good rifle under $200

Discussion in 'Firearms' started by clemsonguy81, Dec 7, 2008.


  1. clemsonguy81

    clemsonguy81 remington 700 cdl 30-06!

    i currently have a remington 870 20 ga and many others.
    im planning on getting a glock 21 in .45 acp.then thats going to take away most of my money.so im trying to get a rifle very cheap that could kill coyotes but would not be overkill for a rabbit.like a 22 magnum.
    i could sell my 20 ga then have more money which might be what i need to do.plz give some caliber and rifle recamendations!b::
     
  2. RouteClearance

    RouteClearance Monkey+++

    IMHO, you shoud forgo the handgun and concentrate on your rifle. There are plenty of used bolt action rifles in a 223 chambering that will suit you well and not break your bank.

    I think it was Jeff Cooper who said "That you use your handgun to get to your rifle during a gunfight".
     
  3. tommy20/69

    tommy20/69 Monkey++

    it might not be under 200.00 but it's 299.00 it's a mossberg atr 100 . i have one in the .270 caliber and it's a striaght shooting gun not cheaply made iether. check them out at academy sports on their web sight.
     
  4. clemsonguy81

    clemsonguy81 remington 700 cdl 30-06!

    ok first off the glock is purley for self defense.
    i found some extra money i could spend so my budget is up. but a .223 would be overkill for a rabbit or squirrel i was thinkin bout the 22 mag.
     
  5. diamondsun

    diamondsun Monkey++

    Try this:


    Don't bother with this link, it goes to a discontinued, no longer in stock item - ghrit.


    ETA: bad link removed. sorry about that. they still had a few last month when i was looking. my bad for not checking an old link better.
     
  6. Nomad 2nd

    Nomad 2nd Monkey+++

    Dude... my advise is NOT to act here like you have acted elsewhere...

    How about sittign back and reading for a while and letting your recent lesson sink in.​
     
  7. diamondsun

    diamondsun Monkey++

    Hello, Nomad
    Nice seeing you again. If you are referring to our difference of opinion over legal issues at Minion, I don't hold any hard feelings and I hope you don't either. If though, and it seems to be the case from your reply here, that you do have hard feelings, then might I suggest that we be civil and simply ignore one another? In any case, I wasn't speaking to you, but replying to Clemsonguy as I am also looking for a small caliber rifle too. This one in the link is one of those I'm considering and since it fits his parameters, I'm passing it along to him.

    Have a good day, Nomad
     
  8. Nomad 2nd

    Nomad 2nd Monkey+++


    No offense dude... but I don't even remember you.

    I was talking to the original poster, and he is well aware of what I mean.
    (I'd rather not get into it unnecessarely)

    I assure you I hold no hard feelings... since I can't think of anything to hold hard feelings over!
     
  9. diamondsun

    diamondsun Monkey++

    Cool then. I thought you were replying to me. No autopsy, no foul.
     
  10. RouteClearance

    RouteClearance Monkey+++

    I understand your thinking on the .22 mag for your rifle choice, but the one major con is that once you shoot that cartridge, you cannot reload the case and shoot it again. As for the .223 being overkill for small game; only if you use the explosive type varmint bullets. You can use highly accurate match bullets that will not literally blow the animal up.

    One other question, how far out do you plan on hunting small game? If within 75 yards, then just go with a .22LR, you can buy a brick of .22's for the cost of 50 22 mags. There are plenty of accurate 22 rifles well within your budget.
     
  11. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    (ETA- I just reread my post and saw it could be taken personaly and wanted to say its not intended to be so. I just get anoyed by hearing that same argument based on that same quote constantly since I so strongly believe that the only gun worth spit for self defense is the one thats WITH you when you need it and know from trying it that a rifle just cant be pressed into that role well at all since you never know ahead of time when it will be needed so it has to be with you ALL the time to be a defensive gun.)


