Wal-mart sniper rifle--spend the money of the uninitiated

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SUE ROVR

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I would like to purchase a rifle from Wal-mart (see website for choices). Shoot deer and paper at long ranges. Has to be non semi-auto

Caliber? Well .308 seems reasonable enough, but I was thinking I would like a bit more power.

Can someone list out the pros and cons of the choices available as far as make/model and whether i should stick with 308 or move up in power?

Leave the scope out of the discussion for the time being.

EDIT: somewhere in this spectrum :0

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2684962

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2684962

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3170205

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2684987
 
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dude, you're weird, comparing a $300 gun to a $2000 gun..

you want deer and paper at long ranges, nothing beats the 308.. and its obvious your dead set at buying it at walmart for some odd reason... I would recommend a savage 10FP.. you'll get a heavy barrel for better accuracy, as well as the accutrigger (adjustable from 1.5-6 lbs of trigger pull :eek: ), and sub MOA for about $400 brand new.. throw a decent 3-9 scope on top of it, (burris, leupold, nikon, etc), and you're all set.
 
For deer hunting and paper punching, .300 Mag would be simply overkill.

What's more, you wouldn't shoot it much, as the recoil of the .300 Mag, especially in a light, field-type rifle as the Savage, would simply be too much for extended shooting sessions.

Yeah, there are some recoil junkies out there, but shooting 50 rounds of .300 Mag off the bench out of the light rifle is not fun.

Go with .308. Get one of the Savages with a synthetic stock.

Then, spend your real money on the scope and mounts.

I know you said leave the scope out, but the truth is that's where the real money is spent on such a project.

I once saw a man with a Savage 110 in .270. He'd put the Choate Sniper stock on it, a Shilen barrel, a trigger job (hundreds of dollars of extras above and beyond the price of the original rifle) and topped it all off with a $35 Tasco scope that had cheese yellow lenses in it.

Don't do that.

Please don't do that.

hillbilly
 
The top two are chambered in .416 Weatherby Mag...if you're ever shot one you would remember. A poor choice for deer and paper punching. The bottom one is in .300 WM and forgive my assumption but you seem like you've not done a ton of rifle shooting. Regardless of if this is the case or not, I would go with the .308 of the ones listed (the third one). This caliber will suit your needs nicely without getting too specialized. This means that ammo is cheap and recoil isn't bad at all, thus you'll probably practice with it more. In addition to getting the .308 I would get a nice .22 such as a CZ and then do some short range shooting at tiny targets with it. For example, shooting .22 casings off of a block at 20 yards. That will do wonders to hone your skills.
 
Unless you are planning on hunting bears, you don't ned anything bigger than the .308 or 30-06, if you are hunting bears (brown bears) I would skip the .300 altogether and start at a .375 H&H :)

Get the .308, good glass (Leupold, Nikon) and a good .22.
 
Probably the best rifle you can get at Wal-Mart is a Weatherby Vanguard. They aren't Mark V actions, they are made by Howa in Japan (good rifles BTW), but carry the same guarantee as the more expensive Weatherbys.

For your purposes, the .308 is just fine:
Weatherby vanguard .308

If you MUST have more power, I'd recommend you go no farther than a .30-06 for deer and paper (there's nothing in this hemisphere, possibly excepting the Alaskan coastal bears, that the .30-06 is not enough for).
Weatherby Vanguard .30-06
 
What ruger and hillbilly said...

you do not have to put 600-800 bucks into a scope..you CAN, but ya dont have to...The new nikons (cant remember the name of them!) are top notch for the price and run around $200-$300 depending on the model..
 
you get what you pay for in optics

Azreal,
The NIKONS in that price range are fair scopes, but cannot equal what you can buy for $600-800. I know....I have scopes ranging from $1000 down, including newer NIKON Buckmaster scopes. The cheaper NIKONS are for plinkers and loaner rifles in my gunsafe. Personaly, for economy and performance, I like the NIKON MONARCH's, but will generally spend a $100 or so more and buy a ZIESS CONQUEST [3x9x40mm], which I find superior to the NIKONS and Leupolds in the similar price range. THey can be had for $400-425.

I will say this for sure, cheap scopes today, are ALOT better than cheap scopes even 10 years ago. Still a good rule of thumb is to spend AT LEAST as much on your scope as your rifle.

Have fun!
 
Will,
I agree that they are not equal...I just like the price vs performance of the Nikons...I would like to have ONE top-notch scope...It will prolly be either a Zeiss or a B&L...
 
The Remington 700 is a good hunting rifle and it's been around for years. Either the ADL or BDL models should work fine for hunting and range use at long distances. Either the .308 or .30-06 calibers would be good for both uses and this ammo is relatively inexpensive and there is a wide variety of bullet types for hunting game and target shooting.

I would personally would choose a Remington BDL in .30-06:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...pt=4125&path=0:4125:4155:170080:170107:170108

The price of the Remington (or a winchester Model 70 for that matter) is reasonable and you can order them thru the Wally World special order catalog if you wish. Why you want to shop at Wally World is your own business, but remember, if you buy a rifle there and you have problems with it, you cannot return it for any reason. They won't send it to the factory for you nor will they fix it there. With a bit of shopping, you should be able to find comparable deals at some of the large chain sporting goods stores or even local gun shops.
 
What is the difference between savage, remington, winchester and weatherby and the various sub models?

