My yearly gun

[jimbo91]

So once a year, around income tax time my wife allows me to go all out on a gun that I may want that year. I buy and sell guns throughout the year, but I never really spend over a few hundred dollars. Last year I wanted an AR-15, but instead I was convinced by a friend to buy a hipoint 995ts, which I firmly regret. I spent about 600 after tax on the gun with all of the accessories, and it sits in the safe. I am determined not to be deterred again this year lol. I have 3 guns in mind that I would like some input on. The first being an AR-15. I was looking at assembling my own from parts off of palmetto state armories website. For around 900 I would have built a pretty nice rifle. The cons to an AR-15 IMO are that they are kind of costly, they are loud as hell, and other than coyote hunting, there is really no practical application to the .223 / 5.56. Pros are they are fun to shoot, and extremely customizable. My second choice would be a very nice long range / hunting rifle. I have wanted a Remington 700 for awhile now. I want one with a heavy barrel, a wood "monte carlo" stock, and an aftermarket jewell trigger. I would also buy a 4-12x40mm scope, probably a nikon or a redfield. The pros to this gun are it would be a very nice addition to my collection, and it really would be a multi purpose long range and or hunting rifle. The cons. one, I am torn between two calibers. 7mm Rem Mag, or .300 Win Mag. I hunt white tail, and we see the occasional bear around here but no one around our camp has gotten a shot. I think both of those calibers are overkill for the type of hunting I do. I am extremely interested in you guys' opinions, as I do not have much experience with either of these calibers. I have shot the 7mm rem mag, but I have never owned either. The final gun on my wish list would be a nice trap gun. I realize that is kind of broad, and the reason being I really don't know what I would buy as a dedicated trap gun. I was thinking about a baretta al391 Urika. I have shot one of these at the sportsman's club, and I absolutely loved it. Con to this gun would be that it is very expensive and would be pretty much dedicated to trap shooting. That being said, it would be used every single Thursday night, so I wouldn't just sit it in the safe. I'm not entirely sure what I'm gonna do this year, what do you guys think? What would you do and why?

[Kot2B]

I'd trade my AR in an instant for a nice trap gun. It was fun to customize, fun to shoot but just not practical. The ammo is getting ridiculous in price and it's a pain to clean the mess steel rounds leave. I think you'd enjoy and use a trap gun a lot more than an AR, especially if you already regret the hipoint

[WNYBuckHunter]

Ok, so if you want an AR, stop trying to justify things and build one. The great thing about the platform is that you have a ton of options with different uppers in different calibers. You want a 223 for varmints, build one. Want to use the gun for deer? Get or put together something like a 6.8SPC upper as well. Worried about noise? Dont use a braked barrel, get one of the proper length with a target crown.

If you want something with more punch, build an AR10 and set it up with an upper of any of the larger calibers you want.

Its a fantastic platform, a little on the pricey side, yes, but not much more than any other good rifle. Heck, I have more tied up in my TC Encore muzzle loader than I do in my AR15.

[WNYBuckHunter]

BTW, offload that Hipoint, and youll have almost as much as youll need for the AR. I think I have @ 750 into mine.

[Bballhunter11]

Thats a little bit of a tall order but ill throw my opinion in.

I agree with your ar-15 points, fun to shoot, cheaper ammo and customizable. i also hunt a lot of woodchucks so thats what i use my 223 for and agreed that its a little on light side for deer. So like WNY said build one in 6.8, 300 whisper 30 Remington or 300 ACC and you have a great platform for anything in the deer woods.

As far as a bolt gun, Remington 700 is a great rifle and i agree that your caliber choices are a little on the heavy side but they will definately work. Not sure what you currently have in the arsenal but why not go with a 308, 30-06 or 7mm-08 then, little easier on the shoulder and wallet and the animal is still dead as dead gets. I use 2 Remington 700s in 30-06 and 7mm-08 and love them both for deer and elk.

And as far as a nice trap gun, well if your going to use it every thursday it better be nice so buy something that you like the best and shoot away.

[Bballhunter11]

Also agreeing with WNY again off load hipoint and buy some nice glass or a second gun haha no need for that thing to sit in the safe and look ugly

[chiefbkt]

I'm not a huge fan if the AR's so you can rule my opinion out on that.