    As to the first reply, I constantly hear people regurgitate that same tired quote but the fact is it only applies to soldiers in a militarized zone. In a real world situation a handgun is what you at least may have on you when needed while the rifle is in the truck or at home. In a SHTF situation you will still haveto function either by going to work and doing business or by gardening and such and I have tried it, working a farm with one hand so you can hold a rifle in the other dont work well and you would starve or freze since nothing would be acomplished. For individuals in any real world situation the handgun is whats most likely to save you in a self defense situation. That said yes a rifle is absolutely a vital part to any complete arsenal for hunting or the rare case when it might be available for defense but lets faceit, no matter how bad things get let alone in current times, most folks arent going to be able to cary a rifle to the office.

    No to the main topic. What kind of ranges would you most likely be shooting at? If you will mostly be inside 100 yards or so then you might consider a carbine in 9mm. Loaded with light FMJs it could be used for rabbits and such without blowing them apart and with decent hollow points it could be very effective on deer size critters. Fireing a handgun cal it wont be a reach out and touch someone rifle but the ammo price is lower than most center fire rifles. There are others but for the under $200 price tag the Hi-Point 9mm carbine comes to mind. The .223 might also work actualy since even though a soft point would splatter a rabbit all to hell, it would work on coyotes and large critters deer included well. If you have a FMJ .223 though then it punches a .223" hole through the rabbit and leaves it pretty well in tact. The .223 would also give you considerably more range.
     
  12. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Another option you may want to look into is other options on the handgun that could increase the funds available for the rifle. If you havent already you might check out the Bersa line of handguns. I dont have their .45s but do have the 9mm and .380 acp and both function flawlessly with less than .1% malfunctions at most (havent fired 10k through them yet so cant swear to better than that) and they cost just over half of what a Glock dose. Then as a bonus they look better too. lol

    So long as you are not going after anything bigger than coyotes (out past 20 yards or so) then the .22 lr would make a good option with plentiful cheap ammo and you could probably find a used 10/22 Ruger pretty easy for $200 in top shape. Most folks under estimate the .22 since with lead round nose ammo (so it penetrates rather than splattering) AND at ranges under 20 yards (the closer the better) it is by far the most commonly used calibur for putting down cattle and such. It wouldnt be ideal by any means for a defensive rifle but for close shots on a deer in an emergency (illeagle I think everywhere for deer hunting) or anything smaller and for slaughtering any size animals up close through the head they are great and the most affordable and quietest to shoot. So yeah a .22 lr might fit the bill for what you are talking about particularly inside 75 to 100 yards. Past that a .22 tends to get bounced around a LOT by drop and wind and such so is REAL hard to compensate for if you were thinking of 300+ yard shots.
     
  13. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    $199 at Dick's in Binghamton NY yesterday.
    [coffee2]
     
  14. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Thats probably even new nad on sale isnt it? IIRC they run around $220 daily at Walmart but figured should be no prob for $200 any time if used and $200 was an absolute cap or to leave more for ammo and maybe spare mags. Also at least based on mine, you would want a scope since the iron sights are the weak link in the 10/22 IMO.
     
  15. Quigley_Sharps

    Quigley_Sharps The Badministrator Administrator Founding Member

    10-22 for wabbits
     
  16. CBMS

    CBMS Looking for a safe place

    10-22 pretty much for anything within 100 yds. From the stories I have heard on here about .22's its really the only rifle you need for your daily life. just practice practice, practice. Oh and practice. And Buy lots of ammo to practice with...
     
  17. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    There a LOAD of the older .22 rifles from Marlin that are almost identical to the Ruger 10/22 models, except they are tubular feed types. Most are 15 round, and some will take the .22 shorts, longs, and longrifle cartridges. I bought My 2 Marlins for $65.00 each! I can't remember but one of the stores, (J.C. Penny's, or Sears, ?) sold them under a different name, but they are the same, model 60's. With open/iron sights, I could take rabbits out to 300 yds. ( I was younger then, and didn't wear glasses!)
    Now, with a decent variable scope, I can drill the 10 spots all day long, at 100 yds!
    Now my 19 year old puts me to shame, "keyholing" most of his groups!
    Bill
     
  18. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    OOOps!
    I almost Forgot to mention...
    We put all of our scopes on with a set of rings that raise the scope, so, just in case, you can still use those iron sights!
    Great for really close up shots!
    Bill
     
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