Is a .22lr rifle good practice, or is it a whole different ballgame?
 

Ive been wanting to get into some precision rifle shooting, and was considering picking up a high end .22 rifle as my first. Is this a good way to learn to shoot, or are the big guns a completely different beast?

My thought process was that a quality .22 is extremely accurate, as well as cheap to shoot. It would allow me to have much more trigger time to develop my skills. I was looking at either a volquartsen or anschutz bolt gun. I would put a quality scope on either of these (think Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14x44).

My dilemma is spending that much for a .22. Im sure i could get a pretty decent gun/scope for ~$2500 (but maybe not). Part of me would like to just get a .308 and learn on that, but i fear i wont shoot it as much as i would a .22lr. Let me know what you think.

A .22 trainer is a good way to practice marksmanship fundamentals for a much reduced cost. However, there is no substitute for real long-range practice.