Help Pickin a Bolt Gun

[wareagle]

No joke. My childhood ruger m77 .25/06 mk1 shoots sub moa groups wth federal ammo. Its killed more than 100 deer, none have taken a singles step. My wife's first kill was almost 300!yards with same result . Ive had Zero misses. Most kills were from a low $$ tasco scope with Japanese optics. My dads m700 .308 never came close in accuracy. I now own a m77 mk1 in .2506, a m77/22, a m77. Mk2 in 7mm mag and a m77 gunsite in .308. They are all very good, but .25/06 is awesome.

[alwaysonjohn]

save up and get a decent 700 with a heavy aka varmint barrel. I would get a cheap scope (redfield or bsa tactical) until you get a better stock. I have one .308, building an expensive second with a custom action, and I plan on getting a takedown .308 in the future... .308 is a great round and is easy to find ammo for.

[broylz]

nowing more of your specifics and the strict budget, i would look into the cheapest savage model 10 or even a stevens. throw a walmart bushnell banner 3-9x or similar scope on it and go shoot it. the savage is much easier to do barrel swaps on in the future as your budget and skill improves. better to shoot a chaper gun than no gun

this will also allow you to learn specifically what you would liketo change over time and build to suit, or keep it as a hunting riflean get a better match gun later, like a savage 12.

i absolutely love he .308 round and would go with it for an entry level target gun. my second choice would be a .30-06 as its most popular with my family and friends that hunt and allows a wide range of possibilities for a reloader.

[Richard995]

I have a 700 also in 308. I love it. I recently purchased this one. I do have a Weatherby Vanguard 270 WIN with a good scope that I would consider selling. It is right handed and I am left handed. That is why I got the 700 in left. I agree that all these rounds are good. It all depends on the quality of the gun.

[trevorst]

I hunted for years with a Rem700 25/06 in both BDL and Sendero, shot several deer over 450 yards and groundhogs at 600+. AMAZING caliber and must be handloaded to be appreciated.

My choice would be .243 (or the before mentioned 25/06), easier on the pocketbook when you reload (which you will eventually do if you want to really appreciate decent groupings), easier on the shoulder, much flatter and easier to learn than a .308. The economical surplus loads are fine in your AR10 or other semi auto .308 but wont quite cut it for target or distance shooting. The real cheap corrosive ammo will erode your barrel WAY faster than erosion in a .243 so that rules out all of the real cheapo ammo.

IMO (and yes I do own a Rem700 .308 Tacticool...) there are many better choices ballistically than the .308 all of which, including the .308 will only be appreciated when reloaded. Again, IMO the popularity of the .308 comes from it being a NATO service round and everyone wants to make a "sniper rifle".

All this said I love my .308, however if I only had to have one gun it would be the .243 (25/06 would be mighty close it just doesnt have the massive bullet selection that the 6mm bullets have, and can be a powder hog). If I lived out west and needed a larger bullet for bigger game then of course this would change....

.223 is a great choice but really isnt very practical if you want to shoot anything over 400 yards (plus all of the limited hunting abilities of the caliber), if you wanted to stick with .223 my vote is to get a nice varmint upper for your AR and improve the trigger.

.243

6mm rem

25/06

.308

30/06

7mm

That would be my caliber order without getting into wildcats.

Edited May 18, 2012 by trevorst

[Jaysan60]

Best bang for buck, I'd go Savage...

[gregintenn]

I don't currently own any centerfire Remingtons, but all I've shot have been very accurate. I picked up my first Savage bolt a few weeks back. Just now starting to work up a load for it, and I believe it's going to be a shooter.

The first load I tried:

...and the second:

For the price, I can't complain about that.

As for caliber, if you aren't reloading, I'd suggest a 243, 270, 308, or 30-06, as the ammo is very common, relatively inexpensive, and can often be found on sale at attractive prices just before deer season. There isn't near as much difference in these calibers as people would have you believe. I favor odd calibers, but I also reload.

The accutrigger is pretty nice, but i can't tell it's much better than factory Remington or Winchester triggers. Savage does claim to have the fastest locktime of any production bolt action rifle.

