r/canadaguns • u/Mr_Nuclear1 • May 31 '26

Buy recommendations First gun help!

Hey all, just recently upgraded my minors licence to a full PAL (and soon RPAL 🤞)

Now I’m in the market to buy my first firearm, now fortunately I have a family friend / uncle who has graciously allowed me full access to his arsenal, and I’m looking for an addition that both makes sense as a first gun, but doesn’t overlap with his collection

TM22
Maverick 88
Old Beretta SA 12ga
308, 303, 30-06 bolts (hunting guns)
30-30 win lever

Budget is ~1300 CAD (ignoring tax)
If there’s something greatly better that’s a bit more, I def could continue saving!

I was looking at a few guns, Panzer M4, any 357 lever, Deerya 9mm pump, Sks?

I have been participating in clay sports and F class /PRS with loaners, but long range diciplines seem to be a bit outside my budget unfortunately, I’m hopping to one day be able to participate in dynamic shotgun sports (if IPSC Ontario gets of their f asses and makes a course…)

I am ready to be humbled on my suggestions, please send help 😆

12 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

7

u/Shoddy-Ad-9009 Jun 01 '26

Hey man congrats! It depends on what your objective is starting your own arsenal, but here’s my 2 cents:

  1. Get the Maverick 88!! That thing is inexpensive, should be no more than $450, so it’ll still leave you with around $1000 left in the budget. Also, in my opinion one of the most reliable shotguns ever, and most definitely the most reliable shotgun for that price range.

Great pick for home defense, wildlife defense and overall fun at the range or in the bush.

  1. Since you got $1000 left, I’d go for a ruger 10/22. I don’t know the story on your uncles tm22 but I’d be shocked if it’s as good as a 10/22. If you wanna make it tactical is like I did, slap the archangel 556 stock, and a cheap red dot from Amazon along with some BX-25s if you can find them, I know a guy in van who pins them to 10 rds and sells them.

This gun will be most of your fun honestly, cheap on ammo, and it’s just an old reliable. The gun plus the tactical style chassis and red dot will run you about $700-$800, but very well worth it.

You still got some dough left for ammo, more add ons like a sling, caddy, etc.

All in all, with these two guns you can do it all and have all the fun you need, but again, all depends on what you wanna do. But a 12ga and a 22 carbine are no negotiables in my world for a variety of reasons. Let me know if you wanna see how the 10/22 looks and I’ll send you a picture, it’s pretty sweet.

2

u/Mr_Nuclear1 Jun 01 '26

Thank you for your detailed comment, tbh I think I’d like to find something oriented towards one of the various shooting sports… in an ideal world that’d be iPsc, but that is unlikely given how IPSC Ontario is being run… F class and PRS are also crazy expensive… I’m kinda at a crossroads, bc I would like to buy something nice enough to use for some sport

3

u/Shoddy-Ad-9009 Jun 02 '26

Yes sir! To each their own at the end of the day. I’ll say, the Maverick 88 still should be your 1st pick because of how good of a deal those are and you can use it for clays!

2

u/Mr_Nuclear1 Jun 02 '26

Yk what atm clays is probably the sport with the lowest barrier to entry… so ima prolly grab a maverick 88… just gotta find one with the bead sight! Ty

5

u/outline8668 Jun 01 '26

Buying the gun is the cheap part, feeding it is the expensive part. I would look at another 22 for fun. Maybe something different like a bolt or lever. I've been in this hobby for longer than some people on this sub have been alive and I still shoot more 22 in one afternoon shooting session than center-fire all year combined. And that's even with me casting and reloading to save money. Just something to o think about anyway.

4

u/Remote_Mistake6291 Jun 01 '26

Wait on the Derya 9mm. They are brand new so wait for some real life reviews. Mine arrives tomorrow but it is not my first gun. A bolt action .22 would be able to get you started in long range shooting. Long range for a .22 of course. There are some CZ's that would fit in your budget with optics. Something from Vortex would be a great start. Lever .357's are fun because most will also shoot .38. A Henry Supreme in .223 is also nice but more expensive.

1

u/Massive_Expression_2 Jun 02 '26

Hope the Derya turns out to be good. Will you post here with your first impressions, etc?

