I want to buy a cheap .308. What are my options?

If you want cheap, .308 Winchester isn't a good choice as ammo is expensive.

What do you want to do with the rifle?

BSW

Unlikely anybody else is going to produce Handi clones.
The market isn't there.
Denis

+1

When you're running .308 at a buck per, best to not skimp on the rifle so you can milk that accuracy you're buying.

I love firearms and have no use for "cheap" firearms...low end I go Stevens 200 if you can find one or Weatherby low end...all others are that...cheap though Savage and even the plastic Ruger Amercans might work for you...not for me you get what you pay for. good luck

A used Savage Axis in .308 would run around that, and they are generally accurate guns....

Take a look at the Ruger Predator

If your near a Cabela's retail store, They are having a sale on the Remington 700 ADL .308 package with a 3x9x40 scope (unknown scope) for about 385.00. They also have the Ruger American .308 with a camo finish for 325.00. The sale ends tomorrow on the 13th. If you go that route, I would call ahead first to make sure they still have that caliber in stock.

It sounds like you want an H&R and won't be happy with anything less. If so, the only place you are going to find them at $225 is a used one at pawn shop. There is a new deluxe model on Gun Broker for $300.

Purpose of the rifle is something that can hit a 2'x2' plate at 400 yards, maybe 500. I don't care about the price of the ammunition, $1/round is fine, I just don't want to spend a ton on the rifle, it's not for competition, it's for long range shooting enjoyment.

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I think that here in lies the crux of a beginning problem. Long range shooting enjoyment is addictive. It won't be long before you want to bolt action. Then a pillar type bedded stock. Then a upgraded trigger. We haven't even started to talk glass yet. Soon that 2x2 plate challenge turns in to a 2"x2" square challenge. Before long you stop going home on the weekends and spend them at the range dressed like Willie Wonka with some kind of steam contraction rifle invention.....

But then you could be happy with theH&R as is!

You won't find one for $250, but the Ruger American is your rifle. I had a standard American in 308 that was a good shooter, ran across one of the Predators and it is even better. I sold the standard rifle to my nieces boyfriend at a good price.

so to hit a 2x2 at 400 yards....which "cheap" scope are you going to put on your "cheap" rifle?

I am in the used bolt gun camp. I think bang for the buck and longer term satisfaction is better with them. Provided you get something mainstream it can really grow into an upgraded rifle. I have only shot out to 600, which is considered mid range. The easiest way to shoot longer range has been in matches. A decent scope is hard to get around. But you can shoot with open sights. I find shooting an open sight AR in service rifle to be more rewarding than a scoped rifle on a bipod and rear bag.
A hand loading setup is probably the best investment you could make for accuracy. A lot of the other aspect are just work to be put in.

On a used rifle a good part of the "Deal" is what gets thrown in. My 700 was a trade for an AR upper & accompanying sale of an AR lower. This put me at $500 cash going out. I got the 700 SPS with scope mounted, extra stock, brass and dies and a Jewell Trigger. I did do some work on the gun and swap the scope but was worth putting the effort into the gun.

Marlin 60 and Rem700 are here:
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forum...6240&highlight=My+version+of+a+squirrel+stock

Most pawn shops are into their rifles for around 50% of the asking price. If you're any good at assessing the condition of a used rifle and can be hard-nosed in bargaining, there are some pretty good choices and deals "out there".

I don't have any experience with any of the new models you are asking about but the pawn shops around here usually have used bolt guns for around $300. It might take some digging but I believe you could probably get the most bang for your buck that way.

TruthTellers said:

I've seen the Savage's are consistently the cheapest .308 bolt guns, but I prefer Ruger to the Savage. They look to be better built and are equally as accurate.

Purpose of the rifle is something that can hit a 2'x2' plate at 400 yards, maybe 500. I don't care about the price of the ammunition, $1/round is fine, I just don't want to spend a ton on the rifle, it's not for competition, it's for long range shooting enjoyment.

If the H&R's are known to be accurate, more so than the Ruger, I'll just spend the bucks on the H&R.

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The H&R's are accurate, as long as you can shoot well with the trigger. That might be a problem at 4-500 yards, though. I have no problem, as I shoot Mosin Nagants well even with their long mushy triggers. Working on a trigger of an H&R is tedious, as continually removing and reinstalling one is a major PITA. I've owned several Handi- Rifles, and still intend to buy the last one I sold back. (A friend bought it when I needed money, with the offer of buying it back when I am ready.)

Cheap rifle and accuracy at 400 or 500 yards? I'd invest in reloading equipment to tailor your loads to the rifle in that situation. And a quality scope. A BSA or NC Star isn't going to cut it for that. Think Burris, Vortex, Leupold.

For a high quality lower price bolt gun look at the T/C Venture. 5R rifling with a 1 MOA guarantee. If I'm not mistaken, now until December there is a $75 rebate on the Venture.

http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/bolt-action-rifles/venture/venture-blued

a few years ago my hunting partner and I bought couple H&Rs in .22-250 just for the hell of it identical rifles, his was a tack driver, mine wouldn't ever group consistently, also sometimes when I shot, the action would break open...I got rid of it.

I guess I don't see any reason to mess around over paying for an H&R when you can easily get new or used sub-$400 bolt guns that will be all around better for your stated purpose.

Mossberg patriot.

Rossi has had a single shot much like the handi for awhile. I have read that the accuracy isn't there for the rossi single shot centerfire rifles.
I have the Ruger American in .243, and it is a good gun. No issues with loading or feeding, and it will group ten Winchester Super X 80 grain soft points in 1.25". Pretty good for any rifle in my hands, rested on a bag and using a $40 tasco scope. I actually picked the gun up from walmart for $184 on clearance.
I waited for three years for a deal like that, and passed on a lot of good rifles at good prices before I saw it. If you are patient enough, you'll get a good deal on a rifle you actually WANT, rather than settle for one that works. Meanwhile you save up extra money while you wait, and maybe you can get something even nicer...

I must add, for long range shooting and enjoyment, you will absolutely need an accurate rifle. And if you buy a cheap "for now" scope, you'll be looking to upgrade that in short order as well. Also, don't limit yourself to .308. I really like the .243 winchester cartridge. It is as capable as the .308 if not more so, with less recoil, for long range shooting. There are a lot of other good cartridges for hunting and long range recreational shooting, and for many of them ammo is readily available at wal-mart. Google is your friend. Use the internet to expand your knowledge Then when you see a great deal on a rifle that is not a .308, you can make a good educated decision to buy it or pass it up.

Hitting a 2'x2' plate at 400y requires about a 6MOA rifle. That's literally almost anything with a functional lockup and a bore within a few thousandths of the nominal diameter.

If that is REALLY what your requirements are, I would scan the pawnshops for any .308 bolt or single shot from a major manufacturer that doesn't have too many rounds through it and has a feasible base/ring system available (or ideally already on it) and call it good. It just doesn't matter what you buy if that's what you want to do.

If you have more stringent requirements, you'd have to articulate them before we could make better suggestions.

One of the SWFA SS classic scopes will give you an appropriate and frankly pretty darn nice fixed power optic for as little as $250 on sale. Their 3-15 variable is nice too.