If you'd be willing to save up a bit more, I would recommend a Model 70 Winchester.

Edited May 25, 2012 by gregintenn

[graycrait]

get a 7.62x54 Mosin Nagant for a 100 bucks and change. Shoot $12.00 x 20 rd box ammo and enjoy the kick. If that one proves to be fun for you and you maximize the Nagants accuracy then buy a .308.

[MiddTennTaco]

Thanks for the responses so far folks. This decision is getting harder and harder by the day. It is killing me. I'd really just like to pull the trigger on one already. Recently I've done a little bit of reading on the T/C Venture. It sounds interesting, I again just haven't heard much about it. It is a lot like the Ruger American in that way. What befuddles me is the price on the Remington 700 package at Walmart. I cannot find any Remington 700 for less than $500 let alone scoped for that price. Is it a crappy Walmart Model 700? lol

Right now, in order it is down to:

1. Savage Model 110 FXP .270 scoped for $447

2. Ruger American Rifle .270 or .308 for $400

3. T/C Venture for $??? (I haven't seen one in person yet)

3. Remington 700 ?SPS? .270 scoped for $420

Being that all of these come scoped and not scoped I am starting to wonder. What I found was a Bushnell 6-18 x 50 scope for $135 (less than $150 is my price range). Is this a decent scope? I like the fact that it is more than the average 3-9 x 40. That being said, I am wondering if I should just buy THAT scope and throw it on my AR-15 and see if I like long distance shooting and THEN decide on a rifle. These two rifles I listed pre-scoped kind of leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'm sure they are of sickening quality.

Opinions and advice appreciated! Thanks!

[hornett22]

Remington or Savage.

223 or 308 is probably your best bet

stop looking at walmart and dicks! Give a local gun store a shot. I'll pay more at a local gun store for better selection,better service,help support a local guy.

[MiddTennTaco]

Trust me, I know all about buying local. That being said:

Not out of spite but out of fear. That being said, why spend more?

Sent from my HTC Inspire using Tapatalk 2

[gregintenn]

Don't overlook a used rifle in good condition. Being so far form deer season, you can likely find a reasonable price on one right now. Often, they come with scope, sling, case, ammo, etc.

What I found was a Bushnell 6-18 x 50 scope for $135 (less than $150 is my price range). Is this a decent scope?

Nope! If you are insistant on only spending $150, I'd recommend you peruse ebay for a used Leupold 4x M8, or an older Redfield.

[trevorst]

I have one of the new 700 SPS Varmint and other than the stock being garbage (it sits in a nice H-S Precision now) its a very nice rifle. The bolt isnt nearly as smooth as the older BDL nor am I exactly 100% sold on the the new 700 trigger. For what you pay though its a nice rifle.

[RichardR]

I sort of like the new Remington X-Mark Pro trigger system, IMHO they are not bad at all for a factory trigger, especially once they are broken in.

[LawEnforcementSalesTN]

Wolf, I would agree that from all I have read over the years, Savages are usually very decent out of the box. There have been a few, as with all shelf rifles, that have been hit and miss. In my personal opinion, if you could double your entry amount you can get into a nice used/proven entry gun (rem or savage) that will serve you well until you need to step up. Keep in mind, as others have said, to go any distance, optics is as if not more important than the rifle itself. When you start shooting that distance, sure you know there's more than just putting the cross hairs on the target. Reading the wind, holdovers, MOA/MIL, etc... lots of phrases start to come into play.

My advise would be to go read as much as you can on a forum like snipershide.com ... there is a wealth of knowledge about distance shooting. I am new too to long range having shot most my life at things measured in feet (law enforcement), I'm slowly venturing out so I'm in no way trying to say I know more than others who have posted, just giving you my experience as I too go bit with the bolt action bug... I got bit BADDDDD ;o), if you don't believe it, go check my ad out on the classifieds for the Barrett 338 Bravo. I was smart enough though to know I'd better get something smaller and cheaper to learn on before I went slinging $4-$5 downrange every shot!!

