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I got $600 for my first rifle.

Hi to all. Need some suggestions from the experts here :)
I am going to buy my first rifle. Haven't decided on caliber or anything else yet. Heard some good words about Remington 700 and Marlin, but they got hundreds of models, so its very hard to choose. With or without scope not a big deal " with its a plus"
I would rather buy a great rifle, then a scope later. Than a decent rifle with a decent scope. My budget is $600, but if there is something that I wont regret for $700 ill get that.
Please tell me your experience, and your opinion with the gun that you will suggest, as I am new to hunting and would love to learn from you guys. I will basically hunt hogs, deer, rabbits.
I would love my rifle to be quieter or at least not the loudest, and a smooth recoil.
Thanks to all, Roni.

Well I believe you need to handle a few different rifles and find which one "fits" you best. Rem. 700, Savage, Marlin XL7 are just a few to mention that are great rifles that are in your price range. As for caliber, for a beginner I'd look at a .243 or a .7mm-08 or .25-06 they're all low recoil and have plenty of power to put down a deer at 300+ yards. Hope this helps.

So does your $600 budget include optics or not? If $600 total is the max you can spend? Do you want a bolt action or a lever action?

If you want a bolt action,
I'd look into one of the Savage Model 10/110 in .243, 270, 30-06, or your choice of caliber that they sell with the accu trigger at Walmart for right under $400 with a cheap scope. I'd then either sell that scope, or keep it for a secondary gun. Then I'd use the rest of the money to buy a quality set of rings and a scope. There are a few good scope choices in the $200 range. My favorite is the Burris FFII's, but you can also sometimes get Nikon Monarch UCC's on sale for $200 that are also good choices, as well as the Vortex Diamondbacks, and the 2-7 Viper that's on clearance. Any of those would be a good choice for a scope in that price range, and then I'd look for a set of Burris Signature Zee rings. They are my favorite rings I've used for the price. I've also used Leupold rings, and while I like them, I think the Burris rings are better as the eliminate the need for lapping, if you need to shim the scope, you can with inserts, and they don't leave ring marks. All of this for a similar price to the Leupolds. They go for around $30-35 in this area. To me these are about the best you can get for under $100, and for a rifle like this I don't think there is a need to buy an expensive pair of rings like Seekins or Badgers.

Another option I'd have previously recommended was the Marlin XL/XS-7, but since Remington made Marlin switch plants, there have been a lot of reports of problems. Enough that I think the Savage is a much better rifle for a similar price.

There is also the Stevens 200 that is basically an older Savage 110 without the accu trigger. These go for $300 without a scope in this area, although Academy sometimes has put select calibers on sale for as low as $179. This is also a good choice, but imo at $300 it's worth paying the extra $100 for the accu trigger and the $30 scope. That's just my opinion though.

If you want a lever action, there are also lots of good choices from Marlin, Winchester, etc. If it was a Marlin though, I'd try to find an older one. The newer ones are having major quality issues, and they actually suspended production of their lever actions right now for the rest of the year so that they could work on their issues.

If your $600 budget is for just the rifle, you open up many more good options. Some I'd check out in this price range are the Tikka T3, any of the Savage models depending on which style you like, some of Weatherbys offerings, or the Browning X Bolt hunters. All of these are good choices and you really can't go wrong with any of them, so see which one fits you best.

If you insist on a Remington, I'd get an older one, but with all of the quality issues they have had the last few years, I'd not recommend one at all. If you do get one and happen to get a good one it's great, but if you get a bad one which there seems to be a high chance of, you get to deal with this sort of customer service.
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubb...02#Post2823702

That combined with the fact that you can get several other better rifles from companies with great customer service for a similar price makes the current Remington offerings a bad choice imo. Remington is now owned by an investment group that seems to just care about the rate they can turn out guns, and not about the quality. Sadly Remington also acquired Marlin in 2007, and shortly after their quality too a steep dive downhill too. They also own several other companies.

Old Remington products are great though, if you want a used rifle and really want a Remington. There are just so many others that have come such a long way over the years, while Remington has been taking huge steps backwards.

Overall, though it just depends on what you want, what fits you best, and what you can afford. You are much better off buying a $300 Stevens or similar with a decent scope than you would be with a $600 rifle with a $30 scope on it.

