best practical all around rifle?

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I like my thin barreled scoped RPK --- in 7.62x39 --- and my scoped Romanian PSL --- in 7.62x54 --- with PSL translates into: scoped semi automatic rifle. The PSL is a beast --- though mild recoil --- that likes a firm hold...along with a trigger press that likes the bone just ahead of the first distal joint.

Use only 147 grain bullets in the PSL, and not the 174 grainer's, which might wear out the receiver. The PSL has a very rigorous right hand ejection of the spent shell --- which could put somebody's eye out --- so use a brass catcher if people are nearby. It likes 147 grain Sierra Matchkings.
 
And pump rifles are faster than a lever, second to only the semi auto.
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I believe that any brit who served in WWII or any person that witnessed them in action would disagree with you. the germans thought that the brits were being issued semis due to the rate of fire that they were able to possess with the proper training. without the proper training, a lever is just as slow as a bolt. to another point, rate of fire is meaningless unless you areable to put all of those shots on target. I could probably drop 5 rounds from a marlin 1895 in 5 seconds if I put my mind to it but I highly doubt many of them would hit what I was aiming at. at the same time I could fire 5 rounds from an AR15 or SKS in 5 seconds and probably still have trouble hitting but much higher precision than the lever.

as for handier, I know I can cover a heck of a lot more distance with a 30-06 than I can a 30-30, 45-70 or 44 mag.
 
all purpose rifle...defense & distance
target shooting...most bang for the buck...
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Barring a semi-auto/"assault" milsurplus caliber that I do not regard
as cannonically compatible with "distance" and (precision) target
shooting), I'd still get a used/sporterized `03 at a gunshow, or a
used Model-70.

