[Black92LX]

Well the time is soon to arrive to purchase a rifle. now my question is what should i do?

i will have around $500-$600. but probably closer to $500.
I want a fun rifle to shoot, that is also fairly cheap to shoot.
Here is what i am thinking.

1.) an AK variant of some sort. most likely an SAR1, i think it would just be fun and 7.62 X 39 is pretty cheap.

2.) Build an AR 15. i think this would be a good project. with .223 ammo being fairly cheap.

3.) Buy a Savage Bolt action package in .223, then slowly build it up with Choate stock, bi-pod, etc. to make a fairly decent sniper rifle to get me started with learning that sort of shooting.

so what are your suggestions on these choices and please feel free to add any others you might have. yes i already have a .22LR but i want something with a little more umpf to it.

[TNT]

Buy the AK. Magazines and ammo are very cheap. :)

[geekWithA.45]

And you budgets a hard limit, I'd go for the AK.

Building an AR's not rocket science, but it might be a bit mystifying for a newbie or the mechanically disinclined.

(If you're not a newbie, and are handy with tools, then by all means, build yourself an AR!)

You _might_ want to look into pistol caliber carbines, like the Berretta CX-4.

Also, for that kind of money, I'm certain you could find a decent Garand. Even though the ammo's not as cheap as .223, it's worth considering.

You can't go too far astray with a Garand.

[Sunray]

Get a CMP Garand.

[Black92LX]

i am not familiar with a CMP garand. little more info please. websites or good place to read about them??

[P95Carry]

I think I'd vote for an AK too ... get a good SAR1 and as said ... it's cheap shooting ... mind you it's a carbine really.

Otherwise ... that money should give you a lot of choice in bolt guns ... tho maybe not such cheap shooting ... IMO ''cheap'' .223 is not likely to be as accurate as decent factory stuff so ...... not necessarily the ideal way to go ..... if you wanna expend a lot of ammo!:p

Of course ... if you already shoot handgun then may even consider a nice underlever in pistol cal ...... .44 or 357 ....... can work quite well even if power factor down somewhat.

[Kaylee]

Wow... quite the wide array of options!

Hrmm.. first thing decide what kind of shooting you want to do.. the "sniping" thing or the semi-plinking thing.

If the former... savage of course, but at least consider the .308. Sure the surplus ammo wont last forever, and sure it's a little more "oomphy" for extended sessions than the .223.. but it seems to me if you're playing the one shot at a time game, ya might as well step up to a farther/harder shooting cartridge than the .223. (On the other hand, I know a feller here who regularly competes in the occasional "sniper match" shoots around here who swears by the .223 ... but then again, he does focus on paper shooting competitions. Your call.)

If the latter... depends on how handy you are I guess. My personal inclination would be to go the AR route, but that's just personal preference.

When it all comes down to it though... I think you'll get the best rifle for the money in the bolt gun. $500 ARs and AKs aren't BAD guns... but I tend to think there's a little more of a quality gap between, for instance, a $500 parts AR and an $800 Bushmaster than there is between a $500 Savage/Remchester+glass rig and the $800 versions. And, as you've noted, you can upgrade stock, glass, etc over time.



-K

[Skofnung]

I am going to vote for getting the Savage, or some other bolt gun. The reason I say this is that you seem to be fairly new to the game, and with a bolt gun you will be less likely to develop bad habits such as spray and pray.

This is not so say that you do not need to get an AR or an AK. You probably need one of each, but AFTER you learn to handle a full power rifle.

I too suggest that you consider a .308 over the .223, but you can learn on the .223 just as well. The .308 will be more useful down the road once you have the money to get an AR15.

If you must have a semi now, I say build an AR. They seem to be more accurate, and they are (for me at least) more fun to shoot.

[clem]

Aw the heck with it, do all THREE!

[SteelyDan]

I understand your criteria as follows: (1) fun rifle, (2) fairly cheap to shoot, and (3) around $500. Up to this point, I thought the answer was easy, especially since you mentioned it: an SAR-1, with a few mags and 1000 rounds of ammo.

