What would you get for a sub $200 rifle?

I'm on the hunt for a new (to me) rifle that can be bought on the cheap, can make for a good brush gun and hunting rifle. Basically I'm mostly looking for an old surplus bolt rifle of some variant.

Went down to my local shop, said they get things in from time to time but they normally go back out the same day they come in so I would have to get lucky. They will however let me use their FFL for ordering online as long as its not something they have in stock. Fair enough there.

I'm leaning kinda heavily to the Mosin Nagant 91, however I would love an Enfield and I'm also considering an 8mm Mauser. I figure there are a few of you on here that have been down this road so thought I would ask. Which would have the most flexibility as far as parts availability and of course best reliability?

Also who are the reliable online sellers for these old rifles?

You may want to check out Mitchell's Mausers.

http://www.mauser.org/

Keep ammo in mind. My exsperiance with the 8mm is you can only find it local during hunting season and runs $30/20 rd box. You can get it thrue cabelas or Sportsmans guide for under $1/bullet, but then, IIRC, shipping will be insane (weight/hazard). I doubt the MN will fare better. But if you get into reloading it shouldnt be too bad

my $.02

I have a Nagant 91. Neat gun. But, as mentioned, ammo prices. It's not cheap to shoot. It's also huge, which means it ain't a brush gun.

An old .303 Enfield would be better imo. As well an SKS, though since the election I don't know if you can get one cheaply.

+1 on SKS, when i was looking at those a few years ago, $200 could get you a decent peice, now it is up to $300.

As for reliability, it seams that most of what you are looking at are things that have survived WW2 you shouldn't worry about that.

Two sites i have spent much time looking thrue are

jgsales.com

impactguns.com

also a copy of shotgun news will be your friend in this search

All mentioned are good weapons. A Mitchel's Mauser will run over two bills because they think they're gold plated. An 8mm Mauser will do everything you want. If you don't mind corrosive ammo, you can still get it for about a quarter a pop, which is about the cheapest you'll find anything right now. The days of 8 cent ammo are long gone. You can still get a Mauser for under two bills. Pick up a Shotgun News and look through it.

A Mosin Nagant is also a good weapon, although I don't own one. I can only speak from what I have read and what others say. You can play Enemy at the Gates with it and be authentic. Ammo is about the cheapest you'll find for anything today. J&G (www.jgsales.com) has Mosins right now for seventy bucks, arsenal refinished. A scope mount kit is $45 and 440 rounds of Bulgarian ammo is $85. You can't beat that for anything right now. There was a series in SGN about sporterizing a Mosin. Something about silk purses and pig's ears. Anyway, it turned out really nice.

Uh, Buy Now before it's Illegal.

I have a mosin nagant m44...A shorter version of the m91. Very heavy! Never shot mine actually, but did shoot one that belonged to a priest friend of mine. Lots of recoil. Made the ak47 he had and the sks feel like bb guns.

Joey

This thread requires the M/96 Swedish Mauser:

Probably the best 20th century mil-surplus bolt action rifle you can buy at any price.

The 6.5x55 Mauser is a sweetheart of a cartridge, too and very popular in Europe.

I thought about the m44 aswell but they seem to be getting harder to come by

Dr. Hess wrote: Uh, Buy Now before it's Illegal.

Hey look.. Hillary and you have something in common. Your hat of choice.

rebelgtp wrote: I thought about the m44 aswell but they seem to be getting harder to come by

To be honest, all of what was mentioned are good choices, except maybe the SKS. I can't shake the michigan militia stereotype..

I'd say like we say with cars.. Best condition for price. Cause a beat to hell swedish mauser will most likely be more frustrating than a nice M-N.

I have an 8mm mauser finding ammo is a PITA... if someone does know where to find it cheap LET ME KNOW.

last stuff i got was a quarter a bullet for really E36 M3ty reloads (had to pick through bin for ones that were good enough to put through rifle)

I dont know if my mauser is even accurate. last time i had it out it really wasnt (but i was using that ammo, and have since done alot of barrel cleaning getting cooked in gunk out (think whole day scrub affair to get stuff coming out clean))

that said, it was a $80 flea market gun i got several years ago.

i have been thinking about shopping for a .308 or something to get a good accurate distance gun. any thoughts?

