30-06 Rifle Recommedations.

[Guns&Religion]

I'm mainly a pistol shooter, but I may be getting the chance to deer hunt in the near future. I'm looking for a bolt action rifle and scope setup, but I'm sort of a novice when it comes to rifles.

I like the Ruger M-77, but I've also considered other brands. I would like to stay within $500 if I can for the rifle itself. Are there any brands I should shy away from (what about Mossberg and Savage).

I'm sure the Remingtons and Winchesters would be fine, but really I would welcome any input.

Thanks.

 

[A-FIXER]

G&R, Yes remy's and win are ok as is the savage but the one you should not discount is the Howa 1500 in that flavor.
The savage has an ajustable trigger, quality out of the box...
The remy has history of 3 rings of steel and a bolt with a quality ejector
The win also has a fine history
The mossy has also been around and is made in the USA....
The howa is a fine rifle and has a ajust trigger as well very good action smooth and good ejector.

you'll get more advice I'm sure...

 

[Guns&Religion]

Thank you A-Fixer, and I appreciate all the advice I can get. I notice the price on the Mossbergs make them very tempting.

I know I'm showing my ignorance here, but would a more expensive Ruger or Remington be a more accurate rifle? (Or have a better trigger for long distance shots?) Or would paying more just mean paying for a better known rifle brand and/or a better finish on the rifle?

 

[TGReaper]

First I like your choice of caliber,had to beat a 30-06.

When we talk of modern rifles it is mostly what fits you best.My 30-06 is a Winchester Mod.70 with 24 in bbl. To me this is the best one. I also have a Ruger in .300 WM with a short bbl and a plastic stock that is an excellent rifle. I also have a Tikka 25-06 very smooth and deadly accurate.

I do not have any Remington's or Savage's,not that there is anything wrong with them,I just don't like them.

Recommendation : Look at as many as possible on will just feel right, that is the one you want.
TGR

 

[jpwilly]

There's a few on this board that would have you think that the Mossberg is subpar compared to other low doe rifles. I don't agree with them and in my own experience with the older ATR (prior to the adjustable trigger) it's a good rifles and I've had solid performance out of mine. That said for the same money you could have a Savage or Marlin XL7. The Marlin wasn't around when I purchased my ATR but if it had been I would have purchased it. If the Savage had the accutrigger for the same doe I would have opted for it instead of the Marlin. You get the idea...when trying to spend very little on a new rifle each feature is scrutinized for the value it brings. All of them shoot well and with good ammo and shooter maybe some tweaking can produce 1" 100yrd groups.

All of the rifles you mentioned will work and like others have said find one that fits you. Work the bolt, test the trigger (if possible). Shoulder the rifle, does it fit and how does it feel to you?

 

[H2oPumper]

I just picked up a Marlin XL-7 in a 30-06 as a secondary to my Ruger 270 Hawkeye. Only problem I have now is wondering if it'll stay the backup or become my primary carry rifle. It's lightweight, shoulders nice and the trigger is very good. I would have preferred a 308, only to have a 30 cal in a short action, but this one was on sale and they only had 30-06's and .270's in stock for $275. I topped it with a Nikon ProStaff 3-9x40 BDC for $170. I'm hitting 1.5" groups with 180gr Federal blue box cartridges at 100 yards.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I bought a Savage "Edge" in .30-'06 last year for under $400, scope included.
The supplied scope wasn't that impressive so I topped the rifle with an excellent Nikon Pro Staff 3x-9x.
Rifle shoots consistant 1&1/2" groups at 100 yds. with 180 Remigton Core-Loks, reloads of course.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

500 bucks will easily get you into a sps remington. that would be my choise hands down.

 

[Smith357]

If you browse the used rifle racks your options will open up considerably. There are plenty of fine sub $500 rifles w/scopes. When a friend and I were searching for inexpensive .30-06s for a hunting trip we searched the used racks, he found a nice sporterized A3-03 scoped with bi-pod and sling for $400 and I found a scoped Winchester M70 for $450. I came pretty darn close to going over budget with a $550 BAR MK II but the penny pincher in me prevailed.


A3-03


M70

 

[Art Eatman]

By and large in today's world there's no particular difference in accuracy among rifle brands--and this surely is the case for deer rifles.

Cost differences mostly have to do with fit and finish.

The old '06 works best for muzzle velocity with 24" to 26" barrels. For the common run of hunting rifles with 22" barrels, a .308 is as effective as the '06. Not enough performance difference to notice.

I had gunshow tables for some thirty years, and that was a lot of trade-in rifles. I generally tested them before pricing them for the next owner. Anything not beat up or rusty generally performed quite well. A clean used rifle is commonly a good, useful purchase. In today's economy I'd do some "hock shop homework", looking for a rifle. They won't have a lot of money in it, and they have a lot of room to bargain.

