Inexpensive multipurpose bolt action rifle build; input requested

[Nephrology]

So, I've talked about building a bolt action rifle for years, but adult finances kept getting in the way, largely of the curveball variety. I've spent a year or two pricing out the .308 build that I want, and having thought about it very carefully I've resigned myself to it being just south of a $3000 purchase.

I'll get there, but in light of a few recent developments, I've decided it might be sensible for me to start with something cheaper in an intermediate caliber that would just get my hands on a rifle to learn the basics of marksmanship with. I should note that while I do have a lot of experience with handguns, I've never really warmed to rifles and, at present, own exactly zero of my own. I live in a state with a 15rd mag ban, so the appeal of ARs is slightly diminished given the difficulty of acquiring "real" magazines.

It's also worth mentioning that I now live with my girlfriend who owns her (departed) father's Winchester Model 70 in .30-06 and has expressed interest in learning to hunt. She is very crunchy-organic-yada yada but also has 0 qualms with guns, and as someone who's always been looking for a reason to learn to hunt, this seems like a great pursuit to encourage and, most importantly, a reason to finally buy a rifle.

So: the gun. In order of priority, I want it to be capable of doing the following:

1. Platform for developing very basic marksmanship skills at intermediate distances (200yd and under)
2. Conceivably use for hunting deer (i.e. >.24cal/6mm in CO) though I accept that if I get serious about hunting I'll end up buying a rifle with more reach.
3. A rifle useful for social purposes, of course, is never undesirable

With those goals in mind, I want a rifle with the following qualities, also in order of priority:

1. Reliable, durable, built of components backed by good CS
2. Relatively inexpensive (Under $1k for complete rifle, not including glass)
3. Enjoyable to shoot
4. Inexpensive to shoot

Here is what I have envisioned so far:

Ruger American Ranch in either 7.62x39 or .300BLK (see questions below) - ~$400-450 out the door
Magpul Hunter Stock - $275-300
Vortex Viper PST Gen II 1-6x24 (Reticle undecided) - $650-700
Timney Trigger - ~$120
Sling

That puts the rifle at $825; with glass, ~$1500.

So, on to my questions:

1. Is there anything that is missing here? I am considering a bipod, but if that might violate the esprit of the rifle and probably would add a lot to my end price if I went with my first choice (atlas)

2. How do we feel about aftermarket bolt handles/shrouds/etc?

3. Are there other base rifles I should be looking at? I considered the CZ527 but the ruger American seemed more versatile and had a more accessible aftermarket.

4. Any other suggestions for glass? I am looking for something illuminated, 1-6ish variable power, of good quality/clarity but ultimately something in this price range ish. I considered the Burris XTR series, too, but open to other ideas.

5. Finally, caliber. I like the idea of 7.62x39 because it is inexpensive and seems like it will still take deer within 200yd (Hornady makes 123gr SSTs that supposedly do well out of these guns). However, .300BLK is the new hotness and might be a better choice ballistically, but I know really zilch about rifles so I might be wrong here too. .300BLK would also open up my magazine options quite a bit too... 7.62x39 limits me to ruger Mini 30 mags, as far as I can tell. Not sure how copacetic that will be with the magpul hunter stock.

Also, for those who are curious, here is my evolving idea for a .308....

Tikka T3x CTR .308 Win
Burris XTR II 5-25x50mm illuminated mil-dot FFP (or the bushnell DMR 2)
KRG Bravo Chassis
Badger Ordnance; Improved 6-9" Harris bipod

[schüler]

To budget learn with, I'd recommend a .223 Ruger Predator + SWFA 10x for the range. Easy recoil, beats the hell out of factory 7.62x39 ammo options, decent marksmanship stock options and you already have an '06 available if you need to hunt tomorrow or feel the need for a "real" hunting/legal rifle. Easy to sell if/when you move to a high power rifle.

Upgrade to T3x .223 Varmint if you want to stay around 1k, learn on the same CTR bolt throw with low recoil and still get the KRG Bravo ;-)

If you really want to learn wind/dope affordably go .22LR to 200y (if you have a range that allows rimfire at that distance). There's the Ruger Precision Rimfire and newer T1x MPR.

