I'm asking this question because I have almost no experience with bolt action rifles (other that the time I was 14 and one of my Dad's friends introduced my to both the 7mm Wby. Mag and the meaning of Whetherby eye-liner at the same time!).

I would like to buy a nice, bull-barreled, very accurate, small-bore rifle to play with at the range that won't cost a fortune to shoot. I'm really interested in bench-rest medium to long range shooting, and would also like to reload. I'm between the .223 Rem, 22-250, or maybe a .243 or .270. I'd also like to keep recoil at a manageable level so my wife won't be afraid to shoot it. I have experience with the .223 with the M-16A2, so I'm familiar with its recoil for comparison.

So my questions are: Which caliber from the above is likely to yield the best accuracy and is a good candidate for reloading?

What Brand/model of rifle would you suggest as the best value in terms of cost vs. accuracy? I really have no preference to make, but cost is an issue (less than $750 for just the rifle, around $500 preferred).

Thanks for your help,

Mike


Gun control means putting the second bullet through the same hole as the first- Ted Nugent
NRA Member
Muzzleloading- Once you go black, you'll never go back!!