Rate your bolt gun.

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Kachok

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I thought it would be fun to make a comparison of the bolt guns we have used over the years, score what you did and did not like about yours on a scale of 1-10

Savage 110 270 win
Action 5 very clunky but no grit.
Egronomics 6 Light, compact and handy but never liked the feel in my hands that much. Kind of a bland stock.
Accuracy 9 Sub-MOA with cheap factory fodder, hard to ask much more then that from a stock lightweight rifle. This was my only Savage that was not picky about bullet selection.
Trigger 9 The Accutrigger is near the top of the heap, light pull, easily adjustable, no creep, I just don't like the darn inner "blade".
Reliability 10 Perfect, not one seconds worth of trouble.
Other 8 Very good finish on the steel for a cheap rifle, great recoil pad, but I hate the internal magazine with a passion!
Comments: Typical Savage (I have owned 6) very rough around the edges but highly reliable and accurate.

Remington 700 ADL Synthetic 7mm Rem Mag
Action 6 Gritty stroke but engaged well.
Egronomics 5 Cheap flexi plastic stock but it gripped well and fit my pretty good.
Accuracy 8 Best out of the box Remington I ever owned at the range.
Trigger 8 The X-Mark was not half bad, presently surprised.
Reliablity 0 Started rusting the day I took it out of the plastic, after 6mo I questioned if it was still safe to use.
Other 7 Factory Limbsaver was a nice touch, handled well for a 26" barrel, but poor fit and finish.
Comments: The corrosion issue was my last straw with Remington, I won't be buying another one..

Tikka T3 Stainless 6.5x55
Action 10 the smoothest in the business bar none.
Egronomics 9 nice and slim with just enough curves, but no synthetic can ever be a ten in my book even a good synthetic.
Accuracy 10 one hole groups at 100yds it does not get any better then that, shoots everything really well even the cheap stuff.
Trigger 10 adjustable to 2lbs, no grit whatsoever and breaks clean as glass with zero creep, what more could you ask for?
Reliability 10 not a single issue.
Other 7 Factory recoil pad SUCKS, long action bolt even on short action cartrages, and while I am griping a 24" tube would be nice on high speed cartrages (25-06, 270 win) Good Looking gun in stainless, and it comes with rings.
Comments: Perfect little deer gun; light, handy, no kick, accurate as all getup, and drops them where they stand.

Winchester 70 Featherweight 308
Action 10 Super smooth, great feel and it is a CRF!
Egronomics 10 I cannot say enough about how well designed the Featherweight stock is. Very grippy feel to it.
Accuracy 7 1 MOA with one type of factory ammo, but others were bad, very picky, have not tried handloads yet stay tuned.
Trigger 8 Would be a 10 except you have to take the rifle apart to adjust it. No creep or grit
Reliability 10 It is pretty new but no hint of an issue yet.
Other 10 Fantastic recoil pad, best internal magazine in the business and it holds five rounds instead of three.
Comments: Fantastic looking rifle, nice wood with just enough character, top notch fit and finish.
 
Remington 700 BDL .30-06 Circa 1979
Action 10 - as smooth as greased butter
Ergonomics 10 - I can't complain
Accuracy 7 - it is about 2.5-3 MOA, at least before I used Wipe-out bore cleaner...might be better now. Killed a deer at 300 yards so accurate enough.
Trigger 7- Kind of stiff
Reliability 10- has never failed to go bang...has never failed to eject spent rounds with authority, has never failed to feed. 33+ years old and not a speck of rust.
Other 10- It has no recoil pad...just a plastic butt plate I don't need a recoil pad for hunting and I think it looks better this way. The gun is one of the most beautiful I own, right along with its 1100 brother.
Comment -It was my grandfather's gun, he never got to shoot it in the field. I got its first deer this past season.

CZ 550 Varmint Laminated Stock
Action 7- fairly smooth, but the claw doesn't engage the rounds feeding from the magazine...essentially it is a push feed, which is fine, it was designed to drop rounds in the chamber....bolt also rides over the last round in the chamber and causes a jam. Does not eject brass with authority
Accuracy 10- .5 MOA and below, most accurate rifle I own. I can easily blow off a tennis ball sized groundhog head at 200 yards.
Trigger 10-Really nice standard trigger...ultra light single set trigger...surprise break city.
Reliability 7-hasn't failed to go bang, but the feeding and ejecting issues although not a big deal for varmint hunting are kind of frustrating.
Other 10-beautiful gun, apart from the feeding and ejecting issues, fit and finish are top notch.
Comment-I might get around to contacting CZ about the issues...but I might ignore them if they want me to send the gun in...I am not sending it with my $700 Bushnell scope.