I slowed down a bit and started by reading, reading, reading... all while I was saving, saving, saving .... In the end, I was fortunate that I was able to do the buy once, cry once approach and I opted for an Accuracy International AE Mk III. No doubt the weapon will always outshoot me, hot , cold, whatever. But plan to have $5-$6k in a decent balls to the wall setup. I have since upgraded it to a covert 16"/suppressor version. Thing is so dang pretty I'd about bump my wife out of the bed if she wasn't as good looking ;o)

However, I have seen a ton of Remington, Savages, Tikka, etc. for sale from good trained folks looking to step up to something else. Whatever you decide, I do recommend putting as much reading time beforehand ... I thought I knew enough and winded up buying scopes, mounts, etc. that I had to move to other rifles or sell off because I just didn't plan right.

Keep in mind, there would be nothing wrong either with picking up a jam up good scope and putting it on the Colt. You can learn to read the wind and the 5.56 will go the distance if loaded right.

Whatever you do, have fun doing it and stay safe. If you get up to Oak Ridge, you're more than welcome to come and shoot anything I have in inventory if you want some seat time. I've purchased several nice Remington 700s for a few of our deputies and they do well and are very pleased. Find what you think you want and drop me a PM, I'll be happy to let you know what I can get you one for.

Good luck and happy hunting!

Edited May 26, 2012 by LawEnforcementSalesTN

[mikegideon]

Now THAT's a bolt gun

[MiddTennTaco]

I want to thank everyone for their responses. However, this issue has only gotten worse. Simply deciding on a scope is turning out to be the most difficult. So much so, I believe I am just going to buy a scope for the rifle I have right now and forget about a bolt gun. Everyone has told me to spend a million dollars on a scope so I guess I just can't afford a bolt gun anymore.

My Colt 6940 has a monolithic rail so I don't know whether or not that helps anything. I suppose I don't need such a large scope anymore being that I doubt I will be hitting much very far with .223. Perhaps a standard 3-9 x 40mm Leupold? Perhaps some kind of fixed power scope? I'm thinking if I decide I like a scope on it, I'll pick up some canted iron sights or a canted reddot for quick shootin (I've always wanted to have that, lol).

[RWF]

Thanks for the responses so far folks. This decision is getting harder and harder by the day. It is killing me. I'd really just like to pull the trigger on one already. Recently I've done a little bit of reading on the T/C Venture. It sounds interesting, I again just haven't heard much about it. It is a lot like the Ruger American in that way. What befuddles me is the price on the Remington 700 package at Walmart. I cannot find any Remington 700 for less than $500 let alone scoped for that price. Is it a crappy Walmart Model 700? lol

Right now, in order it is down to:

1. Savage Model 110 FXP .270 scoped for $447

2. Ruger American Rifle .270 or .308 for $400

3. T/C Venture for $??? (I haven't seen one in person yet)

3. Remington 700 ?SPS? .270 scoped for $420

Being that all of these come scoped and not scoped I am starting to wonder. What I found was a Bushnell 6-18 x 50 scope for $135 (less than $150 is my price range). Is this a decent scope? I like the fact that it is more than the average 3-9 x 40. That being said, I am wondering if I should just buy THAT scope and throw it on my AR-15 and see if I like long distance shooting and THEN decide on a rifle. These two rifles I listed pre-scoped kind of leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'm sure they are of sickening quality.

Opinions and advice appreciated! Thanks!

the TC Venture is on sale (fathers day) at the dickson sportmans store. the owner says that many of the gun owner refused to have there guns return for the recall, on the possible sear hardness problems, because they shot so well they were afraid the factory recall would some how mess them up.

on the scope power unless only doing long range or maybe parie dogs at distance. that is to much power. 2.5 x 10 with do what ever you need. just me.

Edited May 30, 2012 by RWF

[Guest Papabear]

I want to thank everyone for their responses. However, this issue has only gotten worse. Simply deciding on a scope is turning out to be the most difficult. So much so, I believe I am just going to buy a scope for the rifle I have right now and forget about a bolt gun. Everyone has told me to spend a million dollars on a scope so I guess I just can't afford a bolt gun anymore.

