Need opinions on which rifle to buy

[Wicked Deep Stix]

I am going to buy a bolt action centerfire rifle. Its going to be the venerable .30-06 regardless of anything else. The rifles i am considering at the present moment are the Browning A-bolt, Tikka T3, Remington 798 and 700 BDL& CDL, and the winchester model 70. Any and all comments are welcome.

[HUNTIN-NUT]

I have always been a big Remington 700 fan and have loved all I have. I have heard recent things about the quality of what is produced today but I can't verify that. Outside of the 700 - I would definitely go the Tikka way. Tikka's shoot with the best of the factory guns out of the box and are basically the little brothers of Sako. Good guns and good value due to the price. Personally I have never understood the Browning. I jsut don't see why they are so expensive

[Wicked Deep Stix]

i have heard the same about the 700's but its been all hersay, no first hand accounts. the tikka seems the best gun for the money and extremely accurate out of the box. I like the 6.5X55 swedish but i am not going to handload with little factory ammo i settled on the '06-figured you can't go wrong with it.

[Setterman]

I don't think you can go wrong with a Rem. M700. If you are concerned about quality, try opting for an older, used one. I'm sure there are plenty around in the '06 variation. Tikka's seem to be a quality piece but I have had no experience with them other than what I've read. The quality of the older guns just aren't matched by what they are turning out today IMHO. Most 700's have good triggers and if they don't they can be adjusted. There are also lots of after-market products for M700's as well. Out of the box accuracy is acceptable too. The M700 was the first bolt rifle I bought in 1980 and I've never regretted it. There are lots of good used ones out there too.

[Pagrizz]

I have to jump on the Rem 700 bandwagon.I have had nine different calibers of Remington,s over the years .All of them shot under a inch and never had any problems no matter what conditions I was hunting in.

[palefty]

I would have to agree on the Tikka nothing but good things said by others. And you cant go wrong with the 06. If you are only planning on hunting deer I like the 25-06 since you can load with 85 or 100 grain tips and makes a great ground hog gun

[Makoman]

Don't overlook the Savage bolt line. They make a great shooting rifle at a very reasonable price.

[BarnesX.308]

Tikka 100%.

We have several Savage rifles. All function well and are very accurate. Fit and finish ain't that great. If you care about that.

I have one Remington 700BDL in 25-06. It's about 18 years old. Not that impressed. I'll give it a B- :D

We have two Sakos and they are the sweetest guns I've shot. Since the Tikka is a relative of the Sako, I would go that route.

How about a Weatherby Vanguard????

[Rickhem]

I'll go along with Makoman on suggesting you look at the Savage rifles before you buy. They are far and away the best value with out-of-the-box accuracy and low price. Plenty of after market stuff for them too.
The Remington 700 would be the next one in line, possibly tied with the Tikka, and followed closely by the Winchester. Each has their features and following.
For a general purpose hunting rifle, shooting factory ammo, you really can't go wrong with any of the ones you listed, and the 30-06 is a great cartridge too if you plan to hunt something that might need bigger, heavier bullets. Can't beat the selection of factory loaded ammo available for that chambering.

[nchuntin]

Well i'll put in my 2 cents to. I own a Remington 700 SPS in .308 win and also own a Browning A-bolt SS 300 Win Mag. My suggestion is to go to the gun store and handle all of the rifles mentioned above. What it comes down to is what handles the best within ur budget. Personally i love my Model 700 for a mountain trip to NC that i go on every year. Handles like a dream, light, incrediblely easy to shoulder, and very accurate. I'm not a great shot when it comes to targets, but when it comes to an animal i can hold my own. On the other hand i have killed numerous deer with my Browning and made believers out of my uncle and father who wanted to know why i bought an elephant gun for whitetail deer. But when u consistenly kill deer at 300-400 yds it doesnt take long to earn some respect. Also i would keep the .308 win in consideration for calibers. If the US Marine Snipers used this caliber for many many years then it must be something pretty special.

[Wicked Deep Stix]

I have considered all the lines of bolt action rifles out there and then handled all of them. The ones listed are the ones i liked. The .308 is a great round but the .30-06 will be the one. I want one rifle to handle all the game in the lower 48 and feel it needs to be a long action round. I am leaning towards the tikka and a mint used 700 bdl or cdl. Anyone know why remington stopped with the DM's on their rifles? Were the mags a problem? Thats for the info and feedback.