Savage 340 .30-30
Action 7- Not too bad, but it is totally closed...and the opening is too small to eject unfired spitzer bullets. Has had some feeding issues, CLP in the magazine fixed that
Accuracy 7 - 2-3 MOA has killed deer at 160 yards though.
Trigger 7- nothing special
Reliability 8- Goes bang, over 30 years old and rust free
Other 7-Not too pretty, and requires an odd scope mount

Savage 340 .225

Except for accuracy, same as above. I haven't shot it on the range, but pierced both ears of a groundhog at 350 yards with it. Had some neck separations in it...gunsmith eventually ruined it by rechambering it crooked.

Mauser k98 Sporterized 8x57
Action 9- More worn in, and thus a bit smoother than the CZ, no feeding or ejecting issues which I know of
Accuracy 7- 2-3 MOA...has killed deer at 200 yards
Trigger 7-Nothing special
Reliability 10-Goes boom, is over 60 years old and no rust
Other 10- Was a post war Spanish k98 clone...gunsmith ruined the barrel during sporterization and replaced with a Nazi proof mark barrel. Beautiful gun.
 
Interarms Mini Mark X .223 Remington
Action 8- Play in it like any Mauser action, but reliable.
Ergonomics 8- would be 10, but I'm not partial to the safety.
Accuracy 10- most accurate rifle I've owned.
Trigger 8- clean break, wee heavy at four pounds, but it shoots ragged holes.
Reliability 10- shoots anything lighter than mid 60s grain pills the same, feeds perfectly, no FTFs.
Other 10- light enough for one handed carry, long enough barrel for accurate off hand shooting, and does tremendous damage to deer and yotes inside 200 yards.



Winchester M70 Sporter 30/06

7s all down the line. This gun is meh, and was given to me. I in turn, have recently gifted it to my father, who'd give it 10s.
 
CZ550. I haven't had the feeding problems you describe. Mine is 308, and it feeds very reliably.

I did have one 10 round CZ magazine which did not work properly. It was exchanged for one which does.
 
I have limited experience with bolt actions, but have had good ones when I did.

Weatherby Vanguard .30-06
Action: 7 Smooth enough.
Ergonomics: 6 The factory synthetic stock is a little on the blocky side.
Accuracy: 10 The target that came with it was one hole. I have produced this myself on occasion. Very accurate with a wide variety of bullet weights and loads.
Trigger: 8 Pretty good. User adjustable.
Reliability: 10 100%
Other: 7 My only complaints are that it's a little on the heavy side and I would rather have a detachable magazine.
Bottom line: An absolute bargain at $390


Ruger M77 (tang safety) .243
Action: 8 Great. Very smooth.
Ergonomics: 9.5 Love it. It's wood and blue and it doesn't get any better than that.
Accuracy: 10 MOA
Trigger: 8.5 Very nice.
Reliability: 10 Hasn't failed yet.
Other: 9 Love the weight and looks. Would like a detachable mag, but hey, you can't have it all.
 
This could be a long post.

Bushmaster Varminter (223) = 8
PROs: 24 inch flutted barrel, NM chamber, two stage trigger, non-chrome heavy profile barrel, free floated handguard, Sub-MOA accuracy (0.330).
CONs: Heavy rifle, not a field gun too long.

IMG_0481.gif


Remington 7600 CDL (30-06) = 9
PROs: Fit and finish excelent, flawless operation, likes factory ammo as well as handloads, accuracy 1.5 MOA, carbine length 18 1/2 inch, excelent open sights.

CONs: Difficult to find the right scope for it.

SAM_0239.gif


Savage Model 10 (243) = 9.5
PROs: Light weight (except for the stock), short action, accuracy 0.50 MOA, excelent recoil and recoil pad, easy to hunt with, outstanding Accutrigger no creep and breaks at 2.5 lbs.

CONs: Internal magazine 4 rounds.

SAM_0470.jpg


Savage Model 11 GBT (223) = 10
PROs: Accuracy of 0.230 MOA, 20 inch non-chromed bull barrel, excelent chamber - throat and rifling, thumbhole stock, Accutrigger set to 1.5 lbs, clean break with no creep.

CONs: Internal magazine (4 rounds), heavy rifle with laminated stock.

SAM_0245.gif


Savage Model 111 (270 Win) = 8.5
PROs: Light weight weather proof stock, 22 inch non-chromed barrel, external mags, excelent field gun, accuracy with commercial ammo 1.0 MOA, fit and finish good.

