First Hunting Rifle Win/Ruger or Rem

[dmilestone]

I have a chance to purchase my first hunting rifle, and I have a question? I could purchase a used Winchester Model 70 30-06 with the black Synthetic stock or I could purchase a new Ruger American Rifle 30-06. Does anyone have any suggestions for me. The Used Winchester is $125 more expensive than the new Ruger. Or should I go a different rout and get a Remington 783 30-06?

[jimbob86]

Is the Winchester a Classic (with the controlled round feed Mauser style action) or one of the push feed el-cheapos?

[dmilestone]

I believe it is a push feed, but I am also seeing a lot of good things about Savage 111 30-06

[jersurf101]

I would look at the Weatherby Vanguard rifles. They are top of the line for the money. I have never heard of anybody that does not like their Tikka. I do not own one but my range buddies is a tack driver in .308 win. My Savage 11 in .308 is nice and light and would make a fine hunting rifle as well.

I still keep coming back to my Weatherby Vanguard VGX in .270 Win for deer hunting. My .02 cents.

[jimbob86]

Were I in your shoes, I'd go with the Ruger American, of the two ... and take the $125 and get a Lee hand press kit and components ..... I don't know enough about the 783 to comment. It looks like they are using the Savage barrel nut system ....

Remington's other forays into bargain/entry level guns, the 710 and 770 were ..... um ...... well, I did not like them.

[Nathan]

It is hard to comment, without knowing a bit more.

What are you hunting?
What weather?
How rough will the gun be treated?
What range will game be?
Accuracy requirement?
How did you come to the 30'06 choice?
Why these 2/3 rifles?
Does appearance matter?
Does trigger feeling matter?

That's enough for now..

Savage, Tikka, Sako, Rem 700, Win 70, are all proven rifles. ...

[jmr40]

Misread the OP and deleted my 1st post.


Buy the Ruger.

[Sierra280]

That's a tough one, between the model 70 and the ruger American. I'd say whatever feels better to you. Definitely do not go with the 783, it may be in the same price range as the American but is not nearly as good.

My choice would be the model 70 in a heartbeat. The model 70 is on par (or better than) a Rem 700. A class above the ruger American and Rem 783

[taylorce1]

I would rather have the M70 over the American. While the American has rave reviews it just isn't a rifle that I'm interested in. Plus I rarely buy new rifles, and if there is only around $100 difference and it is used, I'd bet you could negotiate a better price.

[SteelChickenShooter]

I'm happy with my Ruger American 30-06. No doubt the Win model 70 is a fine rifle, but the model 70 I had was wood, so I'm not sure about a model 70 synthetic. My model 70 was no doubt older and it was in .243. A fine rifle.
Ruger American seems to be a pretty good lower cost rifle and it is not perfect for all hunters. But I think it's pretty darn good for a lot. I did begin with the Weatherby Vanguard but I didn't like the way I had to fuss with scope bases. The Ruger American was just fine on it's first trip to the range for sighting in.

[DennisCA]

My two cents:

Winchester Model 70, .270 cal, 3X9 Burris

I got this gun back in the mid-80's and have shot game with this from the east coast to the west coast. It's been though all kinds of weather too!

[jimbob86]

Dennis, the OP stated the model 70 he was looking at had the butt-ugly black plastic stock ..... so it will be as ugly as the Ruger ..... just used, and 125 bucks more.

[Buzzcook]

Your first deer rifle should be a beat up Model 94 with almost no blue left, that rattles when you shake it. Worked for me

[FrankenMauser]

Skip the Winchester.
Buy the Ruger.
Send a letter to Remington, chastising them for making that abomination of a rifle (the 783).

[JimDandy]

Don't buy either. The tone of your post sounds backwards. Maybe I'm not hearing it right over the internet, which is always possible but it sounds like you're saying- "I have a little money, and I want a hunting rifle now, so which of these two is not as bad as the other?".

That's the wrong way to think about getting a firearm. Most of the time firearms will out live you. Ask yourself which rifle you want, and save for the one you want, not the one you can afford right now.

You seem to be focused on bolt-action which is fine. A bolt-action will do fine at short ranges, and reach out and touch the longer ones. A lever action is usually referred to as a brush gun and is primarily for the shorter to mid ranges.

30-06 is a perfectly fine caliber. It's still almost the default caliber in fact.

Does the stock material matter to you? The synthetic stocks will be lighter, and more weather proof. This is a sword that cuts both ways. The wood will be heavier, which means you'll have to spend more energy carrying it. It also means it will likely absorb more energy when you fire it. Most people find wood more visually appealing. I've seen Remington 700's in 30-06 at Walmart for 700ish. Had I seen it in the Walmart near me, as opposed to out of state near the family farm I was vacationing at, I would have gone back and picked it up.

What I'm getting at is save for the gun you want, don't buy the gun you can afford right now.

[BoogieMan]

My buddy bought a Ruger American in 30-06 with a Nikon 3-9 prostaff. Very inexpensive combo and its a tack driver. Shoots MOA or better with boxed ammo all day long. Not to detract from the other choices, but if I were in your shoes thats what I would do. And dont let anyone steer you from 30-06. It is the cartridge by which all others are compared.

[1tfl]

In last 10 months I've picked up 2 excellent used rifles. One was a b-day gift to my nephew and another was a b-day gift to a friend.

Since my nephew is only 16 y/o and slim built I got him a Marlin XL rifle in 243 Winchester. It will be comfortable for him to shoot and it will work well for deer and hogs. The rifle cost me $200 and it was still in the box in almost new condition.

Second one for my friend is was a Savage 10 in .308 Winchester. It too will work great for deer and hogs. Since he's a big boy (43 y/o 250 lb. boy) the recoil will not be a problem. The rifle cost me $300 but doesn't have the box. The rifle looks new.

On both rifles I spent another $160 to get and mount Bushnell Trophy XLT 3-9X40 scopes using DNZ low one pieces mount/ring.

If I was you I'd keep looking at the used gun market. Sometimes you'll find some gems at very reasonable price. If you have time just wait until hunting season is over and you'll find a lot more used hunting rifles available.

[Dirty_Harry]

I agree with those who say get the rifle you want, not what you can afford now. Now being the KEY word.

That being said, I love my Ruger American in .308. It shoots good and looks good (to me). I mounted a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 on it, and it is an excellent combo.

[alex0535]

You need to elaborate a little more on what your intending on hunting, and the terrain in which you will be using this rifle the most.

I just shot my first whitetail of the season, shot was taken at less than 20 feet with a .30-30, and it wasn't a huge animal. I was going for high quality meat to serve the family for thanksgiving, and a young doe fit that bill.

If I had used a .30-06 at near point blank range it probably would have resulted in a lot more trauma than I needed. Indeed I consider the .30-06 to be too much for the deer hunting I do. The woods are thick here, and shots are almost guaranteed to be within 50-60 yards or less. If I was hunting in wide open spaces where deer would be hundreds of yards out, or I was hunting much larger species of deer the .30-06 would be a lot more practical.

[kutz]

I love my American, buy one,really!

[CarJunkieLS1]

Ruger, Mossberg, Marlin, all make good starting rifles that are affordable and will get the job done. My vote however will go towards Tikka IMO best rifle for the $