Best 'all round' rifle

[xpsm1330]

Deleted. Previously banned. ~Staff

[Chief Brody]

Best all around for what ?

[IronButt]

My bad.

Self defense, hunting, self sufficiency, etc.

Since you mentioned hunting, I'd go for a bolt gun from Remington, Savage, etc. in one of the more popular calibers, like .308 or 30-06. Much easier to find ammo for than the Enfield. That's assuming you're looking for a centerfire cartridge.

Hunting rifles are usually a bit long for SD/HD purposes, but will work. As far as self sufficiency goes, it's hard to beat a .22.

[MischaBurns]

i vote for any quality bolt-gun in 30-06. as IronButt said, a rifle good for hunting tends to be poor for SD due to barrel length and potential for over-prenetration, so you may want to look at 2 rifles, one for each purpose, or a rifle and a shotgun for HD/SD (which you can also hunt with, if you get a pump)

[Neko456]

I agree 06,308, 243 or .223 bolt action in any popular brand name rifle. The Enfiled is a good rifle but .303 is not as easy found here as these others. But it can be bought in British army bulk and reloaded but not as easy as these others.

[Hawk]

1. Hunting rules out any semi-auto rifle (at least in PA).
2. A Bolt Gun wouldn't be my first choice for self-defense.

A shotgun would fit most of your needs.

If you are determined to buy a inexpensive Bolt Rifle you'll want to consider the cost of ammo (if you plan on becoming proficient with it by shooting it allot).

I'd recommend a Mosin-Nagant Carbine (M38 or M44) The carbine versions are short and more maneuverable than the full size MN's. The ammo is very cheap.

The PAFOA firearms for sale forum has a few for sale:

http://forum.pafoa.org/firearms-6/11...m44-200-a.html

http://forum.pafoa.org/firearms-6/11...-7-62x54r.html

[24/7dude]

How about a lever action .30-30?

[IronButt]

How about a lever action .30-30?

I forgot about that! They're inexpensive, ammo's fairly cheap & it's just a fun gun to shoot. You can find used ones in any gun shop. Everyone in PA should have a lever action 30-30 in the house.

[Noah_Zark]

24/7dude beat me to it.

A levergun in 30-30 is THE response to the OP's question. The best all-around rifle has been around for over 100 years, counting the Winchester 94 and the Marlin 93/36/336.

Noah

[PennsyPlinker]

Ha ha, I was going to post lever action carbine myself. Short, easy to handle, ammunition readily available, and can still reach out to touch targets at all sorts of ranges from home defense to hunting.