For an enjoyable day at the range, for very little money, get a Ruger 10/22T. $15 gets you 1250 rounds of decent ammo
From a previous thread;
RDX-fX wrote:
Just get a Ruger 10/22T
With proper ammo and cleaning, it will reliably hold penny-sized groups at 100m.
My particular 10/22T likes Federal AutoMatch (Tan box, $15 for 1250 rounds), and Lapua Match (when I can get it)
A good .22 is an excellent training tool. The skills you learn at 100m with a .22, will carry you out to 600m with a larger caliber centerfire rifle. Windage, bullet drop, trigger pull, barrel cleanliness, flinch, sight picture, etc.

Note: Image isn't my rifle, but one that looks almost exactly like it
It's a Ruger .22, semi-auto, 10 round magazine. It's arguably THE most common semi-auto .22 in America.
The "10/22 Target" comes with a heavy target barrel, custom trigger, adjustable stock (Fajen), and no iron sights (need a scope)
You really really don't want to screw with an AR-15 with a subcaliber device. We had those nightmare devices in the Army, for the indoor ranges. They sucked. Badly.
I
think mine was about $400 for the rifle (w/ custom stock, trigger, barrel included from factory). Add $50 for a .22 level scope, or $150 for a proper Nikon or Leupold 10x scope. Add another $25-$50 for scope rings to mount the scope to the rifle. Have someone that truly knows what they're doing assemble the package -
and teach you how to shoot properly
For a decent hunting rifle, you really can't go wrong with a Remington 700. It's the baseline standard for American hunting rifles. If you think you want upgrades, accessories, and parts available later - the 700 is a good safe bet.
They run $700 - $800 for a base model.
http://www.remington.com/products/firea … 00_SPS.aspFor out-of-the-box Competition/Match worthy rifles that wouldn't be out of place in a hunting trip;
$1200 Savage F-TR is supposedly very good. I've not tried one myself, but according to their press, they're almost on par with rifles costing 2x to 3x as much. Almost.
http://www.savagearms.com/12FTR.htm Now,below is only if you want to go full-tilt apeshit; (hint: you don't)Remington model 700 action (short action .308) or similar like
http://www.surgeonrifles.com/products/actions/Badger Ordinance M5 Trigger Guard w/ detachable 5-rd or 10-rd magazines
http://www.badgerordnance.com/Badger Ordinance Muzzle Break, Bolt Knob, Sine indicator, etc, etc
McMillan A-5 stock
Bartlein, Shillen, or Lilja barrel (22" to 24" for .308)
http://www.gaprecision.net/crusader.html is an assembled rifle very similar.. but for $3500