Hunting bolt gun

[newyork]

Excellent! The battue looks good but I think it’s blued. The Mauser is cheap. The Sauer interests me. I like how the prices are lower than $1000 on most of these.

Sorry, I’m clueless, how about the picatinny rail maker/model?

[newyork]

I’m looking to buy at least the rifle by weeks end. Depending on which rifle I get, if it’s not top of my budget, possible I get rifle, rail, rings and scope.

If anyone sees any good deals on good bolts please link em here if you have time.

[Borderland]

308 Vanguard would be my choice on that list. The barrel and action is built by Howa. Not super expensive but high quality. I built a precision rifle using a Howa 1500 and I have no complaints. It can shoot 1 MOA.

The .308 ammo is probably going to be a lot cheaper than 6.5 or even 30-06. You can see that on Ammoseek. Just about anyone who sells ammo will have .308. if any CF rifle ammo is available.

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-...ifle/p/1269623

[okie john]

I’m looking to buy at least the rifle by weeks end. Depending on which rifle I get, if it’s not top of my budget, possible I get rifle, rail, rings and scope.

If anyone sees any good deals on good bolts please link em here if you have time.

I wouldn’t get in a rush on this. A Google search will find a lot of deals. Also check some local stores. Plenty of great inventory to be had.


Okie John

[newyork]

I hear so much good about them and loved the feel of the high country. I’m wondering if the high country, First lite etc are priced over the vanguard line because of the signature model status.

[cornstalker]

The rifles you mentioned are good choices. I’d also look at the Remington M-700, the Winchester M-70, and the Ruger M-77 Hawkeye at a minimum.

The Weatherbys you mentioned are all Vanguard models, which are built on Howa actions, possibly with Howa barrels, so I’d cut out the Weatherby markup and get a Howa. They’re known to shoot very well. The principal known issue is that bolt stops sometimes break and are a pain the ass to replace.

Sakos and Tikkas are built in the same factory and use the same barrels, so for the money I’d go with a Tikka. The drawback there is that they’re all the same action length so if you’re worried about weight that’s a factor. But they are superbly accurate out of the box and their triggers are perfect. Literally zero them and start hunting.

I’ve had very good luck with the Remington Package Rifles. My 308 shot MOA out of the box with cheap ammo and my 30-06 is almost as good. Triggers need a bit of work but aftermarket support for them is immense. The ones made right before the bankruptcy are considered among the best that Remington has ever built—the blueprinting that’s normally the first step in accurizing one isn’t necessary.

I’d avoid anything ultra-light. They can be hard to shoot well and they kick harder than slightly heavier rifles. Eight pounds loaded, scoped, and with a sling is a very good place to be, so factor in the weight of optics and mounts as you look at the overall weight.

You’re on the right track with common cartridges like the 30-06, 308, and 270. All will take deer and elk, blast and recoil aren’t bad. They’re among the last to run out and the first to return when times get weird like they are now. They’re also not expensive, which matters since you’ll spend more on ammo than on the rifle in the long run. Barrel length should be between 22” and 24”.

Definitely go stainless/synthetic. Factory synthetic stocks are better than you’d think, and paying the upcharge for a Bell & Carlson or HS Precision stock from the factory is not a bad call either. If you plan to upgrade to a top-drawer Bansner or McMillan later on, then definitely get the cheap factory stock for now.

Add a good 2.5-8 or 3-9 variable with an objective bell smaller than about 45mm in field-detachable mounts, zero it at 200 yards with the heaviest bullet that the chosen cartridge will move at 2,700 fps, and go forth.

A rifle like that will handle 99% of all game in North America, won't kick your teeth out, and will be easy to feed. You can add specialized rifles later, but those are best tied to a specific species or set of conditions so get a few hunts under your belt before going down that road.

On a completely separate note, get into a Hunter's Safety Course NOW if you haven’t already. You won't be able to buy a license without it, and classes fill quickly.


Okie John

Great post indeed. I agree on nearly all counts.

My daughter's 6.5 Creedmoor is a Howa and that thing is a copper mine. As is every Savage my wife and I have ever owned, eight in total. The Howa is a good shooter, but feels cheap in fit and finish. My Savages were all shooters too. I would personally spend more and skip the Howa based on my singular experience. I would spend the same and skip the Savage based on multiple experiences. You can, however, have the barrel lapped if you end up with a copper mine.

I own and have owned quite a few M700's and have only had one bad one. It was an M700 LVSF in .22-250. Two M77's before the Hawkeye days but post tang safety. Both great. 3 M70's, 2 bad (Super Shadows), and one good. As much as I wanted to like a T3 Lite in .270 Win, I couldn't like shooting it and sold it off.

Always wanted a Sako, but never had one.

Just my opinion.

