[Mastrogiacomo]

Made a decision on the rimfire and will save to get the Savage Mark II BV and CZ 452. I figure my father with his permit restriction would like to use the Savage. Maybe, a Ruger 10/22 autoloader down the line.

Now for centerfire. There's so many great choices. I don't know if I could buy law enforcement but if I can: Savage 10FP LE1. I hear good things about the 110 but I'm only 5'2" and 114lb and all the barrels seem really long. Also giving thought to the Winchester compact Model 70 but the Ruger Varmit -- I think has the centerfire in a 16 1/2 barrel. Which is better?

[4Truck]

Take a look at the Browning A Bolt Micro hunter, very handy little rifle. They seem to be the perfect fit for people of small stature.

[Mastrogiacomo]

Actually...the Ruger is only 16 1/2" and Savage makes a 20" -- just as good if not better than Browning. Not that I question whether Browning is a good gun or not -- it made the top six list for the best bolt actions.

[dakotasin]

remington model 7 for small, light guns.
remington 700 vls for honkin' huge, heavy guns.
remington 700 adl for cheap sporter.
remington 700 bdl for nice looking sporter.
remington 700 ti for the ultimate in light and handy.
remington 700 mountain rifle for something between the bdl and ti.
remington 700 lss when you want to bring the whoop-hiney w/ you.

that should about sum it up! :D

[JShirley]

Also check out Winchester for their chambering of the new .243 SSM. Handy little super-short action.

[762x51]

Got something against a Remington 700? :scrutiny: The LTR is a good choice. Compact...but still has some weight behind it to dampen the recoil of heavier calibers.

On your list....I picked the Savage. Nice gun for the money. And yes...the law enforcement models are available to the general public.

[Kaylee]

hate to sound like a broken record... but what's it for?

Given your interest in the LE rifle, it sounds like you're into the "tactical/precision/sniper" style rifles.. which are typically used from prone position. If that's the case, the barrel shouldn't be a hindrance even at your size, as you won't be shooting it from field positions (offhand, seated, etc..) Besides, you can always have a smith cut the barrel down -- easy job, shouldn't cost much.

If however you WANT a lighter rifle more suited for carrying/hunting/stalking as well as shooting..hrmm.. now that I think about it both Ruger and Kimber have short, handy bolt action rifles in their lineups.. can't recall the model numbers offhand though.

also give a thought to what chambering you want.. remember all things being equal, the same round is gonna kick more in a small light gun than a big heavy one.

-K

[Brian Williams]

I like the Win Classic Compact versions can be had in 243, 7mm-08, 308
http://www.winchester-guns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=017&cat=001C

Remington has a nice line in the Model 7
http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/centerfire.htm
http://www.remington.com/firearms/youth/m7youth.htm
http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/M7_LS.htm


Savage have been hitting all of the accuracy marks lately
try this
http://www.savagearms.com/centerfire/ultralt/10fmsa.htm


I raelly like the New England Firearms Superlite handi rifles also very accurate.
http://www.hr1871.com/firearms/index.php?cat=4&subcat=8

I also think that the Marlin 1894 in 357 is just a plain old blast to shoot

I forgot Rugers lightweights
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdResults?function=famid&famid=27
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdResults?function=famid&famid=34

[Legionnaire]

Ditto Kaylee's question. What's it for?

Any reason you didn't include Remington (obvious ommission) or CZ in your list, especially as you already decided on a CZ rimfire? Not to mention Browning, Sako, etc.

[Mastrogiacomo]

Well, as I've said in my rimfire post -- this too would simply be for the range -- target shooting -- not hunting. I'd rather use my camera on a beatiful animal rather than kill it and hang the corpse on the wall....

I specifically want something that won't have a lot of recoil but I know nothing about the different calibers. I mentioned Savage first as it was the chosen top bolt rifles, Winchester was second and I think Remington was fifth. I didn't think of the CZ because it didn't make the list. Weatherby came in sixth and I think Browning was third. I personally like Savage but I'd be interested in another good bolt -- but no idea which.

[wanderinwalker]

Well, as I've said in my rimfire post -- this too would simply be for the range -- target shooting -- not hunting. I'd rather use my camera on a beatiful animal rather than kill it and hang the corpse on the wall....

I believe that down there in Taxachussetts ;) hunters can't use rifles in most areas anyway!

In all seriousness, I recommend something in .223 Remington caliber. Possibly a Remington 700 VLS. It is common, cheap to shoot, and really, really easy on the shooter. What's not to love? Plus, don't cheap out with a $50-$100 scope either. Glass is worth the money.

