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whats wrong with the mossberg rifles. i seen one at wal-mart that caught my attention. i think it was a 30-06If you are willing to spend a little more: Savage. If not: Stevens or Marlin, I would avoid Mossberg like the plague. I also would avoid one of the package deals as they generally come with a poor quality optic and cost a little more. This is especially true with the Savage because you also give up the Accutrigger on the combo model.
The bolt is press-fit, and there has been some that have come "unglued" damaging the rifle as well as injuring the shooter.
Keep in mind I have not experienced/witnessed this, but it is a well-documented problem and I would rather not press my luck. Additionally the one that I shot didn't have a good fit, finish, nor a good feel to it IMO, but that is subjective (and what do you expect for the price?), the poor construction is what really dissuades me from the platform (and honestly I would not shot one again...once was enough for me).
I think the Marlin is a little better deal if left in the stock configuration...but Stevens is the way to go on a tight budget if you are willing to perform a little simple work and invest a little cash latter on. The Stevens is virtually the same as the Savage (only differences are the magazine, trigger, and stock), and that makes it one heck of a deal. The trigger and stock is the biggest issues with it (they are NOT bad, but can benefit from a little work), and all you really need to do is stone the trigger for a better pull, bed or replace the stock, then proceed to outshoot your buddy with the $1000 Remington 700.
I have heard (no experience here) that their accuracy is not as great as expected (good hunting rifle accuracy, but nothing more), is that not the case in your experience?
