Pretty simple question. What's the best bolt action hunting rifle on the market for the money? I know Weatherby has the 399 deal. Not even sure if it is still going on though. I'm leaning towards the new Winchester or a Savage. Which Savage I'm unsure of. All I know is I'm getting a new hunting rifle and I need range time before September. What you say?
Best Bolt Action Hunting Rifle on the Market for the Money
- Thread starter blackops
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Zak Smith
Member
"Best" is one thing - and can reasonably be objectively determined.
"For the money" is another - and is almost always a subjective call based on where someone draws the line.
"For the money" is another - and is almost always a subjective call based on where someone draws the line.
My Weatherby Vanguard .270 Win (synthetic) actually cost $420.00 when advertised at $399.00. I don't know why. Anyhow, what you're hinting at is "point-of-rationality": the most for the least. In my experience, the Vanguard walks away from all others. They are forged steel, and use a one-piece bolt. Best of all, they all have a 1.5 MOA accuracy guarantee, and you can see the target before buying.
Geno
Geno
Lots of budget rifle shoot well. The vangaurd is a good rifle. The TC venture is another. The base savage line or stevens line(basically identical other than the accutrigger). The Marlin XL7 or XS7 as well. Remington has the SPS line. I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of sub $500 rifles that shoot great as well. Of those listed they all should shoot better than 1.5" at 100 yards with the right ammo, and most will hold under 1" at 100 yards.
Today's bottom dollar market offers multiple accurate rifles. They lack a lot of high end features but in the end, they are great game getters. I would find the one that fits you best and that for whatever reason calls to you most. Avoid the Remington 770 and maybe the mossberg line(maybe), and you should find a decent hunting rifle. Some may argue about which is better than the next or how one tends to be a little better here or there but in the end the sub $500 market is saturated with a sea of great but similar performing rifles that you really have to try to make a bad decision.
Today's bottom dollar market offers multiple accurate rifles. They lack a lot of high end features but in the end, they are great game getters. I would find the one that fits you best and that for whatever reason calls to you most. Avoid the Remington 770 and maybe the mossberg line(maybe), and you should find a decent hunting rifle. Some may argue about which is better than the next or how one tends to be a little better here or there but in the end the sub $500 market is saturated with a sea of great but similar performing rifles that you really have to try to make a bad decision.
This is a highly opinionated question and that's why I asked it in the manner I did. I want opinions. I'm not concluding that there is a "Best." I’m sure people will have an opinion of more than one rifle and with that information I can make a more informed decision. Next time I will be more careful with my wording for the technical members of the forum.
Regards,
Travis
Regards,
Travis
Of the 2 you mention I'd go Winchester in a heartbeat. Depending on what features are important to you an argument could be made for almost any rifle. To some people $300 is a lot of money and to others $1,000 is pocket change.
The Kimber 84M at $1,100 is a lot of gun for the money. So is the Vanguard at $400.
If I am buying a new hunting rifle for me it would be either the Winchester or Kimber. They cost more, but it is well worth the price for the features that are important to me.
If you are looking for the absolute least expensive rifle that is accurate and reliable I'd look at the Stevens 200 which is well proven. Or the new Marlin XL-7 or XS-7. I actually like the Marlin better, but it has not been around long enough to say for sure about reliability.
If you can live with the weight the Vanguard at around $400 is a good gun. I had one for a while, it was just waaay too heavy for my tastes.
The Kimber 84M at $1,100 is a lot of gun for the money. So is the Vanguard at $400.
If I am buying a new hunting rifle for me it would be either the Winchester or Kimber. They cost more, but it is well worth the price for the features that are important to me.
If you are looking for the absolute least expensive rifle that is accurate and reliable I'd look at the Stevens 200 which is well proven. Or the new Marlin XL-7 or XS-7. I actually like the Marlin better, but it has not been around long enough to say for sure about reliability.
If you can live with the weight the Vanguard at around $400 is a good gun. I had one for a while, it was just waaay too heavy for my tastes.
Zak Smith
Member
If I were to buy a relatively cheap hunting rifle today, it would be the Tikka T3 without question.
FlyinBryan
Member
depends completely on "the money"
if you work for white castle sausage-sized-burgers-for-less, it would be the mosin nagant 91/30.
(i have several even though i make slightly more than i would working at a white castle)
for a normal dude (or chick) i would say a nice tikka, ruger, savage, rem700, weatherby, etc, etc,,,,,
they are really all decent.
my preference would probably be the remington 700 in 308, maybe 30-06 since i already have the dies.
if you work for white castle sausage-sized-burgers-for-less, it would be the mosin nagant 91/30.