 

[Kachok]

30-06 is a great choice, best budget rifles in my experence are the Savages, Tikkas and the Marlin XL7s. Avoid budget Remingtons, I have owned two and been very unhappy with both of them. Never fired an ATR100 the whole class action lawsuit over the expolding bolt scared me off. My T3 Stainless is far and away my favorite rifle of all time ($408), if they gave it a Mauser extractor claw and a standard 24" barrel I would call it the PERFECT rifle. Smoothest action in the known universe, scarry accurate, 6lbs weight, fiber/matrix super slim ultra modern stock, magazine feed, and the perfect trigger. Nothing there not to like IMHO

 

[pikid89]

no one here is showin the ruger M77 any love???
they may not always be sub moa (but always MOD, or Minute of Deer)
they surely dont have the best factory trigger (nothin a timney cant fix in a jiffy)
but if you need a rifle that can make it to hell and back, then put meat in the freezer, then do it again, for many many years to come, then the ruger is the best

the ruger has a huge claw extractor that makes the Rem 700's extractor look like a toy
the MKII and later M77's have controlled round feeding, which is a feature that was in the heralded pre64 Win M70's...basically its darn near impossible to double feed, especially in tense hunting situations
Another cool ruger feature is the machined scope bases (these start with the mid MKI era)...eliminates one of the weak links in scope mounting, and as a bonus, new rugers include free, a set of probably the strongest scope rings around...AND, if they dont fit your scope, send them to ruger and they will send you the ones you want, no charge

I have a .270 KM77 all weather with the zytel canoe paddle stock that has been hunting with me for 10 years now, my dads got a mkI 270 hes been hunting with for close to 25 yrs, my mom hunts with a MKII compact 243, bro shoots a 243 canoe paddle, and i just sold the 7mm mag canoe paddle

can you tell im a M77 junkie lol
243

.270

7mm Mag

 

[Gtscotty]

In the upper portion of your price range I would say my main choices would be"

Tikka T3
Savage 110
Weatherby Vanguard
Howa 1500
Remington 700 SPS

My preference for the rifles would be pretty much in that order, but your mileage may vary. I wound up buying a T3 in '06, and am very happy with it. That said one day i'd like to own both the savage 110 and Weatherby vanguard (probably after a few more tikkas) as I think they are a excellent deals.

If you wanted to stay in the lower portion of your price range I think you would be hard pressed to do better than the Marlin xl7. My buddy has an xlz in '06 and I was really impressed with it, great accuracy, great trigger, nice action; it certainly delivers for $300.

Good luck with your buy!

 

[bgtusker]

Under $500...Guaranteed 1" moa/ 100yds...very accurate...TIKKA T3 Lite .30-06 @ Sports Authority. 6.18lbs., easy adjustable trigger, strong composite stock, great for bad weather, no scratches or swelling, good grip. Also has a coldhammer forged SAKO precision barrel of high-grade stainless steel or blued barrel. Get a Nikon Pro-Staff 3 - 9x 40 scope at Cabela's, 40% off ...for $99. Good luck.

 

[Cmeboston]

I have a model 50 JC Higgins by sears 30-06 and love it. It was called a poor mans Remington and has no checkering in the stock. The beauty is the action is a FN Mauser big ring and the barrel is chrome lined 24"
IDK what the used pricing is but I am sure it's under your budget. Keep your eye out they are a real gem


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Geckgo]

If you are going to go Remington, make sure you get a 700 and not a 770 or 710 if you want it to last a lifetime.

 

[Kachok]

The high end remmies are nice (when they WORK ) but buy a Tikka and you will never regret it IMHO. Best build quality this side of a $2500 Styer, smoothest action in the buisness, perfect trigger, high end composite stock and DEADLY accurate. Of the 20 or so rifles I have owned none of them beat the Tikka in any area, except for mabey the recoil pad (little stiff for my liking).

 

[slowr1der]

IMO by far the best deal out there currently is the Savage Model 110 at Walmart. It comes with the accu trigger which is great and just is a great all around rifle. The one at Walmart sells for $387 at my local Walmart and $397 at the one an hour away, but they are always under $400. It comes with a scope mounted on it as well as with a sling. This imo is the way to go. I can't believe I don't see it mentioned more on here. I see guys recommend the Savage 110's when someone is looking for a great rifle, but it's not often brought up in threads about budget rifles when in reality it's not much more expensive than any of the Mossberg or other cheap rifles. I'd probably stay away from the Edge just because it's not much cheaper than this 110, and it's no where near the quality.

Now, the scope that comes on it I'd recommending changing out. It might work for you for a while, but they aren't the best out there. I'd use it until I could afford something else or until it broke whichever came first, but I'd probably not want it on a rifle I'd plan to keep my whole life. As mentioned Cabela's has the Prostaff on clearance for $99 which is a good deal in it's price range. I've got one and it's been a solid reliable scope. The glass leaves a lot to be desired, but for $100 and it being reliable, you have to expect to give up something somewhere.

Another good option would be a Vortex Viper that's on clearance. They can't be beat for their price either imo.

One last great option if you can find any left is the Bushnell Elite 4200 Cabelas had on sale for $199. This is really an awesome scope for the money. It pretty much blows away any of the other scopes normally in the $200 price range.

 

[skoro]

30-06 Rifle Recommedation

The new Winchester Model 70 is really a nice rifle. I have a featherweight in 243 and wish I would have gotten my 30-06 as a M70, too.

 

[SleazyRider]

I hear you Skoro, I bought the new Model 70 in .270 and I'm very impressed, but I'm itchin' to get my hands on an XL7 in .30-06 as well. The walnut stocked version doesn't seem to be as easy to get.