To Spend Big Bucks Or Not To Spend Big Bucks
 

I just found this forum and it looks to be a source for a lot of good info and just plain rap with folks about the outdoors.

I have a question. Last fall (2009) I rifle(or any firearms for that matter) hunted for whitetail in Missouri. Before the season began I purchased a Marlin XL7 in .270 win (I chose this caliber in the hopes I will get to use it for antelope someday). I considered spending more on something like a Tikka, A-Bolt, or a Rem 700(decided against the 700 after a lot of stories on the accidental discharges scared me off). After some ccard points and one of their 'spend so much, get so much off' promotional mailers, I got my Marlin for just over $200 at Cabelas. I could not be more happy with this rifle. It is not hard at all to shoot sub MOA groups at 100 yds. with this weapon. This year I nailed my first buck ever with one shot at about 60 yds. on opening day. At about dusk that night I bagged a real nice doe too. I was using an older TrueGlo my uncle gave me (have since bought a Bushnell Elite 3200 only because the outlet here in KC was running a good deal on the Firefly reticle models). I don't know a lot about hunting rifles yet, but what's the deal? I'm sure that many of the higher-end models are fine weapons, but is a lot of the deal just paying for name? Either way, I love my XL7. Thanks for any advice.

Jon
KCMO

On some you are paying for the name, but on most of them you are just paying for a nice wood stock, or nicer finish. You don't usually get anymore accuracy, but get a gun that's got more detail instead of a cheap feeling synthetic stock. That being said, for a hunting gun I've grown to prefer the synthetic stock, and for a gun to hunt with I don't see much of a reason to spend anymore than an XL-7 or Savage. You can't get much more accurate until you get into guns that cost a few grand and are built as competition guns. There are a couple different inexpensive rifles on the market right now that are very hard to beat.

You did very good on buying the Marlin .270,I've heard great things about those Rifles and the .270 is a good accurate and hard hitting caliber.As far as spending a lot of money on a Custom Rifle I like the less expensive Rifles that have a good reputation.A few years ago I bought a new Browning A-bolt Hunter in a .243 and its a great gun that is very accurate and it will take down Deer and I have used it for Coyote Hunting also....I got it for a good price at Wal-Mart,then I put a Leupold Rifleman matte black 3X9X40mm scope on it with Millet rings and base!


This year I bought a Savage 111 GCNS Bolt-action 7mm-08 from a nearby Dealer and I also put on another Leupold QDM 3X9X40mm matte scope with the millet rings and bases!Its a great gun that was reasonably priced and its a very accurate gun,I took down a nice big Doe and a 8-Point Buck this past Rifle/Gun Season.So my point is You don't have to spend Thousands of dollars on a Rifle when they are great Out-of the Box Guns that can be had for a reasonable price and they shoot great!The main thing is to practice with your Rifle and find what shells work the best...and another thing to remember is a good scope will help in low-light conditions during the early morning and late evenings!

If You check around and watch for sales You can get a good price on several name-brand Rifles...a Friend of mine bought a very nice Savage Edge .243 Bolt-action Rifle in Camo with the Bushnell scope package for $329.00 + tax,he ended up spending around a total of $359.00 on a nice looking,accurate Rifle.

Thanks for the feedback, fellas. One thing I would like to do to my rifle is to buy a camo stock for it without dropping a lot of dough. Do either of you know if Marlin sells stocks for the XL7 or is there a good, affordable aftermarket camo stock out there? Thanks again.

Why not try doing it yourself? Check out this link.

http://www.gunnersgear.com/graces_camo/armory_cammo.htm

I just may try that. I think I would only paint the stock anyway, but maybe the entire weapon. I figure that either way, I didn't spend a ton on it so i won't be devastated if it doesn't turn out perfectly. Thanks for that link, country1!

You are welcome. Merry Christmas!

I too am in this camp. I own marlins, and savages and they are great shooters for the price. I just haven't justified buying a $1000 rifle yet. I would like one, but the accurate guns i have now do the trick and just can't see dropping that money right now.

the marlin is a great gun for the price. i have one in 3006 and its a favorite.

Nice expensive rifle are just that, nicer and more expensive. Personally I like a nicer rifle with more features but it isn't necessary. Hunting is my only hobby. I don't bowl or go to the bar. So if I pay three times the cost of a suitable rifle for a rifle that I will cherish I'd rather do that.

Tom

Same here, I like nice guns, not saying a cheap gun wont do the same thing but i collect guns that hold there value and actually increase in price after time. Savages and Marlins shoot great, I owned a Savage with the Accutrigger, for about a week, I loved the way it shot but not only is it cheap, it looked cheap. I didnt like anything about the bolt or the blind magizine that it had, I sold it to my dad and went and bought a Remington 700 BDL in 338 Win Mag., in my opinion twice the rifle, grant it it doesnt shoot any better, but to me fit and finnish matters just as much as accuracy. Now if i wanted a rifle to throw behind the seat of a truck that i would not worry about getting knocked arround and taken a little abuse, i would consider the Marlin or the Savage. JMO. It just comes down to personal preference.