$1,200 - what would you buy or build? - Page 2

longfellow · March 23, 2011, 08:37 AM

Did I just read "It will be a thing of beauty?"
really?
really?
God love ya.

gak · March 23, 2011, 09:36 AM

Longfellow wrote
Excuse me please...
Did I just read "It will be a thing of beauty?"really?really?God love ya.

+1 - given your criteria, and especially if passing it on for your antecedents is an issue, I'd forget about any of the tacticool stuff and ultra sub MOA (etc) focus (although beautiful certainly need not mean inaccurate). Great bluing and a gorgeous piece of wood in a classic caliber from a classic (traditional or custom) name is the way to go IMHO. Some of these other things come and go over time as to opinions on what's en vogue for the day or year or technical state-of-the art, etc. Classic pieces of wood and metal never go out of style.

5RWill · March 23, 2011, 09:36 AM

Well if you have the balls to take dakota, cooper, sako, or any top quality grade out and scratch it up you are more of a man than me lol. I just can't stomach it.

cordesr1 · March 23, 2011, 10:21 AM

E.R Shaw.

From the pics on Shaws website the Action Looks like it is a savage action. Could be a very nice rifle.

I'm in the same boat. looking for a nice rifle in the 1200-1600 range and the shaw has caught my eye. just cant find out much info about them.

sir_n0thing · March 23, 2011, 10:42 AM

Fiddled around with the Weatherby build-your-own last night... kept coming out around $3K.

Just wanted to mention that suggestions along the lines of "buy a [insert cheaper gun here] and add optics/ammo/reloading stuff" are missing the point. That's not what I am looking for right now. Reread my original post!

EDIT: Gak nailed it on the head!

I can drag my synthetic Tikka around the woods...

Sent from my GSBv1.8.1 ERIS using Tapatalk

Saltydog235 · March 23, 2011, 10:54 AM

To me if I were going to buy a off the shelf factory built rifle, the Sako's are hard to beat. Actions are smooth as polished glass, beautiful stocks, fit and finish are supurb and they just feel nice. Top notch all the way. My favorite hunting rifle is my Sako 75 in 7mm-08.

Nothing wrong with the M70 Supergrades either, I have a couple of them also. They just don't feel like the Sako to me.

gak · March 23, 2011, 11:01 AM

Case in point on the Super Grade idea - right at your price point.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=220566648

Wyosmith · March 23, 2011, 11:10 AM

If I were doing one within those parameters I would build a 7X57, 8X57 270 or 30-06 on either a GEW or KAR Mauser with nice fancy wood, or just buy a Kimber or Winchester.

If you build on a Mauser you would get your choice of stock styles and the thing would be fit to YOUR specs. Good trigger, good barrel nice wood and so on.

For $1200 you would not get fancy checkering or engraving.

At $1200, probably the "nicest" factory made rifles available would be the M-70 Winchester or the Kimber, but I am unsure of their prices these days.

There is a kind of "gap" in the world of bolt actions in the $1200-$1700 range in my opinion. After you spend $1200 I don't see that there is much available for any extra money until you get to about $1700 You can spend extra over $1200, but you don't get a lot for it until you get to about $1700.
At $1700-$2500 the world really starts to open up.
At $2000-$2500 and up you start to get goodies that make a rifle quite special. Rust bluing, fancy sights, barrel bands, custom checkering, engraving on floor plates, inlayed medallions and so on.

To be 100% out front, I have not priced factory rifles in a while. I don't have a wholesale/retail store. So I am only dealing with custom work for the most part. So if the readership would like to correct me on my numbers, I'd be happy to learn myself.
But for factory rifles, what I see in the Win M-70 and the Kimbers is very hard to beat within the price range.
At lower price is the Savage. To my eye, they are a bit homely, but let no one say they are not well made or accurate. , Out of the box they shoot VERY well. The long shells eject better then the short ones in most cases, because the geometry of their basic 110 action was made for the 30-06 shell. The plunger ejector is about maxed out in it’s thrust to make a 308 length shell jump from the action with much force, but they still work. The only ones I have seen that were troublesome were made for 223s 30-06 length shells and full size magnums (7MM Rem. 300 Win and so on) all work fine.