30-06, of course.
(best fit "all purpose" cartridge -- arguably of all time)

~~~~~~~~~~
 
Using a full sized centerfire rifle for home defense would make sense with a reduced power round. Years ago in American Rifleman I saw a picture of a box of reduced velocity guard cartridges issued years ago.
I would look at something more "modern", a sporterized milsurp, hard to tell if it was built by Joe Gunsmith or cobbled together by Bubba.
 
Seeing you are in NJ, the SKS is a great option for you.

You can still buy them in the $300-400 range. 10rd internal box mag and no "Evil" features. I recommend a nice Chinese SKS if you can locate one. There are online dealers that sell them for $299 (Classic Firearms).

Ammo is relatively cheap at around $5/box of 20rds or $220/1k rds.
 
SIGSHR -

I don't really see a point in that when there is ammunition like the 110 gr Hornady Tap .308 which pretty much explodes on impact. I think a downloaded non expanding bullet would be more likely to over penetrate and impart less energy. If you are using a centerfire bolt gun you might as well benefit from the full energy potential.
 
I started a thread here awhile back asking about the one rifle lifestyle. Probably half the responses were a .308 or .30-06 bolt gun with a nice scope.
 
As other have said the cheapest ammo is 7.62x54r , its a actually a good round I was lucky to get ahead of the rush and had a AK that shot that round and have lots of cheap fun compared to my other calibers .
I think the last lead smelting plant in the US just closed , thats going to effect the price of lead in the US on top of having a hard time finding ammo on the shelf , now the fishing guys are going to drive up prices in the US ... They need Sinkers ...LOL
I all ways look at what other countries are using , looks to be tons of 5.45x39 military ammo , I have a AR and AK's in that round and is a fairly cheap round .
I feel the years of cheap fun are numbered no matter what rifle and caliber out side of .22 .
All the cheap ammo is from other countries , guns are going the way of the muscle car , you bring them out every once in the while and the cost $$$$ to fuel them up .
 
Milsurps are great

But their sights may be lacking for what you want them for. Mounting a scope may require drilling into a piece of history.

An all around rifle is one that you can scope and is easy to shoot well.

The savage Axis is cheap and in something like .223 is accurate effective for small game and a great value.

True all around would mean stepping up to an all around caliber like .308 or .30-06
 
There's NO SUCH thing as an AK that shoots 7.62x54R. A PSL or Dragunov, yes, but impossible in an AK.
For what you want, the SKS would be a whole lotta' fun. Ammo is still pretty cheap, and available in up to a 154 gr. soft point for deer sized game.
If it's the only rifle you have, it feels just fine for packing along on a day hike. It's powerful enough to offer viable defense against any lunatics who are likely to accost you, out in the sticks or at home. Accuracy is generally good for milk jug sized targets out to around 200 yards.
It's next to impossible to mount a scope, but iron sites are much more durable. If it's your only rifle, and that's what you always shoot, it will soon feel like it's just supposed to be that way.
Watch some youtube videos about people shooting the SKS. It's an easy rifle to fall in like with.
 
I'm going to assume that "not pricey" means "under $500 used" before optics etc.

In that case, lotta options...

Rem 7400 pump. Pumps are arguably well fast enough for self-defense. Chambering of .223 rem or .243 win, maybe others

CZ 527 Carbine in .223 or 762x39. Or for that matter, any used bolt action with a short bbl (20") in a reasonably-small chambering - .223, .243 being good choices. Not as fast as a pump, but fast with practice.

SKS (762x39)

KelTec SU16 in 556x45

Marlin 336 in .30-30 win
 
I'm going to suggest something no one else wil probably. A single shot. A NEF/H&R can be had for $150-$250 used. A 45-70 in hotter loads can do your long distance shooting easily. Defense won't be great with only one shot however, but with light loads it'll be a good round. Another great option would be a Rossi Circuit Judge. Great for home defense with .45 Colt. Long distance isn't going to happen well though.

Really, we need more information. Some people think 100 yards is distance shooting while others think 1000 yards is child's play.
 
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To the OP, it's quite an open-ended question and so with no context in which to provide an answer, it's a pot shot :)
But I recently purchased a Tikka T3 Lite chambered in .223 and am really enjoying it. Semi-autos (whether AR style or less tactical shapes) fill the need as an excellent defensive firearm, a great design for hunting in high-pressure situations (e.g. hogs perhaps). And I have quite a few of them. But they also tend to push me to shoot more quickly and more rounds than I otherwise need to.
The bolt action design brings me back to summer camp when I was a kid of age in single digits, shooting five rounds and then walking out to check my work, then being granted another five rounds by the 'range officer'.
Today, the Tikka bolt brings me back to those times, provides a very accurate and easily carried platform, shoots (relatively) low-cost ammo while still being practical for certain hunting needs - though I am not a hunter.
Best of all it motivates me to savor each shot, practicing my breathing, my sighting and my trigger work. Popping off one round and then a pause to regroup my thoughts. Very zen perhaps but it works for me.
I'm not sure this is the last gun I would hold on to if all but one had to go, but for sheer shooting pleasure it absolutely is.
B
 
Milsurps don't make good all around rifles

They tend to be heavy, have sights not set up for hunting or home defense, and are geared towards whatever military minds were in vogue that year.

There can be exceptions. The SKS is a pretty good platform, but you would need to modify it a bit.
 
A decent lever action in 30-30 will fill the billet. And it likely that no legislature will go after it for a long while yet.
 
"A decent lever action in 30-30 will fill the billet. And it likely that no legislature will go after it for a long while yet."

I do not believe this is true. In fact, I predict that if the military style rifles can be successfully outlawed that all firearms will follow within 3 years.
 
For roughness, toughness and doesn't-stop-working-until-after-everything-else-does, the .303 is a pretty good Milsurp to consider. The Mosin is probably pretty close, possibly just as good, in the abuse-proofness department, but the Lee-Enfield has that ten-shot magazine capacity going for it and a slicker action with a turned-down bolt handle. The only downside is that you have to be careful if you handload up the hot end of the scale; case life might be rather short unless you neck-size.

The speed record for the Lee-Enfield is 38 aimed shots in one minute, including reloading time, which probably puts the cyclic rate around sixty rounds a minute. One every second. That's as good as a semi-auto, and you can use reduced loads with light bullets that a semi won't swallow.
 
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