Help with Rifle Choice. Yeah, another one.

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Neo Enigma

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Hey all, I was needing help with a rifle choice. I'm looking at the following rifles and for other suggestions for a $500 and below budget: Winchester 70, Remington 700 (BDL or ADL?), Savage 10FLP, Weatherby Vanguard, and I think that's it. Keep in mind those were all found at Wally World except for the Savage.
So am I best off getting a Wal-Mart gun (I don't know if there is a difference between buying one there or ordering one from the site or through an FFL dealer) or looking through pawn shops? or getting one new through an FFL dealer.. or searching online at some auction. In other words, where is a good place to get a budget rifle?
I know everyone will say it boils down to personal preference and what I'll be using it for so.. I'll be using it for hunting across fields and plains, I want accuracy up to a 1000 yards though. Whichever one I decide on I will be putting a Harris Bipod, Bushnell Elite 3200, and maybe a Jewel or Timney trigger unless I get the Savage with the Accutrigger.. What are YOUR opinions? Thanks! (The rifle will mainly be used for target shooting and hunting, I know most deer are taken within a 100 yards but I want MOA accuracy beyond that)
 
Good luck, I'm pretty sure that you will not get the accuracy you're wanting out of a $500 gun.

Shooting out to 1,000 yards takes a quality, custom built rifle.

Steve
 
I would look at the Weatherby Vanguard, should give you good groups at 100yds with good ammo. I belive it is guarenteed from the factory. Non of those will be 1000yd competion rifles. But they would really in reality make great hunting rilfes.

I would get the Vanguard. What calibers were you looking at?
 
I don't purchase firearms at Wal-Mart.....

I'd rather give the business to my local dealer who discounts deeply. He often has the Mart specials in super shape used. Last year I picked up a minty 110 .270 synthetic stock, with a cheapie 3X9X32 scope for 235.00. I tossed the scope, mounts and installed a Timney trigger. It shot right with my SAKO L61. I later treated it to a Savage laminated stock and I'm very happy. You don't have to spend a fortune, the rifle was perfectly functional as purchased.....Essex
 
You can get a 1000-yard-capable rifle for under $500, but you will not be able to afford a scope up to the task in that same budget.

The Remington 700 series is the one most often used for long-range shooting, because they are usually decently accurate from the box (1 MOA) and they are relatively cheap.

The Savage 10FP is a good rifle for the price.

For 1000 yards shooting a 308, you will need approx 35-40 MOA "up" elevation available for common 175gr loads, from a 100-yard zero.

-z
 
Well, the $500 is for the rifle alone, not counting the extras. All together it would be about $1000. I thought you could get real good accuracy for that but I'm not a very experienced shooter. I apologize for my ignorance. Thanks for the replies though. I know that most HIGHLY accurate rifles retail for probably $1500 + but I thought I could find some median. I figured about 500 for the rifle, 200 for the stock, 200-300 for the scope, 100 or so for the bipod, etc. Anywho, thanks. I'll look at the Tikka along with the Savage. And the Weatherby. TY
 
You'd be surprised

The law of diminishing returns most certainly applies to rifles
Varmint models by
Tikka
Savage
Remington
Cz Varmint Kevlar
etc.
can be very very accurate (even the regular models).

I'd start with factory laminated stock and heavy barrel. You should be good to go.

The Bushnell Elites are a good deal. I like the Zeiss conquest line a lot.
 
Three of us here bought Savage .308s for less than $500 (rifle only) for F-T/R target shooting. Two of us have replaced the Accutriggers with Rifle Basix. The other got an Accutrigger that lives up to the advertising and doesn't need to.

They were fine as long as F-class (scope and bipod) used the same targets as Highpower but a "MOA" rifle is not competitive now that NRA has designed F-class targets with scoring rings about half size; 1 MOA tenring, half MOA X-ring. So the two of us that shoot the most are now in the market for new barrels at a cost of about $340 (Pac-Nor chambered and threaded for DIY installation on the locknut Savage action.) So we will then have thousand dollar "economy model" target rifles. Not counting scopes. Or Redding S-type dies, or Lapua brass, or Sierra Matchking bullets.

Just depends on your actual requirements.
 
I'll second the Savage choice, the Vanguard isn't bad, I have on ein '06 that's pretty decent after floating the barrel but the trigger is not as good as an accutrigger.

And Walmart is as good a place as any to buy a rifle, they make them available to everyone at tough to beat prices.
 
I take it you have never shot 1000 yards. You don't need, but after the first couple shots you will want, a $1000+ scope. (assuming your rifle was even on paper.

I wouldn't hunt big game over 300 yards, but thats a personal choice. Or are you planning on varmint hunting? You never said what caliber or what you will be hunting. Varmint hunting rifles will not be the best for 1000 yard target shooting anyways.

MOA at 100 yards is not hard to obtain with a market the way it is. Lots of people claim that now. MOA at 200, that is a bit more tricky for any rifle to promise. My Cooper does that with ease, but that is well out of your price range.


What type of shooting have you done? whats the furthest you have shot? There is no shame in a only shooting a little. Get a decent rifle and scope and you should be able to shoot 300 yards. Then you can try for 500. Really there is just so many variables that its hard to speculate here. But the biggest variable is money.

Savage gets lots of good reviews. I wouldn't hesitate to spend as much on the scope as on the rifle. I don't know much about Bushnell so I won't comment.
 
Another Tikka vote.

$500.00 is very modest for the performance you require. In that price range you can't beat the tikka T3 for out of the box accuracy. The fully adjustable factory trigger is as good if not better than most aftermarket drop-ins so save that money and put it towards the best scope you can afford. DO NOT, Repeat DO NOT use the free Tikka rings that come with the gun as they are junk. Don't skimp on rings, I would recommend Warne Maxima permanent tikka-base rings $35.00-40.00 range.(no bases needed)

I have several old & new Tikka's that will routinely out preform so called "custom" rifles at the range. But that's what works for me and just my opinion. Lambo119.....
 
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