Help me pick my new center-fire rifle

I too am surprised the Remington 700 was overlooked. It has been used by the military and law enforcement as a sniper rifle for many years. The Savage 110 owes it's accuracy to the way the barrel connects to the receiver with a coupling instead of threads like it's competitors.
 
+1 for the Rem 700. I have a CDL in 30-06 with a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40. I recall I paid a little over your budget limit for this combo but you could keep it under $1000 with a synthetic stock and decent Leopould glass I would think. I sometimes wish I had gone synthetic instead of the traditional walnut (less susceptible to temp fluctuations for one thing). I would definitely recommend the 30-06 for the caliber. Lots of power, ammunition is widely available, could kill most anything in North America. Let us know what you decide. Happy hunting. -DT
 
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I guess I missed that he listed Remington in his post. The 700 is a great rifle.
Although I can't comment on the current production versions as I have only had older ones.

I won't pay what they want for a new rifle anymore. I would rather buy a used one and save some money. Most don't ever get shot enough to even break in the barrel.

I did have a Tika T3 for awhile. It was a nice rifle. Light weight and accurate. Although I'm not so sure it was any more accurate than a lot of other rifles with a good load. It did have the absolute smoothest action in a rifle I have ever owned.
 
I had a Tikka .308 Win for a few months and liked it better then the Remington 700 I had.

Mine was used and came with an approx. 18.5 inch barrel. With factory ammo it shot 1-inch and less groups at 100 yards with a Schmidt & Bender scope. The scope cost more than the rifle.
 
elkins45 said:
Not as common (or cheap) but I bought a Tikka stainless synthetic leftie in 308 this year. It's wearing a Leupold 3X9 VX2 and he whole rig was comfortably under $1000. It handles beautifully and is a real tack driver.
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no offense but BULLSHIT. a T3 synthetic stainless 30.06 can be had for $630 at sportsmans warehouse. a zeiss 3-9x40mm zplex reticle is $499. rings could run you $70. that puts you 20% over budget but that would give you top 5% of all the rigs in the woods. a nikon buckmaster 3-9x50 would keep you under $1k
I will agree they are tack drivers, espcially with sako barrels and thir 70deg bolt throw is amazing
 
I know I'm not writing much but I am reading everything and checking. I was wondering if the Tikka was the Sako. That was one of the things I was wondering about. I remember the old Sako's. They were decent guns but didn't have the feel of the Model 70 or Remington 700. I will need to also look at those. Again, thanks guys. All this information is really helping.

KR
 
kr1 said:
I remember the old Sako's. They were decent guns
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haha, $2200 doesnt get you a "decent" gun:D
Sako has been in business for a long time. They make tikka. Tikka's have the legendary Sako Barrels along with other shared features. I ahve only felt one model 70 that felt RIGHT in my hands. YMMV
 
Folks, don't forget Marlin is now making bolt actions in calibers from 243 to 30-06. Dealer prices range from $269.95 to $400.95. Some models can be bought with 3x9 scopes mounted and bore sighted. I've owned Marlins for a lot of years and have never had a bad one, from 22s through 45-70s. In fact, just bought a Marlin CB 45-70 with the 26" barrel a few weeks back. Then UPS just came today and delivered a Marlin stainless XLR 45-70 with 24" barrel. Anxiously waiting for the weather to warm and do some shooting.
 
Higher-end price: Kimber Model 84M (Montana version) + Leupold VXIII

Lower-end(but still awesome) price: Remington 700SPS Stainless + Bushnell Elite 3200

The Savage AccuTrigger thingy feels unnatural to me:thumbdn:
 
Like I said I am reading and researching.

WOW. I have never held a Kimber. I am aware of Kimber pistols but have never seen a Kimber rifle. I REALLY need to check one of these out. Beautiful lines like the Model 70 and looks stout. Full extractor etc. And the Montana version looks like what I am looking for. Price might wind up being an issue but that is a very nice looking, and I assume shooting rifle.

Again guys thanks for the information. I have lots of food for thought.

