I am looking to buy my first rifle because I have recently got into hunting but I don't want this to seem like a first rifle. I would like it to last as long as I do. The main rifles I am looking at are the Remington 700, Ruger M77, Winchester Model 70, Browning A or X bolt, or a similar Savage bolt action rifle. The first thing I am looking for is to make sure it can take down the game I will be hunting, hogs and deer for the most part. After that I am looking for the most consistent rifle out of the box. Grouping is everything to me. I want to know the gun is doing its part and I just have to spend the time on the range to do my part. I have heard that they are all good rifles and that it comes down to feel, but honestly I'm going to "feel" most comfortable with anything that I know will take down what I want and is consistent as they come. My price range is anywhere from 600-700 but if I find out that for a little more money I get a lot better rifle, then I can stretch the budget. Any and all comments are greatly appreciated.
Is there a wrong choice??
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If grouping truely is everything, you may want to go Savage, particularly with that tight price range you have.
Personally, all these guns are more than enough accurate for hunting. If I factor in look, feel, and confidence, I have no hesitation voting for Browning (out of the selection you gave us). The last three rifles I bought were Rugers, and I like them all, but my Browning is still themost accurate rifle I've ever owned.
Your mileage may vary.
Personally, all these guns are more than enough accurate for hunting. If I factor in look, feel, and confidence, I have no hesitation voting for Browning (out of the selection you gave us). The last three rifles I bought were Rugers, and I like them all, but my Browning is still themost accurate rifle I've ever owned.
Your mileage may vary.
Yeah I know the price is tight. What model savage would you lean towards, I am not familiar with Savage rifles at all. And would you recommend spending the extra money now getting a Browning or get an all around rifle to use and spend the extra pennies down the road on better gun.
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I have no idea which Savage to get; I'm basing this on reputation for accuracy. I spend tons more time with my guns at the range, and a lot more time holding and looking at them than actually shooting them. The Savage (except for the highest end models) are just to ugly to me to take seriously.
The Savage Edge has been getting bad to mixed reviews by practically everyone except the gun magazines that sell advertising to Savage.
Marlin wasn't in your poll; take a look at the Marlin XS7 and XL7. They are kind of a Spartan rifle, and the metal finish isn't super, but they are probably the best value out there for accuracy and reliability for your dollar. TC Veenture looks good, too. It will free up some dollars in your budget for a good scope. Budget at least $200 for your scope; more if you get a sub-500 dollar rifle.
The Savage Edge has been getting bad to mixed reviews by practically everyone except the gun magazines that sell advertising to Savage.
Marlin wasn't in your poll; take a look at the Marlin XS7 and XL7. They are kind of a Spartan rifle, and the metal finish isn't super, but they are probably the best value out there for accuracy and reliability for your dollar. TC Veenture looks good, too. It will free up some dollars in your budget for a good scope. Budget at least $200 for your scope; more if you get a sub-500 dollar rifle.
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You forgot the best one available today. The Marlin X guns will outshoot any of the guns listed and cost you 50% less.
My 30-06 and 308 "X" guns will shoot well under .75" day in and day out with Hunting bullets. For $325+ TAX they are the most consistantle accurate deer rifles I've ever seen.
My 30-06 and 308 "X" guns will shoot well under .75" day in and day out with Hunting bullets. For $325+ TAX they are the most consistantle accurate deer rifles I've ever seen.
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Pillar bedding, button rifling, recessed crown, nickle plated safety, adjustable trigge, thick recoil pad, weaver style bases, floating bolt head. You get a wide selection of features for a very little amount. Add in camo stocks, walnut stocks, SS actions, Laminated stocks, varmit models, aftermarket parts, and you have a gun worth considering regardless the price.
Ya , If ya like squeekie triggers the Marlins are fine. They do shoot tho. Tried all kinds of lube. Still sqeeked. Cost me a nice buck in Vt. Real hi pitched sound. Check out the Weatherby Vanguard.. Same $$ range, twice the rifle. IMHO It is your money, buy what YOU want ..........
