Picking a bolt gun?

[Chainsaw.]

Short story, went shooting with a buddy and I brought a 14" gong, we set it up at 455 yards (range finder told us) I shot with my AR with a red dot and was able to connect fairly well. He brought his Savage model 10 in 308 with a 10x scope, We both were able to ring that steel with boring regularity, so of course, Im hooked. I think Ill sell one of my ARs for a new bolt gun. The big question is, which one??? Heres what I do know I want, regular ol 3/4/5 shot bolt gun, not one of these new "precision" bolt guns that looks all tacticool, medium bore, say 6 or 6.5mm, and a budget of $600-800 without glass. So, anyone have any good reading you could direct me to? Thoughts other than "well if ya spend XXX dollars more..."

[CarJunkieLS1]

Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor.

[weblance]

Caliber is your choice...

Weatherby Vanguard

Howa 1500

[Pathfinder45]

Winchester model 70, in walnut, of course. Caliber? I would choose 270 Winchester first with a very close second choice of 30-'06 Springfield. Maybe the Featherweight in 6.5x55......looks pretty appealing to me.

[Pathfinder45]

P.S. change the target to water-filled 1-gallon milk jugs and use soft-point expanding hunting bullets. You will be disappointed if you use FMJ bullets on the jugs.

[jmr40]

Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor.

This. I can get them for $389 out the door. Use the rest of your budget for better optics.

Watch video to the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA6HtIgfuC8

[jpx2rk]

If the gun won't be a "carry gun" in the field, might consider the Savage FV12 from Cabelas. It's a bit barrel heavy but a very accurate gun. Lots of comments on the plastic stock but a lot of guns come in plastic these days. Some people have cut the barrel down to make it more field friendly and still an accurate gun.

[bobn]

my 6mm creedmoor cost 389. the burris black diamond titanium scope on it cost nearly 800. a veracity would be a more current model.
...no recoil, dime at a 100, quarter a 200, still working on 300. bobn

[444]

Over the last year, I have purchased a number of "budget" priced bolt action rifles including several Savages and one Ruger American (Ranch Rifle). I have also own a number of bolt action rifles from Remington, Winchester, Tikka................................ FWIW

This all started when I went to buy a chassis rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor. I am a target shooter and have almost no interest in hunting. A couple of my friends took me to a couple ranges where you can shoot out to 1000 yards and another range where you can shoot out to 1200 yards and this looked like something I wanted to get into. So, I started shopping for a new rifle. When I got to the store, I saw that they had a Savage Model 10FCP-SR rifle on sale for $499. I had heard that Savage rifles had very good out of the box accuracy but I had never owned one and the price was a fraction of what I originally intended to spend, so I decided try one instead of getting a chassis rifle and spending a lot more money. I was very impressed with it. The first time I shot it at 1200 yards, I hit the plate (24"x24" plate) five times in a row. I have fired at least one 3/4" group at 200 yards with this rifle.

Since then I bought two more Savages and traded for another one. The two I bought are still on backorder from Cabelas but the one I traded for is in .308 and shoots very decently: I have tried two different bullets and three different powders, trying five different loads of each powder and EVERY single group I have fired at 100 yards was under an inch. That is essentially 30 different powder/bullet combinations all under an inch. The best loads shot 1/2".

I also like the fact that with a Savage, you can change your own barrel after buying a barrel vice, a wrench, and headspace gauges. So, if you want a higher end barrel, you can do the barrel swap yourself. If you shoot out your barrel, you can install a new barrel yourself. Or, even if you want to change calibers you can install a new barrel yourself as well as change bolt heads yourself.

I also like the fact that the bolt head is floating.

The Ruger American I bought is in .300 AAC Blackout, so not something you are going to use for long range precision shooting, but with careful handloads I have shot sub-3" groups at 200 yards using SUBSONICS. The load I ended up as "my" load for a supersonic load is the 125 grains Sierra MatchKing which shoots right around an inch at 100 yards. So, I am more than happy with the Ruger Ranch Rifle also.

There are a lot of really good shooting, inexpensive rifles out there right now. We may be living in the golden age of rifles. They may not look like the rifles of 75 years ago with all the plastic and sprayed on metal finishes, but they shoot better than the rifles of 75 years ago.

