Advice on which bolt gun to buy...

[Dionysusigma]

One of these days, I'm going to finally break down and get myself a decent bolt-action, heavy barrel rifle. The problem is, I thought I had it all figured out (I wanted a Remington 700 VLS in .308) until I finally got to hold a Springfield '03 for the first time today... and it totally threw me off. So, I'd like THR's help in deciding a really good rifle for me to get someday.

Preferred features:
To be used for longer distances, hunting, plinking, varminting, benchrest, etc. Basically anything that can be done with a rifle.

.308, since that caliber just... seems right. Preferably in the .30 cal range, but not anything weird like .300 Whisper or .338 Lapua... I like military calibers, in other words.

Overall weight isn't really that big of a concern. No S&W Airlites for me

I'd like something blued or Parkerized, definately not stainless.

Stock can be any material--glass-filled plastic, painted camo, wood, wood with a dyed camo pattern, etc.

It does not have to be new--the greatest rifles I've held were pretty much old, scarred sticks with almost no rifling and cost $60.00.

Must be able to accept up to a 10x50mm scope.

Barrel length must be at least 26".

Accurate (<1MOA @ 100yds), and with a decently strong action, that doesn't tend to break.

And finally, cost before accessories, scopes, etc.: Under $700.00

Thanks for all suggestions

 

[El Rojo]

You already had a good choice. Remington 700 VLS. I personally like the VS myself. The problem with those old guns (Springfields, Mosins, etc.) are you can't scope them as easy and for the wide range of things you want, they aren't always practical. The only thing is what is good for varmints in a 26" heavy barrel is bad for lugging around while hunting. I would make some other shorter barrel recommendations, but you specified 26" barrel.

Get you a nice hunting/varmint/match gun and then buy a bunch of old guns as you get the extra money.

 

[ID_shooting]

Heck, we have a local shop here that has your ticket. The have a .308 savage 10fp with leuy rings and bases, A springfield scope set up with .308 bullet drop, harris tilt and a black web sling. They want 850 for it, shoot, they are basically giving the rifle away since everything on it together costs that much.

 

[Black Majik]

I'm in the same position as you, and I think I've pretty much settled on the Winchester Stealth II. Its suppose to rival the Remington PSS but costs are a little cheaper.

I've done the research and people seem to like their Wincester Stealth's. The Stealth II is new for 2004. Also, they have em' in .308 which was the same caliber I was looking into also.

Lastly, it should be around the $660-$700 range from what I've read up on.

http://www.winchester-guns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=955&cat=001C

 

[Quintin Likely]

dionysusigma sez...

"I'd like something blued or Parkerized, definately not stainless.

Stock can be any material--glass-filled plastic, painted camo, wood, wood with a dyed camo pattern, etc.

It does not have to be new--the greatest rifles I've held were pretty much old, scarred sticks with almost no rifling and cost $60.00.

Must be able to accept up to a 10x50mm scope.

Barrel length must be at least 26".

Accurate (<1MOA @ 100yds), and with a decently strong action, that doesn't tend to break.

And finally, cost before accessories, scopes, etc.: Under $700.00"

Sounds like you want a Savage. $450ish out the door gets you a base 10FP in .308 with a 24" tube (I don't think you're gonna suffer much with two inches less) and the excellent Accutrigger. Yes, you can tune the trigger on a Winchester or Remington, but not as easily or freely as you can with the Savage. Add a couple hundred bucks more, and you can get one with a McMillian or Choate stock. I think they're the sleeper of precision rifles. Mine has been ungodly accurate. And the money you save from buying a Savage gives you more money to spend on optics and ammo.

Now, there's nothing wrong with Remchesters either. I have a great 700VS in .308 that's an absolute tackdriver right out the box. The triggers on them general suck out the box though. IMO, though, Savages are the best bang for the buck you can get in an accurate bolt gun.

 

[nipprdog]

Sounds like you want a Savage. $450ish out the door gets you a base 10FP in .308 with a 24" tube (I don't think you're gonna suffer much with two inches less) and the excellent Accutrigger.

another vote for the savage.
actually, the current 10FPLE2 has a 26" barrel.

LINK

I recently bought a 10FPLE1 in 308 with the 20" barrel for my first bolt gun.
even with the wimpy stock, it shoots under 1" at 225yds with GMM.

 

[Black Snowman]

As usual I have to throw in a vote for my pet rifle: the CZ 550.

