Right now I'm just looking for something fun that costs little to shoot, is accurate and has almost zero effect on my shoulder while it is healing up. And if it is useful for deer and antelope in the meantime, so much the better! [/quote]
It's not something I've seen anyone mention, but something that would meet all your criteria (other than bolt action) is a Henry Long Ranger in .223 / 5.56. I bought one this past year and it is fun, accurate and has very little recoil. It's well built and good looking. It is a bit on the heavy side as it is the same gun as their .243 and .308, just with a smaller hole in the barrel, but your shoulder won't feel a thing. It has 1 in 8 twist so will handle somewhat heavier bullets, but still shoots 50's and 55's great. Mine doesn't like 80's. It get some serious looks at the range when I bring it out, especially from the AR guys. I've got a 4x-12x Vortex scope on it and it will hang in with the best of them. I plan to take it deer hunting next fall.