Well if I was going to buy a new .308 on a budget I would go with a Weatherby Vangaurd for around $400, which I have thought about.

If you're out in the boonies, and you're low on ammo, good luck finding anything Whetherby. But they are cool, aren't they?

I got an AK-47 from my friend for $325 with a very low round count through it. Its awesome.. Just sayin.....

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii56/gvr4guy15/?action=view&current=MVI_0603.flv

Best gun deals are used guns.

Appleseed wrote: If you're out in the boonies, and you're low on ammo, good luck finding anything Whetherby. But they are cool, aren't they?

Yeah but that model comes in the standard .308 as well

This is just my opinion but for a sub $200 military bolt rifle I would choose the Ishapore. It is an Indian copy of the Enfield made to withstand the higher pressures of the 7.62 Nato cartridge (the common .308 in civilian terms). It has a rear aperture sight which is a big improvement over the typical open notch on the barrel of most military firearms and the trigger is decent. It is fed from a 10 shot removeable magazine though I have been told that it was common practice to leave the magazine in place and reload by stripper clip. The .308 cartridge is inherently accurate, easy to reload, easy to find, and very versatile.

The Ishapore action seems to be very strong. It is the only 308 that I have that will digest a batch of surplus CAVIM ammo without a hitch. They locked the bolt tight on a Remington 700, cratering the primer, and blew the action open on a NEF single shot.

The last I saw, which was a year or two ago, they were going for $120 which would leave you enough to buy one of the fiberglass reinforced plastic sporting stocks and forearms. This transforms it from a clunky miliatary firearm to a decent looking sporter.

Hmmm any ideas on a source for the Ishapore?

An Ishapore would be a good choice. There's also some Mauser 98 WWII 308's that the Israeli's converted out there. 308, while common, is through the roof these days, given the Obama Wars. Like 60 cents to a buck a pop. SGN would be a good source to look for any rifle, or gunbroker.com. Friend of mine builds Mausers and he has bought a couple of actions or rifles off of gunbroker or the other auction site. You have them shipped to a local FFL that usually charges about $25 for the paperwork.

8mm Mauser ammo: http://www.jgsales.com/index.php/ammo-for-rifles/8mm-mauser/cPath/12_45?osCsid=7e43bc95c1ad51772dbbe5a7b36fe9ac 25 cents a pop and up.

You might also consider adding another bill to your price range and pick up a Savage 308 at Wally World. It will shoot MOA or better out of the box.

.308 I would not mind considering I already have a butt load of that floating around.

Local Walmart does not sell guns though I could check Bi Mart.

WLB wrote: This is just my opinion but for a sub $200 military bolt rifle I would choose the Ishapore. It is an Indian copy of the Enfield made to withstand the higher pressures of the 7.62 Nato cartridge (the common .308 in civilian terms). It has a rear aperture sight which is a big improvement over the typical open notch on the barrel of most military firearms and the trigger is decent. It is fed from a 10 shot removeable magazine though I have been told that it was common practice to leave the magazine in place and reload by stripper clip. The .308 cartridge is inherently accurate, easy to reload, easy to find, and very versatile. The Ishapore action seems to be very strong. It is the only 308 that I have that will digest a batch of surplus CAVIM ammo without a hitch. They locked the bolt tight on a Remington 700, cratering the primer, and blew the action open on a NEF single shot. The last I saw, which was a year or two ago, they were going for $120 which would leave you enough to buy one of the fiberglass reinforced plastic sporting stocks and forearms. This transforms it from a clunky miliatary firearm to a decent looking sporter.

I haven't been on GRM since the board change because I never have anything interesting to add. I signed up to suggest an Ishapore, but you beat me to it.

How about the Hi Point 995 carbine? Brand new under 200.00, 9mm so ammo is cheap, decent shooter, life time warranty. Had one, not bad at all.

There are two on www.auctionarms.com right now. Item numbers 9062575 ($100) and 9067106 ($125).

Buy a "Shotgun News." You might find something cheap. They have them at Boarders.

I live in the sticks, the only book store we have local is in a small house that has a couple rooms converted over to being a book store lol. I can check Walmart and some of the other places see if I can find a Shotgun news.