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Savage to me seems to be the best budget rifle out of the box. I do not own one, but all of the edge rifle groups that I have seen shoot extremely well, under 1", with most shooting better than 3/4". I know a guy that has built several highly accurate customs off of edge rifles, so I know the actions will shoot, he rebarreled all of them though. I do not currently own a factory rifle, mine are all customs, but I do have a custom built on a Ruger 77 MkII, and I love that action. I guess one you didn't mention is Tikka, I had one a few years back and it was very accurate and I liked it. Nice and light!
If you are that worried about accuracy, get a custom, but this will cost you. Other than that, any rifle you have listed, if you shoot it enough you will get an idea of what the rifle can do and what you can do with that rifle. If you know someone that is a great shooter, you can shoot against them with that one rifle and see if it is you or the rifle. In general, you will know if it's you or your rifle if you are familliar with it.
If you are that worried about accuracy, get a custom, but this will cost you. Other than that, any rifle you have listed, if you shoot it enough you will get an idea of what the rifle can do and what you can do with that rifle. If you know someone that is a great shooter, you can shoot against them with that one rifle and see if it is you or the rifle. In general, you will know if it's you or your rifle if you are familliar with it.
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I believe that all the rifles you've mentioned have the potential to be really good shooters. So much so, that if it were me wanting to choose between them, I'd simply handle nice examples of each and choose the one that handled and felt the best to my hands. I may well get scalded for spouting such heresy, but I appreciate a gun's feel and inherent quality more than I covet a 1/2" smaller group at 100 yards. In my opinion all the rifles you've mentioned have the potential to shoot 1.5" at 100 yards and that's all any hunting rifle needs to be able to do. I also would fully expect all of them to produce groups of 1" or better with a little load checking or development. Simply get out and fondle lots of rifles and buy the one that you enjoy handling and seems well built to you!
Good Luck!
Almost forgot, the M70 is the best of the bunch to me.
Good Luck!
Almost forgot, the M70 is the best of the bunch to me.
Of the options you listed, I've owned all but the Browning rifles. They all gave acceptable accuracy for hunting, which is groups that are less than 2 MOA, in my book. How much less is open for debate, but the one opinion that won't give you much argument is the game animals you harvest; from their perspective, anything less than 2" groups at 100 yards is plenty accurate enough.
Seems these days guys want benchrest accuracy from a gun that weighs 6 or 7 pounds and shoots at least 3,200fps with bullets that cost half of what a whole BOX of ammo went for, 20 years ago. Well, call it progress, but you can get that in a rifle, if it's what you really want. I liken out of the box sub-MOA rifles to cars that will go 180mph or trucks that will tow 12,000lbs...you aren't likely to ever need that kind of performance, but if it matters to you, go for it.
In the OP, you state, "I have heard that they are all good rifles and that it comes down to feel". Of all the rifles you listed in your poll, you could get no better advice than what you said yourself. Unless you get a lemon, they'll all shoot, so why not buy the one that gives you goosebumps when you throw it up to your shoulder?
For me, that's a Model 70, regardless of price.
Seems these days guys want benchrest accuracy from a gun that weighs 6 or 7 pounds and shoots at least 3,200fps with bullets that cost half of what a whole BOX of ammo went for, 20 years ago. Well, call it progress, but you can get that in a rifle, if it's what you really want. I liken out of the box sub-MOA rifles to cars that will go 180mph or trucks that will tow 12,000lbs...you aren't likely to ever need that kind of performance, but if it matters to you, go for it.
In the OP, you state, "I have heard that they are all good rifles and that it comes down to feel". Of all the rifles you listed in your poll, you could get no better advice than what you said yourself. Unless you get a lemon, they'll all shoot, so why not buy the one that gives you goosebumps when you throw it up to your shoulder?
For me, that's a Model 70, regardless of price.
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Winchester M70 or Browning A-Bolt would be my choices.
I don't own or have I ever shot a Savage, but their upper end rifles do have a great repution for being very accurate, but you a looking at close to $1K for one. Not too sure what their sub $500 rifles will do.
I bought my first production rifle since mid 1970 and it was a $530 Tikka T3 Lite, 243 for my 14 year old granddaughter. After building a load for it and doing a little other tweaking, I was so impressed with it's accuracy, I bought me a T3 22-250 Varmint because I didn't want to wait almost a year to have one built. Both of these rifles are extremely accurate with my reloads.