SAKOs are very good, but higher priced then what you are looking for, and I can’t say I see they are in any way “better” then Winchesters or Rugers.

Weatherby’s get good reviews too there days. The Nicer Mark 5s however cost enough to make someone look at a custom build instead. The lower priced Weatherby’s are good, and from what I am hearing are a good value.

Anyway……….my 2 cents worth. May be worth that much too, ----if you are allowed to make payments ---- over 10 years -------- and with no interest charged.

Fullboar · March 23, 2011, 11:22 AM

Sako all the way
IMHO the best production rifle money can buy. The Walnut that Sako use would have to be some of the best stuff I have ever seen (when I walk into a gun shop I can pick the Sako's a mile away as they are the ones with the nicest looking stocks). The accuracy guarantee from Sako is also by far the best on the market: Sub MOA with 5 shots with "ANY" factory ammo (NOT Match Grade like all others with a guarantee). Sako's have the smoothest action around and the trigger is the best of any factory rifle (good as any comp trigger like Jewel) and the fit and finish is about the best on the market. I would put a Sako up against any other production rifle including Cooper. To sum it up "Sako's just ooze CLASS".

5RWill · March 23, 2011, 12:23 PM

As i said before Sako fills a lot of that criteria you have listed. My camera doesn't do it justice. You also stated 7-8lbs which a sako is. Kimber is just as nice but IMO is a very light rifle. Out of my rifles in the gun cabinet the sako is also balanced very well. Just look around. But for you given price, Sako, kimber, and winchester are probably what you should be looking at the most.

Silent Titan · March 23, 2011, 01:04 PM

For around that price range i would go with building a custom remington 700. caliber i wound go with a .260 but i have been interested in making a 6.5 grendel bolt action recently. As for the stock i would go with something like this or one of thier similar models http://rifle-stocks.com/silhouette.htm

Big Bill · March 23, 2011, 02:21 PM

This: CZ 550 Ultimate Hunting Rifle

MOA guarantee to 600 yards...

http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/...hunting-rifle/

It's a 300 WM instead of a WSM. Performance is almost identical to a WSM and the ammo is more plentiful for less money.

sir_n0thing · March 23, 2011, 06:57 PM

Quote:

For around that price range i would go with building a custom remington 700. caliber i wound go with a .260 but i have been interested in making a 6.5 grendel bolt action recently. As for the stock i would go with something like this or one of thier similar models http://rifle-stocks.com/silhouette.htm

As opposed to laminate, I was thinking more along the lines of this something like this stock (from the same website you linked)

shooter_john · March 23, 2011, 10:54 PM

If you plan on ordering from Richard's (rifle-stocks.com) I hope your not in a hurry! May want to plan on sharpening up your stock finishing skills judging from the ones that friends have received from them.

It was nothing that couldn't be completed, but they were not even close to "drop in".

gaseousclay · March 24, 2011, 10:32 AM

Quote:

As opposed to laminate, I was thinking more along the lines of this something like this stock

i'm guessing that's Claro walnut? Weatherby has some great looking rifles that use Claro walnut

Rifleman1776 · March 24, 2011, 10:35 AM

Not a rifle. I would get a 20 gauge flintlock, half-stock European style fowler with 30 inch barrel.

sir_n0thing · March 24, 2011, 07:00 PM

Quote:

i'm guessing that's Claro walnut? Weatherby has some great looking rifles that use Claro walnut

Yep! And yes they do!
Have seen a couple of very nice stocks in maple as well...

So many choices out there! I have until about October to figure it out though, so in the meantime I'm enjoying the shopping. It's kind of like hunting, enjoy the HUNT as much as the actual taking of the animal.

