Help with new hunting rifle

[Vyacheslav]

It certainly is not. The Savages are a nice buy and have a well earned reputation for accuracy. But they aren't better than the new M70 rifles. On par, maybe. Especially when you compare equal models.

the savage is far more accurate and winchester can't even come close to the accutrigger

 

[TheAmplifiedsoul]

I'd go for the Savage in 30-06 as well. Very versatile round in a very accurate rifle.

 

[Uncle Mike]

The majority of the Winchester M-70's we have set-up at the shop has shot in the 1.5"@100y neighborhood, some occasionally dipping into the magic MOA realm!

The Savage will be your best bet for obtaining an accurate rifle without taking the accuracy 'gamble' we seem to have to do with most other manufacturers.

Truth is....IF everything were to be equal, and all the rifles preformed their best on that day, they all, with the exception of some of the 'better' rifles made, will shoot about the same, and as far as gaming and shooting ability of most folks is concerned, they are all, pretty much accurate enough, truth be told.

The Winchester is not by far, 'a more accurate than the rest' rifle, but they are not all that bad, just watch the flimsy safety, it wont take muck grief before it falls off the back of the bolt.

Seems Savage is more consistent with the accuracy of their rifles, or should I say, making accurate rifles.

You could always get a Steyr...you'll get pretty and accurate all rolled into one! hehehe

 

[Robert Wilson]

I would choose the .30-06. It will do for any non-dangerous game in North America.

As for rifles, there is a high probability that you can go into any sporting goods store in the country, choose any rifle in .30-06, and have a good, reliable rifle that will have all the accuracy you need for your purpose. There is a chance that it won't be accurate or reliable, but that chance exists with any brand. I have had very good rifles and very bad rifles from most major manufacturers, including Savage and Winchester. It's a mistake to make concrete statements about rifle quality based upon limited sample sizes.

I personally base a great deal of my rifle-buying decisions on the fit and feel of the rifle. I like to hold a rifle, feel how it balances between my hands, throw to my shoulder and see if the sights end up in front of my eye, and so on. For me, Rugers make me happiest, not because they are better than anything else, but because they offer more-or-less the same function of any other mass produced rifle, but fit me better than anything else.

I suppose that means I should be screaming at folks that Ruger is the best thing ever and everything else is trash, but I'm still getting the hang of this in-ter-net thingie.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Abel, Don't get me wrong, I am a long time Winchester fan. I have owned many in my 40+ years of firearm ownership and more than not I was more than happy with them. But in the last 15 years I have watched as they have declined in quality. They are not the only ones as far as the "big boys" in the field. It isn't just one either. I have seen this in several rifles from them as well as Rem and even Marlins for a while and I have a feeling they will be on the down slide again as well. The economy as well as the anti's have affected all the big brand guns. Craftsmanship today is fading fast. The big boys just look at the bottom line, increasing price and sacrificing accuracy and quality in the end product. If Winchester would come back to quality of the past they would find that their bottom line would fatten up for the long haul instead of bloating now and then disappearing in the long run. As I stated earlier, I refuse to pay for a weapon to just look at all pretty on my wall because I am afraid to take it out and hunt with it for fear of scratching the damn thing or for fear that I will have a 250 yard shot at an Elk or White Tail of my dreams and I am not sure that the damn thing will be on well enough to make the shot. You say you would put any new Winchester up against any new Savage. Tell you what. I have 3 completely stock Savages that I will match up to any stock Winchester produced in the last 15 years of similar calibre. The only work done on them is scoping. No further accurizing has been done. Straight from the factory mass produced barrels and triggers and stocks. One is an el cheapo Dicks special and darned if it isn't the most accurate of the 3!! Clover leaf all holes touching at 100 and will do that all day till I get wore out. Never had any Winchester do that from the factory. Hell I've not had too dern many "souped up" rifles shoot as accurate as that thing. I would say it is a fluke but considering the other 2 shoot pretty close to it I guess it isn't.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Wish I could find a stock Ruger that fit me well Robert. They are one of the few "Big Boys" that, from what I hear and have seen on the ranges, is trying it's best to stay consistent and accurate. Just never have found one that I wouldn't have to re-stock to fit me. Very long for-arms are a pain in the rear sometimes

 

[Robert Wilson]

Here on THR I've heard all sort of stories about how awful Rugers are, that their accuracy is terrible, that their barrels are made by gorillas with drill presses, and that Bill Ruger was the Antichrist. I have had a couple of them that needed a lot of help, but overall they seem about the same quality as anything else.

FWIW, I have a bolt action Savage .308 that groups consistently at three MOA - and that's after a great deal of load development. Some day I'll get around to re-barreling it, because aside from the accuracy bug-a-boo it's a very good rifle. Just goes to show that any manufacturer will occasionally put out a lemon.

 

[Al Thompson]

.30-06 fan here. Agree with Scratchndent, bigger bullets are better. If you truly want more velocity, get a Howa in .300 Weatherby. The .300WM is only a 200 FPS more cartridge unless you reload.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Robert, before you go re-barreling it have it re-crowned. Inexpensive to have done and a lot of times that is the culprit. Could also be a head space issue. And then again, you could have got a lemon barrel. It happens. I have found that an 11 degree crown seems to work best for most 30 calibre at least for my loadings anyway. Have not had one recessed yet but I was actually thinking about getting my 7mm.08 done in recessed crown just to give it a swing. 26 inch barrel on it so if it doesn't work out I have more than enough barrel to "zip and strip" and redo it if needed.

As far as Ruger Rifles go, in the past I would have firmly agreed with most about them but here of late they have been seriously improving from what I have seen.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Among other things, the Savage barrel was apparently manufactured crooked and then straightened by Savage. This is almost universal among major manufacturers and often works well enough, but in this case the straightened barrel walks its shots badly as it heats up. A sure cure for such nonsense is a good aftermarket barrel, as few if any of the big name barrel makers will straighten a barrel that was made crooked.

 

[HOOfan_1]

Here on THR I've heard all sort of stories about how awful Rugers are

Look hard enough and you will find someone running down any brand. "Quality fading, quality was never there blah blah blah."

Remington, Winchester, Savage, CZ, even Sako.......

 

[Robert Wilson]

Yep. I guess I could have used fewer words to get to that point!