[BarnesX.308]

I don't think detachable magazines are a big seller. I don't care for them at all. I prefer a hinged floor-plate.

[IMR]

Well Scott, my 2-cnt is right there with most others; Sako/Tikka then Rem 700. However, I prefer the Older Rem and the OLLLder Win.70's. The Tikka is light and extremely well made.

[ACEarcher]

This is a tuff to just pick one gun. All of these rifles have good reputations. All will suit and be relieable. I've been looking into the tikka T3 for a while and I've been siding on getting one in .308 . Someone mentioned the savage models 110. We've go one in the arsenal. It's in 270Win. It is a tack driver. It's taken my past 2 year bucks and several does. One thing I will say is we've had problems with the magazine feed. We first thought it was the spring in the original mag. So we ordered 2 brand new mags. Now, lol sometimes it will rack another round and sometimes it dosen't. It's not a beauty gun, just a work horse hunting gun. Although, it kinda makes me nervious when I take it out for bear. Anyone who bear hunts knows that when you see one let the lead fly. For years I was always told by my bear hunting peirs that when you see one let the lead fly. Keep shooting, until he drops and when he does drop put another one in him to make sure he stays down. They just don't stop. It is very hard to just let that lead fly when it won't rechamber another.

[Pagrizz]

The Savages have always been a very accurate gun,but the triggers were always around 7 to 9 lb pull.The new triggers are adjustable and make them as good as any out there .I went and picked up a used 7 mag, but my favorite is still Remington 700.

[HUNTIN-NUT]

Now you just possibly opened another can of worms in the wanting one gun for all of the lower 48. This brings in the possiblity of big animals such as elk, bear and even moose in some spots. I would be more inclined to go with the old 300 win mag for that gun. Will do everything you need to do with the 30-06 and when in elk country and get that 300-400 yard shot the 300 will do allot better than that '06 with it being faster and flatter where distance does matter.

[Wicked Deep Stix]

I am confident that the old 06 will handle anything in the lower 48. Much of my hunting is spent in Maine and have scene plenty of big bull moose taken down with short and long action rounds. Shot placement is the key as we all know.

[Pagrizz]

I am confident that the old 06 will handle anything in the lower 48. Much of my hunting is spent in Maine and have scene plenty of big bull moose taken down with short and long action rounds. Shot placement is the key as we all know.I have guided for moose and have seen hunters use 375H&H.300 ultras,338win mag's and had to go after them, but then have someone use an 06 and drop them in their tracks.Shot placement is a big part of it ,but sometimes you just can not figuire out why they go down.Are they in rut or have they been spooked .The hunter with the 375H&H bull's heart was in three pieces and went over two hundred yards.I would like to see a 300 or bigger for moose ,but if the hunter come in with a 06 I do not worry I just get them in as close as I can.

[Barrell]

Think about dropping down a little to the 308. It will fire the same bullet as the 30.06 only sligtly slower. The advantage is there are a lot of short compact rifles chambered for the 308. The other advantage is a huge reduction in recoil so you will be willing to paractice more often and will not develop bad shooting skills.

[Nitrous SwampRat]

Think about dropping down a little to the 308. It will fire the same bullet as the 30.06 only sligtly slower. The advantage is there are a lot of short compact rifles chambered for the 308. The other advantage is a huge reduction in recoil so you will be willing to paractice more often and will not develop bad shooting skills.

When did have a rifle it was a 308. when shooting 150-180 bullets it will do what an 06 can albiet 100fps slower....they deer cant tell. LOL!
I think the 308 with a 165 boattail is one of the best rounds out there. I only factory stuff...im sure reloads could be fantastic.
if/when i do get another rifle..it will be in either the 300 winchester short magnum, 7mm-08, or the 7mm WSM....do they make one is 270 WSM as well?
95% of my shooting would/will be for deer sized game and maybe a northeast beer. i believe short actions are the way to go.
Nick

[HUNTIN-NUT]

Here is a guy that has a NIB Rem 700BDL synthetic for sale for $400 which is a steal. Only problem is it is the Dale EArnhardt Jr edition so has the #8 emblem on the stock. Worth checking out
http://www.huntingpa.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=819279#Post819279

[ihunt49]

Don't forget the T/C Icon. Very nice rifle with a great trigger.

