In my neck of the woods anything in .223 is way cheaper to shoot than any .30 cal piece. The above guys are right.....prices on guns are starting to come down a little, but the ammo is still staying pretty high. I have plenty of .30 cal rifles, but my next piece is going to be a flat top model AR. GI ammo for the .223 is around $8 a box. .308 is $22 a box for Federal American Eagle. It kinda boils down to a best bang for the buck scenario.