[newyork]

I wouldn’t get in a rush on this. A Google search will find a lot of deals. Also check some local stores. Plenty of great inventory to be had.


Okie John

Checked 2 shops. Any others are really far. One shop has a Steyr scout and a bull bbl Howa which was too heavy. He has some savages I’m not into.

The other one had Christiansen, weatherby in 300 Weatherby, bull bbl tikka 308, 2 boat anchor Bergara, a $1500 m70 in camo and the JP Sauer. So far my favorite 3 were the weatherby if it were in a better cal, the Sauer and the Steyr. The tikka felt fantastic but it had a bull bbl.

[newyork]

Great post indeed. I agree on nearly all counts.

My daughter's 6.5 Creedmoor is a Howa and that thing is a copper mine. As is every Savage my wife and I have ever owned, eight in total. The Howa is a good shooter, but feels cheap in fit and finish. My Savages were all shooters too. I would personally spend more and skip the Howa based on my singular experience. I would spend the same and skip the Savage based on multiple experiences. You can, however, have the barrel lapped if you end up with a copper mine.

I own and have owned quite a few M700's and have only had one bad one. It was an M700 LVSF in .22-250. Two M77's before the Hawkeye days but post tang safety. Both great. 3 M70's, 2 bad (Super Shadows), and one good. As much as I wanted to like a T3 Lite in .270 Win, I couldn't like shooting it and sold it off.

Always wanted a Sako, but never had one.

Just my opinion.

What manufacturer have you settled on and like most?

Any Sauer experience?

[cornstalker]

I use Talley lightweights on my hunting rifles. Keeps the scope lower than pic rail mounts and I have yet to have a scope move in them. I have also not had a set where they were not aligned when bolted on and have not had to line ream or lap them. (which Talley does not recommend anyways)

I will post a pic here in a bit.

[OlongJohnson]

The rifles you mentioned are good choices. I’d also look at the Remington M-700, the Winchester M-70, and the Ruger M-77 Hawkeye at a minimum.

The Weatherbys you mentioned are all Vanguard models, which are built on Howa actions, possibly with Howa barrels, so I’d cut out the Weatherby markup and get a Howa. They’re known to shoot very well. The principal known issue is that bolt stops sometimes break and are a pain the ass to replace.

Sakos and Tikkas are built in the same factory and use the same barrels, so for the money I’d go with a Tikka. The drawback there is that they’re all the same action length so if you’re worried about weight that’s a factor. But they are superbly accurate out of the box and their triggers are perfect. Literally zero them and start hunting.

A .308 Howa recently sold after about five months on consignment at the LGS. Was unfired, in a Vanguard S2 stock, with two boxes of Fed blue box soft point ammo for $575 plus tax. That would work pretty darned well for what you're describing. The bolt stop screw is the only real wart on them, and it can be fixed by replacing the screw with a shoulder bushing and a real grade 12.9 socket head cap screw. I like Howas, but my last one (.223) is for sale as I thin the safe.

I'm keeping the Tikkas. They are lighter, have better triggers, reputation for even better accuracy, I like the factory stocks better, I like the detachable mags, plus a few other reasons. The T3x stocks have interchangeable grips that are pretty inexpensive. You might really like the more vertical "pistol grip." I wish the cheek pieces were less expensive.

This is my preferred ring setup: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....l=1#post627816 It doesn't allow for setting up large vertical offsets for super long range, but for the range you're talking about, you don't need that. It's as beefy and secure as anything. A ring that requires throwing away any work done to level the scope and get everything all dialed in in order to separate the optic from the rifle is a non-starter for me. That means anything where the rings are held to the receiver by screws that can't be accessed without removing the optic from the ring clamps is a no-go. Detachable with reliable return to zero is a must-have. I like connecting directly to a dovetail milled into the receiver, rather than clamping to something that's held on with little screws. It also allows the scope to be mounted very low.

I view the one-size action length on Tikkas as a feature, not a bug. The short actions are still lighter than most other rifles, especially in the price range. The bolt stops can be trimmed and the spacer at the back of the magazines can be any thickness you want it to be, so they are the perfect solution for in-between calibers like 6mm Rem AI, .257-6.5 AI or .284 Winchester, where the case is a bit longer than a .308 case and when loaded with long bullets, they don't fit in standard short-action mags well. I haven't built any of those yet, but if I ever decide I've shot out one of my Tikkas, I'll get a pre-fit barrel in one of those calibers. Even in a standard cartridge like the 6.5 "Manbun," it buys you a little more space for the longest bullets if you want to play that way.

I'm not in the market for any more bolt guns, but I can't really sell myself on anything but a Tikka for all-around use.

I wouldn’t get in a rush on this. A Google search will find a lot of deals. Also check some local stores. Plenty of great inventory to be had.

^^^This.

gun.deals is a good web site.