RE: affordable rifle
 

Package deals are ALWAYS a bad choice as they'll invaribly use cheap scopes in them,and he'll need to upgrade scopes.

RE: affordable rifle
 

I'd go for the savage, the only gun I ever got rid of was a vanguard

RE: affordable rifle
 

I see from your profile you are Canadian. I am an american andI was not suggesting a difference in product quality above. But if all else is equal buying american provides american jobs which help us economically.I alsofeel domestic gun manufactures have more of a vested interest in protecting americans constitutional right to bear arms than a foreign company.

RE: affordable rifle
 

I disagree. In many cases they are however, I've seen some package deals with Remington 700's topped with decent looking Nikon scopes. This was back a year and a half ago or so when I was looking for a rifle at Dicks Sporting Goods. Maybe they weren't good Nikon scopes but they looked decent and I'm not sure I've heard of a Nikon that hasn't been at least pretty good.

In most cases you are right though they seem to use cheap scopes. I have seen a few nice packages out there though.

RE: affordable rifle
 

IF they are offering packages with nikon scopes,that's great and would be the exception-even the cheapest nikon line of prostaff,of which I have several mounted on somel rifles/muzzleloaders. If they didn't perform,I wouldn't even consider using them. I've had to change scopes out over the years by the hundreds,usually customers upgrading from cheap scopes that fogged up or wouldn't hold zero/track/adjust. The thing is,I'm almost positive ****s sporting goods must mount them as package or have special quanity option since I've NEVER seen this package in any of the wholesaler distributers I deal with. Perhaps they do,and if so,great-it's a giant step forward for package deals. What I'm talking about is the usual package deals with remington model 710/770 or savage usually at discount places like wal-mart and such. Another reason I would hesitate to buy a package deal-regardless of what scope it contained,is bases/rings are usually aluminum and of iffy quality,and if they ARE steel,you can bet your bottom dollar they wasn't lapped in and normal pains taken for optimum mounting. Lapping steel rings in before mounting scope is just common sense and prevents the scope body from being damaged which COULD cause later scope failure. It just makes sense to have a scope mounted by someone that don't have to meet numbers by "throwing" several dozen scopes on packages per day. In fact,a few scope companies consider ring marks (indentations) to be neglect/abuse. That's food for thought.

RE: affordable rifle
 

I don't see anything wrong with a a package deal. So you get a cheap scope... Better than nothing! and you can replace it when you have more money. But until then you have a scope.

I bought my Savage "package" (7mm-08) and it came with a cheap Simmons 8 POINT scope. Until i feel like replacing it which will be next season, it still shoots no greater than one inch after 3 years of being on this gun. Is it cheap? yep, does it work, YEP! and it better than nothing and for alot of hunters it bet it would last a lot longer. The only reason i am replacing it is i want to make one of my rifles a go to rifle for everything so i a sense i am building "my perfect rifle". But i say, if you can get a package deal for the same price go for it!

RE: affordable rifle
 

my package savage came with a simmons aetec scope. somebody screwed up, i guess.

RE: affordable rifle
 

I totally agree with him. Most combo's come with cheap scopes. I didn't know Dicks must have mounted the ones with the Nikons. I just saw them as a package so was saying there were some packages with decent scopes.

I do agree however, that a gun with a cheap scope is better than one with no scope in most of those cases as they work okay until you can upgrade. However, I wouldn't pay much more for the package than I would for just the regular gun.

RE: affordable rifle
 

Go for the savage

RE: affordable rifle
 

If you're left-handed, you'll want a Savage. I have a Savage 110 in .30-06 and it's my favorite rifle. Accurate, reliable, and itwas pretty cheap, too.