Really enjoyed looking at Shaw's custom stuff. Sounds like I could come out of there in my price range... the helical barrel is pretty nifty looking. It's the wood though that means the most to me. A nice piece of high grade wood.

speedyjerry · March 24, 2011, 07:05 PM

Build an 03A3 / Mauser action, Douglas Supreme Barrel, Manlicher Stock with double set triggers and a nice turned down bolt.

wingman · March 25, 2011, 07:21 AM

Confused yet.

Always get a kick out of threads like this it shows the individually of gun fanciers. Now lets go with brand of scope.

sir_n0thing · March 25, 2011, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wingman

Confused yet.

Always get a kick out of threads like this it shows the individually of gun fanciers. Now lets go with brand of scope.

Hah... yes, I was actually hoping for a good variety!

Only stipulations I set were bolt action, nice wood an around $1200.
Have had acouple if really interesting suggestions here and in PM so far.
It's all fun! Bunch of people talking about something they enjoy.

Scope now ... haha, thats a whole 'nother can o worms! Leaning towards Vortex maybe. Planning around $400 for optics.
Sent from my GSBv1.8.1 ERIS using Tapatalk

gaseousclay · March 25, 2011, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Scope now ... haha, thats a whole 'nother can o worms! Leaning towards Vortex maybe. Planning around $400 for optics.

that's another topic entirely that's sure to increase your budget

. I'd say you'd be safe with the top 3 names that have been thrown about here - Nikon, Leupold and Zeiss. I picked up a Leupold VX3 from midwayusa.com for $430 (after a $50 discount) not too long ago. But, you'll have to research your needs and wants before you take the plunge.

Saltydog235 · March 25, 2011, 08:55 AM

So you have $1600.00 for the total project? Buy a nice, heavy barrell Savage for $800.00 and then go get all the scope you can cram into the other $800.00. High quality glass is as important as any other option on a rifle like this, especially if its a hunting rifle.

All modern day scopes are pretty clear in the daylight but you really start to see the seperation when the witching hour starts creeping in.

5RWill · March 25, 2011, 09:20 AM

Savage are great actions with great accuracy. I will never own one though because IMHO they're f-ugly. No offense to savage owners but thats just me.

sir_n0thing · March 25, 2011, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackops_2

Savage are great actions with great accuracy. I will never own one though because IMHO they're f-ugly. No offense to savage owners but thats just me.

Love Savage actions and triggers... but they pretty much miss the boat on being "a thing of beauty"

Maybe something from the Savage custom shop would work.

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cordesr1 · March 25, 2011, 10:21 AM

The idea of a Shaw came up a little back. I just got a quote from them and i am surprised as can be.

I used their gun builder to put together a .22-250 varmint rifle with a nice wood stock and they quote me under 800. the only down side is the 16 month lead time.

March 23, 2011, 08:37 AM	#26
longfellow Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 2010 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 144	Excuse me please... Did I just read "It will be a thing of beauty?" really? really? God love ya.

March 23, 2011, 09:36 AM	#28
5RWill Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2008 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,654	Well if you have the balls to take dakota, cooper, sako, or any top quality grade out and scratch it up you are more of a man than me lol. I just can't stomach it. __________________ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me."

March 23, 2011, 10:42 AM	#30
sir_n0thing Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2011 Location: WI, USA Posts: 281	Fiddled around with the Weatherby build-your-own last night... kept coming out around $3K. Just wanted to mention that suggestions along the lines of "buy a [insert cheaper gun here] and add optics/ammo/reloading stuff" are missing the point. That's not what I am looking for right now. Reread my original post! EDIT: Gak nailed it on the head! I can drag my synthetic Tikka around the woods... Sent from my GSBv1.8.1 ERIS using Tapatalk __________________ You can take the Texan out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the Texan. Last edited by sir_n0thing; March 23, 2011 at 10:55 AM.

