Looking for a good rifle.

I'm looking to get a rifle, mainly just to shoot for fun.

I want something that is:

bigger calliber than a 22
hold lots of shells
and is cheap to shoot

Thanks for any input.

CETME .308 + surplus bulk ammo + bunch of 1 gal. water-filled plastic jugs + 100 yds. = Plinking Fun

Take a look at a Marlin Camp Carbine in 9mm. Ammo will be cheap and it takes S&W 9mm pistol mags. Accurate out to about 75 yards or so.

nobody said:

CETME .308 + surplus bulk ammo + bunch of 1 gal. water-filled plastic jugs + 100 yds. = Plinking Fun

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Ditto that! My friend has one of these rifles, and it is a blast to shoot. It's the next gun on my "Gotta Have" list.

KelTec S-2000. 9mm or 40. uses pistol mags and can be conformed to use S&W, Glock, Beretta. After market mags up to 33 rounds (or more) available. Folds small enough to fit easily in a briefcase. New $300 or less. Relatively plentiful at gun shows. A super fun shooter.

Hi-Point Carbine. 9mm. Don't think aftermarket mags available, so limited to the 10rd factory. Inexpensive -- around $200. Fairly easy to find.

AK's and many clones. 7.62 x 39 ammo cheap and plentiful. Great fun to shoot and as dependable as sunrise. Anywhere from $150 for a beater to over $500 for a "collector". Lot of aftermarket accessories available including big mags. Social stigma. (But irritates Sarah Brady, which is worth a lot)

SKS - very dependable, cheap and surprisingly accurate. 10rd fixed mag in factory format but aftermarket kits available to convert to AK mags. The European carbine versions are scarce but very nice. Under $200 for a good shooter.

I'd like to find a "cheap" CETME (FNFAL). Great rifles.

How much do you want to spend? Keep in mind ammo (particularly 7.62x51 is expensive since just about all of the surplus has dried up). I'd avoid the CETME. They (especially the Century import versions) can be plagued with problems (canted sights, ground bolts, etc). For what to look for in a "shat", look here...


http://www.geocities.com/miketheelectrician1/checklist.html?1011134301940

The other problem with the CETME is that you should NEVER use commercial ammo in a Cetme. Only use nato stamped ammo. The commercial brass is weaker and you will get case head seperation (not a good thing). As I said earlier NATO ammo has all but dried up, so a .30 cal battle rifle isn't going to be cheap to feed.

If you're sold on a .308 rifle, the only real contenders out there are the DSA FAL and the M1A. Neither are cheap, but both are very high quality. I love my DSA...




The biggest things to consider are the cost of feeding the beast and the availability of quality maintenace and parts. Can quality (not beat to hell surplus) mags be found readily? What about parts?

If you're just looking for a fun "blaster" I would consider an SKS, or an AK variant. They are available cheap (while still retaining reasonably good quality) and the ammo is still widely available and inexpensive.

When you say larger than a .22 do you mean rimfire or .22 caliber, because I really do have a preference for the AR series (I've built six of 'em).


Hope this helps,
Rich

BIGIRON said:

I'd like to find a "cheap" CETME (FNFAL). Great rifles.

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They are two completely seperate firearms.

Should have said CTME or FAL. Different but similar (can that be?) Not really into military rifles so may be way off base. But still like that type.

CETME is an HK-like design.

Here you go. http://www.barrettrifles.com/rifle_82.aspx

Yeah, I'm going to stop off at the gun store and order a Barrett while on my way to Austin to pick up my lottery winnings. (in my new Viper)

I love the .308 round and recently sold my G3, but with due respect, in no way can shooting a 7.62x51 really be construed as 'plinking'. The ammo, even purchased in bulk at gun shows is fairly pricey.

The .308 round is bada$$ all the way around, but wanting something larger than a .22 and 'cheap' to shoot, I think a good variant of an AK is probably the best fit. The 7.62x51 will shoot much flatter and carry more energy downrange, but the 7.62x39 round is nearly half the price when purchased right.