But then you threw in the sniper thing. To be honest, I really think you're now talking about two different rifles. If it's your first rifle, I'd strongly consider a .22 semi-auto (Ruger 10/22 or whatever), which would easily meet your first three criteria, and would leave $300 toward the next purchase. But you sound like you want something bigger, and with more sniper potential. I'm stumped.

Bottom line:

1. If it's your first rifle, get a .22. They're really fun, and cheap, and cheap to shoot, and will familiarize you with rifles. Sort of.

2. If you've done some rifle shooting, get the SAR-1. They are probably the highest fun/cost ratio you will ever encounter.

3. If the priority is sniping, which I assume means target accuracy, get a Savage package with a scope in a .30-ish caliber.

[Black92LX]

i have a .22LR. the thing is i am not really set on what type of rifle i want. i just want to take the next step above the 22.

the main reason for wanting the AK style is that fear in the back of my head that it will be one of the next guns banned. and i like them so would like to have one.

reason for the AR is that i have shot a friends (home built) and just really enjoyed it. i also think there would be a greater sense of satisfaction when shooting, because the reason the gun works is because i built it.

reason for the sniper/bolt style, is because sometime down the road i would like to be a tactical unit sniper. i want to start slow and cheap with the .223. so i can focus more on the accuracy/skill instead of the kill. which can be focused on later with the purchase of a .308.

they all appeal to me for completely different reasons. trouble being i don't really care what action of rifle, so that doesn't really narrow anything down.

if you already shoot handgun then may even consider a nice underlever in pistol cal ...... .44 or 357
that would be nice but the governement doesn't feel that i am responsible enough to own a handgun yet.:cuss: :fire: :banghead:

i aprreciate all the suggestions please keep them coming. with any other suggestions that you may have that aren't on my list.

[MuzzleBlast]

http://www.odcmp.com/images/m1_small.jpg
http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/m1garand.htm

Maybe not a great choice for a first centerfire rifle, though. They are big and heavy, and kick a little (not a lot, but enough to wear you down after a while, and leave a bruise). AK variants are still dirt cheap to buy and feed, and you are right in assuming they will be banned, and in some places they already are.

[Brian Dale]

Lots of good rifles out there for your purposes. If I might put in another plug for my favorite: for a world-class centerfire rifle under $500, the right answer for me is an M1 Garand. I'm saving up for one of my own right now. You'll want to add AKs and ARs later, of course. :D Buying an AK variant first would be my other preferred choice, under the criteria you state (cheap to buy and cheap to feed; might not be able to get them eventually).

Additional benefits of buying a CMP Garand:

1) You'll always have a Garand, and they're not making any more of them. The CMP is a particularly cool source; check the web site that MuzzleBlast provided. I agree with MB's assessment of the M1's recoil. I found it fatiguing after several dozen shots, but not painful while shooting. Remember that the gas-operated action reduces the recoil of the .30-'06 to some extent. Think of it this way: after a match or a long shooting session, during the next couple of days at work, that slightly stiff shoulder will bring a smile to your face every time you notice it.

You might also look at http://www.memorableplaces.com/m1garand/ourgarands.html He has a good set of "Garand links," too.

2) To buy one, you must "Satisfy CMP criteria for marksmanship participation within the past five years (this requirement is waived for law-enforcement officers, military personnel, veterans and certain others)." This means going to rifle matches! In other words, you have to go and hang out with a group of experienced shooters, many of whom are happy to teach newcomers. Not a hardship, by any means. Matches are relatively inexpensive, they're tremendously fun, and where I live, at least one local club is not only willing but eager to lend M1s, even to non-club members (me, for example), at their matches.

You wrote: I want a fun rifle to shoot, that is also fairly cheap to shoot. Fun to shoot? Check, and double-check, with stars and exclamation points. Cheap to feed? Nope. At the price-vs.-value ratio that you find with a CMP rifle, though, you start out way ahead financially (how's THAT for an excuse, folks? :evil: ).

And you'll always have a Garand.