March 31, 2015
By Drew Warden
Long guns are, and have always been, great tools for shooters. Rifles and shotguns are versatile firearms that can be used for a number of purposes including general plinking and target practice, hunting and home defense. However, they also serve as some of the best learning platforms available for new shooters.
While a beginner can certainly learn to shoot using a handgun with the proper amount of training, long guns offer a few advantages to those new to the sport. Rifles and shotguns are often simpler to operate, and their longer sight radius makes them much more forgiving than handguns when it comes to putting rounds on target, a crucial factor for new shooters who may lack confidence.
Although a novice can be taught with any rifle or shotgun, choosing a long gun that is easy to use and not too intimidating is the best way to give new shooters a good first experience on the range. Long guns for beginners should be safe, uncomplicated and recoil modestly.
Luckily, there are plenty of options available that fit these criteria.
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Below is a list of 10 Savage rifles and shotguns that are perfect for any shooter, regardless of their experience.
Savage Landry Rascal The single shot, bolt-action, .22 LR Savage Landry Rascal is a safe, easy-to-use and reliable firearm perfect for beginners and youth shooters. The Savage Landry Rascal is perfect for beginners because it offers a safe, easy-to-use and mild-recoiling platform. Chambered in .22 LR and featuring a single-shot capacity, the Rascal is perfect for plinking or hunting small game. It uses a bolt-action operation that is easy to master and familiarizes the shooter with a popular and widely used action on many hunting rifles. Because of its small size and weight (31.5 inches in length and 2.66 pounds in weight), this firearm is especially well suited for youth shooters.
The Landry Rascal also comes with a unique synthetic camouflage stock designed to mimic the appearance of alligator skin and features Savage's AccuTrigger.
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Type: Bolt-action, single shot Caliber: .22 Short, .22 Long, .22 LR Overall Length: 31.5 inches Weight: 2.66 pounds Capacity: 1 round Price: $233 Savage Mark II F Featuring a bolt-action design similar to the Mark I G, the Mark II F has a 10-round capacity, making it more useful for small game hunting applications where a follow-up shot may be necessary. Although it features a bolt action, the Mark II F is not a single-shot rifle and comes equipped with a 10-round detachable box magazine. Because it uses a bolt action and requires the user to manipulate the action manually, it is still quite suited to new shooters. However, with its added ammo capacity, the Mark II is much more practical for hunting applications where a quick follow-up shot may be necessary.
Also chambered in the popular .22 LR, the Mark II is similarly a great option for getting new shooters accustomed to the bolt-action, the most common type of action used in larger centerfire hunting rifles. As with the Mark I, this rifle incorporates the AccuTrigger and comes drilled and tapped for scope mounts, but it also includes a set of open sights. Instead of a wood stock, the Mark II F utilizes a synthetic matte black stock.
Type: Bolt-action Caliber: .22 LR or .17 HM2 Overall Length: 39.75 inches Weight: 5 pounds Capacity: 10 rounds Price: $228 for .22 LR; $308 for .17 HM2 Savage Model 93R17 F An upgrade of the Mark II rifle, the Model 93R17 is chambered in the flat-shooting .17 HMR. An expansion on the Mark II design, the Savage Model 93R17 incorporates the same bolt action and AccuTrigger and pairs them with the flat-shooting .17 HMR. This rifle is still a suitable choice for beginners and youths, especially if the shooter plans on doing any serious varmint hunting. The .17 HMR, like the .22 LR, produces little recoil, so it likely won't intimidate a first-time shooter.
Because of the .17 HMR's flat trajectory, shooters using the Model 93R17 will also likely score more hits on targets at greater distances than they will with a rifle chambered in .22 LR. This is critical for developing a new shooter's confidence in taking longer shots, which will be useful as the shooter or hunter transitions to larger centerfire rifles.
Type: Bolt-action Caliber: .17 HMR Overall Length: 39.5 inches Weight: 5 pounds Capacity: 5 rounds Price: $268 Savage Model 64 F Utilizing a simple but effective blowback operation, the semiautomatic Model 64 chambered in .22 LR is a great option for familiarizing beginners with semiauto firearms. The first semiautomatic firearm on this list, the Model 64 operates on a simple blowback action. While bolt-action or break-action rifles are usually preferred for new shooters, a semiauto in .22 LR such as the Model 64 remains a good choice. With the light recoil of the .22 LR, the firearm is still easily controllable, even when fired rapidly. The Model 64 may be even simpler to use than the previous bolt-action models because it doesn't require the shooter to manually extract and chamber the next round.
The design also helps familiarize a new shooter with semiauto firearms, a necessary step if the shooter plans on stepping up to larger semiauto platforms such as the AR-15. The Model 64 comes drilled and tapped for scope mounts but also includes open sights. Unlike previous rifles, the Model 64 does not come equipped with an AccuTrigger.
Type: Semiautomatic Caliber: .22 LR Overall Length: 40 inches Weight: 5 pounds Capacity: 10 rounds Price: $175 Savage Model 42 Sporting a unique break-action operating system, the Model 42 essentially places two firearms — a .22 LR rifle and a .410 shotgun — into one design. The Model 42 is an interesting firearm geared toward youth and new shooters and utilizes a unique over/under style break-action design. The break action is one of the safest and easiest firearm actions for novice shooters to understand, so the Model 42 is a fantastic choice for beginners. In addition to the Model 42's crossbolt safety, the firearm's action can also be opened for safe travel afield, helping to prevent an unintentional discharge of the firearm.