And Old_CW4 I agree with you on the Marlins. I had owned an old Model 39a .22 lever. Great little gun. I really like the 45-70 you recommended and remember the model 336 actions well. Always thought that was one of the nicest lever actions. How does it shoot?

KR
 
kr1 said:
Like I said I am reading and researching.

WOW. I have never held a Kimber. I am aware of Kimber pistols but have never seen a Kimber rifle. I REALLY need to check one of these out. Beautiful lines like the Model 70 and looks stout. Full extractor etc. And the Montana version looks like what I am looking for. Price might wind up being an issue but that is a very nice looking, and I assume shooting rifle.


KR
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I think you would love it if you held/shot one. I have a Model 84M Classic in .243. It is their lowest grade Walnut and it is still absolutely beautiful. Mine is very light and has absolutely the lightest/crispest trigger pull of any non-custom rifle I have ever fired. An interesting thing also is that with these rifles it is perfectly ok to dry fire them with an empty chamber. You're right about the price--one of these will pretty much take up the $1000 and the stainless would probably be even more. Good luck in your search.
 
kr1, Don't know yet, pardner. Weather still iffy here. Forecast for snow tomorrow and the next day and I don't enjoy shooting when I'm shaking from the cold. As for Marlin 45-70s, I had one several years back which was a gem. I loved to shoot it really long range and hear those big bullets chugging along through the sky like a small artillery shell. Lika a damned fool, I sold that one. I've since stopped selling my personal guns I like no matter how much a customer begs. My standard 45-70 load is a 405 grain half jacket in front of 51 grains of IMR 4320. Really kicks them out there. Oh, the new Marlin XLR stainless is absolutely beautiful. Excellent fit and finish and a gorgeous laminated stock and fore end. The CB with the 26 inch barrel surprised me with an actual, high grade walnut stock and fore end. Don't see that much anymore in current rifles.
 
bradpierson26 said:
no offense but BULLSHIT. a T3 synthetic stainless 30.06 can be had for $630 at sportsmans warehouse. a zeiss 3-9x40mm zplex reticle is $499. rings could run you $70. that puts you 20% over budget but that would give you top 5% of all the rigs in the woods. a nikon buckmaster 3-9x50 would keep you under $1k
I will agree they are tack drivers, espcially with sako barrels and thir 70deg bolt throw is amazing
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Did you read the post, he said he had a leupold scope,
[Quote:]
Originally Posted by elkins45
Not as common (or cheap) but I bought a Tikka stainless synthetic leftie in 308 this year. It's wearing a Leupold 3X9 VX2 and he whole rig was comfortably under $1000. It handles beautifully and is a real tack driver.
[/quote]

Cabela's had tikka's at $649, Leuppy VX2's run about 250, and rings and bases should run you about 30 bucks for weaver or leupold mounts. even with tax you should be able to make one up for under a grand...
 
i would go with a remington 700 .30-'06 and get a trigger job, i have had a lotta bolt guns (ie winchester, savage and sako) and the 700 has always been a fav, & would be just fine for any kinda game in the lower 48, .308 is good too but i have always liked the '06 better, and i like the long actions (unlike some) looks just fine too,

a 700 .30-'06 w/a trigger job and good scope is a lotta rifle for any amounty of $$.
 
SIFU1A said:
i would go with a remington 700 .30-'06 and get a trigger job, i have had a lotta bolt guns (ie winchester, savage and sako) and the 700 has always been a fav, & would be just fine for any kinda game in the lower 48, .308 is good too but i have always liked the '06 better, and i like the long actions (unlike some) looks just fine too,

a 700 .30-'06 w/a trigger job and good scope is a lotta rifle for any amounty of $$.
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I have been meaning to take my 700 in and have the trigger adjusted as many have suggested it. Out of curiousity, what would that add to the cost?

Thanks. -DT
 
it depends on who does the work, a local 'smith did my 700 ADL 7mag for ~ $50 and i have been pretty happy with it, i know there are a couple of guys who specialise in 700's who are supposedly top notch but i dont remember what they were getting for that but it was less than $100 and included a couple of extras, polishing the bolt and smoothing it and the rails out/etc.

on new rifles it makes a lotta difference a lotta the older ones are pretty good outta the box, last week i was looking at a buds dads old 700, pre-'70 or so, .270, and the trigger was only a tad heavier than mine after the trigger job, i would just leave that one alone lol, it was like a trigger on a rifle outta be.
 