A lot of rifles can be made to shoot extremely accurate, even rifles not know for their accuracy, but it takes someone with a lot of experience with what to do to get that accuracy out of them. I've been an accuracy freak ever since I've been shooting and have spent over 45 years experimenting and tweeking rifles for that ever so slight of a difference. I have even become a pretty dang good gunsmith, but only on my on stuff. This is work, that if you have to pay for, it would be about as cheap to go ahead and buy a custom rifle, already built for accuracy. Then, you would have to find someone that would even do the work on a lot of rifles. Most custom guys don't want to spend their time trying to make a Marlin shoot, when they can use that time on a couple of 700's and make twice as much money. Not to mention what you would say when they gave you the price for everything.
I bought my first production rifle since mid 1970 and it was a $530 Tikka T3 Lite, 243 for my 14 year old granddaughter. After building a load for it and doing a little other tweaking, I was so impressed with it's accuracy, I bought me a T3 22-250 Varmint because I didn't want to wait almost a year to have one built. Both of these rifles are extremely accurate with my reloads.
A lot of rifles can be made to shoot extremely accurate, even rifles not know for their accuracy, but it takes someone with a lot of experience with what to do to get that accuracy out of them. I've been an accuracy freak ever since I've been shooting and have spent over 45 years experimenting and tweeking rifles for that ever so slight of a difference. I have even become a pretty dang good gunsmith, but only on my on stuff. This is work, that if you have to pay for, it would be about as cheap to go ahead and buy a custom rifle, already built for accuracy. Then, you would have to find someone that would even do the work on a lot of rifles. Most custom guys don't want to spend their time trying to make a Marlin shoot, when they can use that time on a couple of 700's and make twice as much money. Not to mention what you would say when they gave you the price for everything.
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To start with, I am left-handed, so that was a significant factor in choosing my first bolt rifle years ago. About 6 years ago I bought a Savage Weather Warrior (stainless with black composite stock) in .308 and it was a consistent sub 1 inch shooter with some bullets but not all, as any gun will be. I really liked it but, I ended up trading it for a walnut stock Ruger Hawkeye in .308. I was worried that I got snowed by the gun's good looks and feel, but it has turned out to be just as accurate as the Savage and looks a whole lot better. The trigger pull is a little stiffer than the accu-trigger on the Savage, but it is just as crisp and has not taken away from the gun's accuracy. I also have a .223 Savage that never shoots above half inch groups with my handloads and I can't complain about that. Just a plain wood stocked sporter with 22 inch barrel. But I think I would trade it for an equivalent Ruger if I had the chance because my Ruger .308 looks and feels so good. Yes, looks and feel do matter and if I had to I would get the Ruger over the Savage.
My vote goes to Savage, the Savage 10/110 is a great gun. Savage and Remington historically have been at the top for out of the box accuracy. They have a push feed action which are a little more stiff and rigid than the control round feed actions and therefore a little more inherently accurate. Savage has a new stock called the Accustock which is a full length aluminum bedding system that is molded right into the stock itself. Price range is $500 and up. All of the gun makers have a price range from $ 500 and up and then some. In the new March issue of Guns and Ammo magazine there is an article titled Out of the box accuracy written by Craig Boddington. The Rugers today are much better than they use to be for accuracy. Another gun to look at is the Weatherby Sub-MOA, they have a Bell and Carlson composite stock with pillar bedding, all of the metal work is in a black matte non glare finish, they come in a wide variety of chamberings and they do come with an accuracy guarantee. I'm in Texas also and have seen these for around $800 or so. It is a heck of a good gun that will shoot. No matter what you get you will need to try a lot of different kinds of ammo until you find the one that shoots best in your gun. I have a couple of Savage's that will shoot lights out with factory ammo. Best of luck to you
Thank you all for your feedback. The poll has surprised me actually but I knew I was not educated on the subject but it's nice to see some other opinions. I am out hunting this weekend and shooting with a ruger m77 .270 and shooting really well. I'll be using a remington 700 .308 tomorrow so I might be able to have a better judgement of what I like after that. But would still like to try the others mentioned as well.
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