Best new rifle under 800 dollars

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epl1007

New member
I’m looking into getting a new deer rifle for next year. Debating calibers between 6.5 Credmor 7mm wby mag and 7mm REM Mag. The rifles I’m debating about are
Ruger American
Weatherby Vanguard Series 2
Winchester XPR
Any imput from anyone who owns the 3 rifles would be awesome
Thanks
 
Factor in where on the body do you attempt to shoot a deer. How far? How much money? etc. A post in this forum showed a Ruger American 6.5 Creed shooting a respectable 100 yrd group. That would be my first choice. Good Luck.
 
Both of your 7s would be considered as over gunned for your hunting purposes. Expect a lot of bloodshot meat.

I am not one to tell people what to use, but I offer the above advice from experience.

I do not have a 6.5, but my SIL does and it lives up to all the press.

He also used to shoot deer with a 7mm Rem Mag and he salvaged the stock etc and got rid of the barrel and action because of ruined meat.
 
That $800 include the sights?
Forget the magnums altogether. Far too much felt recoil and extreme cost in the case of the Weatherby. 7mm Weatherby ammo starts at ~ $75 per 20. The Remington isn't much better but it's primarily the excessive recoil and muzzle blast. A 139 grain bullet at 3100 FPS out of a 9 pound rifle has 19.3 ft-lbs of recoil energy.
The Creedmoor is far more civilised and will kill any deer in North America. Bit more felt recoil than a .243. Bit less than a .308. Price of ammo starts at around $20 per 20 too.
Which rifle really doesn't make much difference, but right now is the best time to buy a used rifle. (Used isn't an ugly word either.) You can probably find a higher end rifle with a scope in your local gun shop. Guy takes a shot at a deer, misses, blames the rifle and sells it. You win.
 
Forget the magnums altogether.
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Agreed with this comment. If this is for taking down deer at those distances you mentioned, a magnum is just overkill. I would go with the 6.5 CM out of your choices if you're sticking to those three. If you're open to other options, look at 7mm-08, which is a .308 necked down to a 7mm. I could be a little biased since it was my hunting rifle since I was 12 (which tells you about the recoil if a 12 year old can shoot it no problem). I never shot a 6.5 CM, but if the stories are true, it also has very little recoil for what it can do. I'm also looking at 6.5 CM myself for down the road if I do the LONG distance game. Like ~1000 yards. It wouldn't be a hunting gun though.

As for the rifle brand, there is probably little performance difference between the three. I would go to a gun store, handle each one and see which one feels best to you and if operating the bolt is smooth. Weigh that against the costs and if some give/take is worth the difference in price to you.
 
For what its worth, I own 3 vanguard S2s and they are all excellent shooters, a 243, 22-250, and a 7-08 I too am partial to the 7-08, killed 6 deer with that caliber this year,all 1 shot kills . I do reload so that makes it easier to find ammo. I too will agree with everyone else FORGET the magnums, I had a 7 mag for 1 season, didnt like the recoil and way too much gun for bambi in my opinion..
 
I've handled some Ruger Americans and loved them enough to be next on my list for a designated hunting rifle next year, as for the calibers you mentioned... enh.

I'm a believer in using the same ammo across multiple guns for simplicity.

Especially if you like to shoot regularly.

.308 is my choice.
 
While no opinion on your choice, caliber wise I concur with all above on the 6.5.

I hunted Caribou with a 7mm. Somewhat bigger than a deer, all shots went through some far side shoulder.

As it had not fully expanded I was lucky and able to salvage most of the meat for stew.

The 7mm had to do with moose possibility as well as dealing withe bears.

270 would have been my choice for just Caribou, that was before the 6.5s had established themselves.
 
Don't you have to buy the Weatherby MkV to get 7mm Weatherby Mag? I have long lusted after the idea, but the expensive rifle + super expensive ammo + total overkill of it all keeps me away. To make things even LESS practical, the one I want most is the EuroMark, with the beautiful hand-rubbed stock. Too beautiful to be damaged honestly.

If you are looking for a utterly practical WORKHORSE, you can't beat a mildly used Weatherby Vanguard S2 in either .308 or .270 and go to the range to figure out which are your favorite loads in the 150 - 165 gr and 130 gr ranges, respectively.

However, if you are like me and like something different, 6.5 is part of a newer generations of flat-shooting calibers, and there is no Vanguard in that caliber yet, so Ruger or Winchester are virtual tossups. There are some very nice deals on gunbroker for either of these right now with Vortex scope included! This is what I would do if in the market for a new whitetail harvester.
 
Doing Research debating the weatherby series 2 and Tikka T3x Lite since they’re both garrunteed out of the box under an inch. Looking into the 6.5 ammo prices I’m definitely going with that cartridge or a 260 Rem
 
Savage Weather Warrior, or Winchester model 70 woukd be my picks. As far as caliber you wont beat .270 winchester with either of the 3 you asked about.
 
Agreed any 7mm Magnum isn't necessary for deer hunting, but it would be effective as long as you can shoot it accurately. I handled a Sauer 100 XT at Sportsman's Warehouse and while it felt heavier than I expected it was well built, came up quick, and pointed nicely. If I were actually looking for a new rifle it would be one I'd consider.
 
With an $800 budget I'd buy TWO Ruger Predators. One in 6.5 Creedmoor and a 223 and call it good. They are $389 OTD here. If only interested in one rifle, then Tikka in 6.5 for about $700.

you wont beat .270 winchester with either of the 3 you asked about.
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The 6.5 Creed shoots similar bullet weights as 270 (which is 6.8mm) about 100-150 fps slower at the muzzle, but at around 200 yards or farther the better 6.5 bullets are faster than 270. And with 30-35% less recoil.

Tikka in 7mm-08.

Your not going get any magical results with a 6.5mm at your distances.
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Tikka is a great choice, but 6.5 ammo is far easier to find and a LOT less expensive. It also recoils about 25% less than 7-08. While the advantages on game aren't huge, they are there. As a target round the advantages are significant.

The 7-08 was an attempt to gain some ballistic advantage over 308 with less recoil. The advantages are minimal, about 1" less drop and about 30 ft. lbs. at 500 yards and 1 ft lb less recoil.

The 260 and 6.5 Creed do what the 7-08 failed to do. They both offer much better downrange performance with significant recoil reduction with no loss of performance on game. As a cartridge the 260 is virtually the same as the 6.5 Creed, but the availability and cost of ammo makes going with 6.5 over 260 a no brainer. If someone already owns a 260 there is little reason to change unless they don't reload.
 
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