[pangloss]

I've been thinking over this same topic for a couple of years now. The Ruger American and a Magpul stock definitely strikes me as one if the top options. Ideally, my rifle would have iron sights too, so the Savage Hog Hunter had some appeal. I would lean towards 6.5 Cred or 7.62x51 over the x39, but cheap ammo for the x39 is certainly attractive. A good friend has a 527, and he's been very pleased with it. You might also check out the Howa mini actions, which I believe are available in x39.

Sent from my Moto G Play using Tapatalk

[jandbj]

Ruger American in 7.62x39 , 5.56 (both ranch models), or .308 (predator aics)...
Use the factory stock, add a good sling and a Leupold 1-4x20, under $700 starter package.

Or since you have access to a good hunting rig already, just get a Ruger American rimfire with the laminate stock and the same sling & Leupold scope, and 5000 rounds of ammo for the same price.

Had a lot of time on other rifles through the years but wanted a do all bolt gun myself... I went with a synthetic stocked Ruger GSR .308 and shot irons while saving for an optic. Now it’s zeroed with a Burris 2.75, a red dot, and irons.
Love this rig.

[TGS]

Nothing in your desirables/requirements would make me think you should get a bolt action.

A lever action looks like it fits the listed qualities better.

[OlongJohnson]

Brownell's has a crazy clearance deal on the Howa Mini lightweight barreled action in 7.62x39 right now. Had to talk myself out of that. Howas don't need Timney triggers. You can configure your stock from Boyd's. Then you'd have a lightweight, compact rifle that can easily take deer and that the GF might enjoy shooting a bit more than the -06. It's about $450 all up, the way I was looking at it.

For basic short-range marksmanship and stalking critters, Leupold is very popular, in the VX-3 and up. Below that line, you're paying for the name. The Leupolds are lightweight and compact, with good glass and excellent customer service. Where they tend to fall down is in dialing knobs, but you don't need that at the ranges you're talking about.

Even more versatile would be a Tikka T3 or T3x in .223 or .308. Lightweight, stock that gets the job done, excellent trigger, excellent accuracy. T3x comes with a metal bolt shroud. It's the easy answer. Many people report a satisfactory load development process of going to the range and zeroing it with some old rounds they had sitting on the shelf. Throw a Leupold 2.5-8x32 on it and go shoot stuff. If you get the .308, you can always start the new hobby of hand loading and create light loads that would duplicate the 7.62x39, but you also have a lot more headroom to go to longer ranges, as the case holds ~50 percent more powder.

Tikka is now chambering in 6.5CM, which would also be a nice junior partner to your aspirational build. Magazines would be shared. Trigger should be the same. It's a meaningful step down from the -06 in recoil. Suitable for coyotes to long range and short to mid range deer.

I'm in the camp that doesn't care for .300BLK. It doesn't have the ballistic sauce of the bigger cases, but there are only maybe a couple bullets (recently introduced and very expensive) with good terminal performance at subsonic speeds. It's a beautiful solution for someone who wants to shoot an AR suppressed and isn't allowed to use expanding bullets for whatever reason, but outside that tiny box, I don't see it ever being the best answer. There are also a lot of people who are far more knowledgeable than me and opine that it tends to have poor accuracy.

Note that the way I talked myself out of the Howa Mini was realizing that I'd rather have another Marlin 1894 in .357. It likely won't have the accuracy of a Howa or Tikka, but it's useful at short range ~150yds and in and for social events.

[okie john]

You’re overthinking it.

A Tikka T3x Lite will do everything you described, plus it’s about a pound lighter than the CTR. There’s no need to upgrade the stock, and it won’t need trigger work or aftermarket stuff. The CTR is meant for sniping and long-range competition, but a hunter may grow tired of humping the extra weight.

I’d add a Leupold or NF 3-9 and go shooting. A 1x low end is nice on a carbine but a 3x low end is no handicap—I’ve been shooting blacktails at pistol distances with a fixed 4x for 20 years and never missed a chance because I had too much glass on the gun. Even a fixed 4x is a solid choice if money is an issue.

Not sure that you need a chassis unless you need to fold the stock to move through urban areas without drawing undue attention, but it might be a nice upgrade in the future.