[WoodsHunter]

I use a 30.06 for everything. It's a Remington 700BDL, had it about 30yrs. now. Accurate, no chambering problems, installed a Quick-Klip which does away with the hinge floor plate and now uses a box magazine.
With the box magazine the cartridge is centered in the magazine instead of off to the side, chambering is straight in, real smooth.:thup:
I have use this rifle for black bear in Maine, antelope & mule deer in Wyoming, elk in Idaho and beleive it or not groundhog in Pa., over kill you bet on groundhogs but it keeps you in shape for those real important shots. Use 180gr. Nosler partion bullets, I don't change the bullet weight for game, use the 180gr. it's accurate, hits hard, retains weight. With the dozen or so groundhogs I shoot with the 30.06 it doesn't pay to lower bullet weight for deer, raise weight for bear, than again for elk. The rifle shoots great with the 180gr's. period. I don't want to keep inventory on a lot of special weight bullets for different game. but I do use a Remington 700BDL in .243(85gr.H/P) for groundhogging in Pa. got to admit the Nosler would start to get expensive if thats all I had. Another great caliber/rifle combo is the Remington Model 7 in 7M/M-08, use 140gr.(Nosler) rifle is light a very accurate, easy to carry, great youth/women starter also.
Also, don't go cheap on the scope, Leopold is my favorite, it's a one time purchase, it will last a lifetime, a good hand-me-down for the childern and the grandchildern. Just my 2cents..again.:wave:

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/12/12_1_201.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=_undefined)
Remington 700 BDL 30.06...can't go wrong :thup:


http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp?pc=[object Object]&pp=ZSYYYYYYYYUS (http://smiley.smileycentral.com/download/index.jhtml?partner=ZSzeb112_ZSYYYYYYYYUS&utm_id=7920)

[darrenwondo]

No one has mentioned the Browning A-Bolt.
I have an A-Bolt Medallion in .30-06 with BOSS.
The BOSS system makes it possible to tune your rifle to each individual load you decide to use. I was sceptical when I bought it but have been continually amazed how the groups will tighten with a simple twist of the BOSS. Also, the porting takes alot of the sting out of recoil.

[ACEarcher]

Ya know darrenwondo I was thinking the same thing. I've always thought about picking up a 300win A-Bolt with a Boss system to it. Your right about those guns though. I had a buddy in college who had a A-Bolt Medallion in .30-06 with BOSS. It shot really good. Don't get me wrong he was a good shot too, but the rifle just shot good in anybodies hands. The medallion series are really pritty guns too. I've always considered picking up one. I was thinking about the stainless stalker with boss. I really would like a .300 win mag though. Don't have one and yet always wanted one. Just nice to get that distence and yet still have the power behind it. Plus ya never know when ya might be going out West!;)

[Darrin Greene]

Don't forget the T/C Icon. Very nice rifle with a great trigger.

I looked into that and it's a BEAUTY but... it only comes in short action so 30-06 is out of the question and it retails about $200 bucks more than a Tikka which will perform equally as well.

I have owned and A-bolt in 7mm Rem Mag that was a .75 MOA gun out of the box with 140 gr Nosler Partitions on Federal casings. I have also owned a Savage withe accu trigger that was super accurate, although the fit and finish were poor.

I have a friend who owns a shop and he will tell you that you can't beat the Tikka for the money. He handles everything you're looking at and has no preference whatsoever, especially when talking to me. I am considering a purchase myself and it will be a T3.

[BarnesX.308]

I hate that butter knife bolt handle on the Icon. Ugly as all get out and not to smooth to operate. I understand, though, that they now offer the standard bolt handle on that rifle. Good thing. :D

[shakey]

I also have 2 savages
308 and a 7mm love them both.

[BarnesX.308]

I've shot many Savage rifles. They are all accurate and reliable.

Another rifle to consider that is very nice for the money is a Weatherby Vanguard or a Howa 1500.