Dilemma - $2000 - buy lots of C&R guns, or one expensive one?

[collateral]

i learned the hard way that quality is better than quantity.
if the M1A is what you have your eye on, get it.

I would however make provisions for ammo. .308/7.62nato is not inexpensive these days.

 

[Golden Hound]

Well, all the more reason to get into reloading. I don't know how to do it, but my uncle does, and he can teach me. I'm looking forward to that M1A.

 

[elmerfudd]

I find that two things lead me to shoot a particular rifle a lot: the quality of the rifle and the price of it's fodder. My M39 goes to the range at least once a month. It's an old milsurp, but it's also a sweet shooting rifle and ammo for it's cheap. I've got some very nice rifles and some beaters as well that both get shot a lot less than that M39. With my .308's the ammo's just too pricey. With some of my other milsurps they just don't measure up in terms or quality or accuracy.

 

[Thernlund]

National Match.


-T.

 

[Golden Hound]

Well I've already got an SKS, a Mosin, and a Savage 64 that are all fun and cheap to shoot, so I figure I should treat myself to a luxury. My uncle's also giving me a Garand and a 12ga in August.

 

[elmerfudd]

If you really want an M1A, then by all means, get one. As others have mentioned earlier, it's rare to have $2000 to spend, but a spare $100-200 is fairly common.

The point I was making earlier is that some rifles are pretty exceptional and if they're also cheap to shoot then they'll end up being favorites. That rifle that shoots 2 MOA with cheap ammo and handles well and feels well made is probably going to end up being one of the rifles you always end up taking to the range with you. Your Mosin Nagant and SKS would probably be rifles that I wouldn't shoot that much, unless they were much better than the ones I own. The Garand however would be in a different category. Those are neat rifles with great sights and terrific workmanship and there is reasonable 30-06 ammo out there.

 

[Golden Hound]

The price of .308 and .30-06 doesn't seem that far apart. Ammunition To Go has 400 rounds of Greek surplus .30-06 for 200, and 400 rounds of British NATO .308 for 249. I mean there's a 50 dollar difference but it's not cataclysmic. If I learn to reload it, I can cut down on the costs. In any case, the M1A would also be a meaningful collector's piece to me, so it would be valuable to me even when I'm not shooting.