Rifle Suggestion Thread: advice needed

Free Republic | 12/12/03 | bc2

[bc2]

OK folks, here it is... everyone's favorite... an "I need FReeper opinions on a new gun" thread! Hooray!

Here's the lowdown: I have $1,200 and I think I'm going to blow it on a new rifle. From the bit of looking into it his will be what folks call a "battle rifle". I'm thinking about .223 or .308 but I'm certainly open to other suggestions.

I really can't spend anything over $1,200 even though I would like to. I can't get too crazy here.

Any suggestions you would have, are greatly appreciated. I know everyone loves a good "gun thread"!

Thank you...

[bc2]

have at it!

[bc2]

can you guys do your thing?

[Dog Gone]

It really depends on what you plan to shoot at.

[bc2]

pretty much just for targets, possibly competition rifle shooting, and general backwoods plinking.

[StatesEnemy]

really can't spend anything over $1,200 even though I would like to

Dear Wifey would have your head, eh?

[bc2]

nope, I'm single as can be, I just have other things I need to take care of. I'm on a budget here!

: )

[Squantos]

M1A from Springfield Inc........get their loaded package. Best money spent these days for competition and a viable "battle rifle". Shop around and you'll find a deal for less than the 1200 ya have. Magazines are still fair and available.

Hope that helps......Stay Safe !

[Howie66]

Find something that looks REAL SCARY....then flash it around a liberal...hehehehehehehehehehehe

[Joe Boucher]

You don't need to waste your money, just go and get a ruger .223 mini 14 and then go and get some high power bulletts for it and it shoots a shell faster then anything you will find for any price. Less then half the money you have for your new weapon.
Have fun, shoot cheap bulletts for target practice then get some good high power for hunting or just to keep in the rifle for protection.
4 or 5 thousand feet per second. Don't listen to these folks about throw weight, look at bullett speed.
Mini 14 by RUGER.

[Shooter 2.5]

Competitive high power shooting usually means a Springfield M1A, an AR-15 or a Garand.

I would go for a Bushmaster or Armalite AR-15 with a Dillon 550B Reloader. A used shooting coat and spotter scope will be part of the equipment. I think you can hit that 1,200 with all of that.

Unfortunately, if you're thinking about thousand yard shooting, a good bolt gun and scope would eat up that 1,200 in a matter of seconds leaving no room for the incidentals.

[AzSteven]

OK, I'll bite...

The term Battle Rifle usually means a heavier semi-auto in .308 caliber. I have four I can speak of from personal experience (three as owner, one as user):

1. The FN-FAL. I put this one first just because it is a very good rifle and relatively common and inexpensive. You can find them for as little as $400, but the good ones are more like $800 to $1200. There are so many countries that have used these that it is very very easy to find cheap parts and accessories, and there are lots of dealers and gunsmiths to choose from. Go to http://www.fnfal.com/falfiles/wwwboard/ for more info

2. The HK-91 or G-3. Very nice weapon, and the first 'battle rifle' I ever bought. These run a bit more expensive, but you can find some nice American-made ones from Springfield Armory (I think they were marketed as the SR-8). Springfield no longer makes them, but you still see them around fomr time to time for about $1000. You can also get original German ones for about $1000-$1500, and somewhat unreliable remakes from Century Arms for about $500. The main problem with this rifle is that it is a finicky thing at times, but nicely engineered to make it easy to take down and service.

3. The M1A1 (or M-14 semiauto). My latest acquisition. A lot of fun to shoot, but suffers from being a bit expensive ($1200-$1500 for current Springfield manufacture) and not as easy to clean/maintain as the first two I mentioned. There is a Chinese import version that is cheaper and OK, but not terribly sturdy.

4. The AR-10. By Armalite; effectively an AR-15/M-16 in .308 caliber. Nice rifle to shoot, but expensive and the magazines are also a bit pricey. However, the production on these seems to be ramping up, and I suspect somebody will be making some aftermarket magazines soon (especially if certain laws do in fact sunset).

[ronjon]

You can get an original GI issued M1 Garand from the Civilian Marksmanship program for as little as $325.

It comes in 30-06 cal, but you can easily have it rebarreled for .308 if that is what floats your boat (in that case, get the $325 "rack grade" since it is the barrel condition that they rate them on and you would be tossing out the 30-06 barrel anyhow.)

You need to meet a few requirements, but they are NOT as bad as they might appear at first to meet.

Check it out at this website to see if you're interested.

http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/m1garand.htm

Remember - Gen. George Patton declared the U.S. Cal. .30 M1 (Garand) is the "Best battle implement ever devised"!

;~)

[Shooter 2.5]

Nope.

The Mini-14 is disastrous for competition. It won't hold a zero and can lead a newbie into a world of frustration.

Also, you had better look at those ballistic tables again.

[PRND21]

idx

[Eris]

HK-91. No substitute.

None of that pansy 5.56 mm stuff.

[bc2]

excellent, I like this...

thanks, Squantos!

[Dog Gone]

22 caliber rifles are not expensive and fit that description. I'm not sure what a .223 caliber runs today, but the AR-15 is a very reliable. I have a Mini-14 which works great, although I've heard it becomes inaccurate with a hot barrel.

I rarely shoot more than six rounds in a minute and haven't noticed that.

I'm no gun expert, but you don't have to spend $1200 for a quality rifle. If you want to drive to a rural area to a gun shop, you can pick up a used rifle, with a quality scope, in any caliber you want, for a fraction of that. Guns don't wear out unless they're abused.

[IGOTMINE]

FN-FAL. Magazines can be had for $8.00 a piece.

(And I'm an AR-10 owner. If I had it to do all over again...)

[Lurker]

I'll second Squantos. I have a National Match M1A-1.

I topped it with Springfields scope made specifically for that rifle.

It's an awesome combination. Now the rifle will just about hit your budget all by itself, so save up for the scope. With a Springfield mount it will set you back around 700 bucks or so but man, it's worth it.

Have fun.

L

[bc2]

My friend has a Mini-14 and personally, I think it stinks. It jammed the first day we took it out to play. It's jammed tons of times since then. I am also not too impressed with the accuracy of the rifle, either.

just my $.02