I have a .308 Varmint with a telescope on it and a shotty. Now I want something a little more close range (i.e. iron sights/scopeless) that has more power than a .22 and doesn't scream "preparing for alien invasion". This makes woods stock guns ideal. Pops will freak out if I show him an M-16 but will grin from ear to ear if I show him a M-1 Garand. The gun is for me but I would like to take him shooting.
I want it to be accurate out to 100-150 yards. Anything greater will be nice but not necessary. I want to be able to carry a LOT of ammo. 5.56mm seems ideal, but Zeno's mini-30 talk has me wondering about 7.62x39. Anything in .308 Winchester is way too much. I can carry 100 rounds in cargo pockets with 5.56mm. Need a backpack to do that with .308 win. Semi-auto is also a must.
Unfortunately this doesn't leave much.
Right now I'm looking at:
The M-1 Carbine:
http://www.auto-ordnance.com/ao_aom110.html
Mini-14
and possibly the mini-30 (not sure if I want the bigger ammo. I want to carry a LOT of bullets.).
I've heard the "Mini-14's aren't BAD, but they have barrels like a licorice whip with only marginally more accuracy." This makes me worry about the Mini-14. Any gun owners here have one?