Help me spend my smoking money

[NTD]

I'm 16 days quit now and have permission from my wife to reallocate that money directly to firearms. I'm pretty well covered (for now) in the pistol area and really need a good rifle. The only rifle I own is a Baikal single shot in .223 and a savage .22 semi.

My biggest requirement is that I be able to afford to feed the thing and shoot it regularly so that requires minimal powder and definitely be able to shoot cast in it. I want to be able to plink with it, hunt at least deer size game with it, and be able to be used in social work if the need ever arose.

I'm saving $200 a month now that I've quit and since I'd like this gun before this fall I figure I'll have up to about $1200-$1400 before the money really starts burning a hole in my pocket.

Here is a list I've been knocking around.

AR-15 in 300 BLK...It seems everyone should have an EBR and this one would cover most of my needs and it seems like it's just made for a fella that casts.

.357 carbine either a marlin lever or the Ruger 77/357

Stevens 200 in .308. I would get this as a project gun to change things up as I got the money. Reading about gallery loads on here really got me excited about playing with a bolt action .308

M1a. Just a friggin cool gun but feeding can definitely be pricey. But this gun is a classic. Should hold it's value I'd guess better than any other. I read Bruce's entire thread about casting for them and it looks doable but still being semi new to casting am a bit intimidated.

So what do you guys think, any other ideas, help me spend my smoking money ;)

[405]

First, congrats on the big step! Re-enforce a lot of understanding from your wife- not about the gun purchase but about the struggle as it will continue for quite a while.

Your thought on the M1A is solid. They will continue to be sellable and liquid but it will be quite a long time before they will increase in value after the purchase. A top condition Garand is much cooler! IMO and about the same cost to shoot as the MIA. I'll guarantee a top condition Garand will increase in value faster than most any gun I can think of. Good ones are in the range of your 1200-1400.

I'd start frequenting Gunbroker and other sites. And gunshows of course and local shops as stock comes and goes. Patience is the key to finding what you would really like. That 1200 + will really buy a lot of gun. Of course one of the pistol calibers in a carbine will be "cheapest" to shoot. A top condition used Marlin or Winchester lever gun in 30-30 would be cheap to shoot and good for deer. A top condition mil surp bolt gun in a common caliber would be almost as cheap to shoot and work great for deer and would carry some history in the process (not unlike the Garand). The list is quite large and will depend of course on your tastes.

[Dark Helmet]

You could begin collecting the variations of the Finn M39. :twisted:

[odfairfaxsub]

i second that dark helmet, i just bought a m28. i honestly would buy a top eject no 3 schofield lol.

[405]

NTD,

These are examples of most bang for your buck (IMO). All three are within your budget. All three are in original config. All three will increase steadily in value. All three have very fine bores and shoot extremely well. Only the Garand is at the top end of your $ range.

Top 95 Chilean (7X57)
Middle 03 Springfield (30-06)
Bottom Garand Springfield (30-06)

[starmac]

You have narrowed your choices to a semi, a lever or a bolt, I'd say you are making a lot of progress. lol
I would think long and hard if it was going to be my one rifle, to hunt and plink.
check out any and everything as far as how it fits and points, and think about how much you will carry it on your hunts, not all guns fit all people or their intended uses.

[dualsport]

30-30. Everybody needs at least one. One of the all time best cast boolit cartridges, lots of brass (even some free), easy to work with, and can handle all the jobs you listed. More versatile than the .357, especially on the bigger jobs.

[nicholst55]

30-30. Everybody needs at least one. One of the all time best cast boolit cartridges, lots of brass (even some free), easy to work with, and can handle all the jobs you listed. More versatile than the .357, especially on the bigger jobs.

I'll second that. The .30-30 is also pretty easy to load for, and you can go from 'cat-sneeze' or gallery loads all the way to full power. Another advantage is that the average Joe who shoots a .30-30 doesn't reload for it. You can pick up a lot of brass either for free or very cheap.

Every game animal on the North American continent has been taken with a .30-30 - all it takes is marksmanship and patience. I don't recommend going after a big bear with a .30-30, but it has doubtless killed many grizzlies - and polar bears, too!

Despite what all of the gun rags would have you believe, the .30-30 is well matched to deer hunting. The gun rags' intent is to sell their advertiser's new products - guns and ammo. Sure, everybody owns a .30-30 or a .30-06, but that doesn't make Remington, Ruger, Savage, Winchester or Federal any money today. Only your purchase of a new 7mm Super Short Ultra Whiz-bang Magnum rifle, new scope, and ammo does that!

[NTD]

405,

Thanks for the input and the congrats. I smoked for 12 years and had tried various methods to quit before. I went cold turkey this time and it was a short period of intense torture and then got better quickly. On day 16 it's all psychological now although I've gained some weight...

My dad has a lever action 30-30 and a bolt action 30-30 and I think I'm going to try to talk him out of one of them now that he has given up on hunting due to his health.
If I can talk him out of one then I think I'll go for a Garand or M1A. How is casting for a Garand compared to casting for a M1A?

