• You are using the old Black Responsive theme. We have installed a new dark theme for you, called UI.X. This will work better with the new upgrade of our software. You can select it at the bottom of any page.

Choose your weapon! No, really...

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

newshooter6

Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2011
Messages
46
Location
Connecticut
I am interested in picking up a nice little plinker chambered in .308. After many hours of research and looking around on the interweb I have narrowed it down to a few choices. So, choose your weapon!

1.) Marlin XS7
2.) Stevens 200
3.) Weatherby Sporter (used)

Before people start recommending Howa and and Savage. I would have no prob. with a Howa but it really isn't within my price range. And as for savage, well the Stevens is close enough for my purpose, anything with an acutriger is too expensive (besides the Marlin). Not interested in the axis/edge, just can't get into the stock. Currently in the $400 range, 300 or so for the rifle and the rest for the glass (not interested in combo packs). This will be mainly for paper in the 100-200 yard range, and of course a whole lotta fun :)

p.s.

If I can find a Remington 700 SPS / ADL for under $400 all bets are off and that's the one I will definitely go for. But, just in case I am not so fortunate, the above options is what I've boiled it down to.
 
Last edited:
what about the savage axis series? My LGS sells them for around $279 last i looked. Heck i think they were running a special for $299 with the scope that has been zero'd i think. I've been leaning on picking one up recently and held one. Felt pretty good.
 
Last edited:
I went with the Marlin, though in 7-08. I like the stock and the action of the bolt better than the other low price rifles I tried. Check as many as you can and see which one you like best.
 
308 =/= plinking. The cost of ammo will quickly surpass the price of a basic rifle like the ones listed. Even reloading it will be more expensive than other options. Plinking is a very broad term. What are you looking to accomplish with this rifle and caliber?
 
Something I can bring down to the range on the weekends and get used to owning cleaning and operating a basic firearm for a while shooting paper at 100-200 yards before one day getting an AR15 or tactical AK project together (when I have the money) I heard .308 wasn't all that expensive surplus and I want some kick back when I pull the trigger if it really is a pricey round I might look at something else but I only plan on going to the range a few times a month figured the ammo wouldn't be all that bad?
 
Marlin XS 7 in 243 has performed great in two rifles. Marlin XL 7 25-06 is doing a great job. Academy has the Remington ADL for 379.99 and sometimes on sale for 349.99. The Weatherby Vanguard, in any variety, is a howa rifle made for Vanguard. I have had three Vanguards through the years and they all did well. Important thing is to buy a rifle you like, feel, looks, trigger, etc, and just have FUN!!!!!
 
308 =/= plinking. The cost of ammo will quickly surpass the price of a basic rifle like the ones listed.
Click to expand...

What he said. I have a free rifle (308 enfield which fires 7.62 x 51 NATO) and it is an expensive fellow to feed without reloading. If I bought another 308, I'd need a reloading press first or neither would see more than a box per month or so. At that rate, I'm better served to just buy ammo for my other guns as opposed to buying a rifle that sees less than 200 rounds a year and never goes hunting.
 
marlin xs7 is quite a shooter for a small amount of money. Stevens is another good choice but the marlin has an adjustable trigger for the same $$.. both shoot great groups
 
Thanks for the advice. I was leaning towards the Marlin anyways, just making sure it was a good call. As for the .308 It's not really a necessity just thought it would be nice to have something w. Some power if I did ever get into hunting (unlikely) or if ya know, the world is coming to an end and I don't have time to grab an AR from my brother lol

Also, would you still pick up the Marlin if you had the option of a used Remington 700?

I'll head over to Hoffmans next week and take a look at one, good chance I'll be bringing it home... in a few weeks, I guess they want you to calm down or something? Anyways thanks again for the advice I'll check back in and let peoples know how it is at some point here.
 
Either the Stevens or the Marlin, might be able to get the Stevens cheaper than the Marlin though so that might help with glass. When I got my XS7 and scope it came out to 630 is for a complete setup.
 
To me, the biggest problem with any of these rifles was the lack of iron sights. Good irons are absolutely necessary because optics can become unusable. I paid an extra $100 to have a set of irons put on my Marlin by a local gunsmith. I do have a very nice new Weaver K4 on it as well, but I wouldn't consider hunting with it until I had a backup sight option.

Since you, OP, say you're just learning to shoot a rifle, my advice is to buy something with iron sights. The ammunition cost issue is going to be real as well. Right now SAMCO has Sellier & Bellot, Czech, 1980-1983 FMJ .308 available for 32.9¢ per Round (400 Rounds for $131.60 or 1060 ROUND CASE for $338.14). That's the cheapest I'm aware of right now. Keep that in mind.
 
Wow, I'm gonna be the lone ranger here and go with the Weatherby. My dad always fawned over those when I was growing up, he thought they were the pinnacle of hunting arms. Certainly better than Stevens or Marlin from what I recall.
 
Strykervet said:
Wow, I'm gonna be the lone ranger here and go with the Weatherby. My dad always fawned over those when I was growing up, he thought they were the pinnacle of hunting arms. Certainly better than Stevens or Marlin from what I recall.
Click to expand...
He is looking at the low end budget Weatherby, not the really nice ones.

OP.. I think you should really consider a .223 instead of the .308 for your intended purpose. At 200 yards either will be accurate but the .223 will be considerably cheaper and easier on the shoulder.
 
As others have stated, .308 is really not cheap at all to plink with. By going with a .223 you'd be literally shooting twice as much for the same amount of money.
I think if you want an AR, maybe you should save a bit longer and get one. By the time you factor ammo costs in, you'll probably be shooting as many rounds in a year's worth of plinking AND have the rifle you want.

