[TaxPayer2000]

Bullets?

[Redcitizen]

Oh man. You are going to get an assortment of good replies and some silly replies. I would say get an AR-15.

[Lurker]

What’s your budget?

[Larry Lucido]

What should I get for my first rifle??

Ask the rifle what it wants. I got mine some lube and some insertables, but we have that kind of relationship.

[Chode]

.308

[willgolfforfood]

I would check out about anything on the Savage Arms site.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Remington 7600 in .308

[unixfox]

I remember my wife asking me once if I kept a loaded gun in the house. I said of course I do. She then asked, why do you need a loaded gun in the house? I replied, because an unloaded gun is of no use when your're trying to defend yourself.

She never asked the question again.

But to answer your question, I'd definitely get a semi auto instead of a bolt action if you need it for defense as well as hunting.

[upstanding]

Mosin-Nagants. You can afford about a dozen of them with whatever amount of cash has been permitted by wifey.

[guido911]

Barrett M107 .50 Caliber

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWJp14tkBlU

[umgud]

I'm looking for a drop and stop rifle. One that will drop a deer and stop an "evil-doer".

Sounds like you need a combat rifle that will suffice for hunting also.

[tumblindice]

http://www.impactguns.com/store/ak47.html

I had three of these, and an SKS, but they were eaten by
Ukranian metal termites. If you buy one have it sprayed.

[weps4ret]

I am very fond of my Ruger Number 1 in 30.06. Nice thing about 06, is you can load down to 90 grain bullets with a sabot, and up to 220 grains.

It is a lovely to look at single shot, vertical sliding wedge action that is deadly accurate.

I am a bit of purest, if I cannot take an animal with one shot, then they deserve to escape.

Gunner

[eyedigress]

Winchester and Springfield make a good product.

http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/AccuracyFacts.asp

[Sybeck1]

Marlin 30 30

[43north]

My favorite “do-anything” rifle is a Marlin 1894 lever action chambered in .44 Magnum.

Its under 7 pounds loaded, holds 10 rds in the tubular magazine, and will stop everything with two legs and just about everything with four in North America.

I added XS ghost-ring sites to mine. If I can see it, I can hit it - within 150yds. Recoil is negligible and it is a hoot to shoot.

Of course, since obamao was elected I have sold all of my guns but I still have fond memories of that Marlin...

[Arkinsaw]

What is your hunting terrain? Are you sitting on a Texas hill looking through a scope? Are you planted in Arkansas tree stand where it will be fairly close range but through a tangle of underbrush?

[cryptical]

Given your constraints I’d be shopping for a lever action, 30-30 or possibly 44 magnum. Both calibers are widely available, and the 44 mag would allow you to pick up a revolver sometime in the future and have common ammo.

It’ll work for both applications you have in mind, plus it won’t spook the wife.

[mamelukesabre]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steyr_SSG

[Semper Mark]

"I'm looking for a drop and stop rifle. One that will drop a deer and stop an "evil-doer"."

Weatherby .300 Magnum.