Whats a cheap but reliable hunting rifle?

when i say cheap i man under $200 and shooting a relatively cheap round to. i know the Mosin Nagant is a cheap one i intend o buy but what are other good ones out there.Whats a cheap but reliable hunting rifle?
For under $200 you are going to mainly be looking at ex-military rifles. Personally, I think hunting with old military weapons is great. They are unusual and a lot of times it is something no one else is carrying in the woods.





The problem with your question is that what you can buy changes with what is currently flooding the market, if you have a C%26amp;R or have access to a FFL holder, and if not, what is available locally.





Assuming you are not a minor, I would invest in getting a FFL C%26amp;R (03)license. This will cut out the middle man and you can buy firearms over 50 years old from distributers/importers (or whomever sells them that you can find) and have them shipped right to your door step. The last I checked, one cost $30 for 3 years. Chances are you will save more than that with your first weapon you buy. You'd really have to work to not save that in 2 purchases. Go to http://www.atf.gov for details on getting a license. Don't pay for a kit. Look around and you'll find the info you need (the ATF didn't make it easy to find IMHO)





So assuming you have or can get an FFL (or find someone to transfer cheap) or C%26amp;R:





Mosin-Nagant: You found the cheapest of the cheap. I like the M-44 with the bayonet removed (some people will tell you removing the bayonet destroys the accuracy...I haven't noticed). The M-44 is short and average weight. The M91/30 is kind of long and heavy, but if you are hunting from a stationary position, that shouldn't matter. The most expensive one I've seen online lately is $140. You can get them as cheap as $80





Yugo 24/47 Mauser: An excellent Mauser. Most are straight handled like the Mosin and will run about $150. The 8mm Mauser cartridge is an excellent round for most large game. You can find a bent bolt Mauser for about $180 if you have any plans on putting a scope on it .





M1916 Spanish Mauser: There is a supply of M1916 Spanish Mausers that have been rechambered in 308 Win. At Samco, they are only running $130. I have yet to hold one of these, but if I were buying a big game rifle and didn't have cash, this would be it. The 308 Win is widely available, will range in price from basic/cheap to high end/exensive. With patience, good shot placement, and the right ammo, it would be a fine rifle for anything in North America (check out http://www.samcoglobal.com





Enfield Mk1 #4: I haven't seen any British Enfields wholesale for a year or two, but for $200 you might be able to find one off of gunbroker.com. They are the 303 British cartridge and ammo is not terribly expensive. I think the Enfiled is a nice balanced rifle that isn't too heavy or awkward.





If ex-military is not your thing, you might be able to find a NEF Handi-Rifle for under $200. They are chambered in most moderm cartridges, but they are a single shot, break action rifle. Prices went up since Obama took office on these, but you might be able to find one (especially used) for the $150 to $200 range





I would cruise gunbroker.com or auctionarms.com to see if you can find anything. If you want a scoped rifle and have time, I'd check out those websites religiously. Many people sporterize military rifles, change the stock, and put scopes on them. Many people will pay less than market price for those as they are altered from the original configuration. If you check out the auction websites, you should be able to pick up a Carcano (Italian) or a Arisaka (Japanese) from those sites. In the maybe catagory, you might find a k-98 German Mauser (unlikely) or a K-31 Swiss Schmidt Rubin (very possible in $200 to $250 range...awesome rifle, very accruate, unsual bolt).





Good Luck and Happy Hunting!Whats a cheap but reliable hunting rifle?
Josh-





Some of the other folks that are BASHING the Mosin Nagant, have never used one for hunting. I have. Its a good rifle provided you have a fairly good one.





Mine is a Polish Rifle made in 1954. The steel is better had the general quality of the rifle is much better than the WWII issue rifles out of Russia.





I outfitted mine with a B-Square Scout Scope Mount and BSA Scout Scope both from Midway.





It has been zeroed for 100 Yards, and has taken a couple of Deer and plenty of Wild Boar.





The 7.62X54R Cartridge is about the equivlent in power to the .30-06 according to the Loading Data. I do reload my own hunting cartridges for this rifle, and have gained significantly more accuracy by doing so.