Also what are the pros and cons of a stainless barrel?

Ok so I will stick with 308 (to cross with PTR-91).
 
They won't send it to the factory for you nor will they fix it there.
Click to expand...


The Walmarts here will send it off for service free. Try calling the home office if your's won't cooperate.
 
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Sue,

You might want to be careful tossing around the "s" word so lightly. If you aren't in law enforcment or the military, that is.

There are target rifles, and hunting rifles, and varmint rifles. Why not shop for one of those?

lpl/nc
 
Yeah, there are some recoil junkies out there
Click to expand...

Eh? Who said that?

2 .50BMG brass in the air:

attachment.php
 
In the storre they have a winchester 70 synthetic stock in 30.06 with a scope for $396.

Any good? The ones on the website start at $446 w/o scope but it looks different.

I was going to buy it but I thought I would ask to see what I was buying.
 
In the storre they have a winchester 70 synthetic stock in 30.06 with a scope for $396.
Click to expand...

That is a great place to start. Eventually you're going to want to get some better glass but the stock scope only raises the price about $50 in a package deal so its not like you're losing a ton of cash by getting one. Buy yourself a ton of ammo and a nice sling to go along with it like one from Turner.

IMHO there are a ton of differences between all of the makes/models of rifle or scope, but at this point, the best solution is to buy one and get some quality practice in ASAP. After you learn how to handle your rifle, then you can buy another to suit your personal preferences.
 
nothing wrong with calling it a "sniper rifle" if you really know what sniping is all about.. many people are into combat field craft, and will train on the weekends just for fun, ghillie suit and all, including the whole aspect of military sniping.. which happens to be about 10% marksmenship.
 
Go For It!

Sue,

I have the Win Model 70 .30-06 synthetic stock, that's a good price for the gun without any scope - I'd say get it and start practicing, you may want to upgrade scope as you get comfy with it. Have shot 3 caribou in Alaska with it at ranges from 150 to 250 yards, no problem at all.

If you consider upgrading the scope at some point, I'd recommend NOT getting one of the scopes with 50mm front lens. Tey tend to bring your cheek up off the stock a little bit, which can increase felt recoil and make it harder for you to find things quickly in the crosshairs. Just my two cents.

Michael
 
I would have thought that if you were seriously in the market for a gun, you'd have figured out what your budget is. $300-$3000 doesn't seem like a serious budget... :confused:
 
Physical Stature Makes a Difference in Rifle Selection

Sue,

Do yourself a favor, and plan your selection around your physical stature and shooting/hunting applications. Full Size Wtby Vanguards and Winchesters are large, heavy rifles with a long length 13 3/4"? (for shorter statured individuals) of pull. By all means, avoid the .300 mag, and look to the .308 or 30-06. Consider a "Youth" rifle in .308 or 30-06. These are generally lighter rifles with a shorter length of pull. I have a 30-06 Ruger 77 Ultra Light (KDF muzzle break) with a McMillan fiberglass stock (12 1/2" length of pull) that I built for my daughter. This is my favorite rifle and is real easy for me to shoot (I'm 5'9") -- especially when dressed for cold weather.

There are obviously numerous tradeoffs between weight and portability. The heavier (and less portable) rifle will be easier to hold steady and have less recoil. Portability (ease of cary) may be something that doesn't matter to you if you are only going to be hunting from a stand, or shooting off the bench at the range.

I have a Wtby Vanguard that I got on sale (closeout) at Wally World for $300. I didn't need it, but couldn't pass it up for the price. This is a very accurate rifle, and it is my range practice rifle. However, I'll never take it hunting because of the weight.

Just my 2 cents FWIW.

Paul
 
I'll assume that SUE is a female.

I don't particularly enjoy lugging my heavy-barreled Savage 10FP around the field. I can't imagine SUE would. Mine weighs nearly 13 pounds with SharpShooterSupply varmint/tactical stock and IOR Valdada scope. Six pounds in a hunting rifle is more like it.

If you are going hunting, get a hunting contour barrel.

Make sure the length of pull (butt to trigger) fits your frame.

I'd go with a 20" barrel for ease of carry.

.308 is a good all-around cartridge, especially if you want to share reloading components with your other rifle. You could also consider .7mm - 08 (a .308 necked down to 7mm) or a .243 (a .308 necked down to .243), depending upon what you're going to be hunting.

Go with a good scope. At least a Leupold Vari-X II or Vari-X III quality scope. I like variables. 2-7x would function nicely for hunting.

Rick
 
Until you go feel them, shoulder them, test triggers and actions, you can't buy a rifle on the internet and be confident you are going to get something you like.

You need to get out there in person and come back with some specific likes. People could be helpful to you much more from that point.

And BTW, yes, why are you not buying just a rifle or, a hunting/target rifle? Why a sniper rifle? Curious.
 
SUE is a verb, not my name.

Me with a youth rifle would look kinda funny if you get my drift. As far as why I said "sniper" and not "target" or "hunting" is that is what I want it to be. It is not solely for hunting and not solely for target it is an all around rifle. As far as the budget issue. I do not budget things. It does not matter, all I want is a good rifle and a good deal and Wal-mart is the only place around here with a decent price.

I have looked on the internet and it seems the model 70 is a "black shadow" what does this mean as compared to the standard 70?

It felt fine. If anything I wish it were heavier. I like the plastic stock as opposed to wood.
 
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