sir_n0thing
New member
I'm currently siphoning off a little money every week into a gun-fund. The goal is to buy a new rifle this year, late summer or early fall. The plan is to have around $1,200 available for the rifle alone, before optics.
The purpose of this rifle will be more of a thing of beauty rather than a purely functional tool, thus I want a nice wood stock and heavier weight rather than a synthetic ultra-light rifle. I already have a synthetic light weight gun, that's not what I'm after right now.
This rifle will go out on range days for sure, and possibly deer hunting from a stand as well. It won't be a safe-queen, but will be handled with care as I am no where near flush enough to afford a bunch of rifles. I have to be selective and careful with what I buy.
My criteria as of right now will be:
•Price for rifle without scope somewhere between $1,000 and $1,300
•Bolt action
•Nice wood stock (highest grade I can get in that price range)
•Longer barrel (24" - 26")
•Not a "light weight" rifle. In the neighborhood of 8 pounds is a good starting point.
As far as caliber, I'm considering several. .243, .260, .270WIN, .270WSM, 7mm-08, 7mm mag, .300WSM are on my short list. To be honest I am leaning toward .270WIN, .270WSM and maybe 7mm-mag. Comments about those calibers are welcome, but the caliber is secondary to the rifle itself, so no need to turn this into a ".308 vs .30-06" type of discussion!
To give an example of what I've looked at so far... Winchester 70 Supergrade, TC Icon, Browning X-Bolt, Weatherby and Sako, etc. all some make beautiful guns.
I have also considered buying a barrel and action or a barreled action, stock, etc and building ground-up.
So, all that said, what would you buy (or build) and why? Comment on wood quality, build quality, actions, triggers, barrels, etc.
I'm really looking forward to hearing everyone's response on this one! I'm betting that given $1200 to spend there will be a lot of different results from everyone here.
The purpose of this rifle will be more of a thing of beauty rather than a purely functional tool, thus I want a nice wood stock and heavier weight rather than a synthetic ultra-light rifle. I already have a synthetic light weight gun, that's not what I'm after right now.
This rifle will go out on range days for sure, and possibly deer hunting from a stand as well. It won't be a safe-queen, but will be handled with care as I am no where near flush enough to afford a bunch of rifles. I have to be selective and careful with what I buy.
My criteria as of right now will be:
•Price for rifle without scope somewhere between $1,000 and $1,300
•Bolt action
•Nice wood stock (highest grade I can get in that price range)
•Longer barrel (24" - 26")
•Not a "light weight" rifle. In the neighborhood of 8 pounds is a good starting point.
As far as caliber, I'm considering several. .243, .260, .270WIN, .270WSM, 7mm-08, 7mm mag, .300WSM are on my short list. To be honest I am leaning toward .270WIN, .270WSM and maybe 7mm-mag. Comments about those calibers are welcome, but the caliber is secondary to the rifle itself, so no need to turn this into a ".308 vs .30-06" type of discussion!
To give an example of what I've looked at so far... Winchester 70 Supergrade, TC Icon, Browning X-Bolt, Weatherby and Sako, etc. all some make beautiful guns.
I have also considered buying a barrel and action or a barreled action, stock, etc and building ground-up.
So, all that said, what would you buy (or build) and why? Comment on wood quality, build quality, actions, triggers, barrels, etc.
I'm really looking forward to hearing everyone's response on this one! I'm betting that given $1200 to spend there will be a lot of different results from everyone here.
