cheap hunting rifle

K

kh1911

New member
Im lookin for a good cheap huntin rifle under $500.00 i already have a mosin nagant but would like somthing alittle more practical for hunting. Id prefer a .308 or a .30-06 and id like either a lever action or bolt action
 
entry level

There is a whole new range of "entry level" rifles now that will meet your needs. The Savage Edge, the new Ruger All American, The Mosberg ATR, or is it 4x4?, Maybe the new Rem 710?

Pawn shops in my area are full of used older Savage 110's and Rem 700 ADL's (Wally World rifles) that go for well under your price.
 
I vote the Ruger American Rifle only cus I have one and it shoots MOA easy . I paid $400 out the door

Here is my review on it http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=492169

Ruger American Rifle .308 - 100 yards 168gr gold metal match

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There is a whole new range of "entry level" rifles now that will meet your needs. The Savage Edge, the new Ruger All American, The Mosberg ATR, or is it 4x4?, Maybe the new Rem 710?
Click to expand...

I'm still undecided on the Ruger American it hasn't been out long, but the Rem 710 probably hasn't been produced for around 10 years now, and Savage had to change the name from Edge to Axis probably due to copyright infringement. The Mossberg is still out there but not a rifle I'd buy, I don't know if they fixed the bolt problems or not, but I don't want one.

If you are looking for a rifle you can improve over the years as your shooting skills improve then I'd throw out the Mossberg, Savage Axis, Ruger American, T/C Venture, Marlin XS/L-7, and the Rem 770. There just aren't options and probably never will be to upgrade much on these rifles as you go and money improves. I doubt you'll see a lot of companies out there trying to offer aftermarket options for most of these rifles.

Rifles you can upgrade as you go are the M700 ADL, Stevens 200/Savage 10/110, and Howa/Weatherby Vanguard. The M700 is probably the most used action or cloned action for most of todays custom Target/Tactical builds as well as a lot of hunting rifles. The 700 has the most aftermarket parts for it and a lot of Gunsmiths earn there bread and butter on this action.

For the DIY kind of guy there are nothing better out there than the Savage/Stevens actions, but there aren't as many aftermarket parts for them. Savage likes to change thing up quite often and it takes awhile for things to catch up. Howa/Weatherby has probably the least amount of aftermarket options for it but far more than most entry level rifles.

The thing about all these rifles is they start in the upper $300 and can be had for less than $500 most places. If you watch for deals sometimes the Stevens 200 will be around $250-300 and the Savage 10/110 for right at $400. Wal-Mart has the best prices on the M700 that I know of, with tax you'll be out the door for around $450.
 
+1 for the Ruger American, sure seems like a great rifle at a relatively very low price point. I've been reading all the reviews I can get my hands on, and, overall, very high marks from everyone.
 
Marlin X-7 series start at $299...and are Sub-MOA from the box!
Plus Boyd's Riflestocks makes quite a few styles of laminate stocks for 'em at low prices as well!!
 
Inexpensive rifles in order of preference:

Marlin X7: It's amazing you can get a rifle this good for so little money.
Savage Axis: Not far behind the Marlin and well worth a look.

Mossberg ATR and similar: Not too bad, but not competitive with the two above.
Remington 710/770: Avoid at all costs. Crudely made, crudely finished and ugly. I wouldn't own one if it were free.


Weatherby Vanguard / Howa 1500 and the Ruger American are good choices for a bit more money.
 
Most gunshops should have one or more used Marlin leverguns for $300-$350, although they were never made in .308 or .30-06.


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The savage axis I bought is really a great shooter for the cost. Although I love a remington 700 I chose the Axis because it was about half the price.
 
One of my coworkers recently picked up the Ruger American. He showed me the targets.....it would seem more than adequate for someone looking for a .308 Win on a budget. He had less than 1 MOA three shot groups. How much more do you need for deer hunting?
 
Cheap ? Rifle..

For the top name in INEXPENSIVE "accurate out of the box" rifles, look no further than Savage. I have close to 40 rifles from various countries, some costing as much as a car...my two favorites (and best shooters) are two of the least expensive...A Savage FCP-10 and a Tikka.

My advice: never go "Cheap"... go for inexpensive quality.


"Wisdom comes with age, but ONLY if you are paying attention..."
 
You should look at the Weatherby Vanguard S2 in .308. I got mine for $425 and put an used Redfield Revolution scope on it. It shoots well under one MOA with inexpensive factory ammo (9/16" with Rem CoreLokt which costs $19.99/box).
 

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I'll throw another vote at the Ruger American. I picked up one in .30-06, and am very happy with it at the range. Hoping it gets a chance to make its bones in a few months.
 
Here is my "cheap" hunting rifle. It is a NEF Handi Rifle in .30-06. You can get it for about half of your $500 and have money left for a good scope. I have fired mine nine times at deer ranging from 25 to 125 yards and have put nine deer on the ground. None required more than one shot. With the butt stock shell carrier I can reload for a second shot almost as fast as with a bolt action.

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For a used bolt rifle look to Winchester model 670. This was the cheaper version of the model 70 featuring hardwood stock and stamped checkering. But they're very accurate and reliable for less than $400.00

Jack
 
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