"I want, regular ol 3/4/5 shot bolt gun, not one of these new "precision" bolt guns that looks all tacticool"
If we are both talking about the same thing, the purpose of those rifles is not to "look tacticool" but to provide a rigid stock that doesn't flex along with aluminum bedding blocks. Those stocks also allow you to change out the buttstock to suit your preference and some of them also allow you to change out the foreend to suit your needs (shape of the foreend for shooting off bags, or lighter weight, or adding a rail for bipod mounting or whatever..........) they are customizable. It isn't about looks.

[Don Fischer]

First two thing's I consider when buying a new gun are price and look's. How accurate they really might be your not gonna find out till you actually shoot it. For $600-$800 you should be able to get a pretty nice rifle. If you want to weed out the rifle's most likely to be more accurate than you need, cut it down to what you read about on the internet. #1 has to be the Ruger American, if it came in a wood stock I'd sure be tempted. Savage has got good mark's on accuracy way back in the 110 days with a super bad trigger, guess you learn to shoot what you have! I have two Mossberg Patriot's, a 308 and a 243. I only shoot cast in the 308 but the 243 easily runs with my 243 mod 700 ADL. I've heard really good feedback on the Tikki's, probably spelled wrong.

Get one you like to look at, then one that just feels good and don't even look at rifle's that cost more than you want to pay. Then take it out and fire it to see what you might have in that particular rifle. Most rifle's that don't shoot very well can be fixed up with bedding.

[Tallest]

Chainsaw - I recently went in for a new bolt gun, and I ended up with the Ruger American. I chose the 7mm-08 as it is best for my needs, but they have a the creedmores and a couple other medium bore options. I am extremely pleased with the rifle, its accuracy belies its price to an impressive level. The stock is nothing to fall in love with, but so what... it's still a great rifle.

It's also something that can help you get a better idea of what you want, and if you end up selling it, it won't have set you back that much. There are guns, not a whole lot better, that will depreciate more than this one costs new!

Below are some review articles I read before making my choice, and there are a lot of threads on this forum currently. It may seem like there's a lot of hype surrounding the RARs right now, but the bandwagon is worth jumping on.

Hope this helps!

http://www.gunsandammo.com/reviews/r...lution-review/

https://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs...american-rifle

http://www.gundigest.com/gun-videos/...merican-review

[MarkCO]

Already been given the best bet, Ruger American Predator.

[zipspyder]

Ruger American rifle. Cheap and MOA accuracy. I went with the 7mm-08 but the 6.5 CM would do you just as well.

[Chainsaw.]

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to reply, I appreciate all of your inputs. Im really excited to start chasing so long range shooting.

A few things.

First looks. Please excuse my clunky explanation of what I was looking for. I think you all got the jist that Im NOT after one of the "precision" rifles, the adjustable stocks and deep mags are great touches but simply not what Im after, especially given the prices.

Next, caliber. Im think after years of reading Im dead set on 6mm creedmore. It carries the size bullet I want to the distances I want with easy recoil and lower....well...lower than ultra mag reloading costs.

I think Ive boiled it down to the Savage and the Ruger predator series. At this point Im gonna have to go get my mitts one both and see hpw it shakes out. That part about being able to change a barrel sure sounds cool.

And now.....for a scope...ha! It never ends...

[Water-Man]

Tikka T3 for accuracy, smoothest action, a self-adjusting trigger 2-4 lbs. and a barrel made by Sako. http://www.tikka.fi/rifles

[Don Fischer]

I hear so much good about the Tikki I had to go look. Don't they make a rifle with a traditional wood stock? I just can't cozy up to a plastic stock!

[VoodooMountain]

Originally Posted by CarJunkieLS1

Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor.

This is your best bet for the money

A howa 1500 is also a solid choice
A savage 12 from cabelas for $400 is great if you don't plan to lug it around

The only on in 6mm creedmoor is the ruger
The others are offered in 6.5 creedmoor I believe

[MarkCO]

And now.....for a scope...ha! It never ends...

Burris XTRII line is excellent and what I use and recommend.

