New to the gun world.
 

Okay i know i'm going to recieve some criticism for my choice of a weapon. I bought a Remington 710 rifle in 30.06. Before you bash me for buying it :) I am only 19, don't have a lot of money, don't think i will ever hunt and just like to go to outdoor range and shoot targets. My brother has a ruger 22 and it was like shooting a BB gun so i wanted something w/ more power, and this was cheap and came with a scope. Again i'm not a hunter so don't tell me the scope is bad quality and wont' give me accuracy if i wanted to hit a running dear through brush at 300 yards... I don't think i have it in me to kill a deer anyways. But i just wanted to know for someone like me (i know its too late to ask) is this a good starter rifle? (well it wouldn't be my first rifle cause i shoot my brothers all the time)

I haven't actually got the gun yet, i bought it today so i'll get it the 4th, i joined the forum just in case i had any questions (i know NOTHING about guns) about how to calibrate the scope. And if my dad or older brother ever wanted to, find a place not too far away to hunt.

RE: New to the gun world.
 

Welcome. Well, we all start somewhere! My first high power was a military surplus bolt action rifle (British;) what you have will probably be much more suitable for sporting purposes! The 30 06 is really the grand standard for hunting in America, so you are in good company. Shooters on the board here have typically good decorum, so don't hesitate to ask!

Cheers!

RE: New to the gun world.
 

Okay, first question. what does 30-06 actually mean? like some other ones are pretty clear 7.62x39 etc... ( i'm guessing its width x length)

RE: New to the gun world.
 

It was formally known as cartridge, 30 06, as it had a .30 caliber bullet and it was officially issued in 1906. It started out in life as a 30 03, which was a slightly longer case, but it was scaled back a bit before being issued in its final form. It was used extensively in service arms from world war I on through Korea. It had a sporting life as well, and is the most commonly available high power round in the US. You can get bulk ammo for a reasonable cost through Cabelas if you can save some sheckels!

RE: New to the gun world.
 

The .30-06 designation means .30 caliber, year of 1906. It is an ex-military cartridge adopted in that year. It is the successor to a similar cartridge, the .30-03, from - - guess which year?- - 1903! You will NOT go far wrong with the .30-06. Good choice in caliber. Cartridge designations are confusing. Don't wory, you're young, you've got plenty of time to learn.

Don't be too hard on yourself for the 710. True, it would not be the choice of many, but it will more than likely be a very accurate rifle. When you decide to go out and get yourself another rifle that your peers will envy you for, you may find that you still want the 710 for a field gun.

My first centerfire rifle was an ex-molitary M1903-A3 Springfield rifle, also a .30-06. My dad carried one similar to this in WWII. I bought it when I was a senior in high school at the local shopping mall, for $55. This was in 1976, when a young man could walk through a mall and out the door carrying a rifle in a plastic bag without drawing fire from the police. I still have this rifle and it is dear to my heart.

Welcome to the shootiong sports, young man! Shoot safe, vote freedom first, and set a good example for thos who will follow you.

RE: New to the gun world.
 

As I am pretty new, let me give you a little advice I have learned...

By the way the 30-06 is by far the most universal round, good choice.

Problem, it will provide substantial kick and could lead to poor shooting habits, I am assuming that you do not reload. I would look for the lightest loads you can buy. This will keep you from bad habits such as flinching.

I personally think dry firing the rifle is fine, some might disagree... Whatever you decide, dry fire it or pick up some dummy rounds... Do this a bunch, aim it at something on the wall and try to stay steady.

Become familiar with your gun, make sure you clean the greasy stuff off of it when you first get it before you shoot it (this is called cosmolene). Always protect it with some product, I think most people would recommend Rem-Oil.

By the way don't become discouraged... It will take a lot of practice to get as good as you may want... Actually you said you will just be target shooting which you say you don't need a good gun for not hunting... In reality it is the other way around, most any rifle will be accurate enough to hunt with, very few non-modified guns are good enough to be competitive with.

All-in-all a good choice with your first gun... I personally don't care for the Remington rifles, but that is some weird quirk I have... You might want to see if there is a drop in trigger someone might recommend for the 710... It shouldn't be that expensive and will dramatically improve your gun for target purposes.

most of all... HAVE FUN!!!

RE: New to the gun world.
 

Not a bad choice for sure, though its going to be fairly expensive to shoot for a first rifle.
You might also consider saving for a .22 to practice with- you can shoot all daylong on $10 worth of ammo with a .22, making learning to shoot much cheaper.


Have fun with it, and be safe.:)

RE: New to the gun world.
 

My brother has a .22 and i know how cheap those are it's like 1.75 for a box of 50 at the range i goto (angeles range in sylmar)...

When i say target shooting, i don't mean as a sport, i just go to the range and see if i can hit those metal things that are like 50,100,200 yards away... i don't know of any ranges in my area that let you put up targets so u can actually see how accurate you really are (any suggestions?).

I have to clean the gun before i use it? they never told me that with my shotgun... I would think something that's brand new is clean but i'm guessing it is clean just all greased up...

what about all that stuff about getting a bullet with different grain in it (right word?) like 150 or 180 don't know if the numbers are right...

Can i buy ammo online or is that not legal?

RE: New to the gun world.
 

You want to clean the rifle before you shoot it, any grease, preservative, or oil left in the barrel can severely damage the rifle if its fired.

Buy a 1 piece steel cleaning rod- stay away from the brass, aluminum, or jointed rods. Buy a bottle of Hoppes #9 (this stuff smells great) a .30 cleaning jag and bag full of cloth cleaning patches. Soak a patch in the solvent, stick it on the jag on the end of the cleaning rod, and from the bolt end of the rifle (refer to the owners manual on how to remove the bolt for cleaning) push the patch through the barrel. Then Push 3 or 4 more patches through until they come out clean and dry. Your barrel is now clean. Next, wipe down the bolt with a rag to remove any grease or crud. Dampen a cloth with a preservative (people prefer different products like CLP, RemOil, or Birchwood Casey Sheath, I prefer the latter because not only does it work, but once again it smells really good in a gun kind of way:D) and wipe down all of the metal parts. If you are going to store the gun, run a patch soaked with preservative through the barrel followed by 1 clean patch.

For putting up targets, the nest month or so will be a good time to get some target holders. Those political signs in peoples yards make good target stands to put tape targets to. Don't steal them from people, just ask them if you can have the signs after the election is over.:)

Ammunition comes with bullets of different weights. lighter bullets recoil less. 30-06 is typically commonly found in 147, 165,168,180 gr loads. stick with 168gr or less. If you sight in and then change your brand of ammo or bullet weight, your point of impact will change, sometimes drastically.


Its perfectly legal to buy ammunition over the internet or from catalog sources such as cabelas as long as you are 18 or over.

RE: New to the gun world.
 

Ok cool, this isn't a hard process is it? cause i don't want to get my gun and take it apart and screw it up in the process... And can i buy all of this stuff at any gun store? and how much will this stuff run me? One last question I found Olympic FMJ ammo for like 22.95 for 100 rounds, is that bad ammo for what i'd be doing? and what's the difference between fmj, sp, tracers, and the other types of ammo? which do i need?

sorry for all the questions but thanks in advance