As far as your Remington 700 goes, I agree with Bball. Get yourself a nice 30-06, .308, or 7-08. All great flat shooting rifles that are great for killing deer. If your heart is set on a .300 or 7mm, look at the .300 and 7mm WSM. I have a 7mm that just sits in the cabinet waiting for me to go out west. It's a great gun and was an impulse buy, just not a lot of fun to shoot at the range though. You'll get way more use out of one of the lighter calibers.

As far as trap guns go, I have a Winchester model 101 o/u 12 gauge that is deadly. Nice weight, looks great, and price isn't too bad either.

If I had to choose one of these guns to buy, Remington 700 in any caliber with a 4-12 Leupold. I'm pretty sure it can be done for around $1000. Just my thoughts.

[Sogaard]

+1 on the .300 WSM. That is what my Rem 700 is and I love it. It can leave you sore if you put 20+ rounds through it at the range though.

[Pygmy]

Buy yourself a pair of quality binoculars...

I'm not talking Nikon or Pentax, here ,I'm talking top end stuff such as Zeiss, Leica, or Swarovski. Get a good all around power such as an 8 x 40 or 8 x 42...Don't go over 10 power, too hard to hold steady offhand..

Oh yeah, and learn how to use them..Good glass can be as usefull in the woods at close range as it is in the wide open spaces..

Your wallet will SMART a little at the time of purchase, but you will never regret it.. Also ,you will never have to buy another pair of binoculars.

Edited November 2, 2012 by Pygmy

[Dinsdale]

I'd pick the shotgun....it'll get the most actual use and you get what you pay for. More than a few rounds from my 391.

Jewell? OK.....but for a wood stocked hunting rig I don't see the advantage. Maybe a long range precision tupperware gun. Why? have you shot a couple ounce trigger? I won't hunt with less than 2 1/2 and thats light even to most experienced riflemen. Most are about 3 for me. A Timney at less than half the price still breaks clean, and stays in a safer range IMO. Where the Jewell shines is in the single ounces for pull, thats the point of one.

If you want a uber long range, lose the wood stock and start thinking aftermarket.

Owned a couple 700's. If I did it again I'd buy someone elses build, and save the depreciation.....there's tons of them out there that are already shooters.

JMO

(don't know anything about the black gun stuff, not interested)

Edited November 2, 2012 by Dinsdale

[Lawdwaz]

Buy yourself a pair of quality binoculars...

I'm not talking Nikon or Pentax, here ,I'm talking top end stuff such as Zeiss, Leica, or Swarovski. Get a good all around power such as an 8 x 40 or 8 x 42...Don't go over 10 power, too hard to hold steady offhand..

Oh yeah, and learn how to use them..Good glass can be as usefull in the woods at close range as it is in the wide open spaces..

Your wallet will SMART a little at the time of purchase, but you will never regret it.. Also ,you will never have to buy another pair of binoculars.

I'm in this camp also. If you have the blades available, get yourself a pair of Swarovski or Leica binos. Personally I like 8x30 or 8x32. DON'T get 10x for hunting in NYS or east of the Mississippi. You can grab either of these two brands for right around $700 used quite often. (Lifetime warranty of course) You'll NEVER regret this purchase and you will use your binos WAY more than any gun.

As far as the guns in question (after you buy the binos) as Dinsdale has said black guns suck (joking) and I also know nothing about them and have no interest......

He does have good advice on the scattergun and rifles though.

DON'T buy a 300WSM, 7mm Mag, 300Win Mag etc. Get yourself a Remington 700 in a s/a chambering like 260Rem, 7mm-08 or 308Win. I'd even slum a 25-06, 270, 280 or God forbid a 30-06 before any Magnum anymore.

You'll shoot and enjoy a mild recoiling sensible chambering much more and you certainly don't need anymore than those mentioned, anyplace in the lower 48 anyway.

Skip the Jewell, buy your wife some earrings.

Good luck and keep us in the loop.......!!

[Bballhunter11]

Agreed, i dont understand the small increase in performance of the WSMs even remotely compensates for large jump in ammo price and the difficulty to find ammo. You can get 30-06/ 270/ 308 anywhere in the US/ Canada that sells any type of ammo. Good luck finding a WSM cartridge for sale. 7mm-08 is becoming more and more popular and im not sure on the 260 twin.

[airedale]

Sounds like you are a fan of trap shooting and that a new trap gun would see far more use than the other two prospects you mention. I would be buying the trap gun.

Al