So_Cal_Tay_12

Okay so I am still a beginning shooter but am growing to love it as a hobby on the weekends. I have been using a ruger 22 long rifle but am looking to upgrade to something of a slightly larger caliber. I dont want anything too big, none of those anti-aircraft looking things you see but just something of a decent size that wont kill me from kickback to shoot for an extended period of time.

Im open to anything, just preferably within the $600 range and if possible, something that doesnt have a huge shortage of ammo (22 long rifle ammo is a pain to find at a decent price)

Thanks in advance, im curious to see what you all come up with.

Lorrel

Don't know what your intentions are for this rifle, except you say to play at the range. Is this also to be a HD weapon?
At any rate, pretty much anything would be a step up from a .22 long.
My advice since your budget is $600, I would go with either an AK in 7.62x39, or a HighPoint TS in 9mm.
You could get a nice WSAR Romanian AK for about $500 and spend the rest on Wolf ammo.

An AK is a alot of fun to shoot weapon, eats cheap ammo like a dog eats a bone, and won't cost you an arm and a leg. When the Zombe's come a knock'n it's a good weapon to have.

The HighPoint TS is a very inexpensive weapon at about $230, and the ammo is one of the lowest price ammos around in centerfire.

It's also a fun-gun to play with, and since it's a handgun caliber, the recoil is just a bit more than your .22. This would also make a nice HD weapon, as it's short, and very easy to handle.

horwitzs

Something in .223 would fit the bill also.
It has a very mild recoil, and since it's a military caliber and not some new fad cartridge, you will always be able to find it for sale anywhere.
And it may be legal to hunt with, depending on the state you live in.

So_Cal_Tay_12

Thanks guys, sounds like both of you are getting what im looking for pretty well, and to answer your question yes I will be using it at a range 99.9% of the time time o go investigate some of these

So_Cal_Tay_12

by the way if you have any in particular that you recommend, solid metal preferred, throw a link up, id be happy to check it out

horwitzs

Do you want something that's more of a hunting style rifle, or a military or "assault" rifle?

Lorrel is right, that an AK is a blast to shoot, and would be in budget. Just a warning though... you can go through a lot of ammo really fast!!
AR's are lots of fun too, but most are priced a lot higher than AK's.

rhinonemec

How do you pick just one?! Too many fun and great rifles out there. My pick would be to spend a little extra and get a .223.

Lorrel

I agree the .223 would be closer to the .22 as far as the recoil goes, however with a budget of $600, the AR is pretty much over. The ammo is also higher priced, and with an AR you wouldn't want to shoot cheeper ammo such as Wolf.

IMFletch

ARs are tons of fun to shoot and like a Jeep there is a huge aftermarket for parts and mods. A AR in .223 is going to run about $1k and .223 ammo is still a bit hard to find, even if you reload your own which is a separate discussion for another time. A ruger mini-14 in .223 would be a less $$ option than an AR but they are generally not as accurate as a AR.

You can get a bolt action in .204, .223 or .243 all are common calibers in your price range.

Lorrel

Agreed the Mini 14 in .223 would be less expensive, but still around $600+ change, then factor in a fair brand of ammo, another $150 or so for 500 rounds. After all's said and done the cost is upward of $800. Now once he goes out and see's all the goodies he could add to make the Ruger look like an evil black rifle, the cost would be up to around $1000

Since the budget the OP listed was $600, I gotta say go for an AK at around $500 + add in anouther $150 for 500 rounds of Wolf and he's set to play on the range with a very fun shooting, easy to care for carbine.
On the other hand back to the HighPoint TS995 at a price of around $230. Add $200 for 500 rounds of 124 grain Fiocchi 9mm ammo and hes set for awhile. At least long enough to see if he wants to stick with it.
Right now both 7.62x39 and 9mm ammo is not hard at all to come by, whereas .223 is still a bit costly and sometimes harder to get in quanity.
Granted the .223 would be closer to the .22 long as far as recoil, however the 7.62 is not a shoulder buster by any means, and the 9mm is along the same lines as the .223
Now assuming that the OP is wanting a bolt action, he would save a bit on the rifle itself, but again the price of the ammo would become the big dollar item costing about $1 per round for any of the cal's you mentioned.
Since the OP is new to the game, and wants to shoot and have fun, the AK or HighPoint is the way to go.