Bolt Action rifle advice
09-06-2011, 02:39 PM
#11
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 872
09-06-2011, 03:10 PM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,519
For that price go to Walmart and pick up the Savage Model 10 or 110 depending on the caliber for right under $400. This one comes with the accu trigger, and a cheap scope. I'd sell the scope off and upgrade it, but other than that the rifle is great right out of the box. It's a much better option than anything on your list, and well under your budget too.
09-06-2011, 03:11 PM
#13
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 30
First off, you ask people help and "opinions" yet you give them crap when they do respond?
Anyway, Sheridan is correct in pointing out 2 important points...1. You're rifle may not like the 85g Ballistic Silver Tips, so you may need to try several options when finding the round your rifle likes. 2...25-06 ammo is only going to get harder to find and more spendy (unless you reload).
Personally, for a first bolt rifle, the 25-06 isn't what would top my list of options, that being said, for some reason you are dead set on it. With that I offer some options...
But first, a question...does that $500 limit include glass? (glass, rings/mounts will likely add at least $300 to the package for basic quality glass)
Of the rifles you list, the only one I would ever consider owning it the TC...all the rest are junk IMHO!
Assuming your limit of $500 does NOT include scope, etc...here are some options...these prices were obtained after a quick internet search...
Tikka T-3 lite: $509 (scope rings/bases included) http://www.tombstonetactical.com/cat...-24.5in-black/
Savage 111: $451 (scope included and an accu-trigger) http://www.jetguns.com/savage-111fxp...ope-p-882.html
Savage Edge: $361 (scope included) http://www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com/...%2BJDyOLrQE%3D
Weatherby Vanguard: $436 http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/73930-1.html (guaranteed SUB-MOA ...as long as the shooter does their part)
Any of the above rifles, with the right ammo and the shooter doing their job will produce MOA or better results @ 100 yards...more than good enough for a deer hunt anywhere in North America...and meet your $500 range...and would all be on my list if I were in your seat.
Anyway, Sheridan is correct in pointing out 2 important points...1. You're rifle may not like the 85g Ballistic Silver Tips, so you may need to try several options when finding the round your rifle likes. 2...25-06 ammo is only going to get harder to find and more spendy (unless you reload).
Personally, for a first bolt rifle, the 25-06 isn't what would top my list of options, that being said, for some reason you are dead set on it. With that I offer some options...
But first, a question...does that $500 limit include glass? (glass, rings/mounts will likely add at least $300 to the package for basic quality glass)
Of the rifles you list, the only one I would ever consider owning it the TC...all the rest are junk IMHO!
Assuming your limit of $500 does NOT include scope, etc...here are some options...these prices were obtained after a quick internet search...
Tikka T-3 lite: $509 (scope rings/bases included) http://www.tombstonetactical.com/cat...-24.5in-black/
Savage 111: $451 (scope included and an accu-trigger) http://www.jetguns.com/savage-111fxp...ope-p-882.html
Savage Edge: $361 (scope included) http://www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com/...%2BJDyOLrQE%3D
Weatherby Vanguard: $436 http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/73930-1.html (guaranteed SUB-MOA ...as long as the shooter does their part)
Any of the above rifles, with the right ammo and the shooter doing their job will produce MOA or better results @ 100 yards...more than good enough for a deer hunt anywhere in North America...and meet your $500 range...and would all be on my list if I were in your seat.
Are you talking about me asking about the wood stock? I honestly have no idea if a synthetic stock or a wood stock affects performance, so I was asking. My firearm experience consists of only shooting military weapons (m16a2, M4, M249SAW, M2 .50 cal, Mk19, At4) that all have synthetic bodies and stocks. Truly I do not know if a wood stock help's with accuracy or not? If it does, then I would be game for getting one vs a synthetic. If it is just for cosmetic reasons then that's a matter of personal opinion and won't influence my decision.
Are you talking about me asking the first poster about all the different firearms he linked? If so I stated in my first post that I was only looking at 25-06's and then he posted links to a bunch of 270's. In my reply I also detailed what all I had read about the guns he listed, not on my own personal opinion. He came back later and said he was just linking models, not caliber's?
If it was something other than those two instances then I am missing what your talking about?
