To date I've been a handgun guy but I'm nosing around for my first long gun. I'm looking for simplicity in operation & maintenance, not too big, something that can be used for home defense and also have some fun at the range.

I'm thinking some sort of carbine; here's my list so far:

* Ruger 10/22

* An AK of some sort

* An AR of some sort

* The Hi-Point carbine

The Ruger is a classic and a very reasonable price but I worry about the rimfire aspect. The AK/AR's are obvious choices but I hear the prices are going ballistic (sorry!). The Hi-Point is interesting; seems to be a love-it/hate-it gun, no middle ground, but low capacity mags.

Any others? I hear the Czech VZ rifles are good but I haven't researched them yet.

Thanks!

Chilly Bill