You have 3 stock choices in the heavy barrelled Varmit model. A standard "American" style wood stock, a kevlar stock, and a laminate stock.

I got my CZ 550 Varmit Laminated out the door with rings and tax for under $700.00 from a local shop.

One of my favorite features of the CZ centerfire rilfles is the single set trigger. Really nice for precision rested shooting. The regular trigger pull was bit gritty on mine but I was able to clean up the engagement surface myself and smooth it out beutifully. Now it's the equal of any other rifle I've shot.

Oh, and with reloads I'm still developing it will do sub MOA at 100 yards all day long. I'm working on getting my reloads matched up to the rifle and my shooting technique down to get it closer to the .5 MOA I'm sure the gun is capable of.

 

[rust collector]

You and Rojo are on the right track going to a .308 in a bolt gun. That is a great core that allows you to do just about anything most of us ever need. You will want to fondle the Remington, Winchester, & Savage guns at minimum. If you're more (or less) of a traditional type, a CZ 550 or Tikka T-3 may be good for some smiles. Try as many as you can to avoid buyer's remorse--trades are usually a losing proposition unless you're a seasoned veteran.

Later, if you want to spend more time on varmints or punching paper, you'll want to check out .223 or other small centerfires. If you're fascinated by old iron as I am, you can add surplus ordnance that strikes your fancy when attractive stuff becomes available. All the while, you will have your go-to .308.

It's nice to have a rifle that's good at most everything, but I hope that's a starting point rather than a final objective. And be sure whatever you get is fun to shoot, so you'll get out there and be proficient with it!

 

[artherd]

Here ya go!

Available in .338 Lapua, .300WM, and even .308Win.

Though you'll be hard pressed to find one for anywhere near $700.

I just picked up one USED for $1200 in .338. The .308 model is cheaper by several $hundreds though, so you stand a chance.

Then again, you cannot go wrong with a Rem700PSS.

 

[Detritus]

another vote for the savage.
actually, the current 10FPLE2 has a 26" barrel.

add another Savage-a-phile's vote to the tally. what you seem to be in the market for would be very easily filled by a heavy barreled savage.

and the 12FV comes with a 26" barrel, is blued, and should run in the $450-500 range, (haven't checked the "real" going rate b/c i'm too broke for it to matter)

the one drawback to the non "LE" model 10FPs and 12FVs (same gun different finish, and ALL "LE" models are 10FPs) is that they come with a at best "usable" factory stock that if you get truly serious about using the rifle for precision work needs to be replaced. there are many many options for this, the most common are as follows,

Choate "ultimate Varmint/ Ult. Sniper" this is the "choate" stock listed as a factory option on some savages.

Bell and Carlson: a decent option but is known to need work in the lug recess to get the barreled action to sit straight in the stock, also many have reported lack of proper in-letting for the "accu-trigger", and (last i saw) B&C does not show signs of addressing these issues.

"stockade" from Lock. Stock & Barrel: good stocks, Stockade offers several designs that get good reveiws and from reports tend to be almost drop-in fit, but bedding makes almost any stock/rifle fit better. these are available in pre-painted, filled primed and ready to paint, and "money saver" (YOU fill, prime, and paint)

stocks from SharpShooter's Supply: these stocks are actually the Stockade brand, just with different names that tell WHAT their for rather than giving it a fancy trade name, and the price is a little more (SSS is not as big a buyer as Lock,stock,and barrel). if you are interested in a Savage you should visit and bookmark the SSS Website anyway b/c it's pretty much THE place for savage "stuff"

then and lastly there is the true top of the line for rifle stocks,

McMillan has molds, inlets available for just about all their stocks geared toward the Savages. but to tell the truth if i planned to imediately get a McMillan on a new savage i'd get a 10FP-LE2B as in that case everything is already there, though that option is out of your stated prce range.

anyway i better hush and go to bed it's almost 3 am as i write this and i need sleep.

 

[Surely]

t3

Cant go wrong with a tikka. Local dealer told me if he could choose any gun under 1000 bucks for himself to keep and use he would take a T3, at 500 bucks, over any of the other brands like the A bolts or whatever, even though they cost like 300 bucks more. Anyway get whatever caliber you like best but be sure to check out the Tikka rifles, and try out the triggers if you can, Tikka has a sweet, easy to adjust trigger unlike many brands which need a gunsmith to make them pleasant to use.