March 23, 2011, 11:22 AM	#34
Fullboar Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2011 Location: North Queensland, Australia Posts: 218	Sako all the way IMHO the best production rifle money can buy. The Walnut that Sako use would have to be some of the best stuff I have ever seen (when I walk into a gun shop I can pick the Sako's a mile away as they are the ones with the nicest looking stocks). The accuracy guarantee from Sako is also by far the best on the market: Sub MOA with 5 shots with "ANY" factory ammo (NOT Match Grade like all others with a guarantee). Sako's have the smoothest action around and the trigger is the best of any factory rifle (good as any comp trigger like Jewel) and the fit and finish is about the best on the market. I would put a Sako up against any other production rifle including Cooper. To sum it up "Sako's just ooze CLASS". Last edited by Fullboar; March 23, 2011 at 11:31 AM.

March 23, 2011, 12:23 PM	#35
5RWill Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2008 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,654	As i said before Sako fills a lot of that criteria you have listed. My camera doesn't do it justice. You also stated 7-8lbs which a sako is. Kimber is just as nice but IMO is a very light rifle. Out of my rifles in the gun cabinet the sako is also balanced very well. Just look around. But for you given price, Sako, kimber, and winchester are probably what you should be looking at the most. __________________ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me."

March 23, 2011, 09:36 AM	#27
gak Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2005 Location: Aridzona Posts: 2,767	Longfellow wrote Excuse me please... Did I just read "It will be a thing of beauty?"really?really?God love ya. +1 - given your criteria, and especially if passing it on for your antecedents is an issue, I'd forget about any of the tacticool stuff and ultra sub MOA (etc) focus (although beautiful certainly need not mean inaccurate). Great bluing and a gorgeous piece of wood in a classic caliber from a classic (traditional or custom) name is the way to go IMHO. Some of these other things come and go over time as to opinions on what's en vogue for the day or year or technical state-of-the art, etc. Classic pieces of wood and metal never go out of style.

March 23, 2011, 10:21 AM	#29
cordesr1 Member Join Date: March 3, 2011 Location: Rockford, Michigan Posts: 52	E.R Shaw. From the pics on Shaws website the Action Looks like it is a savage action. Could be a very nice rifle. I'm in the same boat. looking for a nice rifle in the 1200-1600 range and the shaw has caught my eye. just cant find out much info about them.

March 23, 2011, 10:54 AM	#31
Saltydog235 Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2010 Location: Pawleys Island Posts: 1,563	To me if I were going to buy a off the shelf factory built rifle, the Sako's are hard to beat. Actions are smooth as polished glass, beautiful stocks, fit and finish are supurb and they just feel nice. Top notch all the way. My favorite hunting rifle is my Sako 75 in 7mm-08. Nothing wrong with the M70 Supergrades either, I have a couple of them also. They just don't feel like the Sako to me.

March 23, 2011, 11:01 AM	#32
gak Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2005 Location: Aridzona Posts: 2,767	Case in point on the Super Grade idea - right at your price point. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=220566648

March 23, 2011, 11:10 AM	#33
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	If I were doing one within those parameters I would build a 7X57, 8X57 270 or 30-06 on either a GEW or KAR Mauser with nice fancy wood, or just buy a Kimber or Winchester. If you build on a Mauser you would get your choice of stock styles and the thing would be fit to YOUR specs. Good trigger, good barrel nice wood and so on. For $1200 you would not get fancy checkering or engraving. At $1200, probably the "nicest" factory made rifles available would be the M-70 Winchester or the Kimber, but I am unsure of their prices these days. There is a kind of "gap" in the world of bolt actions in the $1200-$1700 range in my opinion. After you spend $1200 I don't see that there is much available for any extra money until you get to about $1700 You can spend extra over $1200, but you don't get a lot for it until you get to about $1700. At $1700-$2500 the world really starts to open up. At $2000-$2500 and up you start to get goodies that make a rifle quite special. Rust bluing, fancy sights, barrel bands, custom checkering, engraving on floor plates, inlayed medallions and so on. To be 100% out front, I have not priced factory rifles in a while. I don't have a wholesale/retail store. So I am only dealing with custom work for the most part. So if the readership would like to correct me on my numbers, I'd be happy to learn myself. But for factory rifles, what I see in the Win M-70 and the Kimbers is very hard to beat within the price range. At lower price is the Savage. To my eye, they are a bit homely, but let no one say they are not well made or accurate. , Out of the box they shoot VERY well. The long shells eject better then the short ones in most cases, because the geometry of their basic 110 action was made for the 30-06 shell. The plunger ejector is about maxed out in it’s thrust to make a 308 length shell jump from the action with much force, but they still work. The only ones I have seen that were troublesome were made for 223s 30-06 length shells and full size magnums (7MM Rem. 300 Win and so on) all work fine. SAKOs are very good, but higher priced then what you are looking for, and I can’t say I see they are in any way “better” then Winchesters or Rugers. Weatherby’s get good reviews too there days. The Nicer Mark 5s however cost enough to make someone look at a custom build instead. The lower priced Weatherby’s are good, and from what I am hearing are a good value. Anyway……….my 2 cents worth. May be worth that much too, ----if you are allowed to make payments ---- over 10 years -------- and with no interest charged.