CONs: Plain looking.

SAM_0447.gif

Well I could keep going on but this would be tooooooo long a post

Marlin 336c (35 Remington) = 9
Ruger 10/22 (22 LR) 22 inch stainless rifle = 10
Bushmaster C-15 Super Lite (223) M4 carbine = 10
Ruger Mini-30 (7.62x39) = 7
Marlin tube feed 22 Mag = 9
Yugo SKS (7.62x39) = 8

Good Shooting to all.
Jim
 
Browning A-Bolt II Stainless Stalker w Boss

Trigger 9, adjustable to 3 lbs with no creep but I wish it would go a hair lower but too much to ask from a stock trigger

Stock 9 comes factory glass bedded and perfect free float

Action 10, smooth as anything out there

Accuracy 9, sub MOA gun all day but not sure if the Boss does anything besides muzzle breaking

Gun is a solid 9 out of ten and about as good as it gets from an off the shelf rifle. Wish it was made in USA.
 
Mosin - Nagant M31/90
cons

Shoddy construction
uglier than sin
weighs 9lb
pros
I don't care if I tear it up
fairly accurate
cheap ammo
cheap
 
Browning a-bolt in .30-06 = 9
Would have given a 10 if it had a soft recoil pad rather than hard rubber.
But since it is for hunting I don't mind it when in the field.

Weatherby vanguard in 243 = 8.5
I love this gun and it fits me very well. I just wish it had a nicer synthetic stock but it is completely functional so I can't complain.
If I were to recommend a bolt to someone it's probably this model. Great gun for the price. 399 plus tax is hard to beat for the quality.

Stevens 200 in 270 win = 7.5
Accurate as heck and shoots at least descent with anything I've put through it.
I had to upgrade the trigger but now it's a sweet shooter.
The steel blueing is sub-par but gets the job done.
I'll get an aftermarket stock eventually and it'll make it an even nicer hunting rig.
Great value for 250 bucks plus the 80 dollar trigger!
 
Moisin-Nagant M44

Action 6 - Well, it opens and shuts. Doesn't need a 2 x 4 to open the action after a few rounds like some Mosins.
Ergonomics 7 - Ill-fitting stock with sharp edges and short length of pull plus the kinda-secret safety that requires some serious strength to engage.
Accuracy 7 - @ 4 moa, hard to tell given the huge fireball though...
Trigger 7 - Tough. Period.
Reliability 10 - Always goes bang, and that bayonet is solid enough to do the job.
Other 10 - For 89 dollars, it cannot be beat. They're $200 now, for once I got in early and got a good deal. Love it.
Comment - Maybe the last of the cool C & R milsurp rifles?
 
Oh, forgot another (feel bad) that I have.

Smchmidt-Rubin K31 7.5x55 Swiss

Action 8- still, after owning for a month now, forget its straight pull.
Ergos 6- heavy, cumbersome, sexy!
Accuracy 9- pie plate death so far at 300 with irons
Trigger 10- the best trigger I own, that isn't after market. It's better than those too.
Reliability 10- come on, it's a BA.
Other 10- it was beat to hell, stock looked to be chewed upon by an angry beaver, but the bluing, steel, action, bore were all prime. Three days redoing the stock and touch bluing, I have a one of a kind, made for me piece of history, that shoots awesome to boot. It will be in my tree stand come Nov.
 
Remington 511-X .22 Scoremaster

Pros:
Classically built, beautiful esthetics
Pin at back of bolt extends when loaded (sort of an early loaded chamber indicator)
Open sights (just in case)
It’s a .22, so you can shoot it all day for practically nothing
Cons:
So far…none found.

Remington 788 in 22-250

Pros:
Notoriously accurate
Economical to buy
Like the 511-X, it has open sights
Has box magazine (I prefer it, but many will have a different opinion)
Short action
Cons:
Prone to breakage (though I’ve never seen it)
Unreliable safety (again, not something I’ve experienced)
Low resale value
Birch stock instead of walnut (I do prefer walnut)

All and all, I’m happy with the tradeoffs on both.
 
All of them ? I don`t have that much time & I don`t type that well, so I will respectfully decline, thanks for asking...................
 
