Mulliga
Member
Sorry about all these "vs." questions...
After much deliberations, I've decided the AR-15 can wait till September. But I'm taking my friends out to the local range (hoping to convert a few fence-sitters to our side ) and I'd like to get a nice bolt action hunting/SHTF rifle in .308 Winchester (because I don't reload, and milsurp 7.62 is cheap and widespread). I've narrowed it down to three choices.
Ruger M77 Mark II Standard
http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=7855&return=Y
Ruger is an American company, and I like to buy American rifles. The M77 is fairly accurate and has a nice Mauser extractor, and it looks nice to me (walnut stocks look good IMHO). I've heard Ruger rifles have a creepy trigger out of the box, but I can always get that adjusted. I also like the option to have fixed sights on the rifle in case the optics break down.
Winchester Model 70 Classic Featherweight
http://www.winchester-guns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=004&cat=001C
The Featherweight has roughly the same dimensions/stock style/weight as the M77, and has a similar extractor. It looks nice too, and has a better trigger out of the box (a bit of creep, but nothing major - I'm not using this as a competition gun or anything). The Model 70 has been given high praise, and it seems the most reliable/trustworthy of the bunch.
Tikka T3 Hunter
http://www.tikka.fi/rifles_hunter.php
Great reviews for this one, including a feature story in American Rifleman. It's not made in America , but the European craftsmanship looks good, too. Great accuracy, fine trigger, and it's about a half pound lighter (though the length/LOP/etc. is similar). Limited capacity magazine, however; I'd have to buy another one.
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All three rifles would "fit" me just fine, and all three are similarly priced. I only have money/need for one, however. Any comments appreciated.
After much deliberations, I've decided the AR-15 can wait till September. But I'm taking my friends out to the local range (hoping to convert a few fence-sitters to our side ) and I'd like to get a nice bolt action hunting/SHTF rifle in .308 Winchester (because I don't reload, and milsurp 7.62 is cheap and widespread). I've narrowed it down to three choices.
Ruger M77 Mark II Standard
http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=7855&return=Y
Ruger is an American company, and I like to buy American rifles. The M77 is fairly accurate and has a nice Mauser extractor, and it looks nice to me (walnut stocks look good IMHO). I've heard Ruger rifles have a creepy trigger out of the box, but I can always get that adjusted. I also like the option to have fixed sights on the rifle in case the optics break down.
Winchester Model 70 Classic Featherweight
http://www.winchester-guns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=004&cat=001C
The Featherweight has roughly the same dimensions/stock style/weight as the M77, and has a similar extractor. It looks nice too, and has a better trigger out of the box (a bit of creep, but nothing major - I'm not using this as a competition gun or anything). The Model 70 has been given high praise, and it seems the most reliable/trustworthy of the bunch.
Tikka T3 Hunter
http://www.tikka.fi/rifles_hunter.php
Great reviews for this one, including a feature story in American Rifleman. It's not made in America , but the European craftsmanship looks good, too. Great accuracy, fine trigger, and it's about a half pound lighter (though the length/LOP/etc. is similar). Limited capacity magazine, however; I'd have to buy another one.
==============
All three rifles would "fit" me just fine, and all three are similarly priced. I only have money/need for one, however. Any comments appreciated.