March 23, 2011, 01:04 PM	#36
Silent Titan Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2011 Location: denver, co Posts: 118	For around that price range i would go with building a custom remington 700. caliber i wound go with a .260 but i have been interested in making a 6.5 grendel bolt action recently. As for the stock i would go with something like this or one of thier similar models http://rifle-stocks.com/silhouette.htm

March 23, 2011, 02:21 PM	#37
Big Bill Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2008 Location: Idaho Posts: 1,053	This: CZ 550 Ultimate Hunting Rifle MOA guarantee to 600 yards... http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/...hunting-rifle/ It's a 300 WM instead of a WSM. Performance is almost identical to a WSM and the ammo is more plentiful for less money. __________________ There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time." - General George Patton Jr

March 23, 2011, 10:54 PM	#39
shooter_john Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2002 Location: ALABAMA Posts: 1,472	If you plan on ordering from Richard's (rifle-stocks.com) I hope your not in a hurry! May want to plan on sharpening up your stock finishing skills judging from the ones that friends have received from them. It was nothing that couldn't be completed, but they were not even close to "drop in". __________________ TROTAC.com

March 24, 2011, 10:35 AM	#41
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	Not a rifle. I would get a 20 gauge flintlock, half-stock European style fowler with 30 inch barrel.

March 24, 2011, 07:05 PM	#43
speedyjerry Junior member Join Date: March 24, 2011 Location: South Florida Posts: 73	Build an 03A3 / Mauser action, Douglas Supreme Barrel, Manlicher Stock with double set triggers and a nice turned down bolt. Last edited by speedyjerry; March 25, 2011 at 05:13 AM.

March 25, 2011, 07:21 AM	#44
wingman Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2002 Posts: 2,108	Confused yet. Always get a kick out of threads like this it shows the individually of gun fanciers. Now lets go with brand of scope.

March 25, 2011, 08:55 AM	#47
Saltydog235 Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2010 Location: Pawleys Island Posts: 1,563	So you have $1600.00 for the total project? Buy a nice, heavy barrell Savage for $800.00 and then go get all the scope you can cram into the other $800.00. High quality glass is as important as any other option on a rifle like this, especially if its a hunting rifle. All modern day scopes are pretty clear in the daylight but you really start to see the seperation when the witching hour starts creeping in.

March 25, 2011, 09:20 AM	#48
5RWill Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2008 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,654	Savage are great actions with great accuracy. I will never own one though because IMHO they're f-ugly. No offense to savage owners but thats just me. __________________ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me."

March 25, 2011, 10:21 AM	#50
cordesr1 Member Join Date: March 3, 2011 Location: Rockford, Michigan Posts: 52	The idea of a Shaw came up a little back. I just got a quote from them and i am surprised as can be. I used their gun builder to put together a .22-250 varmint rifle with a nice wood stock and they quote me under 800. the only down side is the 16 month lead time.

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