New to long guns...

[Alpha13]

Ok, wise sages. Besides a cheap .22, is there a less expensive or better valued gun to get into than mosin as a first long gun?

What would you use it for? Hunting? Plinking only? Varmint shooting? Deer hunting? Etc?

TIA

[TMF]

I would say no. A Mosin is cheap to get and so is the ammo. The only other thing I would suggest would be an SKS. It costs about twice as much but the ammo is cheap in bulk and I find it more fun to shoot that my Mosin. I'm assuming that you can still pick up an SKS for around $200, although I haven't priced them in a long time. I have one and don't intend to get another.

[Jonnin]

mosin is quite capable of hunting. It is TOO powerful for small game, but if you just want to vaporize varmints, that is ok. Of course you can target shoot/ plink with it. It is high recoil with full power ammo and a bit brutal to do extended amounts of shooting without extra padding or something. There are other cheap, or nearly as cheap, military surplus guns out there, mosin is just the latest to be imported in bulk and there is still plenty of surplus ammo for it as well.

The biggest drawback to milsurp guns is they can be aggravating to mount a scope properly. And, if you do want to scope one, be sure to not buy a collector's gun and ruin it.

[TrickyNicky]

Sks seems to vary around $250-$500 depending on country of orgin. Have both Mosins and an Sks and like shooting both. Ammo is cheap like TMF said and both are rugged as heck.

If you haven't got a rifle yet I'd still recommend a 22 as the best way to get familiar with them. I've got probably around 15 or so firearms, more when you count the ones that family members have left with me to use, around 20 or so in the house, out of everything the .22s get the most range time bar none. Ammo doesn't get any cheaper and honestly I have just as much fun with them as anything else.

Unless you have a specific goal in mind like hunting, long range target shooting, etc. I'd go 22 first.

On the other hand shotguns are alot of fun and very versatile, I haven't shot one in a while and keep meaning to pick one up but you can have all kinds of fun with one. Between slugs, buckshot and bird shot you can do pretty much anything with a good shotgun out to about 150-200 yards or so.