Winchester Model 70...300MAG. I've hunted in texas with this rifle. 300 yard or more shots are common. I hunt in Georgia and South Carolina also using this gun. It shoots better than me. Some good advice...don't buy a cheap scope and shoot,shoot and shoot at the range.
 
Want to point out that a 7mm Mag is flatter shooting than a 300 Win Mag. Plus at 500 yards, the 7mm Mag with a 170 grain bullet actually delivers more energy than a 300 Win Mag with a heavier bullet.
 
I find a lot of shooters tend to break down into two camps: .30 or 7. If one likes the .300 mag, he also likes the .30-06, .30-30 and .308 (and I own all of these calibers). One who favors the 7 mag also feels gooey about the .270, 7mm Weatherby, 7mm Mauser, and 7-08.

Old CW4 said:
Want to point out that a 7mm Mag is flatter shooting than a 300 Win Mag. Plus at 500 yards, the 7mm Mag with a 170 grain bullet actually delivers more energy than a 300 Win Mag with a heavier bullet.
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I will respectfully disagree with your assessment of the 7mm Rem Mag shooting flatter than the .300 Win Mag. The 7mmRUM will shoot flatter than the .300, not the standard 7mm Rem Mag. Knowing your rifle and its cold shot capabilities will offset any difference between the two, and make a huge difference in the number of clean first shot kills and a missed or wounded animal you now have to track.

I have a Winchester M70 Sporter in .300 WM, and topped it with an older model Redfield Lo Pro 3-9X40 (that came off my 7400 in .30-06), and my first choice of bullet is the Winchester Supreme CXP3, 180 gr. Failsafe, BC of .527 and 3000 fps at the muzzle. At 500 yards, the velocity is 2163 fps with 1868 ft. lbs. energy. Contrast this to the 7mm Rem Mag: BC of .512, MV 2950, MV @ 500 is 2099 fps with 1564 ft. lbs energy. 600 yards is the outside limit for either of these two calibers.

Each and every fall, I can knock a beer can off a fence post at 500 yards with the first shot. I've taken a lot of deer at 400 - 600 yards. The flight time and drop at 500 yards is the same: .6 seconds and -33.4 inches, zeroed at 250 yards. Its all in knowing your gun, and getting that first cold shot on target. :thumbup:

I'll bet anyone here I could get a 7mm to do the same, so I'm not knocking the caliber. It just takes time dialing in the scope and sticking with the same ammo once you're where you want to be. You can't keep pushing round after round at the target and thinking you are getting dialed in. Bullets produce heat, and after 3 or 4 successive shots, you going to be off. The first time I dial in any scope, its usually an all day affair. I like to wait at least 30 minutes between shots, to let the barrel cool back down. In the field, you don't always get a quick follow up shot, but you should have 1 clean first look.

Money no object, I'd take a 338 Lapua or a Weatherby 30-378. :D
 
I recently got a Winchester Model 70 Coyote Lite with a Leupold 3-9x 50 scope in 270 wsm.

I am using this as my low light varmint/coyote/deer rifle and so far it is fantastic. This is my first short magnum rifle and so far I am very impressed.

The 270 wsm is amazingly fast, flat shooting, and literally knocks deer dead on the spot at 300-500 yards. Coyotes and other varmints are literally turned inside out at these ranges. Even though the bullet isnt overly large, the high velocity and down range energy is so high that the hydrostatic shock is devastating.

My only complaint would be that the factory trigger pull is a bit high (5-6 lbs), so I am going to take it to a local gunsmith and have it brought down to 2-3 lbs.

It is an expensive round to shoot at the range compared to 243 or 308 but so far the advantages have been apparent to me. I havent experienced any ammo shortage issues with the short magnums either. The slightly higher price has kept demand pretty much on pace with production.

Have fun.
 
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