The 7.62x39 and 300 Blackout are similar with 125-ish grain bullets—fine for deer but not for elk, which I mention because you live in some of the world’s finest elk country. Some 7.62x39 rifle bores are .308” and some are 0.311”, so you can have problems finding factory ammo that matches your bore. Not sure that this is a safety issue, but it can wreak havoc on accuracy and POI. The 300 Blackout was designed to run heavy subsonic bullets through the suppressed AR platform, but it’s OK on deer with lighter bullets. Ammo availability can be an issue, as you may only be able to find subsonic ammo for suppressed use, which has a limited range and can have a dramatically different POI than supersonic ammo. Although these two cartridges are becoming more common, neither is as common as the 308, 30-06, or 270 Winchester, all of which will drop anything in North America cleanly. Also, you can find good ammo for those three almost anywhere. They’d be my first choices, with a bunch of other stuff between them and either the 7.62x39 or the 300 Blackout.

I think Lost River first said that the Tikka T3 in 308 is the G19 of long guns. Check out his posts on the subject. They cover pretty much everything you need to know.


Okie John

[Nephrology]

Nothing in your desirables/requirements would make me think you should get a bolt action.

A lever action looks like it fits the listed qualities better.

Any models in particular that you'd recommend instead? I am not opposed to a levergun if it would be a better choice.

To budget learn with, I'd recommend a .223 Ruger Predator + SWFA 10x for the range. Easy recoil, beats the hell out of factory 7.62x39 ammo options, decent marksmanship stock options and you already have an '06 available if you need to hunt tomorrow or feel the need for a "real" hunting/legal rifle. Easy to sell if/when you move to a high power rifle.

Upgrade to T3x .223 Varmint if you want to stay around 1k, learn on the same CTR bolt throw with low recoil and still get the KRG Bravo ;-)

If you really want to learn wind/dope affordably go .22LR to 200y (if you have a range that allows rimfire at that distance). There's the Ruger Precision Rimfire and newer T1x MPR.

Only reason I was leaning away from the .223 was that I ended up going right to the T3x too, and then I have a very expensive (but fun) rifle that I still can't hunt with :P

You’re overthinking it.

A Tikka T3x Lite will do everything you described, plus it’s about a pound lighter than the CTR. There’s no need to upgrade the stock, and it won’t need trigger work or aftermarket stuff. The CTR is meant for sniping and long-range competition, but a hunter may grow tired of humping the extra weight.

I’d add a Leupold or NF 3-9 and go shooting. A 1x low end is nice on a carbine but a 3x low end is no handicap—I’ve been shooting blacktails at pistol distances with a fixed 4x for 20 years and never missed a chance because I had too much glass on the gun. Even a fixed 4x is a solid choice if money is an issue.

Not sure that you need a chassis unless you need to fold the stock to move through urban areas without drawing undue attention, but it might be a nice upgrade in the future.

The 7.62x39 and 300 Blackout are similar with 125-ish grain bullets—fine for deer but not for elk, which I mention because you live in some of the world’s finest elk country. Some 7.62x39 rifle bores are .308” and some are 0.311”, so you can have problems finding factory ammo that matches your bore. Not sure that this is a safety issue, but it can wreak havoc on accuracy and POI. The 300 Blackout was designed to run heavy subsonic bullets through the suppressed AR platform, but it’s OK on deer with lighter bullets. Ammo availability can be an issue, as you may only be able to find subsonic ammo for suppressed use, which has a limited range and can have a dramatically different POI than supersonic ammo. Although these two cartridges are becoming more common, neither is as common as the 308, 30-06, or 270 Winchester, all of which will drop anything in North America cleanly. Also, you can find good ammo for those three almost anywhere. They’d be my first choices, with a bunch of other stuff between them and either the 7.62x39 or the 300 Blackout.

I think Lost River first said that the Tikka T3 in 308 is the G19 of long guns. Check out his posts on the subject. They cover pretty much everything you need to know.


Okie John

There is definitely a solid argument for just going with the Tikka T3x in .308 and being done with it... I was envisioning the .308 CTR build as being purely for fun/long range shooting, with this lighter rifle for plinking/hunting. .308 recoil isn't terrible, but ammo is pricier and I would be less inclined to spend all day at the range with it vs a 7.62x39

[Bigghoss]

The Marlin 336 is the go-to answer for a lever gun if .30-30 works for you. Henry long ranger or Browning BLR if you want to shoot spitzer bullets.

[Nephrology]

The Marlin 336 is the go-to answer for a lever gun if .30-30 works for you. Henry long ranger or Browning BLR if you want to shoot spitzer bullets.

How well made are new marlins?