Budget hunting rifles

[BUCKrub91]

look at some savages.. you can get a really nice one for your 500 dollar price range... and savage makes the best bolt guns for the money (in my opinion)

 

[mcdonl]

Easily the best trigger with the Accutrigger....

 

[Longrifle2506]

Of the cheapies; I would pick the Marlin. But TC Venture and Tikka I would say are a step above the cheapest rifles. I am a huge Sako Fan and I've seen a dozen Tikka owners post targets on forums with Half-inch groups. However, the TC Venture guarantees 1 MOA too. Actually, I don't know if Tikka has an accuracy guarantee. Sako sure does. I wouldn't be so quick to overlook the TC Venture. But of all the rifles mentioned; I'll bet the Tikka has the smoothest action.

If it was me and I had to spend my hard-earned money on one of the mentioned rifles. I would handle both the Tikka and the TC Venture; and choose which ever one feels the best; and feels more solid; which ever one feels the highest quality as well as fit.

 

[Kachok]

Tikka has a sub-moa guarantee, mine has no trouble living up to that.

 

[Old Dog Man]

Mid range hunting rifle

I've heard a lot of good things about the Mariln bolt gun's reported to be very accurate and good trigger. See how it fits and feels in your hands, maybe the one foe you. Al

 

[Kachok]

The marlin X7 rifles are good, my 308 would shoot tiny little groups. Very similar to the Savage in terms of it's weight, trigger, accuracy, just a little rougher action and finnish.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I bought a Vangaurd in .30-06 and have not regretted it for one second.

 

[ECVMatt]

I am going to give a vote to the Steven's 200. I just picked one up for $330 and it is a great rifle. The stock is really the only cheesy component and it is still more than functional. I needed a cheap rifle for varmint hunting in our "Lead-Free" zone and did not want to lay out a ton of cash as I don't hunt there often. The Stevens is much more than I expected for what I paid. I did throw a Rifle Basix trigger in it last night and it may be one of the best triggers in my safe now. I am going to shoot it next week and if I have no problems with the trigger (I don't see why I would, I am just anal I guess) then my next rifle is going to be a Savage 116 in .25-06.

The Steven's really impressed me; you might want to give them a look.

 

[Averageman]

Savage 11/110 A few bucks more then the Edge but for the Accutrigger is well worth it. Savage accuracy is well known, and no myth, but they can be picky about what they like, I have owned several of them and they all like something different but every one of them would shoot well under an inch with at leased one type of factory ammo, and even better with handloads.
This has been my experiance,
Winchester Supreme 168 grain Ballistic Silvertip were terrible in this rifle perhaps a 5 inch group @100 yds
Winchester Powerpoint 150 grain shot a nice clover leaf @ 100 consistantly dropping five rounds in the Bull.
The Accutrigger breaks so cleanly and light that it takes some getting used to if you fire a lot of pistol or military rifles.
I appreciate the back up irons on mine(which are easy to use and adjust) and have mounted a Burris Fullfield 3X9 on Steel QD rings.
My only complaint is that the wooden stock could be much nicer, but after all it is a hunter and not a wall hanger.

 

[Art Eatman]

With today's economy, I'd browse through several pawn shops for clean, used rifles. Their investment cost is typically around half their asking price. Even a gunshop likely has maybe 2/3 investment in their used rifles.

Plenty of room for bargaining, compared to new-gun prices.

In some thirty years of gunshow trading, I don't guess anybody ever tried to deal to me with a flawed or "junker" rifle in the pretense that it was cherry. Most used deer rifles don't get shot all that much...

 

[7Lug]

I have a Marlin xs7(short action, not stainless) in 7mm-08. 270 otd new, boyds stock 120to my house, dnz scope mount 50 and a Redfield 3x9 for 140 to my house. 580 total and she's a shooter, I can put 4 shots touching at 100yds.
That being said if I was to get a new bolt right now I would go with a savage 10/110 or a tikka.

That's been a gun I've been interested in but the stock has been the thing that keeps me from "pulling the trigger" - When they 1st came out no one made a thing for them, and now that Boyds makes a stock I'd be more interested in it. Can we see some pics of your rifle as it is now? I'd love to see it. IIRC the Marlin XS/XL won "Best Rifle <$400" in one of the magazines. It was compared against the Savage Axis/Edge, Remington 770, Stevens, and the Mossberg 100 ATR

 

[RCArms.com]

I would never recomend a Mosin as an all around hunting rifle, below avarage accuracy, stupid heavy, poor trigger/action...etc. By time you dress one up with a scope mount, bent bolt kit, aftermarket trigger and all those other goodies to give it almost decent egronomics you could have bought a nice modern rifle and had money to spare. They have Savage Axis rifles for $249 and Savage 110s for $299 bang for your buck no Mosin will hang with an egronomic, highly reliable, lightweight, sub MOA right out of the box rifle like that. The Mosin does make for a fun range toy though.

I've had quite positive experiences using a bone stock M91/30 for Whitetails here in MN.

Irons are adequate for me for shots inside of 200 yards as long as the deer is not running scared and the 7.62x54R is more than enough on medium to larger deer.

Don

 

[Kachok]

Real world prices are very differnt then MSRP, I have only once paid more then $400 for a Savage, the 110s were recently on sale here for $299 less then I paid for my XS-7, but the best deal I ever found on a rifle was my Stainless T3 for $408, that is my all time favorite rifle, all the accuracy of the Savages with Sako level refinment. If I would have known that it would have turned out so fantastic I would have bought every one they had
Don't get me wrong Don. I never said the Mosin was not capable of being a decent deer rifle, for someone that is ok with the Mosin issues they will do the trick quite well, but they will do nothing a cheap Mossberg, Marlin or Savage won't and the modern rifles are lighter, more accurate, more compact, smoother, better in every imaginable way. But hey if you are a Mosin guy and don't mind a 9lbs rifle by all means go for it, they will do the trick without a shadow of a doubt. I jank on them for their poor accuracy, only because my other rifles all shoot well under an inch at 100, but I can still hit a 10" target with a Mosin out to 200 no problem.

 

[slowr1der]

I also think the Savage Model 10 with the cheap scope and the accu trigger for right under $400 is a ton better than anything you listed.