Rifle/Scope Packages

[Elkins45]

Sorry, should have included that in my original post. I've got a budget of $600.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...roducts_id/78134/Savage+111+TH+XP+30-06+NIKON

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...4/products_id/78128/Savage+11+TH+XP+308+NIKON

I don't love any of the scopes made in the Phillippiines, but they are certainly better than the Chinese Bushnell and Simmons models on some of the other packages.

 

[HexHead]

Howa has a package deal with a Zeiss Terra.

 

[Davek1977]

. He will not tolerate the mess you see in magazines. The gun shoots a dime sized group two inches from the bullseye and they write how great the gun shoots. He expects a dime size group on the bullseye. Hell I can shoot a small group 2 or 3 inches away from the bullseye with iron sights.

Am I alone in scratching my head here? Group size IS a measurement of accuracy, and any decent scope can be adjusted to put the dime sized "group" on the bullseye. I don't follow what it is you are trying to say here. If you are simply wanting to see what the gun/load's potential is, there is NO NEED to have the group centered on the bullseye. That part can easily be done later. Group sizes, regardless of where on the target, measure accuracy. After one settles on a load, its just a matter of using the scope's adjustment to move POI (point of impact) to POA (point of aim).

 

[Lloyd Smale]

I bought a Remington 700ADL Varmint from Dick's a couple Christmases ago. ~$400 after discounts and rebate, 4-12x40 scope included. The scope and rings Remington includes is pathetic. I use it as a handle to twist Leupold dovetailed rings into the base.
The stock was so weak that it would bow on a bipod until it met the barrel. $200 to replace that.
The XMark trigger was designed by a team of lawyers. A Jewell Varmint trigger fixed that for ~$220.
Add a Leupold base and rings and a Nikon Buckmasters 6-18 scope, and for $1200 that gun will put 5 rounds in a group you can cover with a nickel at 100 yards off a bench - on a windy day.

I would NOT recommend the Remington 700 package. I'd go Savage if I were doing it again.

stocks on any of these budget guns are lacking. Bottom line is if you feel you need a quality stock your not the typical customer looking for entry level gun. I think if it differently. Pick up a adl for 400 bucks. Sell the scope and mounts for 50 bucks and buy a decent mount and rings with that. Even the better of those package scopes isn't something id want on my go to hunting rifle so a decent scope is a given. You sure don't need a jewel trigger on a hunting gun. A 100 dollar timney is more then good enough. So here we go. Bed and free float the stock yourself. Cost=bout 5 bucks. You got the leupold rings and bases for the sell of that scope and mounts=free. A timney trigger=120 bucks. A buckmaster 4.5x14 can be picked up for pretty cheap on Natchez's site as a refirb for around 200 bucks. Bottom line though is for 400 bucks you got an adl with mounts and rings and the action alone is probably worth north of 300 bucks. So you can do what your looking at for about 720 Now go look at the savage website at heavy barrel varmit guns and show me one that's under 600 bucks to start out add scope and rings to that and your a good 100 dollars higher. Then factor in that joe average looking at used guns in a gunshop is hands down going to want that 700 before the savage and resale value if you ever do sell it is going to favor the rem. Don't know what its like where you are but the savages that sell around here are the axis guns that are cheap. Most who have 600 bucks to plunk down are looking for a ruger, win , or rem.

 

[utvolsfan77]

Considering your budget limit, I'd look at the Savage 10/110 or 11/111. Regardless of which rifle you decide to go with, make sure that you loosen the scope mount screws and adjust for eye relief BEFORE you torque those screws back down.

Maybe I got lucky but I have a Nikon Prostaff 4-16x40 with mildot reticle that is as clear as any Leupold I've ever looked through. Got it at OpticsPlanet on sale and with both a coupon and a rebate. I think my total cost was $179. Have used it for two years and am considering buying more.

 

[Captcurt]

Cheap is cheap.

You get what you pay for when buying package. I can't see any reason to buy a package that I will need to upgrade. If I feel that I need to replace the stock, trigger, scope and mounts I would be better served to buy what I want in the first place. JMHO