Recommendation for semi-auto rifle?

[gr8legs]

Greetings all,

I'm a hobby shooter and plinker and now I have decided to look for a new / used gun - and group advice would be appreciated.

I currently have a couple of bolt-action rifles (Remington 700BDL) in .222 and .270 and want to add some sort of semi-auto to the mix.

So, what I am looking for is something fun, good quality, cheap to shoot, and readily available reloading components (if I decide I have the time to do any reloading) The club I am a member of goes out to 200 yards but I prefer the shorter walk to the 50 yard target line

Any recommendations? Need more info? Let me know!

Thanks in advance

Stu

 

[ChrisAttebery]

Ruger 10-22. It's the ultimate fun and cheap to shoot rifle. Go buy a brick of 22LR and have a blast.

 

[Janderso]

50 yards = 22lr, you can customize a Ruger 10/22 all day long. =cheap too

 

[DangerZone]

I'm going to go another way and say Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22. That is if you are aiming to go .22 like others have suggested. 10-22's are great, but an AR platform is greater.

You did mention reloading, and obviously you can't do that with rimfire. If you are looking to go center fire I'll just say get an AR-15 and be done with it. 5.56 is about the cheapest centerfire you can get. AR-15's have never been cheaper than right now. If you go to PSA, you can get a complete AR-15 for under $400 I believe.

 

[4ssss]

I agree with the Ruger 10-22 bunch. You can buy a brick of ammo under $20. The thing about the AR platform is that ammo isn't cheap. The last box of ammo I bought for my M-4 was almost a dollar a round, and once you start shooting it's hard not to pop off multiple rounds in an instant with a 30 round clip. It is a fun gun to shoot though.

 

[pontiac428]

Semi auto and cheap to shoot usually shouldn't go in the same sentence. I recently built an AR-based 9mm carbine because the price per round is cheaper for 9mm than any rifle caliber- it is close to .22 LR in that regard, and reloading pistol ammo is cheap cheap cheap. Perfect for the 50-yard line. As a bonus, 80% receivers are a fun project for the mill.

 

[DangerZone]

I agree with the Ruger 10-22 bunch. You can buy a brick of ammo under $20. The thing about the AR platform is that ammo isn't cheap. The last box of ammo I bought for my M-4 was almost a dollar a round, and once you start shooting it's hard not to pop off multiple rounds in an instant with a 30 round clip. It is a fun gun to shoot though.

If you're paying $1 per round for .223 you are drastically overpaying and don't know how to shop. You should be paying about $0.30 per round for .223, $0.16 per round for 9mm, and not much cheaper than that for .22. .223 will be the absolute cheapest centerfire rifle ammo you can get.

 

[Janderso]

Semi auto and cheap to shoot usually shouldn't go in the same sentence. I recently built an AR-based 9mm carbine because the price per round is cheaper for 9mm than any rifle caliber- it is close to .22 LR in that regard, and reloading pistol ammo is cheap cheap cheap. Perfect for the 50-yard line. As a bonus, 80% receivers are a fun project for the mill.

I didn't know these AR's came in 9mm. That is a good compromise, low noise-recoil and cheap!!

 

[gi_984]

Lots of good choices already mentioned. Cost of ammunition is always a factor in purchasing. I currently load for around 2 dozen pistol and rifle calibers (.22 Hornet to 12 gauge). I also hand cast bullets for some of those (22 Hornet, .30 carbine, .223,.308, .30-06 , 9mm, .45 etc). Makes reloading even cheaper.
If you're a member of a local club, attend some of the shoots or competitions. Talk to your fellow club members. I'm sure they will give you an opportunity to try one of their rifles. Test drive, then buy.
I'm a member of a high power rifle club. We do F class, Palma, etc. But plenty of old mil surplus, 3 gun, and other type shoots as well. I've let plenty of members shoot one of my rifles they were interested in.

 

[DangerZone]

Lots of good choices already mentioned. Cost of ammunition is always a factor in purchasing. I currently load for around 2 dozen pistol and rifle calibers (.22 Hornet to 12 gauge). I also hand cast bullets for some of those (22 Hornet, .30 carbine, .223,.308, .30-06 , 9mm, .45 etc). Makes reloading even cheaper.
If you're a member of a local club, attend some of the shoots or competitions. Talk to your fellow club members. I'm sure they will give you an opportunity to try one of their rifles. Test drive, then buy.
I'm a member of a high power rifle club. We do F class, Palma, etc. But plenty of old mil surplus, 3 gun, and other type shoots as well. I've let plenty of members shoot one of my rifles they were interested in.

At the risk of derailing the thread, how does casting .223 work? I know the process, but does it work well and a worthwhile avenue for cheap ammo? Or is there some weird things to look out for like like cast bullets in a glock?