I' ve got a Knight American in .50 caliber that cost around $150. It' s their bottom of the line, but it' s been an outstanding gun for me. In the three years I' ve owned it, I' ve killed more deer with it than my other rifles. You can upgrade to a Wolverine for not much more than that. My dad has one of those, and they' re great guns. Some of the Thompson Center rifles look sweet, but they' re a bit more than the Knight (at least the ones I like are).

If you do get a Knight, make sure you get the 209 primer. I can' t recommend that enough. I hunted for two years with the No. 11 percussion cap, and it cost me a nice buck on a misfire. Since I converted to the 209, I' ve never had a misfire, and I get a much more satisfying response when I squeeze the trigger. I don' t know why they even make a rifle with a No. 11 anymore.