M1 Carbine - The most fun little rifle I have ever shot. The M1 carbine uses a gas system to cycle the action so the bolt and op rod are low mass which means it doesn't have that heavy annoying bolt slam like all of the PCC (Pistol caliber carbines) I have ever shot. A M1 carbine is not cheap and the ammo is not cheap but it is my top choice for a fun little rifle. Ammo isn't too bad if you save your brass an reload. I can shoot my M1 carbine all day and never tire of it.
Ruger PC9 - A great rifle, I love mine... but it is no M1 carbine. The PC9 comes with an adapter for Glock mags. I don't own Glocks but the magazines are good quality, pleantiful and relatively cheap. A couple of the 33 round Glock mags will keep you shooting for a long time. I can easily hit the 100 yard gong at my range which is plenty accurate for me. I have never tried the 200 yard range. Some day I look forwards to working up a 9mm load specifically for the PC9 to see what kind of accuracy I can wring out of it. I am pretty confident in saying that 9mm is the cheapest round to reload. I believe factory ammo is also cheap... but I haven't bought and factory 9mm in many many years.
10/22 - A classic that never gets old or boring. I believe it is the rifle with the most after market parts available for it. You can make it into almost anything you want it to be. You might not have noticed that I said 10/22 and not Ruger 10/22. Some day I will buy an aftermarket stainless steel 80% 10/22 receiver and finish it off myself. This won't save you any money, quite the contrary, but it will allow you to build the exact 10/22 you want. I own 2 x Ruger 10/22's and the only Ruger left on them is the receiver and the bolt, everything else has been upgraded. I am pretty sure I could pretty easily manufacture my own bolt since I have a couple to go off of. Many of the other parts, often available from after market vendors, could also be manufactures in a home shop with a mill.
