Help Me Pick One of These Four Rifles
 

I'm looking to buy my first hunting rifle. At first I had decided on what I considered to be the Lexus of rifles, a Weatherby Mark V Deluxe. But then I kept on reading and decided that a Toyota would be just as good as a Lexus (and beside, as so many others have said, the deer won't know the difference). So, instead of a $1,800+ rifle I decided to go cheaper but still get quality. I've already decided on some of the features I want the riffle to have…

1) Bolt Action
2) .270 Win. caliber
3) Synthetic Stock
4) Stainless Barrel


These are the four rifles I'm trying to decide on:

1) Weatherby Vanguard 2 ~$625
2) Remington 700 SPS ~$660
3) Winchester 70 Ultimate Shadow SS ~$770
4) Remington 700 Mountain SS ~$885
(* All prices are taken from CheaperThanDirt.com so they would also include a fee for FFL transfer and shipping.)

Thanks,
John

They are all nice rifles. Go to gun store and hold each one and take the one that feels the best to you. I have shot all of these rifle, not in 270, and like them all.

I don't know the specifics of each of the rifle models that you listed, but all of the basic models are good, and would work well for a beginning or experienced hunter. The .270 Win is a fine deer cartridge, and would also work well for any animal in the lower 48 that you might want to hunt.

The specific rifle that you choose will have to be your choice, the one that feels and fits you best. You didn't give a lot of specifics about you and the hunting you plan on doing. A younger man can pack a heavier rifle around the hills much easier than us geezers, but you will feel more recoil in a lighter rifle than a heavier one. If all of your hunting will be limited to sitting in a stand, weight is not an issue.

I currently have two Rem 700 stainless rifles and a Weatherby Vanguard. I've used each of these rifles on at least one African hunt, two of them on multiple Montana elk hunts, and I used another Rem 700 on a Canadian arctic hunt. I am 100% satisfied each of these rifles. I have Leupold scopes on most of my rifles, and Nikon or Weaver on the others. Although I have a straight 4x Weaver on my .270 Win, a 3-9x variable would be a good versatile scope on a .270 Win, especially if it is your only hunting rifle.

My suggestion would be to go to a gun store and get the feel of each of the rifles that you are thinking about.

Very good advice.I would never buy a rifle w/out holdin it first.That,s the great thing about havin shops.They can and will take care of you.

I would look at the Weatherby moa first. Too bad you decided against the mark 5. I love them. As said go to a large outlet and check them all out. Don't forget the Ruger as well.

If I had to pick one that is the lightest and has the best quality stock it would be the 700 Mountain. The Model 70 probably has the best trigger. If I was building a target rifle I would start with the 700 SPS. All are very good quality. I don't think you could go wrong with any rifle from your list.

+1

I love the 270...have 1 in a Remington 700 BDL and it is one of my favorite rifles....but it's an older BDL. I also like the Weatherby Vanguard, my daughter and niece both shoot/hunt with Vanguards in 243....very accurate out of the box and a very quality gun (it's a Howa 1500....hard to beat for the money).

Thanks for the responses so far!

I will take the advice and go to my local store and see if I can hold them and see how they fit/feel.

the rifles you chose are all good picks. if it was my choice I would stick with the remingtons. all my rifles are remingtons just because of the quality. im not a fan of weatherby rifles. for the money they want for one you could get a couple guns just as good if not better. 270 is as good a caliber as any if that is your preference. keep in mind as what you are going to be hunting with it. good luck.

I don't know that I'd feel badly picking any one of those rifles over another. It's my opinion that the Vanguard is one of the most underrated rifles on the market, particularly given its price. As others have posted here, it probably boils down to what feels best to you. Although I lean Remington, a word of caution regarding the SPS. The action is all 700, but the stock ... Well, you may want to include a replacement in your budget.