Hello all. I'm considering picking up an old bolt rifle from a pawn shop or gun show. Something just for deer hunting and to practice shooting higher caliber than .223. Looking at a used Remmy 700 or Winchester 70. Does anybody have any thoughts or suggestions as to which direction to go in? Looking at 30-06ish caliber type. Also any advice on what to look for when checking out used bolt guns? Thanks for any help.
Old Bolt Gun?
- Thread starter matty-vb
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NCsmitty
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There are often many good used bolt actions available and something in a 270 Win, a 308 Win, or a 30'06 will probably be the best choices due to availability of rifles and ammo.
Obvious wear and tear and lack of care needs to be avoided in most cases, but a view of the bore will tell you a lot too.
NCsmitty
Obvious wear and tear and lack of care needs to be avoided in most cases, but a view of the bore will tell you a lot too.
NCsmitty
451 Detonics
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Nothing wrong with finding a Mauser that has sporterized either. In the original 8mm you can find both good hunting ammo and cheap plinking ammo. As with any check the bore and if possible with a headspace gauge.
ridgerunner1965
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id keep to a common caliber. 06 or 308 are good. common bullets and plenty brass available. plenty of good powders and info too.you didnt say what your budget for this project was?i dont think yu can go wrong with a older win 70 or a rem 700.if your on a tight budget lots of older savage guns out there with synthetic stocks that go real cheap and are good guns.i also would not pass up a 270 or a 260 or a 6.5x55 if you run across them.let us know what yu find!
I really hadn't given thought to a budget as I'm not too familiar with these rifles. Can a decent shoot be found for the 350-500 dollar range? I have no problem going a bit above my limit. Just gotta figure out how to break the news to the wife.....
ridgerunner1965
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if your buying from a individual, shoot the gun and inspect the brass carefully.if it looks good then your chamber and headspace is good.wipe out the bore and look at it carefully,does it look smooth and normal?is the trigger crisp?does the gun look like it was cared for?buuuuut ive had sum pretty ruff looking guns that had been abused that looked like crap but shot good.
ridgerunner1965
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you should not have a problem keeping the purchase way under 500$. in my area a nice rem 700 can be found for 400$ easy and a older savage that may shoot just as good for 300$ or less.
Cop Bob
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I am a fan of the Rems of mid 80's and back mfg dates... Wins too.... have both... I just like the rems over the wins due to the availability of upgrades and aftermarket accessories available for them... especially in .308... like Badger Ordinance detachable magazines..huge choices in stocks, but that is just me... right outta the box, unless they have been abused, they will pretty much treat you right....
btw: Ridgerunner is spot on.....
btw: Ridgerunner is spot on.....
Furncliff
Member
The Remington 700 has been made for a long time and they can be really nice rifles. If you chose a Remington 700, have your gunsmith check out the trigger. It will not cost much and could save some headaches later. My Win 70 is a heavy barrel. Well made. Very accurate but too heavy to be a field gun.
mortablunt
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There's the Mosin-Nagant (all variants), Lee-Enfield, Mauser 98, and the Springfield 03, which are just those I can name off the top of my head.
I have always liked Remington 700's. I was around when they replaced the post 64 Winchester in popularity and as more folks bought the Remington, more folks liked them and never went back to Winchesters.
Buy a used Remington in 308, 270 or 'o6. You can get all kinds of loads for them with heavy and lighter bullets. So when you buy a .270, for instance, you get a varmit rifle and a great large game hunting rifle too. Same goes for the 30 caliber. Frankly I'm not a fan of the 300 Wm for casual shooting. Can you make a varmit rifle out of one? I suppose so, but does anyone do it?
However, as someone said above, there are many find bolt action guns to chose from.
Buy a used Remington in 308, 270 or 'o6. You can get all kinds of loads for them with heavy and lighter bullets. So when you buy a .270, for instance, you get a varmit rifle and a great large game hunting rifle too. Same goes for the 30 caliber. Frankly I'm not a fan of the 300 Wm for casual shooting. Can you make a varmit rifle out of one? I suppose so, but does anyone do it?
However, as someone said above, there are many find bolt action guns to chose from.
BrocLuno
Member
Haunt the gun racks at all the stores and pawn shops. One will fit you better than the rest. Fit to shoulder is important. Caliber is somewhat important. Get common caliber. 30-30, 243, 270, 308, 30-06 will all be available at WalMart and on sale now and then. Readily available on-line and sorta cheap. Even 303 British isn't hard to find 
Yeah. Picked my 84 Ruger M77 308 from a rack in a pawn shop in 2005. I was just getting into firearms at the time, so didn't know much. I knew that Ruger was pretty popular, and 308 was a good (inexpensive) round. There were two identical Rugers on the rack. Both of them brand spanking new. Lost in the warehouse for 2 decades. If I knew then how well mine shoots, I would have picked up both of them. For what it's worth, my gun has a heavy 24" barrel.
Really, the Rugers may not be the best platform if you intend to modify the rifle. They are tricky to properly bed, stocks can be difficult to find, and they had a bad rep for using sub par barrels on some of their rifles. I would look for a good Remington or Savage. I love to tinker, so a weathered stock, worn finish, or cosmetic issues are no big deal. The important thing is that the mechanics are all in proper working order and the barrel, action, tigger, and safety mechanism function as intended.
On a Savage or Remington, you can just about replace anything on the rifle with easily sourced parts. I wouldn't be afraid of a savage with a shot out barrel if the price was right.
Really, the Rugers may not be the best platform if you intend to modify the rifle. They are tricky to properly bed, stocks can be difficult to find, and they had a bad rep for using sub par barrels on some of their rifles. I would look for a good Remington or Savage. I love to tinker, so a weathered stock, worn finish, or cosmetic issues are no big deal. The important thing is that the mechanics are all in proper working order and the barrel, action, tigger, and safety mechanism function as intended.
On a Savage or Remington, you can just about replace anything on the rifle with easily sourced parts. I wouldn't be afraid of a savage with a shot out barrel if the price was right.
stonerfan66
Member
The 700 and 70 have been used by our military and various agencies over the years, can't go wrong with either of the those. Should be able to pick a savage in 06 with 3x9 and syn stock for about 400 on sale. The mil surplus is cheap, beat up, heavy but fun to shoot. Most milsurps are accurate as well . You should have some idea of what you like and go from there. Even if it cost more and you have to save longer, get what you really want.
Sav .250
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Gun shows..... A good place to see/find used rifles.
If I could find one of those Remington 788's in 30-30 I'd snap it up. I remember well when they first came out, those 788's. They cost $89 and no one bought them. Then a few did and discovered that Voila! They shot the eyes out of a squirrel at 300 yds.
They made a few short ones in, as I recall: 44 mag, 30-30 and I think 308. I have one in .222 and just love the rifle. Very accurate and that .222 is a straight shooter.
They were very plain jane looking rifles, rear locking lugs, nice box magazine that you could remove. Great stock design, but plain. You can still find them used, but today in the $500 range. You see, the secret is out on those old Remingtons.
They made a few short ones in, as I recall: 44 mag, 30-30 and I think 308. I have one in .222 and just love the rifle. Very accurate and that .222 is a straight shooter.
They were very plain jane looking rifles, rear locking lugs, nice box magazine that you could remove. Great stock design, but plain. You can still find them used, but today in the $500 range. You see, the secret is out on those old Remingtons.
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