CZ 527 carbine:
Action: 8. Mini Mauser style, crf, seems like it was built around the 7.62x39 cartridge. A little rough but it has smoothed out. The way the bolt works there isn't a lot of. Clearance for some scopes.
Ergonomics: 10. Best handling rifle I have ever laid my hands on.
Stock: 9 decent walnut with good checkering. Recoil pad is a little too grippy.
Trigger: 10. Set trigger is great. Regular trigger is great.
Accuracy:9 I haven't really stretched her legs yet, but groups with cheap steel cased ammo at a hundred yards are close to one inch with a fixed 2x scope. I'm sure hand loads will shrink them.
Reliability: 7 it has had some feeding issues all due to the magazine I think. I called cz and they wanted me to send the whole rifle in but I didn't want to so I tweaked the mag some and it has been 99% since then.
Other: it has really good iron sights too. The only con is that magazines are fifty bucks a pop.
 
Chinese Type 53
Action: 9 smoothest Mosin bolt I've ever touched
Ergonomics: 5 reach from trigger to buttplate is akward and short
Stock: 3 battered and bruised from BEING USED
Trigger: 9 best stock Mosin trigger I've ever used
Accuracy: 5 so far nothing crazy impressive. Hits exactly where I aim though.
Reliability: 10 it's a Mosin action, I will always fire!
Other: cheap ammo, cheap rifle, if I can't shoot it or set it on fire I can stab it!

Mosin Nagant 91/30
Action: 7 bolt needs more breaking in.
Ergonomics: 9 with a newer style stock and Bolt it's almost perfect
Stock: 10 Boyds stock improved reach and comfort
Trigger: 10 Timney trigger perfected any trigger woes
Accuracy: 9 sub MOA at 100 yds is good in my book
Reliability: 10 as said before, a Mosin will rarely fail.
Other: with a few modern tweaks the Mosin becomes a much better rifle.
 
Ruger M77 Featherweight .243 (Tang Safety)
Action: 8 Smooth, fast.
Ergonomics: 10 Fits me perfectly, snaps to the shoulder extremely well.
Accuracy: 10 It will put holes on top of each other if you do your part.
Trigger: 9 Glass rod comes to mind.
Reliability: 9.5 Had some FTF a few years ago, bolt needed thorough cleaning.
Other: 10 Tang safety ftw, it's right there by your thumb and it has nothing to do with the bolt.
 
Is this a centerfire only list? I have several bolt action rimfires.

Savage 110 30.06
Action - 6 Very workable but not smooth enough to write home about.
Ergonomics - 7.5 since I swapped the stock for a Bell & Carlson after the original walnut warped. Now it's light, with a great recoil pad and a solid feel. It was solid but heavy.
Accuracy - 7 It doesn't have the AT so that limits the accuracy somewhat but I've shot .5 MOA groups at 100 yards with it. Definitely a deer killer.
Trigger - 5 Nothing to crow about but it gets the job done.
Reliability - 9.5 I've never had a problem except for the stock warping
Other - I wish it had the AT. I keep thinking I'll sell this one and get one that does have the AT. But I sure can't beat the price I paid for this rifle. $200 used is hard to beat for what I got.

Savage 12 LRPV .223
Action - 10 Left feed, right bolt is a great design for a single shot. I can see where to toss another round in and I can catch brass as it ejects. Plus it is just plain smooth for a push feed. I know that's a problem for some people but I like it.
Ergonomics - 8.5 Everything about how it feels is fabulous except for the weight involved. This is NOT a brush gun.
Accuracy - 10 If I told you what it will do you wouldn't believe me so I won't bother.
Trigger - 10 The target AT is head and shoulders better than the regular AT or the middle grade AT. It will adjust down to ounces but the bolt won't close without kicking the sear block if you go that low. Still it will got plenty low to make the rifle seem like you're just thinking the trigger to engage.
Reliability - 8.5 Sometimes the brass won't eject well but that's a minor hassle for what this gun is designed to do.
Other - Overall this gun is in a league of it's own for stock rifles. It's long and it's heavy but it shoots like a dream and does all a varmint gun is supposed to do.

I can rate my rimfire bolt rifles if you want to hear them. I have a bunch of them.
 
303tom said:
All of them ? I don`t have that much time & I don`t type that well, so I will respectfully decline, thanks for asking...................
Click to expand...
No you don't have to do all of them, goodness knows I would be typing for a week to cover all of the ones I have owned over the years :D Just your more memorable/favorite/worst rifles
 
Smchmidt-Rubin K31 7.5x55 Swiss....Trigger 10- the best trigger I own, that isn't after market. It's better than those too.......
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if mine is a K31 or some other model; mine's the REALLY long one. That trigger is great for a rifle designed in the 1890's. Long and light first stage then......Bang.
 
