Recommendation for semi-auto rifle?

[tpic402]

AR-15 either a pistol with brace or carbine, ton of fun to shoot with a cheap red dot sight. easily reloadable, casting also a possible, simple blowback operation. just opinion. if you do go ar-15 9mm. get dedicated lower that takes Glock magazines, some of the conversion kits for .223 mags just don't seem to work well (plastic feed ramps)

 

[coherent]

Asking which gun to buy is like asking someone which religion is the best or which political party. Lots of great replies but I if you just like plinking a 10-22 is hard to beat. If you like something with a little more muscle a 223 like a Ruger ranch rifle or any ar15 is lots of fun. Get a low cost AR15 and a CMMG drop in 22lr bolt carrier and a couple of their 22lr mags and you can shoot both with the same gun and optics.

 

[shooter123456]

Since this is a machining forum, the only correct answer is to machine one.

I am partial to ARs, they are a lot of fun to make.

 

[Aaron_W]

I'll be the oddball and throw out the Ruger Mini-14. Like the AR they have been around for decades and there are tons of accessories for them if that interests you. A major advantage is that they don't suffer from evil black rifle syndrome like so many other .223 Remington and 7.62x39mm semi-auto rifles.

For a plinker it is hard to beat the Ruger 10/22.

 

[Cadillac]

I think the mini14 is my next purchase. Friend of mine let me shoot his and was quite pleased with the performance.

 

[pontiac428]

I'll be the oddball and throw out the Ruger Mini-14.

Even juicier is the Ruger Mini Thirty in the most popular cartridge in the world, 7.62x39. Still $250/1000 rounds.

 

[Shootymacshootface]

These days an AR platform is the way to go. So many furniture options to fit any shooter perfectly. My AR15 chambered in .223 is my main 3gun rifle. It was an economy build. I have used it in competition at distances from 3 yards to 400 yards. I have modded and tuned it so it has no recoil, all done with mostly milspec parts except for an adjustable gas block.

My pistol caliber carbine (PCC) is a real hoot. It is chambered in 9mm, is built from an 80% AR15 lower, and takes Colt or modified UZI SMG mags. I made several different buffer systems to tune it for low recoil and more importantly a flat recoiling action. I use it for Steel Challenge matches, USPSA matches, and other PCC only events. In USPSA there are no equipment rules for PCC, so it is essentially an open class. For longer stages I run 2 UZI mags welded together, for a total of 60 rounds with no reloading. This was another economy build, tons of fun. Oh, and it has a severely under rated imported lazer for gaming USPSA classifier stages and general up close hosing.

A Ruger 10-22 is the small block Chevy of semi-auto 22's. I use this one for Steel Challenge matches and side matches that you will find at larger shooting events. It has a Magpul Hunter stock, not the prettiest, but fits me perfectly and makes the rifle very fast shooting. The bull barrel is basically just a bolt on, really no gunsmithing required. Mine started as a 20" .920 dia barrel. It was way too heavy for Steel Challenge where to be competitive you have to be able to shoot 5 steel targets a little above or below 2 seconds. I took 2 inches off of the length, milled a comp into the end so the timer could hear it better, and to lighten it up even more I had my son flute the barrel. I was really surprised when it was done, I wasn't expecting spiral fluting.

Dont mind the guns in the background, just airsoft.

 

[higgite]

If you’re wanting a cheaply reloadable caliber in semi-auto for 50 yard plinking, I’d go with a 9mm carbine. Right now 9mm ammo is too cheap to mess with reloading it, IMHO. But, if it ever goes back up in price, well, save your empties and be prepared.

If reloadable isn’t a must but cheap is, I’d go with .22LR in either an AR-22 or something like a Marlin Model 60. I have both and they are both fun guns.

Tom

 

[Eddyde]

I have a Ruger, 10-22, Mini 14 & Mini 30, Colt AR 15 and a Springfield M1A. All have their own "personally" or is speciality... Hard to recommend a single one. For long range it's the M1A hands down, even with iron sights (as it was meant to be) it will easily give nice groups at 200 yards and has good power but can be hard to keep on target during rapid semiautomatic fire. The AR 15 is much easier to control and can also reach out to 200 yards but somewhat less power. The Mini 30 is somewhere between those two but not smooth as the AR-15. The Mini 14 is just fun to shoot out to 100 yards or so with iron sights. The 10-22 can't be beat for economy though lacking range and power.
Like any machine, it all depends on what you want to do with it.

 

[38super]

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10/22 is cheaper to build depending on barrel and optics (don't scrimp). I can vouch for Green Mountain barrels. AR clones are a bit more, CMMG has a full upper. PSA in Florida has sales on their 22LR uppers using CMMG components, the barrel is fair to pretty good. Lothar Walther does have a CMMG compatible barrel reputed to clover leaf at 50yds (haven't bought one yet). It's fairly common to see either platform costing +$900 for the untreated OCD types.