I've never been able to afford a cheap rifle. I can't afford to spend several hundred dollars on an unsatisfactory gun, then lose a few hundred more when I cut my losses to get out of it...and spend hundreds more on another gun that still doesn't match my expectations. Too much math. Too much trouble. If you invest in a fine firearm, it appreciates in value. (Heck, you can even shoot a couple of deer with it and not reduce your price when you go to sell it.) I've been happily married for 40 years (to the same woman) because I avoided cheap women and cheap guns. I married a keeper, who's worth more to me now than when I met her. I bought expensive guns, because my wife understood the investment. Had many friends who didn't invest in the right relationships (or firearms) and now they're as old as I am without a wonderful wife, but instead have several nasty and expensive X's and a damned poor collection of bargain guns. Save time, money and aggravation. Invest in quality. It never comes cheap.