My Colt 6940 has a monolithic rail so I don't know whether or not that helps anything. I suppose I don't need such a large scope anymore being that I doubt I will be hitting much very far with .223. Perhaps a standard 3-9 x 40mm Leupold? Perhaps some kind of fixed power scope? I'm thinking if I decide I like a scope on it, I'll pick up some canted iron sights or a canted reddot for quick shootin (I've always wanted to have that, lol).

If you want to get into long range/percision shooting I would suggest you may want to start small. I did long range shooting for years and it's not a sport for everyone. Now my suggestion start with a gun built around 500 yards. You can build a setup for this with normal good variable power scopes and match grade commercial ammo if you don't reload. Now thats not to say it's easy to get good 500 yard groups because you will start learning how to read wind, shimmer and follow the bullet con trail in the scope etc.. But if you try at 500 yards for awhile and find your don't really like shooting for groups you have a rifle/scope that is really only a premium hunting setup and not a super expensive long range combo (read narrow resale potential) I always encourage people to start small when getting into a new shooting sport because at the start your fundamentals are more important than your equipment. And long range shooting is so much more than just pulling a trigger. I mean I have a shot log going back years of weater conditions load data scope settings etc.. etc..

I would look for a used Savage bolt with the varmet or tatical stock I see these used is several places for decent money. And i would watch armslist or gunbroker for a used good quality scope like a older bausch and lomb.

Edited May 30, 2012 by Papabear

[mikegideon]

I want to thank everyone for their responses. However, this issue has only gotten worse. Simply deciding on a scope is turning out to be the most difficult. So much so, I believe I am just going to buy a scope for the rifle I have right now and forget about a bolt gun. Everyone has told me to spend a million dollars on a scope so I guess I just can't afford a bolt gun anymore.

My Colt 6940 has a monolithic rail so I don't know whether or not that helps anything. I suppose I don't need such a large scope anymore being that I doubt I will be hitting much very far with .223. Perhaps a standard 3-9 x 40mm Leupold? Perhaps some kind of fixed power scope? I'm thinking if I decide I like a scope on it, I'll pick up some canted iron sights or a canted reddot for quick shootin (I've always wanted to have that, lol).

See post 11. $150 scope that will do everything you need to shoot out to 600 yards. Read the reviews while you're at it.

Edited May 30, 2012 by mikegideon

[MiddTennTaco]

See post 11. $150 scope that will do everything you need to shoot out to 600 yards. Read the reviews while you're at it.

That is without a doubt a very.nice scope. If i was still getting a bolt gun I wouod definately get that scope. However I have serious doubts about my AR15 reaching out that far.

Right now Im looking at 1-4 x 20mm style scopes. Leupold and Nikon ones are nice. Having trouble finding mil dot style reticles

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[Okey]

If you want to drive a little north of Lebanon you are welcome to join us. We have several different calibers and quality of scopes that you can try. We might even be able to talk Mike into bringing the above scope.

Okey

[MiddTennTaco]

If you want to drive a little north of Lebanon you are welcome to join us. We have several different calibers and quality of scopes that you can try. We might even be able to talk Mike into bringing the above scope.

Okey

I appreciate the offer. Im actually just a little south of lebanon. Where abouts north are you? Are you a retailer?

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[Okey]

Nope. Just two old farts shooting. Three if Mike shows up.

9 miles north of square in Lebanon off 231. I will warn you of the 6mm bias.

Okey

[MiddTennTaco]

Wow, I forgot all about this thread. In this last week I've dumped a lot of money. I ordered a Ruger American in .270 and a Simmons Whitetail Classic 6.5-20x50 with high Warne rings! I'll get pics up as soon as I put it all together. I can't wait for the call from my FFL and to take it shootin!

Probably this Saturday I think. Okey, yall going shooting this weekend? I sure as hell don't know what I'm doin and could definitely use some pointers, ha!

Edited November 16, 2012 by w0lfattack