[SA1911]

Chainsaw,

If you're after accuracy, this is the rifle for you:

https://www.eurooptic.com/sako-85-fi...n-jrsf520.aspx

It's twice your budget, but it'll last a lifetime and lifetimes of your progeny.

If you decide that you want to take up big game hunting, this rifle will it er dun. Even better, Sako guarantees 5 shot MOA. I own a couple Sako Av's. They'll shoot .25" at a hundred all day long with hunting ammo, not tricked out target stuff.

BTW, the price of this rifle is unbelievable. They usually go better than 2k.

Believe me, if I needed another big game rifle, I'd be all over it.

[Saltydog235]

I bought one of those Finn Bear 85's in 7mmRM from Euro. The gun is amazing but, I'm a shamefully unabashed Sako fan. I've have Rugers, Brownings, Remingtons, Savages, Parker Hales, BSA, and quite a few others. My Sakos have every single one of them beat in quality and out of the box accuracy. You pick one up, you can immediately tell it's a superior piece of equipment.

I'm waiting on the Finn Lite .300WM I ordered to come in now.

EuroOptic has some good deals on leftover Tikka T3's from as low as $509.00. While not a Sako, it sure beats the heck out of a Ruger American or any of the other budget guns being mentioned. Heck, if you pay cash (check by phone) you can probably get them to knock it down some more.

[taylorce1]

If you're looking for a rifle for hunting in 6mm Creedmoor then the Ruger Predator is the best for portability. If you're looking for a magazine fed bolt action with a very rigid stock for use off of a bipod then you might look at a Browning X-Bolt. Not many choices for the type of rifle you're looking for in 6mm yet and this one is top end of your budget. I have no experience with this rifle, just offering options.

[tobnpr]

Stay away from the overbore 6mm's. Great for competition, and those that don't mind the expense of rebarreling often. Throat life is similar to .243, you'd need to load light to get more than 1000-1500 rounds.

6.5 is a great compromise. It'll shoot flat enough for you for a long time to come, with probably twice the barrel life.

My recommendation is to get a Savage 10, or Remington 700. Savage is a much better bet for out-of-the-box accuracy IMO.
Either of these will allow you to modify and customize as your abilities increase with practice and round count.

While rifles such as the Ruger and Howa will shoot well, they're not the "caliber" of a precision stick. Depending on how badly you get bit (if you don't handload- you'll need to in short order) it won't be long until you want a better stock, trigger, barrel, etc.

Of course, you could consider this one a "learning" rifle, and just buy or build another one when you can shoot better than the rifle. Be sure to put your $$ into the glass- it takes clarity and repeatability to be effective at long-range.

[RC20]

With what you hve described, I would run down to Cabellas and look at their Cabella only Savage offerings.


12FV: - Currely $318 with rebate: This is a (24" I belive) basic Varmign gun with a very Heavey Barrel (.850 on the end) - that is a barel weight that will stand up to a lot of shooting and no warmp out on you.
In many ways as a reciver barrel combo its the most desirable Savag setup, it has the Top Bolt Release and it has the semgneted nut.
TBR is a lot nicer ergroniic than the new Bottom Bolt release and does not get in the way of in and out of the stock.
The segmented nut only needs an action wrnec or a barrel vice to remove.
Other calbiers avialbe but the two I would consier are the 6.5 Crred and the 308. 6.5 Creed would be number one at this point though I do have the 308.
It does have a low cost plastic stock. In 6.5 it is probably at least ok. 308 not so much (more recoil).
When you are ready to spend a bit of money, Boyds makes fantastic stocks and the fit is good enough you don't need to bed (you will want to check the back tang and ensure no contact.
The Laminated stocks are the best, both good looking and as solid as the tactical composites. Thumbhole is very good and while I don't have one, I have shot what I call the Super Grip style and liked it in another gun.


Savage 10T: This is a bit more tactical with a rail, large bolt knob, but not nearly as blatant as the rest. bottom bolt release and non segmented nut. $550 with rebate. The nut is easy enough to get off with a pipe wrench most of the time. Not that much for a new segmented nut.
24 inch barrel, 6.5 creed and 308 offerings. Heavy barrel as well.
Stock a notch up - other than the bottom bolt release which I don't like (the one Savage I had that in I converted) its a nice setup and equally solid for Boyds stock and barrel down the road.

