accuracy for under $400

Swiss Schmidt-Rubin K31 7.5mm

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Swiss_1931_Carbine_Schmidt_Rubin_K31_Rifle_Select.html

But ammo is not cheap. You'd want to handload this cartridge.

2nd thought is a Mauser 98 8mm

You can pick up a milsurp Enfield that'll do that well.


I imagine if you keep your eyes open you can find a nice used Savage for that kind of money (something like this for example)

Remington 700 ADL's with synth stock can be had for less than $400 (find a RURAL Wal-Mart that still has guns). Get a 30/06. There's still plenty of Lake City Arsenal surplus ammo, etc. , available cheap from CMP (at least there was in the ad I saw 1-2 months ago). This will be way more accurate at long distances than an 8mm, .303, etc.

Yep, the Enfield is a prime example. AIM has .308 Enfields right now.

+1 on the Swiss, ammo is available from Prvi partizan for about $10 per box. The stock may be dinged up a bit, but the bores are excellent.

First off, military rifles are rarely if ever consistent in their accuracy across ranges. For example, a Mosin Nagant can be expected to deliver 4-6" groups (at worst) at 100 yards. This would extrapolate to an 18" group (worst case) at 300 yards. Given the average chest thickness of 20" or so you've got little if any chance of making that hit. Now if you were to place a target at 300 yards, you'll likely see that it actually shoots either larger or smaller groups than the 18". If you were to plot your MOA precision at 50 yard intervals I believe you'd find that it's extremely inconsistent. Please note that all of this is dependent on your sighting system. My personal belief is that the M1 Garand has it's accuracy reputation more as a function of its sights than anything else. For the K31, it's the ammo which is match quality (even though it's surplus).

So really the answer to your quest will likely end with a modern bolt action in .308 Winchester or 30-06 or 300 Win Mag. Because these rifles exhibit far less deviation from an accuracy standard throughout their engagement envelope. More than any single element, the quality of the ammunition will limit your accuracy potential. If there was a second place it would be your sighting system. In both cases, money will be well spent.

I would argue against the Enfields.Some of them are decent to great shooters but many are none to accurate for a variety of reasons. some of the ones I have seen have very rough triggers with not much available to fix them with (little aftermarket stuff available). Most all enfields have sloppy chambers (good for a battle rifle,causes problems for a reloader)
Many of the mill-surps now have cheep ammo but down the road that can bite you in the butt if the supply dries up. (this is the case now with .303 enfield) Another common problem with mill-surps is poor sight systems and little in the way of good cheep scope mount systems.
Why buy a beat used mil-surp when for a few bucks more (ok -quite a few more) gets you a used bolt gun from a major mfg in a common caliber? I would suggest 30-06 or .308 then hopefully you can grab some cheeper surplus ammo for blasting and also buy or reload better stuff for when you want accuracy or best performance when hunting.
As others have suggested some of the discount house new guns aren't much past your $400 budget.
Another way to go is spend $120-$160 for a SKS and use it now for blasting/plinking with cheep available ammo while saveing $450-500 for a decent bolt gun. Start the bolt gun with a cheep $50 scope and then move up to a decent $200-300 scope for a real nice package.The $300 or so is the low end of a decent scope,if you want higher power,bell and whistles, and stay with a good quality scope you can spend lots more.
Don't get me wrong, I own several mil-surps and enjoy shooting them a whole lot, I just don't think they will do what you are descriping in the gun you want.

mossy atr
howa
savage
stevens

+1 on savage and stevens rifles.

Stevens Model 200 can routinely be found on sale at Dick's/Gander/online for around $260, and if you search the forum most people are claiming consistent 1-1.5 MOA accuracy out of the box.

My Mosin does just fine, THANK YOU!!!

My Mosin shot very well at 400 Meters. As far as I went that day. Alot depends on the shooter and alot on the rifle. Both work well here.

Savage or Stevens will fill the bill nicely, .308 or 30-06 and you're in business.

A while back a friend was looking into getting a good hunting rifle, asked me about sporterizing a cheap mauser. I told him by the time he got it fixed up like he wanted it he would be better off buying a decent hunting rifle. I happened to see a nice used, older, Ruger M77 in 7mag at a local gun shop with a 3-9 Leupold scope for only $375! He stopped in the next day and bought it. It shoots under 1 1/2 moa consistently.

I bought a Remington 700 last year, the plastic stock model, in .223 Remington. Bi-Mart (small Northwest chain) has some great sales and had them for $299. They had 308s and 30-06 too. You rarely see even a used 700 for that price. I put a $65 Bushnell scope on it that was also on sale. It will shoot 3/4 moa with the right ammo.

So if you watch the sales and check the used rack in your local shop after hunting season (know what you're looking at) you should easily be able to get a real nice or even new rifle with scope for $400 or less in whatever caliber you like that should be able to consistantly hit a 6" target at 400 yards. Personally I like the 30-06 if I had to choose one. It about the best when you consider versatility, availability of ammo, long distance power, etc..

I love milsurps as much as anyone, but if you want a good accurate hunting rifle, buy a modern commercial hunting rifle. You will be glad you did.

Old 1970's commercial Mauser in 30-06 (Free.. gift from old man)
Cheap 6-24x scope $100
Bell & Carlson Stock $140
Fiberglass Bedding kit $12

The attached group is 5 shots and measures .896 inches at just over 100 yards. The range calls it 100 yards, but a members laser range finder calls the target about 112 yards from the firing line.

stevens 200

stevens 200 in .223 for about $260 works great.

Last 5 of 50 test shots using black hills 68 gr match with senior citizen [45 days younger than Saddam - rip] taking rest off sand bags at abq shooting range at 50 yards.

30-06 remington adl vs stevens 200 223

I'm about ready to compare accuracy of stevens 200 .223 using 55 gr vmax and ss109 compared to remington 700 adl shooting 130 speer hp bullets using varget.



30-06 in stevens 200 sounds like a good solution.

I am very impressed with the quality of the gun compared to the remington 700 adl

Thanks billp...I was thinking I needed something in 300 win. mag. After reading additional info on the rifle, it seems to be quite accurate and a real bargain.

You can pick up a Savage in just about any standard caliber you want that will deliver your needs for this price, or, as already mentioned a Rem 700ADL can solve the problem too.

I have a Savage in .270. I bought it for $275.00 shipped in basically new condition. It had been fired, but VERY little. Came with a scope and everything.

I just picked up a Rem 700ADL in .308 this past week in a trade. The estimate of the trade was between $350.00-$375.00 and it was NIB with a local High Road member.

The deal you are looking for is out there...haunt the forums classifieds and you will find it.

You must be signed in to see them...towards the bottom of the forum listings.

Swiss K31s shoot MOA beautifully. 1903A3s shoot fantastic when you acquire them with a good barrel. There are plenty of Milsurps that shoot extremely well. British SMLEs do well. You just have to check them out. They as a whole have been used and abused but you can find great shooters among them.

Used Savage package gun...

Like new at a local dealer $235.00. Drug on the market. Wal-Mart sold tons of them, but they don"t buy them when you're hard up for cash. Toss the Scope and Mounts, add an aftermarket trigger and You are GOLDEN! Call me frugal...Essex