[General Chaos]

Hi All,

I'm just swinging through to introduce myself as an ultimate newbie to the hobby of guns. I've owned numerous paintball, BB and pellet guns as a kid and have fired my uncle's shotguns in Europe (10 & 12 gauge). Not too sure what "gauge" means, but the 10 that I shot as a teen almost tore my shoulder apart (seriously). It was a double-barreled gun and I pulled both triggers at the same time by accident... :wacko:

Anyway, now that I'm much older, responsible and live in NYS rather than NYC, I've decided to reignite my interest in guns. This hobby will primarily be for target shooting and just appreciating the art of weaponry in general. I went out and purchased the following gun to START with...

Ruger® SR-22® Autoloading Rifle Models

It looks and feels beautiful, but I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. Plus, Hurricane Sandy hasn't helped the situation either. I plan on getting her to a range as soon as I can, BUT, I'm going to need some accessories first.

If you were to ask me who makes great products for American muscle cars (particularly Ford Mustangs), I can write you a novel, but when it comes to guns... I know nothing. I was wondering if everyone can suggest some well known, quality products for some items I might need to get started. I'm a big believer of the following statement... "I can't afford to buy cheap products." I don't mind spending a lot if what I buy will last me a long time.

For example, I think I'm going to need the following... can you recommend some top notch brands/products?

Gun Case - 5.11 Tactical, Blackhawk, UTG? I'm looking for one with straps to hold the gun securely IN the bag.
Example: AR 15 Case | 5.11 Tactical 36" AR 15 / M4 Gun Bag
Eye protection (preferably non dorky) -
Hearing protection -
Cleaning Kit -
Ammo -

The gun doesn't come with sights or a scope, so I'm going to need something. I'm leaning towards sights so that I can work my way up to more advanced targeting products (if that even makes sense). I won't be shooting for more than 100 yards often because of where I live (more like 50 yards at an indoor range).

Sights - fixed, folding?
Example: Saw these on the Ruger website... Sights-Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

Also, how the heck do I learn the right shooting form?!

Sorry for all the questions on my first post, but like I said, I know nothing about this hobby and I don't want to make any mistakes in my purchases.

Let me know if you have any questions, tips or suggestions and THANKS a lot for your time!

 

[Stinger]

Welcome

 

[huggybear44]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Darthgamer138]

Welcome. The first question in your post as to what the gauges mean is answered by this: Gauge, in reference to shotguns, means (well it used to, measurements have changed over time) the number of rounds that could be made from 1lb of lead. That means the bigger the gauge number the smaller the bore diameter. 10 gauge is on of the largest commercially available gauges, 12 is the most common.

As for your .22, you don't really NEED top of the line stuff for it. However if that is what you want (and your budget is wide) I will list some great things that you can carry over to further firearms. Note, this is NOT budget friendly nor needed, but if you really want quality over crap and are willing to pay:

Case- Pelican Rifle case. Pelican cases are some of the best available. They cost, but you'd be hard pressed to break an item inside of one. I have one for my pistol and would throw it off a building with no worries.

Eye Protection- I use my Oakley Square Whisker sunglasses. You don't get more stylish and they are fully ANSI rated for impact resistance.

Hearing protection- This I cannot comment on as I typically just use cheap plugs or standard earmuffs.

Cleaning kit- Make one. You can buy a store bought kit from, say Hoppes and add stuff to it to make it grow. Almost any kit should be suitable for cleaning .22 and you can add stuff as your collection grows.

Ammo- Whatever your gun likes. You need to test that. If it shoots the cheap stuff, use that. Semi-auto .22s are often picky though. Good all-around ammo would be CCI Mini-mags.

Sights- Again, whatever you would like. Most people suggest to start with sights over optics. The Magpul sights are often recommended for flat-top rifles, but I have no experience with them.

For the right shooting form, shoot a lot. For some specifics we might be able to help, but mostly it is shooting a lot. And then when you have rifles down, re-learn everything when you move into the strange new world of pistols.
Welcome out of that disaster NYC to slightly less of a disaster.

 

[JMD]

Welcome to the forum. It's always a good thing when new people decide to become gun owners.

I can't make many recommendations on specific gear as I'm fairly new to the game myself and time commitments and limited funds have kept my arsenal small and infrequently used. The best advice I can give is to just try stuff out and see what works best for you. Do your research, read reviews, ask questions on the forum, and don't be afraid to try something out.

For major equipment, I've found it's best to stick to the major brands until you've got enough experience to discern the good from the bad. For minor stuff like cleaning kits, eye and ear protection, etc, get what you like and don't worry about it too much. For expendables like ammo, get a variety, take them to the range and see what works best.

Enjoy!

 

[Spydermonkey]

I use one of these at work and it's taken a beating and is still in one piece.

LA Police Gear 42 Inch Rifle Case

 

[nortatoga]

Welcome!!

