I would say it's really up to personal preference. If you're going to be taking a battle rifle hunting, you're really just doing it for fun since there are more practical choices for a hunting rifle, so get whatever you think you would personally enjoy the most, or whatever you think is the coolest. Any of the .30 cal battle rifles would be adequate for hunting most common game. The AR in .223 probably shouldn't be used on anything bigger than deer (even that is illegal in a lot of states), but you can get an upper chambered in a different cartridge more suited to hunting, or you can buy a .308 version like the Armalite AR-10, DPMS LR-308, Rock River Arms LAR-8, Bushmaster ORC, or any of the others out there.
You also mentioned you would be using it as a range gun. If you're talking about plinking and punching paper, once again, get the one you think you would have the most fun with. You might go to some gun shops and hold some examples of all of the above to see what "fits" you best.
Some other considerations... the M1A and M1 Garand have the best iron sights (the best sights ever put on a service rifle, in fact), and the best factory trigger. A flat-top AR is the easiest to mount optics on. The AR is the most accurate, out of the box, and probably the least reliable, and has the potential for being the lightest weight, depending on how it's set up. The G3 has the cheapest mags and the worst iron sights, and it is really reliable. The M1 makes the coolest sound after the last shot, and is probably the heaviest (though you can make an AR heavier if you put a big fat barrel and/or a ton of ninja gear on it). The FAL is probably the most reliable, and it has decent sights and is relatively easy to mount a scope on. They all have their plusses and their minuses, so once again, just get what you think is the coolest.
If money is a big concern, the cheapest one is an M1 Garand from the CMP. They sell them for $500 for a field grade rifle. This is easily the most "bang for your buck" if you ask me. You have to jump through some hoops to buy from the CMP, but it's well worth it. You can build a budget AR for not much more, though.
As for ammo cost, well, the cheapest will be an AR in .223, then .308 (there is a big price jump between those), then the M-1 in .30 '06, and the most expensive will be an AR in a non-military commercial caliber like 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Grendel, or .260 Rem.
I don't know how much shooting experience you have, but you really just need to buy something and start shooting it. I think coming to an Appleseed marksmanship clinic will really help you figure out more what you want, since you will learn proper shooting techniques and have more of an idea of what to look for in a rifle. Appleseed is also a CMP-affiliated organization, so you can get certified to buy through the CMP by just coming to an Appleseed clinic ($70 for a weekend) and buying a membership to the RWVA ($20 for a year), if you're interested in getting one of those $500 Garands. If you're into battle rifles, Appleseed will be a lot of fun because we shoot the Army Qualification Test. Always interesting to see how you stack up. We also teach some Revolutionary War History that you won't hear in any school.
Just some suggestions from a guy who went through the same stuff years ago, as a self-taught shooter... my taste in rifles has changed A LOT over the years, especially since I actually learned proper rifle marksmanship in a systematic way from Appleseed.