Thanks for the input guys. After the rifle purchase then I'm saving for a semi custom 1911. It sickens me when I think that I've lit up and inhaled over $20,000 in 12 years.

[NTD]

What is the Brass life span when shot from an M1A? Particularly the lifespan when using midrange PB loads.

[square butte]

NTD, Don't trust yourself around the 30 day mark, and then again about the 3 month mark. Lots of folks slip along about then. Still some phsiological things happening in the body even that long aftyer you quit. Congradulations. Lets keep it that way.

[excess650]

I have Marlin 357s, Rem 700 30-06s, a Rem 700 308, one each Marlin 336CB and Savage 99 30-30s.

As much as I like the Marlin 357s, and they are fully capable of hunting deer at 100 yards, I would take one of my 30-06s over the others. Its a relatively big case, but will handle heavy boolits no problem, and can be loaded down to the mouse fart level too. I have a 20MOA tipped base, +/- 10 inserts in Burris signature rings, and a mildot scope with 150+ minutes of elevation on my '67 vintage 700 30-06. I HAVE shot it all the way to 1000 yards.

I prefer to not be chasing cases around, but IF I were to buy I semi, I would be looking very seriously at a DPMS 308.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

With $1200-1400 you could easily get a used bolt in 308 and a used 357 lever.

[nicholst55]

What is the Brass life span when shot from an M1A? Particularly the lifespan when using midrange PB loads.

Normally about 4 loads, although Larry Gibson has achieved a notable improvement on that using the RCBS X-die for sizing. Gas guns in general are hard on brass, although some are harder than others. I slipped a ruptured case extractor in the butt trap in my M1A and M1 Garands, just in case. I haven't needed one yet... keeping my fingers crossed!

[Bulldogger]

To stay off smoking past the hard times when you get jonesing bad the best way over those times is to avoid them. For me quitting smoking was easy once I stopped doing things that I ALWAYS smoked when doing. If you were the type to always have a cig dangling I can't help, but for me it was hanging out in bars with buds bs'ing. I busied myself with more productive activity for a few months and not only got a lot done but also wasn't jonesing. You don't have to stop everything, just the ones you don't need to be doing anyway.
Not sure if that makes sense, but it worked for me.
Alex

[canyon-ghost]

<<<<< If you haven't tried a Ruger Flattop in 44 Special, you are missing out on a handgunner's dream!

[NTD]

Square Butte, I don't trust myself yet, sitting here surfing the web I was wanting a cigarette. Thanks for the heads up though I will make sure to keep that in mind during those times.

Bulldogger, I smoked while I did just about everything so tying to separate myself from the activities is pretty tough. My hardest times seem to be after a meal and the couple hours before bed while I'm winding down...like right now.

Thanks for the encouragement guys and the input on rifles.

I think I'm going to get my dad to part with his bolt action 30-30 but am going to save for the M1A.

One more question about the M1A...I can turn off the gas system and shoot bunny fart loads in it right?

[tomme boy]

I hope you can make it. I have been free for a little over 5 years. I was 3+ packs a dayfor over 20years. I still reach for my shirt pocket for a smoke when I get stressed out. I don't even realize I do it. The first two months were the hardest for me. But I was ready to stop, and that really helped.

Keep at it. Very soon you are going to start smelling things you never smelled before. And your taste for food is going to change as well. I don't get colds in the winter time anymore, and I don't have the smokers caugh anymore but it took about 2 years for that to clear up.

[tomme boy]

NTD, how long did you smoke and how much? Just wondering.

[NTD]

Thanks for the support Tomme boy. I smoked for 12 years and typicaly smoked a pack a day.

[Steelbanger]

When I quit cigarettes I used to put $20. away each week. The only problem I had with that was whenever I had saved about half the price of my next toy I'd start planning ahead to whatever was to come next. Right then I decided that should I ever start smoking again I would increase my usage so that when I quit the second time I could save faster. Fortunately it never came to that and I am off for almost 30 years. I stopped the weekly saving long ago and now I wonder where that $20 goes every week.

[Moonie]

I can give a vote for the AR in 300 AAC Blackout, fun little gun, we have 2 of them. It is fairly close to 30-30 in a modern package.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I'd stay away from the semi's for cost effective shooting! Hang in there, I watched my dad struggle to quit and stay that way for years, once he lapsed after 8 years. I think he finally has it licked, but I still wouldn't tempt him. He bought fishing gear with his savings, I think it helped keep him on track, but when he lapsed he still had his gear. Maybe make a deal with the wife that all the guns purchased with the savings go to the pawnshop (or at least put away for a while) if you lapse.

[NTD]

23 days today! Every day is getting easier that's for sure.

Well I ended up spending what I had saved already and have a new rifle. My buddy was selling his Savage FCP 10 McMillan and I decided to take it off his hands. I of course owe him the next 3 months of my smoking money but that's a good thing ;)

Thanks guys, now I have 3 months to decided what my next purchase will be.

[tomme boy]

Good for you. Go get some loy pops. It will give your hands something to do. That was the hard part for me.