Weekly Newbies & FAQ Thread - Post your questions here for PAL/RPAL application, timelines, CFSC/CFSRC, references & requirements, or general new to firearms ownership -type questions

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[u/deletekeemstar]

What should I buy first?

A) Ruger PC carbine

B) Chinese SKS and a Savage axis 2 (308)

Main uses: prepping and target shooting. I currently own a 12ga Mossberg 500 and a Savage a22.

Pros of A: I can shoot it at ranges closer to where I live (they don't allow centerfire rifles).

Pros of B: More versatile. I can get an SKS before prices go up even more.

[u/[deleted] → u/deletekeemstar]

What distance are you shooting? If it's under 500 meters, consider getting a rifle chambered in .223 instead. You'll save money and have just as fun of an experience. I have a .223 savage for target shooting, I only bring out my .308 on hunts or past 500m shooting distances

[u/deletekeemstar → u/[deleted]]

Well here's the problem:

The 2 ranges closest to me, only accept rimfire, shotguns, and pistol caliber rifles.

If I got a 9mm carbine, I could use it a lot more, but an sks (collecting/prepping) and a 308 rifle (for the occasional deer hunt) also sounds pretty nice lol.

[u/[deleted] → u/deletekeemstar]

What's your budget? Although savage rifles are generally very accurate for their price range, all other aspects leave a bit to be desired. I've had at least 5 savage rifles I can think of, once I switched to a higher quality brand I was pretty blown away by the difference. My personal favorite is CZ, but Tikka, Howa and bergara are also very popular here. If you're willing to spend a bit more, you get a lot for your money

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

If you can find an older used remmington 700 you might get away with spending savage axis levels of money on a much better rifle. Be wary of the newer remmington 700s though, quality went downhill

[u/deletekeemstar → u/[deleted]]

Would you say that the ruger american is a step up in quality compared to the savage axis?

I don't need something too nice, but the axis' sticky bolt is a bit too cheap for me.

[u/[deleted] → u/deletekeemstar]

Judging from my own experience, it seems like savage dumped every dollar of their design budget into getting good accuracy. Ruger distributed their design budget more evenly across the whole rifle

The bolt on the ruger is noticeably better, the trigger is about the same as the savage (which is actually pretty good) over all the rifle just feels more "solid" if that makes sense?

Savage rifles are definitely slightly more accurate out of the box from what I've seen with my own eyes. Not to say Ruger Americans aren't accurate, they're still really good. I just seem to get marginally tighter groups with an unmodified savage axis vs an unmodified ruger american. Other then that, savage rifles work and I've never had a functionality issue with a savage rifle. They just feel really cheap and the bolts aren't smooth. They work fine, but they suck in that regard

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

If you're just mainly using it to hunt and target shoot for fun, either a savage or a ruger will be fine. More than sufficient.

[u/deletekeemstar → u/[deleted]]

I will probably go with the SKS and a ton of surplus ammo for now (just discovered that a local range allows steel core).

Then, I will save up for a nicer deer rifle (prob a tikka).

Also, I checked 9mm prices... I'll pass on a PCC for now lol