[bukijin]

Mastrogiacomo - you mention a list of the best 6 bolt action rifles. Where does that list come from and what are those rifles ? Thanks in advance.

[Futo Inu]

What Kaylee said - don't forget that it's cheap to have any decent gunsmith cut and crown the barrel to any shorter length that you want - under $50. A 20" or 21" bbl is a nice length, maybe even 18"-19" for you - I'd go with an even 20. The Remington model 7 is a very nice sized rifle for .243Win or smaller calibers. I think it's designated a "youth" model, but I'm a 5'8", 160# male, and it feels real nice and handy to me. I'd get a .223Rem, if I were you, for punching paper (or fun reactive targets for that matter). Now, do Savage and Winchester and Browning all have these "youth" models too? I believe Remington and Savage have the best barrels for the money.

[Kaylee]

hrmm.. I second the .223 then. Cheap and not hard-recoiling.
Next question then is do you want to shoot from multiple offhand positions or only from prone or from a bench? For the former, look for a thin sporter barrel. For the latter, look for a heavy target barrel.

As far as make.. I think the best thing to do is just go into a gunstore and play with several models. See which fits you best. There are little variations in stock shape, safety location and operation, and so forth.. but most all of 'em will prolly shoot better than you will for a while. So just pick the one that feels best to you. (remember, if there really was one Very Best Rifle for Everybody... we'd all be using it and this forum would be empty. :) )

Things to look for are a clean, crisp trigger and good sights. If possible, take someone with you to help evaluate that, if you don't feel confortable doing so yourself. I'm sure we have some THR members local to you that would jump at the chance to get you started -- I bet you could even get some lessons out of 'em! :)

-K

[Bruce H]

http://www.savagearms.com/centerfire/hunter/10gy.htm


Nice rifles and chambered in good calibers.

[Newt]

I'll second dakotasin's Remington Model 7 vote. I have one and love it. Very light with a short bbl. and easy to carry around. I don't know what you'll be doing with yours, but I hunt with mine and carry it all over the hills and canyons. With a good sling, you won't even know it's there.

Newt

[Mastrogiacomo]

http://hunting.about.com/cs/guns/tp/tp_bolt_rifles.htm

Is the link with the top rated bolt guns. Thanks people for the recommendations.:D

[Kaylee]

from your link..


Bolt-action rifles have long been popular with big game hunters around the world. This is a list of some of the most popular commercially-produced bolt-action deer hunting rifles of our time, listed in no particular order. All of these have been widely used by hunters in the USA and around the world. This is in no way an attempt to cover every bolt-action deer rifle, just the most popular ones!

Also, these are specifically deer hunting rifles. That's not bad, mind you -- and they shoot just fine.. just maybe not exactly what you're looking for if you only want to puch holes in paper.

As we've said, dedicated target rifles aren't exactly the same as hunting rifles. The extra weight in target/tactical/varmint/sniper rifles helps you stay steady, and will hold zero longer as the barrel heats up from long firing strings, but that weight at the same time make 'em harder to carry.

Now, personally in your position I'd prolly get a heavy barrelled Remington 700 in .223.. then have the barrel cut down and recrowned if it was still just too plain ungainly for you. Since I'm not in your position, *my* choices would be different. :)
-K

[Quintin Likely]

What kind of budget do you have to work with? Heavy barrelled Remingtons like the VS, PSS, and LTR are great and all...but they are quite pricey compared to other offerings. Savage makes a fine rifle for the money, a 10FP in .223 would be an excellent first buy. Average street price, in my parts at least, is about $450-500 for one with the Accu-Trigger, which is a really good trigger for a factory rifle costing that much.

If barrel length is a concern, the 10FP-LE1 can be had with a 20" barrel in either .308 or .223:

http://www.savagearms.com/centerfire/lawEnf/10fp.htm

Suggested retail is $566, so figure around $500 street price, which is a lot of rifle for the money. In comparison, a Remington 700VS usually goes for about $200 more, but it does have a HS Precision stock with the aluminum bedding block. You could always buy a 10FP-LE1 with a Choate or McMillian stock; however, the price of those is pretty close to the Remingtons.

Another thing to factor, if it's a target gun, the Savages have a 1:9 twist in .223, which will stablize 69 gr. Matchkings with no effort, and maybe the heavier stuff, I haven't verified this myself yet. Only the 700P has the 1:9 twist, all other Remingtons in .223 have a slower 1:12 twist that won't stablize much anything over 50-55 gr. The P costs a bit more than a VS, but in either case with a Remington, you'd probably be spending $700+ for a NIB rifle depending on where you shop.