The Model 42 features a top barrel chambered in .22 LR and a bottom barrel designed to accommodate .410 bore shells. This essentially places the versatility of two guns into one, allowing the new shooter to learn two firearms disciplines at once: rifle shooting and shotgunning. The firearm's two distinct barrels also make it well suited for a number of uses ranging from wingshooting and busting clay birds to plinking or hunting small game. Savage also offers the Model 42 in a youth-specific model , as well as another chambered in .22 WMR/.410.
Type: Break-action Caliber: .22 LR/.410 Overall Length: 35.75 inches Weight: 6.1 pounds Capacity: 1 .22 LR cartridge and 1 .410 shotshell Price: $485 Savage AXIS A perfect first deer hunting rifle, the Axis is a classically designed rifle packed with features and available in a wide variety of hunting calibers. Available in a wide variety of calibers ranging from .22-250 Rem. to .30-'06 Springfield, the Savage AXIS rifle is a classically designed hunting rifle great for any shooter. For beginners, an AXIS rifle chambered in .243 Win. is ideal, as that caliber offers enough power to take deer-sized game but avoids much of the recoil associated with larger calibers.
The AXIS is a definite step up from many of the rimfire rifles on this list but is a good choice for a shooter's first centerfire rifle, as it incorporates an easy-to-use design and comes with many helpful features for a reasonable price. The AXIS features a matte black synthetic stock and a matte black carbon steel barrel and comes drilled and tapped for optics.
Type: Bolt-action Caliber: Multiple from .22-250 Rem. to .30-'06 Springfield Overall Length: 43.875 inches Weight: 6.5 pounds Capacity: 4 rounds Price: $362 Savage A17 Brand new for 2015, the A17 is one of the first semiautos capable of handling the low-recoil, highly accurate .17 HMR. Entirely new for 2015, the Savage A17 is an excellent firearm for helping to transition a novice shooter from rimfire to centerfire or introducing a new shooter to the sport altogether. As with the bolt action Model 93R17, the A17 is chambered in the flat-shooting .17 HMR, which will provide the user with very good accuracy at distances greater than the .22 LR is capable of achieving.
Unlike the Model 93R17, this rifle is a semiauto, and one of the first ever to reliably cycle .17 HMR rimfire loads. It does so using an innovative delayed-blowback operating system that handles the extra force of the hotter cartridge. With no bolt manipulation required from the shooter between shots, the A17 can deliver lightning fast follow ups while plinking at the range or hunting game in the field. In addition to being built for speed, the A17 also features Savage's AccuTrigger and a button-rifled barrel for precise shooting.
Type: Semiauto Caliber: .17 HMR Overall Length: 42 inches Weight: 5.41 pounds Capacity: 10 rounds Price: $465 Stevens Model 555 The break-action Stevens Model 555 is a safe, reliable shotgun perfect for hunting applications or busting clays at the range. With its easy-to-use break-action design, the Stevens Model 555 represents an excellent choice for the new shooter. A break-open shotgun is a great first firearm, as it is very safe and simple to use. The Model 555 is available in 12-, 20- or 28-gauge or in .410 bore. Its design is elegant and combines a lightweight alloy receiver with a Turkish walnut stock and forearm. The Stevens Model 555 uses mechanical triggers and utilizes an extractor that makes it easy for the shooter to remove spent shells from the firearm's breech. The over/under has a manual safety, but the action can also be opened when the shooter is not firing for added safety.
The Model 555 comes with five interchangeable choke tubes. The 12-gauge version has a 28-inch barrel, while the 20- and 28-gauge and .410-bore variants have a 26-inch barrel.
Type: Break-action, over/under Caliber: 12, 20 or 28 gauge; .410 bore Overall Length: 44 7/8 inches for 12-gauge; 42 7/8 for others Weight: 6 pounds for 12-gauge; 5.5 pounds for others Capacity: 2 rounds Price: $692 Stevens Model 320 The Stevens Model 320 is perfect for any shooter and comes in a host of different variations, including a youth 20-gauge model perfect for younger shooters. The only pump-action long gun on this list, the Stevens Model 320 is another great option for novice shooters because, much like the bolt-action rifle, it requires the shooter to manually chamber and extract each shell after firing. The shotgun uses Stevens' proven rotary bolt design and features dual slide bars for reliable manipulation.
There are multiple Model 320 variants available in either 12 or 20 gauge with different barrel lengths ranging from 18.5 to 28 inches. The 20-gauge Model 320 Field Grade shotgun is probably best suited for beginners, as 20-gauge loads recoil less than 12-gauge loads and the Field Grade's 26-inch barrel allows for smoother swings on aerial targets and game birds.
Type: Pump-action Caliber: 12 or 20 gauge Overall Length: 38.25-48.75 inches Weight: 6.8-7.45 pounds Capacity: 5 rounds Price: $234-$274 Savage Model 25 Lightweight Varminter Although designed specifically for hunting small varmints, the Model 25 Lightweight Varminter is an excellent all-around rifle available in an assortment of low-recoiling calibers. Although it is designed specifically for hunting small varmints and predators, the Model 25 Lightweight Varminter is a great all-around rifle for shooters of any experience level. It is available in an assortment of low-recoil calibers ranging from .17 Hornet to .223 Rem., making it the perfect centerfire rifle for shooters transitioning from rimfire to centerfire. The Model 25 Lightweight Varminter is built for accuracy and features a 24-inch barrel and Savage's AccuTrigger.
The rifle comes drilled and tapped for scope mounts, and it incorporates a laminate wood stock and a satin blued barrel.
Type: Bolt-action Caliber: Multiple from .17 Hornet to .223 Rem. Overall Length: 43.75 inches Weight: 8.25 pounds Capacity: 4 rounds Price: $772
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