25-06 = The reason I am dead set on it is that I am sharing this rifle (just this deer season) with my 10 year old son who has never shot anything more than a bb-gun. I have read in many places that the 243 is ideal for young shooters. According to Chuck Hawks Rifle Recoil table the 25-06 (@12.5) is closest to the 243 (@11) in recoil. Not only that according to Winchesters Ballistics Calculator it has the least amount of bullet drop over any rifle listed in the tool. Better than a 300WSM, heck even better than a 8mm Mauser... and don't forget it has nearly the same recoil as a youth 243. As for the availability of ammo and that specific caliber trending out, I have found that nearly every major firearm manufacturer makes a 25-06 in one or more different models. Due to that, I don't see it going anywhere in the next 2 years and I don't plan to spend more than a year on this rifle, since next year I'm going to the 300wsm. It's not a big deal if it does get phased out and the gunshop were I buy at says they will order ammo for me if they don't have it.
The 500$ limit is for the gun only. the scope has a 300$ limit that I was hoping to get help from later on.
That savage 111FXP3 is showing for a tad over 600$ on Savage's website. Why would it be 150$ less on that site? I have never ordered firearms online and I don't have a FFL, so the gun shop here in town would have to order it and they charge 40$ for that.
Other people have posted that the guns I have listed might not shoot the Winchester Ballistic Silvertip 85gr's very well. I have read that rifle's often perform better with a set type of round and the only way to find out which on it is, is to test them out. Is that what you guy's are referring to or is there some well known specific reason that those rifles wont shoot that round well? Again, I am just going off what I have read in online reviews and manufacturer tables and charts. I have not fired a weapon since my days in the Marine Corps and that was about 15 years ago.
Last edited by Okie76; 09-06-2011 at 03:16 PM.
09-06-2011, 05:07 PM
#14
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Trumbull County, Ohio
Posts: 9,520
They're just referring to the fact that all rifles like something different. Nothing specific.
Prices on the manufacturers websites are MSRP's not what they're actually selling for.
I just stopped by one of our local shops and they had the savage 110's for $400. You just gotta find the right deal.
As for buying the .25-06, you're set on it, go for it. I can think of better options in MY OPINION. But, everyone has one of those. So if you want the .25-06, go for it.
-Jake
Prices on the manufacturers websites are MSRP's not what they're actually selling for.
I just stopped by one of our local shops and they had the savage 110's for $400. You just gotta find the right deal.
As for buying the .25-06, you're set on it, go for it. I can think of better options in MY OPINION. But, everyone has one of those. So if you want the .25-06, go for it.
-Jake
09-06-2011, 05:40 PM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: WY
Posts: 2,056
First, building your rifle from the ammunition up is a very bad idea. Most of us settle on the rifle and then find the load (factory or otherwise) that works best in it.
Second, you mention the .243, your 10-year-old, deer, and moving up to a .300 WSM later on yourself. Yet, because of something Chuck Hawks has opined, you've committed yourself to a .25-06? Ever consider the 7mm-08? Or, since you mentioned it, the .243? There's a reason .25-06 ammo isn't plentiful on most dealers' shelves - it's not as effective as the .270, and it's nowhere near as versatile and forgiving as is the .243.
Third, you've ruled out the Vanguard because of things you're buddy tells you about his rifle (or is it his shooting)? Really? I bought a Vanguard at Wal-Mart years ago for less than $300 brand-new with low expectations and found it shoots every bit as well as rifles I own that set me back three times that much coin. It's easily a sub-MOA rifle, on some days sub-1/2 MOA providing I do my part. Trigger is a little stiff, but that can be overcome or replaced. This might come as a surprise, but Vanguards are made by ... (drum roll please) ..... Howa.
There's so much information available out there on the internet that it's really a challenge sorting out what's useful from what's opinion or junk. People want you to read and revere what they pontificate about (heck, why else do we post here?). Really though, I'd much rather you be satisfied with a rifle and a caliber that'll see some use. I suggest you reconsider some of your positions and look at some chamberings beyond the .25-06. I'd handle as many rifles as you can and OBJECTIVELY consider what's being told to you here about them. Dispense with the idea of selecting a premium factory load and building everything around it (you may not realize how much you're limiting yourself).
I'm a few years from buying a rifle for my daughter, but if something already in the safe won't do and based upon my past experiences, I'll be putting her behind a Vanguard or a Remington SPS (on sale, hopefully) in .243 or 7mm-08 topped by a Leupold VX-2 3-9.
