Thinking about buying my first bolt action

[Josh Aston]

I want a short barreled .308, preferably in stainless with synthetic stock. I have pretty much no experience with bolt actions. Of course I want something that's accurate, but I have no idea which brand to get. All of my rifle experience is with semi-autos so I don't even really know what the pros and cons of the various brands are.

 

[gunman42782]

Well, there probably are as many opinions as there are bolt action guns to chose from! I got a couple Ruger 77 MK2s that I think are good guns, but they needed some work when I first bought them, such as a trigger job, which is actually pretty easy on the Ruger. (They now have a new trigger that is supposed to be better.) Savage has a great reputation for out of the box accuracy, and is usually a few bucks cheaper than a Remington or Ruger. The Remington 700 is a good gun too, but that last one I had also needed trigger work. The Savage has the acu-trigger that is supposed to be the cats meow! And if you can find a Winchester Model 70, they did not call it the "Riflemans Rifle" for nothing! Bottom line, buy the gun that suits you. Most of the guns from the big name companys will be just fine.

 

[EHCRain10]

I have a older remington 700 in 308 that i love, really the only experience that i have with bolt actions other than a 710 that i dont like to mention, spend the extra money for a true 700
good luck with your purchase

 

[vmfrantz]

I have 3 bolt rifles and love them all. I would pick the one you like and feel most comfortable with. My next one is going to be rem. 700 sps dm. I held one and it just felt good and I liked the detachable mag.

 

[skinewmexico]

A Savage will shoot as well as any mass produced gun on the market or better. Right out of the box. But the quesion you asked will quickly turn into a referendum on intelligence by the kool-aid drinkers of various brands. No one wants to admit what they bought wasn't the best. Especially if it cost a lot of money.

 

[dmazur]

Well, without starting a war by saying I think Ruger is best, I believe you should at least find a Ruger 77 MkII VT in .308 and check it out. This is a stainless / laminated stock target rifle with a free-floated barrel and an excellent 2-stage trigger. (Both something Ruger doesn't normally offer.) I have one in .243 and I'm very pleased with it.

They are heavy (largely due to heavy 26" target barrel) at around 11 lbs with a target scope. The stainless barrel and action have a gray (ceramic?) coating and the brown laminated stock has a fairly wide varmint forend which fits a shooting rest nicely. The stock also takes a Harris bipod without complaint. (Though Ruger provides only one forend sling swivel stud, there is room for a second one...)

There is a "tactical" variation, harder to find, which is the same thing with a dark gray stock and a black coating over the stainless barrel and action.

OTOH, if you want something to climb mountains with, this thing is a pig. You should check out a Kimber Montana or something like that.

 

[Mortonspoint]

another vote for Savage. I have two and they are super. I also have Winchester, Browning and Rugers and they are also fine. But for the price, Savage.

 

[brian923]

ALL savages, remington 700, ruger 77, and the winchester 70 are all really good rifles. each has a specific thing special to one over a nother, but i believe that savage is the best. they are the easiest to change barrels on and headspace. they also have just as much aftermarket, if not more aftermarket parts as the remington 700. the remington 710 is a ok gun. it is a 700 made for the college/working man. not as pretty, but i think it will make more and more of an impact on the market once more aftermarket parts become availible. (such as stocks, and triggers) find something that you like, and DO RESEARCH. not everything on the internet is right, or wrong. just see what people say, and average what is said.

one thing i know is that you should always shop around. there are many gun stores out there, so shop around to get the best deal. dont get suckered into something you dont want. and if you find something you do want, dont let others tell you that you should go with something else. buy what you want and you will be happy.


let us know what happens, and what you decide on.

can i ask...........why .308? (just wondering) what do you want to use the rifle for?

 

[The Deer Hunter]

Because .308 is all you ever need