Alternate plan...
If you want to have a decent rifle to learn firearms on, maybe a Mosin Nagant for $100, some cheap surplus ammo, and stick the rest in the sock drawer for the AR fund.

If you're still set on .308, more power to you.
 
Not a fan of super cheap ammo or 22 LR's becausewhen I shoot a gun, I would like to feel like I just shot a gun... not sure if that makes any sense. Anyways, I will likely go with the marlin unless I pick it up and for some reason really can't stand the stock or the feel. Hoffmans in CT is considered to be one of the best dealers in the state and I hear the customer service there is great so if I do go used on a higher end weatherby or Remington 700 they will probably have decent product. I'll take a shot out of the .308 and one of the lower calibers and see what I like best. Certainly not getting into hand loading so it would probably be best to go w. the .223 Although I heard that they aren't all that cheap any more due to it being standard issue military now. what about .270 win? How can optics become unusable if it's only at the range or in a padded case?

As for the rifle, I've heard you get what you pay for is pretty much the consensus of opinion so something under the $300 range seems to be a bit risky. Yes, I do gamble but not when it comes to something I want to spend a decent amount of hard earned money on a product that supposed to last... and happens to involve explosive/dangerous chemicals and or objects which fly at thousands of feet per second
 
Last edited:
newshooter6 said:
Not a fan of super cheap ammo or 22 LR's becausewhen I shoot a gun, I would like to feel like I just shot a gun... not sure if that makes any sense. Anyways, I will likely go with the marlin unless I pick it up and for some reason really can't stand the stock or the feel. Hoffmans in CT is considered to be one of the best dealers in the state and I hear the customer service there is great so if I do go used on a higher end weatherby or Remington 700 they will probably have decent product. I'll take a shot out of the .308 and one of the lower calibers and see what I like best. Certainly not getting into hand loading so it would probably be best to go w. the .223 Although I heard that they aren't all that cheap any more due to it being standard issue military now. what about .270 win? How can optics become unusable if it's only at the range or in a padded case?

As for the rifle, I've heard you get what you pay for is pretty much the consensus of opinion so something under the $300 range seems to be a bit risky. Yes, I do gamble but not when it comes to something I want to spend a decent amount of hard earned money on a product that supposed to last... and happens to involve explosive/dangerous chemicals and or objects which fly at thousands of feet per second
Click to expand...
The .223 still has some recoil to it. You seem to have a limited budget on the rifle, thats why people are suggesting the .223.
 
newshooter6 said:
Not a fan of super cheap ammo or 22 LR's becausewhen I shoot a gun, I would like to feel like I just shot a gun... not sure if that makes any sense. Anyways, I will likely go with the marlin unless I pick it up and for some reason really can't stand the stock or the feel. Hoffmans in CT is considered to be one of the best dealers in the state and I hear the customer service there is great so if I do go used on a higher end weatherby or Remington 700 they will probably have decent product. I'll take a shot out of the .308 and one of the lower calibers and see what I like best. Certainly not getting into hand loading so it would probably be best to go w. the .223 Although I heard that they aren't all that cheap any more due to it being standard issue military now. what about .270 win? How can optics become unusable if it's only at the range or in a padded case?

As for the rifle, I've heard you get what you pay for is pretty much the consensus of opinion so something under the $300 range seems to be a bit risky. Yes, I do gamble but not when it comes to something I want to spend a decent amount of hard earned money on a product that supposed to last... and happens to involve explosive/dangerous chemicals and or objects which fly at thousands of feet per second

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...


For your uses, optics on a sporter would probably be fine and not have much risk. Not much can go wrong with a safe queen. Still, if this is indeed your first rifle, you might want to learn a bit about open sights. I prefer open sights and wouldn't own a gun that didn't at least have them as a back-up. If I can make a shot with irons that you need a scope to make, I'll outshoot you with your own scoped rifle every time. Not to boast, because I'm a little rusty now, but I have actually done this. People have stopped me at the range and asked them to zero the scopes on their deer rifles for them after seeing my open-sight groups at 100 yards. Learning with irons is the best way to go IMO.

Experience has taught me that Savage (Stevens) is a pretty good brand for an economical and accurate rifle. I'm not sure if they're in your price range, but I've considered the Weatherby Vanguard in the past. Didn't buy one because I don't hunt much these days, but I probably would. FWIW, if I bought one it would be .308 because that's what I'm set up to load and shoot. I've reloaded it for about ten years now and know it pretty well... which is how I can tell you that if you want to shoot a whole lot, you might want to consider something other than .308. BTW - it's one of the cheaper centerfire rounds precisely because of the military connection. In years past you could get 980 round cans of good South African surplus (capable of groups in the 1.5 inch at 100 yard range) for about $140. IIRC, Portuguese was about the same price for 1,000 rounds. But suffice it to say that you won't be finding good quality noncorrosive .308/7.62x51 for that price now.
I am pretty sure the S&B stuff cited earlier is corrosive primed, but I don't think that would matter much with a bolt action as long as you understand what's needed to clean it properly.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
Which Rifle to buy?
Replies
17
Views
919
tc54
T
S
  • Locked
Any new info on Stevens vs. XS7 debate?
Replies
12
Views
958
Maverick223
Maverick223
Peakbagger46
  • Locked
Looking for .223 bolt gun
Replies
23
Views
1K
CB900F
C
D
  • Locked
.25-06 Rifle- Should I upgrade or sell?
Replies
13
Views
1K
loadedround
L
M
  • Locked
Help Choosing Caliber
Replies
12
Views
647
Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow
D
Back
Top