What would you buy?

[Malice]

Ok, in January, I am buying a new semi-auto rifle. I want to keep my budget at about $400 or less. I am thinkning I want a new or used modern-production gun, although milsurp is not out of the question. The specs are pretty loose. It is just for plinking, and it would be my first rifle in anything bigger than .22 LR. A wide range of cartidges, from handgun-cartridge carbine to .308 are all possibilities.
I live in the free state of Texas so "legality" is not an issue.

I am thinking:

A Saiga in any of it's rifle calibers.
One of those Kel-Tec carbines in 9mm or .40S&W
Or one of those Kel-Tec Sport Utility Rifles in .223 rem
An AR of some sort; either a less expensive model or a used one.
Possibly a lever-action in a .38 or .357, although they seem a bit pricey.
A CETME or other such rifle.
Anything else you can suggest.

Which woud you go for? I know this is broad, but just reccomend a couple, explain why, so I can tally the votes and possibly narrow it down some.

 

[Waffen]

Sounds like you need a Mini-14, or 30, or a SAIGA. Both of thoes can easily be found for under $400 and will give you a lifetime of reliability. Since MOA accuracy is not going to be an issue either of these rifles would be a great choice.

 

[MrMurphy]

SKS. $200 max price, they shoot 7.62X39mm, so it packs a punch without having much recoil, takes ten shots at a time, it's reasonably accurate out to 150-200 yards, can be used on deer or wild pigs, and feeds of stripper clips (about a buck or two apiece, can be stored loaded forever as they have no spring).


The little 9mm Sub-2000 would make a nice plinker too, for $300, and they fold in half. For the Uzi-shooting urge, they're great.

 

[Malice]

Ok, thanks. Anyone else have ideas?

 

[itgoesboom]

SKS fits the bill nicely, but the sights kinda suck. I still enjoy mine, its light, accurate enough, fast to shoot, and ammo is cheap. Should also last forever.

CETMEs can be great, or they can be terrible. It all depends on how drunk the drunken monkeys were the day the rifle was put together. If you get a good one though, they are great.

Mine is plenty accurate with aussie surplus (managed a 3 shot 1" group at about 85 yards the last time I shot it), very reliable, and it has nice sights to boot. Add in the 20 round mags cost under $2 each (yes, two dollars), it can be a great value. Head over to cetmerifles.com if you are considering this, since you will need to know what to look for.

I think a Saiga would be a great choice as well. Inexpensive, accurate, and its an AK so it will be reliable.

I am a huge fan of lever actions as well, and I really want to get one for myself.

Probably the best thing is to go to a good store, and see what they have, and see what fits you the best.

I.G.B.

 

[BamBam-31]

SU-16. More accurate than the Mini-14, and no POI shift w/ a hot barrel. Plus, you can stock up on mags for the AR you're gonna buy later on down the road. About $450, so it's in you price range.

SKS is also a knockout deal. It's actually kinda heavy for it's caliber, so recoil is pretty mild. You can do a couple of things to it to make it more shootable (install Williams or Mojo sight, polish trigger, install Wolff hammer spring). With good ammo, it can actually shoot pretty darn accurate. You can get UNISSUED Yugo's for just over two bills if you look around a bit. Can't beat that with a stick.

For a little more, a CMP Garand is a whole lotta rifle for your moolah. Have you ever shot one? One PING!, and you're hooked. I think you can get a Service grade Garand for about $500 from the CMP. Worth a look.

My two cents.

 

[jefnvk]

SKS. Under $200 unissued (and the unissued are pretty). Just over $100 used, but I'd splurge.

 

[rbernie]

I think that the SU-16 and the Garand will both be well above $400, if that's a pretty hard limit. And while I love the SKS (and have three), I'm not sure that you'd be best served by getting one as your only centerfire rifle. I'm kinda intrigued by the fact that you included leverguns in your original post, leaving open to the door to something other than a semi-auto.

I actually think that nothing is a satisfying for plinking as is a levergun. It's much more, ah, interactive than a semi-auto, in a cool who-won-the-West kinda way. My first centerfire rifle was a Marlin 336 in 30-30, and that's probably as versatile and as fun as any other choice. I'd probably suggest you try to find one in 357 if you want to bring the cost of ammo closer to SKS/7.62x39 territory. A good used Marlin should fit well within our budget so long as you stay away from the Cowboy Commemorative stuff. Oh, one more advantage to the 357/38sp levergun - being able to shoot the same ammo in the S&W Model 10 revolver that you'll buy next year to keep the levergun company.

 

[Bwana John]

1st bige bore rifle

My choice for your first big bore rifle is a nice 8mm M-98 Mauser (~$175) and ~4k ammo(~$75/1400 cartridges in stripper clips and bandoleers).

This will allow you to shoot as much as you want, it should last you a couple of years. You will get used to recoil, learn to shoot with open sights, and learn to manupulate a bolt rifle, and you wont burn up ammo spraying the countryside.

Give yourself a advantage, get a good start with open sights and a bolt action on a full sized rifle, stay away semi-autos and scopes for awhile.

Shoot prone/sitting/kneeling/and offhand @ ~10 inch dia. steel @ >100 yards.
Use eye and ear protection.
Clean the the rifle for corrosive primers(water based).
Have fun, and remember becoming a "Rifleman" is your American heritage.

 

[Black Snowman]

Another vote for the SKS. Mine is just plain FUN. Plus, with it's HORRIBLE trigger, if you can get good with it, you'll be monsterously accurate with a high quality rifle. Plus, the cheap rifle leaves lots of $$$ for ammo so you can shoot it more.

 

[BamBam-31]

I dunno, there are some pretty darn accurate bolt action milsurps out there for less than $300. And they're built like tanks.

 

[KarbineKrazy]

I would seriously look at the SKS... If I didn't already have a few semi auto rifles, I think an SKS would be on my list. My brother has one, they are lots of fun!