looking for a solid all-around bolt rifle and caliber

[jimmyraythomason]

And Then There's.....

Of course you could always get a Savage 110 in .308Win and get barrels in .243 Win,.260 Rem. and 7mm08. All you would need is a barrel nut wrench and go,no-go guage(same one for all 4 calibers). Switch them out according to your mood/needs. Now that's versatility.

 

[Legionnaire]

Personally, I'd look for a second-hand Remington 700 BDL in .30-06. Just went through that exercise and found a mint condition one with a nice Weaver scope mounted on it for $450. In my opinion, the Remington 700 BDL is a classic rifle, and the .30-06 is a classic caliber. There are a wide range of factory loads in .30-06 that can be used from varmints to big game. I'd probably go with a Savage if buying new on your budget, but there are very good deals available in the second-hand market.

 

[stevereno1]

Weatherby Vanguard. serious accuracy, solid, and respected. plus a hinged-floorplate mag. Remington's extractors are weak, Winchester isn't making rifles anymore, and Tikkas are ugly. Browning a-bolt is nice but pricey, in your price range, i'd go for the vanguard. Choose whatever caliber you want, it's a shooter, not a safe queen.

 

[Bartkowski]

Looking for a used 700 BDL in 30-06 sounds like a great idea. I found one with a spope, mounts, rings, case, sling and some ammo for $450 in great condition with a stailess barrel and walnut stock.

 

[stevereno1]

savage has great accuracy. hard to find one with the floorplate mag that I like.

 

[Schleprok62]

I have a Stevens Model 200 in a 7mm-08. Savages are known for their out of the box accuracy... I can't complain about this one at all... 200 yards, 5 shots, from a bench, consistent 1-1.5" groups...

 

[Slamfire]

Had a chance to play with a Savage this month, a heavy barreled target version with the new trigger.

It is well worth looking at the chaper in Stuart Otteson's book "The Bolt Action Vol II" on the Savage 110.

This latest version, the 112, has small changes from the original action designed by Nicholas Brewer, way back in 1955. I am quite impressed by how well Mr. Brewer designed the rifle. It has an excellent breeching system, one that will protect the shooter against gas leakage in a catastropic event, just look at the lug baffle and the protection around the bolt sleeve. There are all sorts of clever things, but a major one was how Mr. Brewer designed the action to be easily manufactured. So you have this safe, strong, smooth action, and it is quite affordable.

My friend was getting excellent groups out of his Savage, and considering that it has been around since the middle 50's, this shows that it is a fundamentally sound action.

If you want to save some dollars, a Savage would be a good rifle in any caliber.

I would start with 30-06.

 

[Twud]

Model 7 Remington in 308. An ideal deer rifle and not bad on varmints out to maybe 250.

 

[1911shooter]

Weatherby Vanguard in 270win or in 308 then you have a good rifle. i like Savage and i dont like Remington they are not what they used to be and werent that great when they were good, unless you had a smith really work them. the Howa action used in the Vanguard is one of the most accurate there is and if you do ever decide you want a custom you are half way there.

 

[thebaldguy]

Ruger
Winchester
Remington
Savage
Mossberg

New or used, there are a lot of good ones out there. A .308/30-06 cartridge is tough to beat; you can find it just about anywhere. Although I like the deep blue and nice wood, something in stainless/synthetic is more practical for bad weather.

 

[Babalouie]

No, no, no it should be...

Remington
Ruger
Winchester
Savage
Mossberg

 

[CrawdaddyJim]

New:
Savage
Remington
Howa

Used:
Winchester
Remington
Browning

In 308 or 30-06

 

[Dan360]

Remington 700 SPS or Ruger 77 Hawkeye

These two rifles are available for around $500. Both can be had in stainless steel/synthetic if that is what you fancy. The Remington 700 SPS or SPS Stainless are built on BDL actions (with hinged floorplate) and are probably as accurate as any other Remington 700 with a standard barrel.

The Ruger gives you a controlled feed option, but I'm not sure they are known for their accuracy, like the Remingtons. I'm sure they shoot well enough to hit deer though. I prefer the Remington because it gives 2 inches more barrel in the same caliber. Its also an accurate rifle with lots of after-market parts available to dress it up when you get bored with it.

 

[NHshooter]

I found myself in the exact same situation. I found a used, pre-Accutrigger Savage 110 in 30-06 for $240. The long action rifles can be a pain to mount a scope to get proper eye relief, so a one piece base is in order. Adding a Nikon Prostaff BDC scope and a Bell and Carlson Duramax stock has turned this gun into an excellent general-purpose rifle that will shoot just as well if not better than rifles costing 2-3 times the cost.

 

[Uncle Chan]

I've a Savage 111 30-06. Blued with synthetic stock. I love it. VERY accurate and I've shot dozens of Rem 700s. They offer nothing over the Savage.

 

[skinewmexico]

The long action rifles can be a pain to mount a scope to get proper eye relief, so a one piece base is in order.

You can also buy extended rings.

 

[SpeedAKL]

I checked out a Mossberg ATR-100 in .308 at a gun show. It was a little over $300 with a scope already mounted in. Now I'm sure the scope was no Burris or Leupold, but overall the gun seemed pretty nice. It's nothing fancy, but THR members have shown their groups with them before on here and they were impressive.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

Remington 700 in .308. They are very accurate and will run you less if it ever has to be repaired, not to mention gobs of potential accurization/aftermarket goodies.

 

[ugaarguy]

Weatherby Vanguard. serious accuracy, solid, and respected. plus a hinged-floorplate mag. Remington's extractors are weak, Winchester isn't making rifles anymore, and Tikkas are ugly. Browning a-bolt is nice but pricey, in your price range, i'd go for the vanguard. Choose whatever caliber you want, it's a shooter, not a safe queen.

You can often find deals on Vanguards, but remember it's just a Weatherby badged Howa 1500. You can usually save money getting it as a Howa /LSI branded rifle (LSI, Legacy Sports International, is the US Importer). The same rifle has been sold as the Mossberg 1500 and S&W 1500 in the past, and these can be found at serious bargain prices on the used market. Whatever name is on it it's another very good rifle to consider.