Cheap Rifles

[Battleriflefan]

Fixed it!

[84Charlie]

I own several rifles, from ancient military surplus to an EBR.
The rifle that I have the most ammo for and the best shooting skill with is a Winchester 94. That is the perfect city rifle and short range brush gun.

Ever considered one of those?

[esa5444]

I think the cheapest decent rifle you can get is a Mosin Nagant. They are powerful, accurate, and dirt cheap. They almost always come with a nasty looking cruciform bayonet. For the full length 91-30 you get 20 inches* and with the M-44 carbine, you get, iirc, 8 inches. For 250 bucks, you can get the rifle and a good 500 or so rounds of ammunition from it, you might even be able to do it for less than 250.

*the 20 inch bayonet is detachable. It has proven to be quite effective on Germans and it doubles as a screwdriver for the Mosin's actions screws.

[kparker]

Well, if you really want a carbine with common ammo you could try this:

http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/sub2000.htm

Unfortunately, they don't appear to have a model that would accept Taurus or XD mags.

I think a pistol-caliber carbine makes perfect sense in the urban environment--just a little more power than the same cartridge fired from a pistol, plus a whole lot more accuracy.

[cu74]

I think I will be slipping out of the house to do a bit of pawn shopping tomorrow. The target will be a shotgun of some sort, we'll see what we find.

Why are we still offering rifle advice to martini??? He has decided on a shotgun. While I admire your enthusiasm for rifles, I'm starting to wonder just a wee bit about the reading comprehension level here.

(I'm also glad that those of you who consider a rifle to be a good choice for urban/suburban defense don't live in my neck of the woods. )

[Aglifter]

I know Chris has already written about this, but a rifle in urban/suburban areas is certainly appropriate, w. the right ammo/caliber. Not a 50 Cal, but a 223, or a pistol caliber carbine would be fine.

[martini]

Ok, just because I am now looking for a shotgun, does not mean that I am interested in rifle. It mainly means that I think I am most likely to find a shotgun in a good enough condition for a price I can handle at the moment. Combine that with inexpensive and readily available ammo, I can get in plenty of practice. Which as we all know is critical to successful performance under pressure.

[cu74]

Ok, just because I am now looking for a shotgun, does not mean that I am interested in rifle. It mainly means that I think I am most likely to find a shotgun in a good enough condition for a price I can handle at the moment. Combine that with inexpensive and readily available ammo, I can get in plenty of practice. Which as we all know is critical to successful performance under pressure.

Well damn, just damn. I thought we Shotgun Folk (obviously the more intelligent group ) had carried the day. If the interest is STILL in a cheap rifle, a Mosin Nagant M-44 or M-38 and a case of surplus 7.62x54R ammo is probably the best choice. Alternatively, I suggest an SKS semi-auto and a case of surplus 7.62x39 ammo.

Rifle suggestions aside, I am still firmly convinced that a rifle is NOT a good choice for urban or suburban defense. More shootings in Kansas City last night - a cesspool of gang violence - resulted in a discussion at church today. The predominant opinion was that there is way too much "collateral damage" - bystanders well away from the dispute who are injured/killed - not that firearms should be outlawed. (This from a group of Episcopalians ?)

(As an aside, one discussion member who was with the majority is a retired USMC Colonel. I thought the Colonel and I were the only ones in the group who were not anti-rights, so I was really surprised that there was not even a mention of banning guns.)

[martini]

I would suggest that both have their place in home defense. And damn I guess I really should have named the topic "inexpensive, in relation to total cost of ownership, including but not limited to: ammunition, training, range expense, cleaning supplies, maintenance; long gun of indeterminate caliber/gauge primarily used for home defense in particular against potential rioters on or about the 5th of November, but generally useful for above said purpose at all times both preceding and following the 5th of November in the year of Our Lord 2008."

However, I thought "Cheap Rifles" would get me the answers I was looking for....

[cu74]

I thought "Cheap Rifles" would get me the answers I was looking for....

Not with this bunch of opinionated reprobates . Some will home in on "cheap", some on "rifles" and the rest of us look at ANY post as an opportunity to wax eloquent on whatever we interpret as the underlying psychological and/or physiological reason. Haven't you noticed the frequency with which we hijack normal posts into the realm of paranormal? I'm just surprised we have stayed "on-topic" with yours for so long .

(Buy the shotgun..........)