Husqvarna 1600 Light-Weight short rifle in 30-06 circa 1956

Action: 9, very smooth and very strong, with a CLAW EXTRACTOR
Ergonomics : 9, Very light-weight
Accuracy : 8, 3/4 minute of angle gun. Picky about loads.
Trigger : 5, has a German double set trigger that needs constant adjustment.
Reliability: 10, never misfeeds.
Other : Light-weight wood (6.70 lbs rifle) may crack over the years.
Comments: classic Scan hunting rifle. Needs a better trigger to be perfect, The trigger safety that does not lock the firing pin is a bad deal for here in the Last Frontier. One big negative:

Custom M-98 Mauser, Douglas Barrel, thumb-hole stock, 7x57mm, M-70 style safety

Action: 10. Very smooth with CLAW EXTRACTOR, with M-70 style safety
Ergonomics: 8, seems a tad heavy the older I get. Thumbhole stock makes slow follow-up shots.
Accuracy: 10, tight Douglas Air Gauge barrel, circa 1970. Sub 1/2 MOA rifle.
Trigger: 10. Old Timney adjustable set at 1.5 pounds
Reliability: 10, has been hunted with since 1970. Never mis-fed or mis-fired.
Other: Triple Blue job has kept the metal nice even after being sunk in salt water.
Comments: 1st successful complete gun-smith project. Has harvested every game animal in Alaska except Bison.

M-77 MKII Stainless All-Weather in 350 Remington Mag, converted to Sourdough Rifle

ACTION: 7, Was horrible from the factory, took days of work. has Claw Extractor.
Ergonomics: 8, needed lots of trigger work, safety not a true M-70 type.
Accuracy: 9, Sub MOA rifle now after lots of work
Trigger: 8 Horrible at first but a couple nights of work has it down to 4 pounds.
Reliability: 8 originally mis-fed. Now much better after changing feed lips
Other: This rifle is now heavily modified.
Comments: Now has storage in the stock.

Remington M-700 Titanium Mountain Rifle in 30-06, Rifle Basix trigger

Action: 8, smooth, but NO CLAW EXTRACTOR; Trigger block only type safety
Ergonomics: 9, very light weight, 6.25 pounds without scope.
Accuracy: 9 now,, horrible from factory, after bedding action now a 3/4 MOA rifle.
Trigger: 9 now, original trigger broke, Actually broke off... Now has Rifle Basix trigger a 2 pounds.
Reliability: 8, has mis-fed and has not extracted in stressful situations. Push-feed problems...
Other: Easy to find scope mounts and after-market parts.
Comments: Blind mag only holds 4 rounds but cannot pop-open in the bush. Original stock broke, was replaced by Remington at no charge. I will not use it for dangerous game due to the lack of a claw extractor.


Winchester Model 70 feather-weight in 6.5x55mm PUSH FEED circa 1984

Action: 8, Very Smooth but does not have a claw extractor. needed work when bought
Ergonomics: 10, shoulders and points well. Very light rifle, perfect stock dimensions.
Accuracy: 9, does very well now that it is full length bedded. 1.0 MOA at 100 yards. OK for feather-weight
Trigger: 10, old style
Reliability: 8, was not good when new, took some work, lack of claw extractor a problem
Other: Rifle needed bedding, change in action screw lengths and work on magazine floor-plate latch.
Comments: Will not use this rifle around dangerous game because it is a push feed. Great rifle for goats, deer, and caribou.

Czech Vz-24, actioned Safari style rifle in 416 Taylor

Action: 10, smoothed and polish Vz-24 action, Nice big claw extractor, magnum bolt.
Ergonomics: 10, Old Parker Hale safari rifle stock, deep checkering, banded barrel front sling swivel.
Accuracy: 9, 1.2 MOA at 100 yards using 400 grain dangerous game bullets.
Trigger: 9 , Tuned two stage Mauser military trigger. 4.0 pounds
Reliability: 10, Never mis-feeds, never jams, tosses brass 8 feet.
Other: Band style safari front sight and old Lyman rear peep sight.
Comments: retained old standard Mauser 3 position safety, Along with iron sights is a fast pointing dangerous game rifle.
 
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MGA 338WM (Rem Action) Very good and smooth 9.

Egronomics 10 Thumb hole stockstock just what i wanted.

Accuracy 9 Sub-MOA

Trigger 10 Jewell.

Reliability 10 Perfect

Other 10 Very good finish great recoil pad,

Comments: Once you get an MGA rifle nothing else will do

Snake
 
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