I am interested in buying a good multi-purpose rifle. I'm relatively experienced with handguns and shotguns, but I'm still a novice when it comes to rifles.
I want a rifle for plinking and light hunting duty (varmint to deer). Its worth noting that there are no caliber restrictions in my state for deer hunting.
Here are the things I think are important to me:
--Accuracy at 50-100m. I'm not looking for a bench rifle.
--Ammo: easily found and inexpensive.
--Semi-auto action a must, 20+ round clip preferred.
--Budget: between 600-850 new or used (new preferred) with some flexibility.
--Easy maintenance, dependable, sturdy.
--Accessories: I'm not huge on accessories. I'll likely slap a scope on whatever I buy, but I'd like to have decent iron sights.
From what I've seen so far, I'm probably going to end up getting something chambered for .223/5.56x45mm or 7.62x39mm. I'm comfortable with the price of bulk ammo for these rounds (even if staying away from surplus 7.62 stuff), but I'm not dead-set on either round.
I've done a bit of research online for various rifles. I've also spent hours handling various rifles at a few local stores. From what I've seen so far, I really like the Ruger Mini-14 and Mini-30 (leaning towards the Mini-30). I've looked at a couple AR-15 style weapons, but was not very impressed with the only one I found that was in my budget (Sabre SR-15 light weight had too much plastic). I also looked at a Saiga, but wasn't impressed.
So, any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
I want a rifle for plinking and light hunting duty (varmint to deer). Its worth noting that there are no caliber restrictions in my state for deer hunting.
Here are the things I think are important to me:
--Accuracy at 50-100m. I'm not looking for a bench rifle.
--Ammo: easily found and inexpensive.
--Semi-auto action a must, 20+ round clip preferred.
--Budget: between 600-850 new or used (new preferred) with some flexibility.
--Easy maintenance, dependable, sturdy.
--Accessories: I'm not huge on accessories. I'll likely slap a scope on whatever I buy, but I'd like to have decent iron sights.
From what I've seen so far, I'm probably going to end up getting something chambered for .223/5.56x45mm or 7.62x39mm. I'm comfortable with the price of bulk ammo for these rounds (even if staying away from surplus 7.62 stuff), but I'm not dead-set on either round.
I've done a bit of research online for various rifles. I've also spent hours handling various rifles at a few local stores. From what I've seen so far, I really like the Ruger Mini-14 and Mini-30 (leaning towards the Mini-30). I've looked at a couple AR-15 style weapons, but was not very impressed with the only one I found that was in my budget (Sabre SR-15 light weight had too much plastic). I also looked at a Saiga, but wasn't impressed.
So, any suggestions? Thanks in advance!