2

u/Remote_Mistake6291 Jun 02 '26

I picked it up yesterday. First impression is favorable. Fit and finish is good. Pump is smooth. Cycle well with dummy rounds with both factory and Glock mags. I haven't fired it yet.

1

u/Massive_Expression_2 Jun 02 '26

Thanks for the follow-up. Looking forward to hearing how it goes at the range. I really want one of these. Mind if I ask which dealer you bought from?

2

u/Remote_Mistake6291 Jun 02 '26

Gagnon's in Oshawa. Fantastic family run business. They haven't listed them yet but they did get a few in.

2

u/Remote_Mistake6291 Jun 03 '26

I fired it today. Works flawlessly. Loud as fuck though even with subsonics.

0

u/Mr_Nuclear1 Jun 01 '26

Thank you, I definetly drooled at the Henry supreme lol, other than a crazy PRS build, the supreme is definitely my grail

2

u/BrotherLefthand Jun 01 '26

Henry homesteader. Great starter for plinking. Ammo won't destroy your wallet either.

1

u/Mr_Nuclear1 Jun 01 '26

I did like the homesteader, but I’m hesitant, I feel that it’s exactly like something the chipmunk would want to prohib

2

u/pooshlinger Jun 03 '26

Sks if u can find one for under 1000. Still my fav so far

2

u/hunterofsteelhead Jun 05 '26

You could get a pistol exemption and get the ruger mark iv

1

u/Top_Importance6216 Jun 01 '26

lever .357, save money by shooting .38 special

1

u/Mr_Nuclear1 Jun 01 '26

Do you have any recommendations? Ik Henry is the gold standard iirc

1

u/Top_Importance6216 Jun 01 '26

I run a s&w 1854, walnut finish. love it.

1

u/Iokua_CDN Jun 02 '26

For me, I'm a cheapo Rossi fan.  Get a Rossi for 1k, or a Citadel for 800 bucks.

Treat it like a project gun, fix the few flaws it has. Soften the sharp edges around the loading gate,  press the loading gate in and soften the spring pressure. Soften the magazine spring  or trim it shorter. Tighten all the screws.  And then you'll have a great rifle!

Also, henry is falling behind in QC among the Americans. New marlins are the gold standard now. The Smitb and Wesson ain't too far behind. Classic Japanese made Winchestors are pretty well regarded too. Henry is a tier below. Rossi is probably another tier below. Turkish made ones are likely yet another tier below that.

1

u/Iokua_CDN Jun 02 '26

You got access to a semi auto 22, semi auto 12ga, pump action 12ga, bunch of hunting rifles and a 3030 lever action.

So some fun guns to consider!

  1. Pick up a used double barrel shotgun off intersurplus for 300-400 bucks!  Old European quality  and fun for clays!

  2. Pick up an Sks while they still have some! 800 bucks, cheap 7.62 x39 ammo, semi auto, and it's kinda fun to load with stripper clips.

  3. 357 lever action is great  fun. I have a Citadel levtac. Needed some a work out of the box but it was all stuff I could do at home for free. They are cheap, like 800 bucks on sale. A Rossi 92 is the same thing but more classic stock. Both are good and in the budget.

  4. I personally think the pump 9mm will be a ton of fun. Not a semi auto replacement, but instead a hilariously fun little tiny fun to blast away with.

  5. I don't have much experience with Turkish semi autos. The Panzer I hear is excellent quality,  but the warranty is a pain to deal with.  Something like a Canuck Operator might be slightly worse, but has excellent warranty  if you get a dud gun. I'm a fan of Tactical  Imports and their lifetime warranty, but they only got an m3 clone and a folding semi auto right now, no m4 clones for sale.

Any of these are great and in the budget! I'm a cheap gun owner, so I'd likely try to get multiple guns for the 1300.

Something like  

800 bucks for either the sks or 357 lever action 

200-300 for a used break action  shotgun or a Maverick 88 of your own (worth it to not have to borrow it every time.)

200-300 left remaining to pick up a cheap 22. Either bolt action or a semi auto. Watch for deals and you can make it for that price range.

Then you got 3 wonderful firearms that are all very different from each other, and don't overlap a ton with your uncle a ton.

2

u/KalashnikovParty Jun 07 '26

what about a 10/22? Ammo is cheap, gun is decently accurate, and it’s not too expensive. Also lots of aftermarket parts and modificationsÂ