What's the best value bolt out there right now?

Exspiravit

Exspiravit

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If one were going to buy a basic bolt in 308, where would the optimal intersection of quality and price be?
Ruger American?
Mossberg Patriot?
Savage of some sort?

I'm helping out a friend look for a deer rifle, which is outside of my wheelhouse. He wants 308, compact barrel length (18 inches?) with muzzle threads. Obviously wants decent accuracy but doesn't want to sink a grand in it.
 
Not too sure about the 18” barrel
but I love the Howa Hogue 1500
in .308.
A lot of rifle for not a lot of cash.
$500 ish.
 
Of the three you mentioned… I would go with the Ruger American 308. I have personally seen many instances of these guns shooting MOA or better at 100yrd. Many others I have run across have talked about this in conversation as well. Price is not bad either. As you know.. get good glass!
 
BowWow said:
Tikka......
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Agreed … assuming value is relative. A used Tikka may be in the top of the price range of those listed above. I think new would put it out of range, as he didn’t want to spend over a certain amount.

Love Tikka rifles.
 
Yeah......I'm not sure what their cheapest rifles are, but I think they used to be $650 or so not too long ago.
 
Pop N Shots said:
Of the three you mentioned… I would go with the Ruger American 308. I have personally seen many instances of these guns shooting MOA or better at 100yrd. Many others I have run across have talked about this in conversation as well. Price is not bad either. As you know.. get good glass!
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No experience with the 308 but my daughter has the American compact in 243. Even with the cheap Vortex Crossfire on it and the Tupperware stock, it's a consistent MOAish rifle.
 
1) Tikka
2) Bergara
3) Rem700
4) Savage
5) Howa

If we ignore the Ruger American line long enough maybe it will go away.
 
I only have a Howa in the mini action but dang that bolt is smoooth.

Get a barrelled action from Brownells and put it in a good stock. I dropped mine in a B&C
 
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Any of the three you mentioned would work fine for deer hunting and would shoot far better groups than most hunters could place at distances over 100 yards, as would any of the others mentioned above.
 
The fact is the vast majority of shots on whitetails are less than 100 and that average is brought way down by southeastern hunters like ourselves. Tell him to get something he enjoys shooting, that feels good in his hands and that he is not apprehensive about practicing with. 308, 30-30, 243 ... any of those are perfect for NC.
 
Don’t have the short barrel cascade but have one in 300win mag. It is hands down nicer than the ruger American predator I have. I’d say it’s equal to a bergara and has a bergara barrel. Just under a tikka. For the money I think the American is the best value in the budget class. My next will be a cascade in 6.5prc.
 
Exspiravit said:
If one were going to buy a basic bolt in 308, where would the optimal intersection of quality and price be?
Ruger American?
Mossberg Patriot?
Savage of some sort?

I'm helping out a friend look for a deer rifle, which is outside of my wheelhouse. He wants 308, compact barrel length (18 inches?) with muzzle threads. Obviously wants decent accuracy but doesn't want to sink a grand in it.
Click to expand...
Take him to a couple of reputable gun shops and let him actually lay hands on the different brands to see and feel the differences. Don't forget to look at the used rifles while there. You never know when you might come across a good deal on a better quality rifle.
 
I've always liked the Savage 110, the Model 700, and others.
Used to be, the 110 was the way to go for a high quality, reasonably priced bolt gun.
My favorite, though FN doesn't make it anymore, is the FN PBR. The resurrection of the Pre-64 Model 70, it was superseded by something else on the same action, oh for 15 years ago.....
More recently I've been looking at a Ruger American in 6.5 CM, price point is reasonable, but I'd love to find a Savage 110 in an HS Precision stock with a 22 or 24 inch barrel in 6.5 CM, but that combination looks to be a build I'll have to do.
 
Exspiravit said:
Looks like he impulse bought a Ruger American. And overpaid for it after I told him to tell me what he wanted and I would find it cheaper.

There's no helping some people.
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It goes that way at times. At least he bought a decent gun. Could have overpaid for a real POS.
 
Browning X-Bolt is no slouch either, but it's not inexpensive unfortunately
 
A good friend of mine is a rifle snob, he feels like he's got to buy something new every couple years just because. He normally sports a Sako, he's had 5 since I've known him. His cousin in an avid bench rest shooter that has a 20 pound custom 6.5X55 bench rest gun. A couple years ago, his doctor told him to avoid hard recoil guns because of his eyes( detached retina). My friend is 74 and killed more deer than anyone i know, and is a better shot than anyone I've met(haven't met his cousin). To reduce recoil, he decided to sell his Sako 270 WSM and buy something with less kick. His cousin recommended the Ruger predator in 6.5 Creedmore and assured him it would shoot as good as anything he had. Sako hadn't released a 6.5 yet(he's got one now). To his surprise, that "cheap rifle" shot sub MOA right out of the box, he was able to get a couple 3 shot groups at .5 MOA. He was embarrassing close to his cousins 6.5X55. That Ruger held him thru the season. He ordered a Begara that spring and had it dialed in for the next season. It was for sale after that season, as in his words, didn't group as well as the Ruger. Another Ruger was ordered, this time in the Go Wild camo pattern. It kept him happy till his Sako in 6.5 showed up at the gun dealer, and the Ruger was sold. He just bought another Ruger predator in 243 as a dedicated Coyote gun(don't know why he didn't use the sako). He's got the money(spends more on glass than I do on a car) to buy just about anything he wants, and keeps coming back to the Ruger predator. I would have no issue recommending a Ruger predator to anyone. I'll have one myself in 308 this spring If I cant get my Savage to shoot consistent
 
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Exspiravit said:
If one were going to buy a basic bolt in 308, where would the optimal intersection of quality and price be?
Ruger American?
Mossberg Patriot?
Savage of some sort?

I'm helping out a friend look for a deer rifle, which is outside of my wheelhouse. He wants 308, compact barrel length (18 inches?) with muzzle threads. Obviously wants decent accuracy but doesn't want to sink a grand in it.
Click to expand...
Ruger American predator.
 
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