Should I buy a hunting rifle?

[VancouverKid]

Just for fun I stopped by Walmart on the way home too see what ammo they had in stock. Naturally every lick of semi-auto rifle and handgun ammo like 223/5.56, 308, 7.62 and 9mm was gone. Most of the 12 ga. was gone except for some specialty stuff at $5 / 5rd. There was some .22 rounds, but that shelf was a mess so I couldn't tell exactly what was there.

They seemed to have plenty of 30/30, 300 win mag, 270, .17, 22-250 (I think it was this I'm not familiar with this round). Basically bolt-action only ammo.

Should I be looking at picking up some hunting rifles in these calibers? An AWB will come in stages, so we don't even see it, and one of those stages could be "no ammo may be sold that fits any semi-auto weapon". And I want to stay armed.

We are seeing right now how precarious our ammo situation is. There's none out there. All this is trading is just us, selling it to ourselves. What if BHO tossed out an executive order tomorrow diverting 100% of ammo production to military? We'd be screwed, with nothing but very expensive wall hangers.

Some of you have stockpiled ammo. Good for you. I have a total of 20 rounds. How long will your ammo pile last? I'd like to be able to replenish, that's why I'm looking at hunting rifles.

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[Horses are delicious]

Do you hunt or are you just unwilling to wait until the rush dies down? Would you buy a Hummer must because the price of gas dropped 50 cents a gallon?

 

[Otter]

I would only buy a hunting rifle if you want to go hunting. This is not the first shooter induced ammo shortage and won't be the last. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to this stuff. Give it time and the shelves will be full of ammo again. When that happens stock up so that you can ride out the next shortage. That's what the guys that have been through this a few times do. When I get down to less than 500 bullets, 1,000 primers and a couple pounds of powder, I place another order. Never have a problem with ammo that way.

 

[Horses are delicious]

I would only buy a hunting rifle if you want to go hunting. This is not the first shooter induced ammo shortage and won't be the last. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to this stuff. Give it time and the shelves will be full of ammo again. When that happens stock up so that you can ride out the next shortage. That's what the guys that have been through this a few times do. When I get down to less than 500 bullets, 1,000 primers and a couple pounds of powder, I place another order. Never have a problem with ammo that way.

+1 on all counts
VancouverKid, not trying to be snotty here. Just encouraging a little patience. I stockpiled 7.62 x39 by the thousands over the past 15 years. I was unaware there was a shortage. Just kidding, this is a super learning opportunity for those newer to shooting. Find what works best in your rifles, buy it cheap and stack it deep. Reload for match and hunting, cheepos for pistol plinking and .22 practice. The more you practice today the less ammo you'll actually "need".
Enjoy the sport.

 

[Pandaz3]

30-30 is normally for lever guns like a Winchester model 94 or a Marlin 336 maybe even a few Savage 99's. There are a few bolt guns in that caliber, but they seem rare to me. The 22-250 is a hot round and used primarily for varmint shooting or target shooting for the guys who love to reload. It can be used for deer, but most use .243 and up for deer and the caliber normally gets bigger as the game does. It doesn't seem from your post that you are into hunting all that much. I'd guess you prefer to shoot some and have a long gun for whatever comes down the road.

If you are looking for an alternative to the AR Platform.....

You could get a solid M1 Garand in 30-06 from the CMP organization that would fulfill your need for center fire shooting fun, be big enough for most Game. (Need to watch state law as it has a eight round capacity) and it could give you a warm fuzzy just to have around. 30-06 of any flavor works in it. You can easily reload for it It has a serious amount of credentials from WWII and the Korean conflict.

I would have recommended a M1 Carbine, but it's harder to find the magazines and ammo right now.

All that said, I would rather have a gun with ammunition, than a gun without ammunition.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Don't buy anything you won't shoot often and become proficient with. Whether it's a semi-auto, pump gun, bolt action, single shot, etc. If it becomes an extension of you, you can become a very dangerous adversary if you ever have to defend yourself, your family, your location.
I like the quote (maybe attributed to Clint Smith but may be older than that): "Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to use it!"

 

[mjbskwim]

The only one of those I would say to buy because there is ammo for it would be the 30-30 as it is an all around good caliber
And the guns are going to be lever guns which are fun to shoot and better looking than most modern sporting rifles.