I must have been lucky.... I've got four 700's: a 30 year old BDL in 7mm Rem Mag,, and ADL's that are about 15, 5, and 2 years old (.30-06, .243, and 7mm-08, respectively). NO problems, at all, with any of them. 100% reliable, and each as accurate as the other. Can't comment on their customer service, because the rifles have been so good that I have never needed customer service. Perhaps I managed to get the only 4 decent rifles Remmy has ever produced.:rolleye0011:

So which is the best rifle combo for $700

Thanks to evey1 for your support and help.

So help me make up my mind please. I have decided for a rifle + scope combo for a max of $700. What is the best rifle i can buy for around $500-550 and a scope for $150-200.... or a set for $700
I saw some good Nikon's for around $200, but can't decide for the rifle. max caliber i would get is 30-06. I would love wood stock, but if not possible for that gun its alright.. And about the trigger, I have no idea. Sorry guys, i dont know which one is the best match for me, either bolt or the other options.
Thank you, Roni.

I would not worry about getting a wood stock on the rifle it generally increases the cost more than you can justify at the moment. My first deer rifle was a Marlin 336c in 30-30 it still is an awesome gun. It is light recoiled the 30-30 is very mild. It is accurate to 200yds with the leverevolution ammo and more than capable of hitting whatever I point it at to 150 with winchester 170gr bullets which you can buy pretty much at any store in america. You can get a mount and put a scope on it but it is not necessary if you live in an area where you will not be shooting much past 100 yds like in most of the forests back east. Plus it has the wood stock which gives it that classic old west look and feel. The price averages around 400 to 500 dollars so you would still have 200 dollars to drop on a scope if you like, but again it is not necessary. What I would suggest if you get the Marlin is to instead of getting a 200 dollar scope, to buy a lot of the same brand of ammo. Sight it in, then practice practice practice. Or you could then get say a 200 dollar 20 gauge or .22 for shooting rabbits or heck maybe even a 17hmr. I would not suggest hunting rabbits with anything much larger than 17hmr/22mag for rabbits anything bigger than these calibers will result in the rabbit detonating upon impact.
Well there is my .02 cents have fun picking out your rifle/rifles you can never have to many.

For your budget...I would recommend you go handle several versions of the following rifle...the fit and comfort of the rifle is just as important as any other quality. All these rifles should be able to be had for $500 or less if you shop around.

- Tikka T-3 lite (great triggers, excellent accuracy and handles nicely)
- Savage 10/110 with accu trigger (good trigger, excellent accuracy and a sold gun)
- Remington 700 ADL (OK trigger, very accurate,solid gun)
- Browning x-Bolt (nice trigger, good accuracy, ok wood stocks)

I have all of the above rifles in one form or another and they all preform very well. The Tikka is my favorite hands down right now. The Browning may be hard to find in your price range.

Scope options...you should be able to locate any of the below in your price range...there are several other options as well...these just represent a few of my fav's...

- Nikon (Prostaff, Buckmaster or Monarch) are all good and if you shop you can find them in your price range...I love my Nikons!
- Bushnell Elite (I have an Elite 3200 and really like it)
- Burris
- Redfield
- Swift (I love them...but they aren't easy to find...awesome eye relief and rock solid reliability)

Look through the scopes and find one that has the eye relief that work for you...some vary greatly.

Invest in good rings (Millet, Redfields, Burris, etc)...well worth it.

Caliber...I would recommend any of the following calibers for you based on what you said and based on ammo availability and cost.... .243, 25-06, 7mm-08, .270, .308...leaning heavily toward the .270 and .308 for versatility (due to large selections of various ammo and bullet weights)

Good luck and take time to find the one that fits you best! Handle plenty!

Shop around for something that appeals to you, the search is half the fun of a new rifle.
I love my Marlin 30-30 lever action, and I also find single shots to be appealing (black powder rifles are my latest quest.) You won't know what want until you hold a rifle that fits.

As far as calibers there are too many to choose from, some of them have already been mentioned. I have a bolt action chambered in 308 win as a secondary and general purpose rifle.

No matter what gun you buy don't skimp on the optics!!! You can find some really good deals on rifles if you shop around. And check local pawn shops and gun shops for used rifles. Every now and then you stumble on a buy good luck on your search!