bit more multi-purpose than the SKS, and I likely won't be shooting hundreds of rounds at a time with my plans anyway). I will also likely get a Marlin 795 or a Ruger 10/22... leaning more towards the Marlin because it is cheaper and I don't intend to spend lots of coin on add-ons. Later a Mossberg 500 or a R-870 will likely be in the cards.

On both rifles I intend to mount red-dot sights. Although I have never used a red-dot, from what I have seen online they are more of what I am looking for than a long range scope. I want to find the target quickly and don't intend to shoot past 200 or max 300 yards (for the .308, not the 22). Any suggestions for which mount/red dots I should get for a M14 and also a Marlin 795?

Also, it looks like I will be spending a week in the US early in the spring, and will likely be passing through Texas. Is there anything I should pick up down there that is much cheaper and won't be a hassle crossing the border with? Red dots? Mounts? Slings?
 
Red_Liner740 said:
Semi auto hunting and plinking? M305. the Chinese copy of the M14. $400, lots of aftermarket parts and optic attachments, 308 is not an overall expensive round and surplus can be bought.
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RedLiner, do you have any personal experience with the M305?

Diesel, I just picked up one of these: they have quite a fanbase, but found the fit and finish poor. Turns out mine is a bit of a fixer-upper. If you go this route, buyer beware and hope you have better luck than I did
 
BusaBob said:
RedLiner, do you have any personal experience with the M305?

Diesel, I just picked up one of these: they have quite a fanbase, but found the fit and finish poor. Turns out mine is a bit of a fixer-upper. If you go this route, buyer beware and hope you have better luck than I did
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Where did you get yours from? Is it a Norinco or Polytech build? New or used?
 
Diesel said:
Also, it looks like I will be spending a week in the US early in the spring, and will likely be passing through Texas. Is there anything I should pick up down there that is much cheaper and won't be a hassle crossing the border with? Red dots? Mounts? Slings?
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Everything except firearms. I bring ammo over the border from Michigan all the time. Not sure if accessories are necessarily cheaper, but the selection is better.
 
No experience with the M305. Read up on em, its a gun that i wouldnt say no to, but no room for it right now. lol...

Diesel, ITAR forbids export of a LOT of firearm accessories from US. That includes scopes, mounts, stocks, replacement parts. Canadian side doesnt care, its verboten to be caught with it on the US side as a Canadian citizen.
 
Good choice diesel. I almost bought one yesterday.

I opted for a vz58 last minute since I already have a butt load of 7.62x39 for my sks.

The only .308 I have is a little bit of expensive match stuff for my Remington 700.

The M14 on the list of things to buy in the next month or two. Have you decided on the barrel length yet? I'm still torn between the 18.5" and the 22".
 
bellofello said:
Good choice diesel. I almost bought one yesterday.

I opted for a vz58 last minute since I already have a butt load of 7.62x39 for my sks.

The only .308 I have is a little bit of expensive match stuff for my Remington 700.

The M14 on the list of things to buy in the next month or two. Have you decided on the barrel length yet? I'm still torn between the 18.5" and the 22".
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So far I haven't seen many of these available -- even canadaammo.com went out of stock this past week, so I might have to take what I can get.

Saying that, I will likely get the shorter barrel if I can because I am not looking to do a lot of long range stuff, but I might want more maneuverability in the bush.
 
Macs said:
Everything except firearms. I bring ammo over the border from Michigan all the time. Not sure if accessories are necessarily cheaper, but the selection is better.
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I didn't know you could do that! I'll have to make a trip to a gun show and pick up a ton of 7.62x51.

Can you also bring back reloading components? Bullets and casings and what not..

Have they ever seen it and questioned you at the border?
 
Diesel said:
So far I haven't seen many of these available -- even canadaammo.com went out of stock this past week, so I might have to take what I can get.

Saying that, I will likely get the shorter barrel if I can because I am not looking to do a lot of long range stuff, but I might want more maneuverability in the bush.
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Yea I hear ya. Even with the 18.5, you will be able to hit human sized targets out to 800ish yards with good effect. Trying to find one in stock is a nightmare! Lots of 22 inchers of course.
 
Red_Liner740 said:
Diesel, ITAR forbids export of a LOT of firearm accessories from US. That includes scopes, mounts, stocks, replacement parts. Canadian side doesnt care, its verboten to be caught with it on the US side as a Canadian citizen.
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It depends, anything under $150 is okay as far as I know. Anything over, you need export licences and such.
 
Diesel said:
Where did you get yours from? Is it a Norinco or Polytech build? New or used?
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I purchased it new online from a reputable dealer. It's the 18.5" shorty. We're emailing back and forth right now about repairs/return


Red_Liner740 said:
No experience with the M305. Read up on em, its a gun that i wouldnt say no to, but no room for it right now. lol...
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There's a wealth of info on canadiangunnutz.com. I've been reading up on them for a few weeks now, moreso this past week as I try to decide whether to get it fixed or return it.

Diesel, check out this thread: http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?199665-M-14-M1a-US-GI-M-14-Inspection-FAQs

People who keep them love them. But everyone does say they need some work. "a diamond in the rough for a great price" they keep saying. For a $450 to $470 poorly made Chinese knock off of a $2000+ M1A (actually, a semi-auto Chinese knock off of a US military M14), it's not bad. Apparently I got a "bad one" but there are several issues with them, the most common being that the barrels aren't installed correctly: they're usually under-indexed (need to be screwed on more) and occasionally over-indexed (screwed on too tight) causing misalignment of the front sight, but more importantly, misalignment of the gas cylinder relative to the receiver. If it's only a couple of degrees it's not an issue, but mine is off by about 6 degrees, causing the operation rod to bind on the operation rod guide.

If you know what you're getting into and are prepared to do some work on it yourself, or even send it to a gunsmith who knows these rifles (obviously more money then), it is a decent purchase, but there will be additional costs. If you want something more refined, better put together right out of the box, you're likely to be disappointed, as I was.


bellofello said:
Good choice diesel. I almost bought one yesterday.
The M14 on the list of things to buy in the next month or two. Have you decided on the barrel length yet? I'm still torn between the 18.5" and the 22".
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from Wolverine? They're the only ones who look like they have them in stock still (22" barrel)

I went for the 18.5" as the benefits of the 22" length barrel on accuracy seem negligible for me. Having said that, from what I've read, there appear to be less issues with the 22" rifles (different state owned factory I guess)

Those of you interested in getting one, keep in mind these are not regularly stocked items. Importers bring them into Canada in batches, but seemingly not on a regular basis. If you want one, you have to snatch it up.

It's for this reason that I'm sitting on the fence about returning this rifle (can't exchange it for another)


murf said:
Is the M305 just a knock off? Cheaper than a Ruger?
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cheaper than a Ruger, but it's a knock off of a semi-auto M14/M1A

Mine:
8257991652_fa08da5fce_c.jpg


misalignment of barrel and gas cylinder to receiver and stock:
8247926220_904c1fa7ce.jpg
 
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Norinco and Polytech are the same for all intents and purposes. iirc, Norinco was originally military, whereas Polytech is civilian, but either way, they're both just state-owned management organizations. The parts/rifles themselves all come from a network of state owned factories, hence the inconsistent quality control.
 
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