I'm looking at a couple of rifles but for different reasons. One is a custom .250 Savage and the other is a new Ruger AW in .358 Win.
Rifle 1
I got to hold this rifle the other day and it is pretty spendy but I sure the owner would cut me a better deal if I ask. It feels amazingly light and petite to me, but it points well and shoulders easily. This rifle wouldn't be for my use but my 9 soon to be 10 year old daughter. This is a nice light rifle with a 13.5 LOP which is a little long for her but she'll grow into it fast since she is fast approaching 5'3". Plus I think I can get the GS to cut the stock down to fit her, and I'd save the piece removed to later epoxy back on and then repaint the stock.
My daughter says right now she wants to hunt, and I'm taking her on her first deer hunt in November in OK and she'll be using a .223 with 55 grain Barnes TTSX bullets, however when she is old enough to hunt Colorado she will not be able to use the .223 anymore. She is recoil sensitive and can't handle anything larger than the .223 or my 6x47 right now but I'm sure when she is 12 she would be able to handle the .250 Savage or more powerful. My only concern is that this rifle will never have ammunition available for her to walk into a store and pick up off the shelf when she leaves home and doesn't have dad to reload for her.
Rifle 2
Just a plain old
Ruger M77 All Weather in .358 Win. My local FFL can get me one in much cheaper than the link, but I wanted the pic. I've wanted a .358 Win in a bolt action for awhile and thought of building one on a Savage but I can buy the Ruger much cheaper than the Savage especially if I have to buy a SS rifle. I really don't care if it is SS or not but that is the best deal I've found on a new rifle. I've never owne a Ruger except for a single six and 10/22, but have been impressed by what I've seen for accuracy popping up on the web with the newer Rugers.
I'd like to do both but the money isn't in the budget for both. I don't have to worry about optics as I have both a VX-II 2-7 and 3-9 scope without a home right now. So opics doesn't play into the budget at the moment. So which would you choose?