(i have several even though i make slightly more than i would working at a white castle)
for a normal dude (or chick) i would say a nice tikka, ruger, savage, rem700, weatherby, etc, etc,,,,,
they are really all decent.
my preference would probably be the remington 700 in 308, maybe 30-06 since i already have the dies.
usmc1371
Member
Personaly I am a huge Ruger fan. But my best firend shoots a Tikka 300wsm and I have to say it shoots great and is light I would look real hard at one if I were looking for a new bolt gun.
blackops said:
Without sounding facetious, the answer is ... the one you WANT!! We should consider ourselves lucky that there are so many outstanding rifles available to us these days ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. My next hunting rifle will either be a Winchester, Thompson Center or Kimber. I've narrowed the choice down to the following which are all around the $1000 mark. For me, they're the best bolt action hunting rifles for the money. As stunning as the Kimber wood stocks are, I just can't see myself banging one of those up in the field so I'd go with a synthetic stock for sure. Stainless is important to me too (or at least a very good coating on carbon steel) so here are the three contenders. I'd love a Kimber Caprivi in .458 Lott just to look at if nothing else but that's not going to happen anytime soon.
Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather SS chambered in .30-06
Thompson Center ICON Weather Shield chambered in .30-06
Kimber 8400 Montana chambered in .300 WSM, .300 Win Mag or .338 Win Mag (no .30-06 offered)
NWCP
Member
You might want to take a look at the CZ line of rifles. I have their 550FS in .308. An excellent hunting rifle IMHO.
These are my choices so far.
http://www.savagearms.com/accuracy/accustock/
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/finder/
http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/detail.asp?family=001C&mid=535114
Also I was thinking of the Weatherby Vanguard and buying a B&C Medalist stock. I think slapping that barreled action down on an aluminum block wouldn't be a bad idea.
http://www.savagearms.com/accuracy/accustock/
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/finder/
http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/detail.asp?family=001C&mid=535114
Also I was thinking of the Weatherby Vanguard and buying a B&C Medalist stock. I think slapping that barreled action down on an aluminum block wouldn't be a bad idea.
blackops said:
You mean this ...
... I think it'd make a fine hunting rifle. Last year I bought a Savage Weather Warrior 16 FCSS chambered in 7mm-08 but I still can't get the thing to shoot worth a damn! I may either sell it or order a 1:9 barrel for it ... most likely the latter since I don't sell/trade my firearms. I will say that for the money the Savage is a great rifle. The fit/finish and overall appeal (to me) doesn't match the Remington 700 but as for being a good field rifle ... heck yeah ... once the ridiculous recoil pad has been incinerated!! The AccuStock isn't anything to write home about either but the AccuTrigger is good, the action is smooth, the three-position safety is excellent and overall it's worth $600 to $700.
Big_E said:
I don't drink any "coolaid" from any company (ok ... a couple maybe) but I have three Remington 700s that have been nothing short of superb rifles. I upgraded all three bolts to PT&G one-piece bolts with Sako extractors and welded-on bolt handles but that was a personal decision and certainly not essential. All three were sub MOA out of the box with reloads, all three had excellent fit and finish and I plan on keeping all three until the end.
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Abel
Member
I vote for the M70 Featherweight.
aka108
Member
Howa 1500. Same as Vanguard but less expensive.
rbernie
Contributing Member
Tikka T3, without a doubt. For $100-$150 more than the Howa 1500/Weatherby Vanguard and for the same price as most bottom-level SmithRugRemWinSavTC rifles, you get a level of accuracy and finish and quality that is simply amazing and cannot be duplicated by any SmithRugRemWinSavTC that sells for less than a grand. I like the Howa/Vanguard, but the Tikka is a far nicer piece in virtually every dimension.
It's not the cheapest (the Mossy ATR likely takes that prize), but it's the best value by far.
It's not the cheapest (the Mossy ATR likely takes that prize), but it's the best value by far.
villemur
Member
I have a Remington 700 in BDL (30-06) and I love it. It's accurate, has a very good trigger, and I've used it on moose and deer. It is ugly - with the black plastic stock and enamel-type finish, however, I didn't buy it for its looks.
However, if I were looking today I'd really consider a Savage with an Accustock. During the off season it's fun to go to the range and see how small you can make the groups. Everyone says that the Savage is great for that. Also, down the road, it's easy enough to swap barrels on a Savage if you ever want/need to.
However, if I were looking today I'd really consider a Savage with an Accustock. During the off season it's fun to go to the range and see how small you can make the groups. Everyone says that the Savage is great for that. Also, down the road, it's easy enough to swap barrels on a Savage if you ever want/need to.
http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/icon_classic.php
If you can find one of these in your price range (they may be bordering on your upper limit) it's going to be the most bang for the buck, IMO.
I have one in .308 that is truely a 1/2 MOA rifle right out of the box, best wishes.
If you can find one of these in your price range (they may be bordering on your upper limit) it's going to be the most bang for the buck, IMO.
I have one in .308 that is truely a 1/2 MOA rifle right out of the box, best wishes.
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