The other Rifle I have outfitted in a similar fashion is my 8mm Mauser. It has also done the same duty, and included one Elk with it.





I will say this though, Military Rifles are somewhat limited on their range and abilities outside of 200 Yards. Hence I have made the purchase of 2 Remington 700's, (One Chambered for: .270 Winchester the other Chambered for: .243 Winchester).





I also have two Savage 110's, (Chambered for: 7mm Remington Magnum and .308 Winchester)





One Custom 8mm Mauser that has been rebarreled for .308 Winchester w/ a straight taper Varmint Barrel and a Holland's Quick Discharge Muzzle Break, and yes I did mean Varmint Rifle. This Rifle and my Savage 110 in 7mm Remington Magnum are both outfitted with a Shepherd Scope. These are my most accurate rifles and have already been used at ranges exceeding 400+ yards. These are setup specifically for one Grain Weight for the bullets. Hence the pre- calibrated scopes.





As for my Mosin Nagant, they are a rugged rifle, and they will not fail you, but you need to shoot better ammo than that Wolf junk. That stuff is good for a fun day at the range, and that is about it.





The 7.62x54R Brass is available from Norma, and be sure that you are selecting the bullets with a .311 Inch diameter @ 170 Grain Weight.





I use the Winchester Large Rifle Primers and IMR Powder.





Good Luck and Happy Shooting!
You can find a good Mauser every now and then for that price range but I would still go with the Mosin.You can find scope setups all over internet and lots of them will be set up when you purchase.As far as having too spend for 400 for a hunting rifle, I own many.Some are called curios some called relics and some I spent lots of money on and even got one I built myself.the Mosin is by all means as fine a weapon as all the others.
Go to a pawn shop and pick up a rifle. Anything made my Remington (except the 770), Savage, Winchester, Ruger. Look it over and make sure the barrel is straight, work the action and make sure it's smooth and there is no obvious mechanical issues. A gunsmith can give it a cleaning and check up for about $50.





For cheap rounds, stick with the .270, .30-06 and .308 calibers. They can be found for about $15 for a box of twenty rounds and they are sold everywhere from the big outdoor stores to the little mom and pop shops in the middle of no where.
HI%26lt; JOSH your Mosin Nagant in 7.62X54 shoots about the same as the Nato 7.62X51 or 308 as us hunters know it. I have picked up a 300WM for $125. years ago, a Winchester Model 54 in 30/06 and scoped for $250. both serve me quite well. Look at the Savage 110 bolt in either 308 or 30/06; you can get a package deal around $400. and the ammo is in any hunting store. I own two Mosin Nagant they have a hunting problem the barrel length is long for brush use. In the $200 rang look at the Lee Enfield in 303, nice gun my second son takes moose with his all the time, he hunts to feed his reservation. He even took a 680 lb black bear that was killing people in his area.


And to fallow-up on what you said the 8mm Mauser, 30/06, 3040 Krag, 6.5x55 Swiss, 7mm Mauser They all started life as Military rounds. So there is truth in what you said; guns of war can take DEER. But the ammo cost can get quite high for some of them, keep that in mind as well; and in some areas they can be hard to fine.
Stevens rifles made by Savage are very good values but they are most likely over 200.00. H%26amp;R handi rifles maybe?





If you don't mind using surplus military rifles, I would look into Yugo m24/47 mausers. They were built post-WW2 and usually are in excellent shape. They should be around 130.00 Just remember to avoid mausers.org (Michell's Mausers) as they are overpriced.





I think Wideners has some. Family Firearms and finishes, and jgsales should have some as well.
A used one. The Mosin Nagant isn't a hunting rifle, it's a military rifle, but it can be fitted with a scope for hunting. Honestly, you should be looking at the $400 range to get something decent. It's going to last your a lifetime.
Spend a little more and get a Savage/Stevens rifle, a very reliable rifle.
Savage it may cost you a bit more look on the used local ads and see what you can find.
Remington


Winchester
Isn't this like the third time you have asked this?





Cheap+rifle=crap