Second, you mention the .243, your 10-year-old, deer, and moving up to a .300 WSM later on yourself. Yet, because of something Chuck Hawks has opined, you've committed yourself to a .25-06? Ever consider the 7mm-08? Or, since you mentioned it, the .243? There's a reason .25-06 ammo isn't plentiful on most dealers' shelves - it's not as effective as the .270, and it's nowhere near as versatile and forgiving as is the .243.
Third, you've ruled out the Vanguard because of things you're buddy tells you about his rifle (or is it his shooting)? Really? I bought a Vanguard at Wal-Mart years ago for less than $300 brand-new with low expectations and found it shoots every bit as well as rifles I own that set me back three times that much coin. It's easily a sub-MOA rifle, on some days sub-1/2 MOA providing I do my part. Trigger is a little stiff, but that can be overcome or replaced. This might come as a surprise, but Vanguards are made by ... (drum roll please) ..... Howa.
There's so much information available out there on the internet that it's really a challenge sorting out what's useful from what's opinion or junk. People want you to read and revere what they pontificate about (heck, why else do we post here?). Really though, I'd much rather you be satisfied with a rifle and a caliber that'll see some use. I suggest you reconsider some of your positions and look at some chamberings beyond the .25-06. I'd handle as many rifles as you can and OBJECTIVELY consider what's being told to you here about them. Dispense with the idea of selecting a premium factory load and building everything around it (you may not realize how much you're limiting yourself).
I'm a few years from buying a rifle for my daughter, but if something already in the safe won't do and based upon my past experiences, I'll be putting her behind a Vanguard or a Remington SPS (on sale, hopefully) in .243 or 7mm-08 topped by a Leupold VX-2 3-9.
Last edited by homers brother; 09-06-2011 at 05:44 PM.
09-06-2011, 07:05 PM
#17
Spike
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Shawano Co., WI
Posts: 41
I have owned a 25-06, and really enjoyed it. That being said, the cost and availablilty of different types of ammo for the 2506 can be a problem. I recently purchased a Marlin XS7 in 243, and love it. I purchased the Marlin prior to Remington buying them out, and did so because that was what I could afford at the time. I chose the 243 because of its great versatility, and wide availability-every hardware store and walmart in the world has at least one box of 243 on the shelf. The 243 is also much more economical, and will get you much more range time, which would possibly be critical with a 10 year old just learning to shoot. If I had the choice of the models listed in prior posts, I don't think you can go wrong with the Savage, Weatherby, or the Tikka. Just my experience for what its worth............
09-06-2011, 07:39 PM
#18
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: central Wisconsin
Posts: 479
The Weatherby Vanguard I looked at had a real gritty, bad trigger.
I would go with a Tikka T3 or a TC Venture. You can't go wrong.
And Dick's Sporting Goods had a Rem 700 SPS Buckmasters with a Nikon ProStaff scope for just over $500 this year.
I would go with a Tikka T3 or a TC Venture. You can't go wrong.
And Dick's Sporting Goods had a Rem 700 SPS Buckmasters with a Nikon ProStaff scope for just over $500 this year.
Last edited by warbirdlover; 09-06-2011 at 07:43 PM.
09-06-2011, 07:54 PM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Huntin' In Colorado
Posts: 2,910
I would look at the Remington 700SPS or ADL. You can find one easy for under 500 bucks.
09-06-2011, 09:42 PM
#20
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Granbury, TX
Posts: 481
I have a 25/06 and love it. I bought it to shoot coyotes and deer. I have even taken several hogs with it also. I can always find the 100 gr core lokt bullets at walmart. I also found a place that has a large supply hornady rounds as well. If there is anything else I want to shoot in the gun it can be ordered online which is no problem either. Mine is a rem 700 mtn rilfe.
Have you thought of a 30/06 with reduced recoil rounds? Just a thought. To speak of something with rounds hard to find my 280 is it. When you do find them they are expensive.
good luck with your choice and I'm sure you will enjoy the 25/06. You might even change your mind on the 300wsm.
Have you thought of a 30/06 with reduced recoil rounds? Just a thought. To speak of something with rounds hard to find my 280 is it. When you do find them they are expensive.
good luck with your choice and I'm sure you will enjoy the 25/06. You might even change your mind on the 300wsm.