Mosin Nagant. Around $100 in many shops. Russian rifle from the great patriotic war and before. Sniper rifle seen in Enemy at the Gates movie. Ammo is plentiful and cheap. It does shoot flame out the muzzle quite spectacularly and kicks like a Russian mule especially in the carbine versions. Accurate and fun despite the huge blue bruise on the shoulder it creates.

Otherwise Yugoslavian SKS's are a decent find.

Trumpet said:

When you say larger than a .22 do you mean rimfire or .22 caliber?

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I don't want a rimfire.

If I was to get an AK-47 what would be a good one to get?

I don't want a piece of junk AK. (Been there done that.)

Do they make AK's that are 100% made in the US? I think the current junk one I have, has some US parts and some foreign parts.

I'd like to get a new one with all matching numbers and 100% US parts.

Get an M1 Carbine. Pistol priced ammo, small, light, does not kick hard, parts are easy to find, they are not very loud, you can shoot them at an indoor pistol range, .357 magnum power, better sights than an AK (I own both), folding stocks available, more accurate than an AK, more ergonomic than an AK (safety, slide lock, better mag release) The only negative I can think of is that optics are a bit tougher to mount, but it can be done with an Ultimak (?) mount. M1s are "cool" with the release of Pvt. Ryan and Band of Brothers. AKs are LOUD, I still like my AK but get an M1 or a Kel Tec sub 2000.

Eskimonio said:

I love the .308 round and recently sold my G3, but with due respect, in no way can shooting a 7.62x51 really be construed as 'plinking'. The ammo, even purchased in bulk at gun shows is fairly pricey.

The .308 round is bada$$ all the way around, but wanting something larger than a .22 and 'cheap' to shoot, I think a good variant of an AK is probably the best fit. The 7.62x51 will shoot much flatter and carry more energy downrange, but the 7.62x39 round is nearly half the price when purchased right.

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I thought nato .308 rounds were 7.62x54? nevermind.. that's the russian round.
I prefer the .223 myself.

Economical choice - SKS

Fun choice - AK

Even more fun and tons of accessories - AR-15

Do not forget plenty of magazines/stripper clips (SKS) and ammo.

you SERIOUSLY want an AR15... no other rifle is even in its realm... it is 100% worth every dime... and you actually don't have to spend on all much on one if you know what your doing...

A Rock River AR15 FLAT-TOP (RAIL) is a very nice choice... high quality, without the over price... get one at:

http://www.adcofirearms.com/

for other info on AR15's go to www.ar15.com

fire-stick said:

I don't want a rimfire.

If I was to get an AK-47 what would be a good one to get?

I don't want a piece of junk AK. (Been there done that.)

Do they make AK's that are 100% made in the US? I think the current junk one I have, has some US parts and some foreign parts.

I'd like to get a new one with all matching numbers and 100% US parts.

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ak47.net has lots of info. Arsenal Inc. makes AK's here in the states and can steer you to a dealer.

An Import AK may not fit you well since the buttstock is shorter. There are plastic US compliant longer stocks to make the gun more comfortable to shoulder up. AR's are set up for taller people without heavy Soviet winter coats out of the box.

Yugoslavian AK's are pretty good and sturdy. Most of the Romanian units are mediocre to junk, depending on when/who built them.

Most of the "import" guns have to have a minimum of ten specific items of US manufacture to be importable. The receiver is one of these so it can't be made full auto. That is the sloppy part that makes them junky.

I have a WASR current made Romainian and a Yugo. The Yugo is definitely the better made weapon. AK's however are designed to be loose and rackety but still functional. Part of the design's appeal since it requires minimal maintenance in the field. It is not the Swiss watch the AR-15 is. I also have a Bushmaster AR and it is more fiddly to keep clean but not really that bad. It just requires a little more TLC to keep it happily running. I clean it after each trip to the range. The AK's may or may not get cleaned beyond a bore snake.

Be different, get an AR-180B.