[wmg1299]

I live in the city and have a decent level of experience with handguns. My inlaws have a little over 50 acres in the country, and I picked up a few 22's (Ruger 10/22 Carbine and Mossberg Plinkster 702) for small game plinking and to teach my sons the basics of shooting. Now that 22LR ammo is nearly impossible to find, I have considered picking up a few rifles of different calibers so that I will have something to shoot.

I picked the 22's because they were affordable, simple to maintain, and could be handled by my sons while they are young, but still be useful as they grow older. In my area (Dallas Metroplex), I can readilly find 7mm, 243, 270, and 30-06 ammo at local Wal Marts. I can also find a limited amount of 17 hmr and 22-250 ammo. I am not a big game hunter, and do not want to have to overpay for either the rifles or the ammo. I am willing to pay a fair price fro quality products (ex. no cheap imports), but do not wish to purchase a specialty rifle for simple shooting on the land. Any opinions on what rifles would be the best to meet my goals (affordability, availability of ammo) would be appreciated.