Both come with the Savage Acu Trigger and in this case its a 1.5 lb low setting. Not a hunting weight, but long term is about the max for target. It has a very good feel, pretty consistent. Not perfect but by far the best factory trigger I have ever shot. I am ready to see if I can get the kit to lower that (they have a Target Acu trigger that does down to 8 oz or so)
It does save having to buy an after market trigger.

Either one if you shoot a lot and use up the original barrel there are a ton of Pre Fit Savage barrels that are chamber, all you of a gun smith has to do is screw it in, head space it with a gauge and tighten it with the nut wrench and its done. No indexing, no chamber reaming, all done.

While I like the 308, the 6.5 Creed as better performance out at 1000 yards if you get out there. Soft shooter, and trust me, if you spend a whole days shooting you get a bit iffy with the recoil.

As per 444, I no longer hunt, I am a pure if low grade target shooter and I have been able to work down to a decent 1/4 to 1/2 MOA shooter with this setup.

Consider getting an Nightforce Scope, I have the 32X and like it a lot, I also got the Target dot and that works very good.

I have not been out as far as you, but did have it out at almost 1000 feet and was shooting about 7/16 MOA with it.

[Chainsaw.]

RC20. Thanks for the ideas, I really like that savage 10t.
The night force scopes are awesome, but Ill have to save up, perfectly doable.

[444]

A quick note about the Savage 12FV at Cabelas:

They are backordered. Who knows when they are going to come in.

They had a recent sale for $318 out the door. There was mention of ALSO getting a $100 gift card for Cabelas. This would make the rifle $218 out the door. However, I have read that, that offer applies to these rifles and I have read that it doesn't. I don't know. But either way, it is a hellava deal on a new rifle that, in my opinion, is an excellent rifle.

I ordered two. One in .308 and one in .223. When I heard about the sale, I was at work, so I checked the inventory of my local Cabelas on-line and they were out of all calibers of the 12FV. So, I ordered the .308 on-line. About a week later, I was thinking about what a fantastic deal this is and ordered a second one in .223. They said, 5-8 business days and the shipping to my local store is free. So about two weeks later, I went to my local Cabelas to the customer service department and asked what the status was. They said they were backordered, she didn't know anything but advised me to check with the gun department. So, I went over there and talked to one of those guys.

He said that the morning of the first day of the sale, he got to work and there was a line from the door WAY down the sidewalk into the parking lot. They sold out of 12FVs (every chambering) in about the first five minutes they were open. He said that he has no idea when the on-line/backorders are going to be filled. He said as fast as Savage can make that many rifles.

In other words, there was a run on Savage 12FVs that rivaled the run on the banks in 1929.

This is perfectly OK with me. I am in no hurry. In fact, I basically just bought those two rifles because it was an incredible deal and I intend to use the actions to rebarrel into other cartridges. Initially I wanted the .308 but a couple days after I ordered it, I ended up trading for a .308 Savage chassis rifle (Savage-Ashbury). So, now I don't really need another .308 but I didn't cancel the order because I have ideas of what else I can do with that action.

As I said earlier, after buying my first Savage rifle, I am a true believer. I wouldn't really consider anything else in a production rifle as a budget long range shooter. Again, I went from never having owned a Savage, to owning two with two more backordered in the span of about six months.

Since the topic of optics came up..............I bought my 6.5 Creed for $499 on sale and ended up putting a Vortex Razor on it. Not to belabor the point, but the first couple times I showed up at the range I mentioned earlier that goes out to 1200 yards; several guys commented that if they had known you could buy a rifle that shoots like mine for $499, they wouldn't have spent the money on their custom set-ups. My buddy paid $3800 for his rifle in 6x47 Lapua and he says, every single time we have been shooting long range, that he wishes he would have just bought a Savage like mine instead of spending $3800 on his rifle. His rifle absolutely shoots better than mine. I would say, significantly better. But, he spent $3300 more to get it. And obviously he doesn't feel it was worth the money. When I saw him shoot an 10" group on paper at 1000 yards, I tend to disagree with him, but...................he does have a point from the financial standpoint.