My lovely wife has gotten interested in getting her own rifle, probably a 22. This is very exciting news for me, so this weekend, we shopped at four common places for one.
On Saturday, we were going to Cabelas for minnows anyway, so that was a natural starting point.
I like Cabelas for most things, but I have had mixed results when I have had to consult with any of their personnel. Friendly and knowledgeable generally, but at the firearms counter on a busy Saturday, with NASCAR in the neighborhood, it could have been a better experience. Nothing really wrong with how we were treated or anything, but felt a little like we were interrupting his lunch or something.
The primary criteria is that she can comfortably lift and hold the firearm. Action, capacity, etc, is definitely secondary to fit.
We found that the Mossberg Plinkster 702 (which they had only in a pink camo) looks pretty promising. Also found in the used side was a beautiful bolt action 17HMR with a very nice scope. It’s nearly $500, so I’m sure it wont be on the final list, so I didn’t record the model. I am almost sure, however, that it was a Savage 93R17 BVSS with a scope. It sure was purdy.
Next on our regular rounds was WalMart, where we found a very helpful gentleman in the sporting goods department. In addition to a $99 non-pink-camo Plinkster, they had a Remington 597 with factory included scope. This was the most comfortable to hold, though it was a little bit on the heavy side. Because they were handy and we had his undivided attention, we also looked at some centerfire rifles, just to compare really. Bolt action 5.56mm and 243 Winchesters were the best candidates, even though we did keep coming back to 22s.
On Sunday, we went to Academy and found pretty much the same things, though prices were all a little higher than WalMart. I also got to see and hold a KelTec SUB-2000.
There is a new Gander Mountain store, open only about six months now, that we had not yet been into. The firearm guy there was equally friendly and helpful as the guy at WalMart, but with much more inventory. Turns out they price match *and* they offer something I have not seen anywhere, an extendable warranty on firearms that covers damages beyond normal wear and tear. Generally, firearms are ‘all sales final’, but by purchasing Summit Protection Plan with your firearm, repairs and even replacement is under warranty. Add in price matching and it seems likely that we may purchase from them.
A recurring theme emerged amongst all the salesmen. They all very highly recomended the Ruger 10/22, in all its variations.