Levels of bolt action rifles

[Corn-Picker]

HexHead,

If I was ever to own another Blaser it would be the R8 professional. I owned an R-93 and it was accurate and well built but it had several issues that I didn't like. The primary one was the bolt on mine was easy to knock out of battery and then the rifle wouldn't fire. Also the R-93 series had a history of blowing the bolt out the back of the gun and severely injuried several shooters over the years.

They fixed all those negatives with the R8. I've never seen a Blaser that wouldn't shoot lights out, they are the safest gun on the planet to carry chambered and the manufacturing tolerances that go into them are mind blowingly precise. And of course you've git to pay for it, they are not cheap. But IMO worth the money for sure.

You know a manufacturer has expensive products when you see this blurb on their website (regarding Blaser's shotgun).

With a MSRP of $7995 the F3 sporting standard is easy on the eyes as well as the wallet. Visit your Blaser retailer today and get yours.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

OK...suddenly my Nosler rifle doesn't seem so expensive, lol.

About the Sako's...the Nosler rifles have some Sako in their lineage.

Everybody wants to compare them to Howa's (and rightfully so)....but very few acknowledge the Sako influence on the Howa design.

You can dress up an M700 clone and nobody says a word....but dress up and precisely manufacture a Howa clone and everybody still wants to think it's a turd, lol.

It's crazy when you think about it...rifles like an Echols model 70 costing the same as some new cars/trucks....

I'd still like to have one though!

 

[MCMXI]

In that case you also need to look at a Blaser R8 Professional.

I shot a Blaser R8 rifle at SHOT this year and spent quite a lot of time examining a number of them. I was very impressed as I mentioned in the thread below.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=745753

 

[B!ngo]

It is a big can of worms but the can and content has some merit. I agree with ford8nr that the first real segment is the $300-$500 Savage Axis/Ruger American. Some have good barrels and actions, most have questionable stocks, all feel cheap in the hand. That is, they may be capable of some repeatability and accuracy but few will be able to accomplish that and fewer will enjoy it.
Then there's the Tikka T3 Lite, Reminton 700 crowd in the $500-850 range. Both have a great action and very good trigger (pay not attention to that recall!), the Tikka has a great bolt action (really great), both are very accurate (I favor the Tikka in general) and feel very good in the hand (especially if you spring for the wood stocks).
After that, the cost/benefit ration gets wiggy. Lots of great stock work, lots of horses for courses (very long range requires a different stock, light weight to pack in requires a different design, how standard a cartridge do you want to use and reload?).
B

You're opening a can of worms here, but here goes. IMHO. You've got your cheap, low price junk rifles $300-400..the entry priced Remington. Then your inexpensive entry level $400-500... Savage Axis, Ruger American, ok fit finish, plastic stocks but decent accuracy. Then your standard factory $600-800...Rem 700, win 70, Ruger 77...better stocks, better triggers, better finish, better accuracy (?). Then your factory target guns $800 plus..better(?) heavy barrels, possible better triggers. Then your custom guns that run the gammit of your imagination and budget.

 

[Cee Zee]

The question is often what exactly do you want in a rifle. The better wood stocks will add a lot to the price but they are worth it if you value great looks. Then you have high grade synthetic stocks like the stuff made by McMillan. They are about accuracy and function. You can get rifles with great stocks that cost a lot and you can get essentially the same barrel and action with a cheaper stock and it won't cost nearly as much.

With other rifles you can pay more to get their high end triggers/actions. Savage has 3 levels of their AccuTrigger and there is a significant cost difference between them.

So you see it depends on what value you put on various parts to really see what the value of a rifle is to you. You can buy a Savage with a target AccuTrigger and a decent stock or you can buy a great stock and a lower level trigger and pay about the same amount. That's just one example of where money goes in a rifle. A true top grade wood stock is expensive these days unless you can get one out of Europe. It's a matter of what you want and what you think makes a rifle good.

 

[steady shot]

Intended purpose has a lot to do with it. I have a couple of Savage 10's that are great shooters. However, I would not want to lug them around in the woods.

If hunting is what you intend to do, then a light weight rifle will most likely suite your needs.

If bench shooting is on your plate, those light barrels will heat up too fast and you will be disappointed with the accuracy.

Be prepared to spend $$$ on glass for the rifle...

My Savage 10 FCP-SR and FCP-K



The barrels are fluted to save weight and disperse heat, but they are still heavy...



FCP-SR (308) with a Bushnell Elite Tactical 6-24x50mm



FCP-K (.223) with a Leupold VX-3, 3.5-10x40mm

 

[40-82]

Levels of quality don't really cover the issue. Take a basic Remington 700. The action can't be faulted for accuracy or strength; yet, under harsh conditions without special tooling available, you can't take the bolt apart to lubricate and clean the internals. Compare the Remington 700 to an ancient Springfield '03 action, the older action may not be as strong, and maybe it's no longer the choice of the target shooters, but you can completely field strip the bolt, and it will work under the harshest conditions imaginable if you understand it.

You may be getting what you pay for by going to a higher grade factory or custom rifle, or you may not. Accurate and elegant on a warm summer day is one issue. Something that will go bang when things get ugly is another thing. Do not assume that synthetic stocks and stainless steel necessarily address the issue. The bolt gun is a religion, and the value of the characteristics of the different actions in the field do not easily relate to their current standing in the market.

 

[Cee Zee]

Do not assume that synthetic stocks and stainless steel necessarily address the issue.

Very true. It's things like this that make me appreciate guns like the SKS. As low as it gets rated by many on these boards it is a proven design that works in very adverse conditions. So do the Mosins around. But I happen to think the SKS is better for SD because of the nature of the rifle. A bunch of shots are better than one any day. But still job one is to work when you pull the trigger. So I want a gun that is proven under bad conditions for SD. For hunting I use a Savage 110 in 30.06 but for target shooting I use a much heavier Savage 12 LRPV in .223. They serve much different purposes and they don't really interchange a lot. If I have a bear charging me (only have black bears in my region) I want that 30.06 but if I want to nail a coyote at 500 yards guess which rifle I want in my hands?

Levels of quality are part of the issue. But so is intended use and other factors such as reliability come into play. I would call my SKS a high quality rifle simply because it goes bang pretty much every time and that is very important to the function I want it to do. Yes it was cheap but it was sold at a low price compared to it's level of quality IMO. Price and quality are not always connected. I've seen that many, many times in my life.