 

[Camper4lyfe]

If the rifle you have is exactly the same as the rifle in the picture you posted, you're going to need to get a scope, as there's nowhere to mount a front sight.

 

[General Chaos]

Darthgamer138:

Thanks for the detailed and informative post! Yeah, I figured "gauge" was something related to that. I never took the time to look it up though. I agree that a .22 doesn't require the best of the best, but this little turd cost me $500 big ones! I guess I'll spend money where it counts and not go too crazy unless it's completely necessary AND worth it.

Holy crap! Some Oakley's go for $200+… Oakley - The Official Site

Your recommendations are great, thanks again, those are the responses I'm looking for so that I at least know where to start researching, comparing, etc.

JMD:

Agreed! Sometimes I overwhelm myself with research though to the point where it's a turnoff… lol. I guess that's when you just have to dive in and buy something to test out. Period.

Spydermonkey:

Thank you, sir. It's nice to see that I don't have to sell a body part to get a good, rugged bag!

Camper4lyfe:

Yes, the following rifle is EXACTLY what I have.

I was thinking of buying these:

This front top rail... SR-22-TR-Top-Picatinny-Rail-Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.
With this front sight... SR22-MAG247-Front-Sight-Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

AND

This rear sight with existing rail... SR22-MAG248-Rear-Sight-Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

Does this setup NOT work? THANKS!

 

[Jdl2]

Welcome!

 

[HCBM]

Welcome! You are in the right place to learn my friend, there are a lot of very knowledgabland enthusiasts on this site and they are very willing to help.

 

[Darthgamer138]

If the rifle you have is exactly the same as the rifle in the picture you posted, you're going to need to get a scope, as there's nowhere to mount a front sight.

Is it not possible to mount a sight at the front of the rail and just have a shorter sight radius? (I'm not terribly familiar with AR iron sights).

 

[fullmags]

Welcome to the NYF community. You came to the right place. I own one of these rifles myself. Everyone is correct in saying that iron sights are not going to work on it. There is no where to mount the front sight that is far enough forward to work. I put a Bushnell dusk & dawn 3-9 x 40 mm on mine. This is over kill for what you need to start, but fitting for my purposes. This rifle is essentially a Ruger 10/22 inside with an AR look on the outside. I own a few Ruger 10/22's and this is one of my favorites.

 

[baco777]

Welcome. Get yourself a decent 1-4 power scope mounted with some rings designed to mount on picatinny rail and let fly.

https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary_Arms_1_4X_24_Illuminated_Scope_PA14X_p/pa14x.htm Certainly not the best but definetely adequate for your rifle and good bang for your buck.

 

[General Chaos]

Welcome to the NYF community. You came to the right place. I own one of these rifles myself. Everyone is correct in saying that iron sights are not going to work on it. There is no where to mount the front sight that is far enough forward to work. I put a Bushnell dusk & dawn 3-9 x 40 mm on mine. This is over kill for what you need to start, but fitting for my purposes. This rifle is essentially a Ruger 10/22 inside with an AR look on the outside. I own a few Ruger 10/22's and this is one of my favorites.

Thanks, everyone! BUT... I'm confused. If I put the following front rail on the handguard... how can I not put sights on the SR22?

SR-22-TR-Top-Picatinny-Rail-Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

The description even reads as follows...

"3" Top tactical Rail: Attaches to the Ruger Hand Guard with the 2 supplied SHCS's. FITS ON TOP OF HAND GUARD ONLY, WILL NOT FIT SIDES OR BOTTOM. Same height as integral chassis rail. Allows handguard mounted front sights, or handguard mounted optics to be attached to the Ruger SR-22® Rifle. All Ruger tactical rails are made to Picatinny Rail specifications allowing the use of military or weaver style mounts and attach to the SR-22® hand guard using the tapped screw holes already provided. Made in the U.S.A."

 

[Camper4lyfe]

Thanks, everyone! BUT... I'm confused. If I put the following front rail on the handguard... how can I not put sights on the SR22?

SR-22-TR-Top-Picatinny-Rail-Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

The description even reads as follows...

"3" Top tactical Rail: Attaches to the Ruger Hand Guard with the 2 supplied SHCS's. FITS ON TOP OF HAND GUARD ONLY, WILL NOT FIT SIDES OR BOTTOM. Same height as integral chassis rail. Allows handguard mounted front sights, or handguard mounted optics to be attached to the Ruger SR-22® Rifle. All Ruger tactical rails are made to Picatinny Rail specifications allowing the use of military or weaver style mounts and attach to the SR-22® hand guard using the tapped screw holes already provided. Made in the U.S.A."

If you add the rail section, I believe you could then use iron sights. Just remember to use some blue loctite on the mounting screws (of the rail).

 

[General Chaos]

Great, thanks! The rails and sights just came in from Ruger so I'll be installing them soon...