good budget bolt action rifle

J

jcolon95

New member
I want to buy a bolt action rifle in .308. but there are so many to choose from.
I am looking a Remington 783, Ruger American, Mossberg patriot night train, savage axis. I hear good and bad things about all of them. I am not really a hunter so mostly target shooting. I already have a Ruger 556 AR. anyone have any suggestions that have shot these rifles.
 
Of the ones mentioned I like the Ruger American best. Especially the Predator version. It isn't the cheapest of the bunch, but mine shoots great and is still reasonably priced.
 
IMHO, the absolute best "budget" rifle of the modern era was sadly discontinued a year or so ago - the Marlin XS/XL series. However, you can still sometimes find them new-in-box online from the dealers that had a large stock.
 
All budget rifles have their short comings but all of them function and most are even pretty accurate. Trade offs are an individual thing but after buying a couple of axis rifles, marlin x7's, and an American I would urge you to spend just a bit more for a rifle of a higher grade.

But to directly answer the question I would get the 783 out of the options you mention. I'm not a Remington fan by any means but it seems they have learned from their previous endeavors. It has a better stock than most entry level, savage style barrel but, and they have ditched the c clip extractor used on the 700. The magnum contour barrel is also a nice touch.

Mossberg uses plastic as the bedding platform which is a weak link and, not surprisingly, there have been reports of it breaking. This renders your bolt action basically useless.

The axis has a poorly designed mag and the recoil lug design is backwards. The stock is terrible and the ejection port is small even for a budget gun. If a guy wants a savage the model 10 and 11 can be found for literally a few more dollars and nearly everything can be swapped out to your like if with ease from the bolt handle to the barrel. You also have the option of finding a stock that is dbm, hinged floor, or blind.

The American uses 2 screws that go through the stock and cinch it to the action via aluminum v-blocks. No lug. Mag is well engineered but all plastic as is the very flimsy stock. It's better than the axis or Mossberg though.



I always mention the howa when budget guns come up to the point I feel like a broken record but I'll say it again. The howa is the best budget rifle in my eyes. They can be had for around $350, have a one piece bolt, sako extractor, smooth actions, 3 position safety, hinged floor plate, and are generally quite accurate. The only plastic on them is the stock and the derlin follower. They will hold up well when most of the budget rifle options will fail due to either use or neglect.
 
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I forgot about the Stevens 200 which is also a solid bolt-action rifle. However, the stock it comes with leaves much to be desired.
 
OK I see everyone has there preference. I am looking for one that is durable and accurate . so I am open to suggestion.
 
If you can stretch your budget a little I would recommend the Savage 25 walking varminter if it comes in 308. Excellent right out of the box, no need for any upgrades.
 
i would like to stay within $700 for rifle , scope and bipod. I was leaning towards a ruger American .308 with a Nikon p-308 and bipod.
 
"... look at some of the hunting rifles at the pawnshops..." And your local gun shop. Guys will miss their shot during deer season, blame the rifle and decide to sell/trade it, usually scoped for a new rifle. Essential that you know what stuff is worth BNIB when buying used. Not the fabled Blue Book of Gun Values.
Like VoodooMountain says, they're all decent rifles. In most cases, the difference between an entry level hunting rifle is the stock material and the finish. Innards are the same. As in a Rem M700 SPS is an entry level rifle that's identical internally to its big brothers. Difference is the stock.
You will very likely not find a used or new entry level hunting rifle that comes with or really needs a bipod.
 
i would like to stay within $700 for rifle , scope and bipod. I was leaning towards a ruger American .308 with a Nikon p-308 and bipod.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good start to me. Not familiar with Nikon specifically, but seems to get very positive reviews.
 
For $700 I whave I would suggest the following:

Savage 11xp + bipod
Savage hog hunter + leupold vx-1 +bipod
Savage 12 (cabelas) + vortex + bipod.
Ruger 77 308,270, or 30-06(cdnn sports) + vortex ii + bipod
Remington 700 adl +bipod ... suggest swapping scope for a leupold vx1
Howa 1500 (Whittaker)+ bushnell elite or vx1 + bipod
Remington sps varmint (cabelas) + leupold + bipod.

All of these come in under your budget and will offer you a lifetime of normal use. Most of these guns will likely need a stock replacement if you are going to use your bipod often so factor in that as well. Boyd's has stocks for around $130.

Of those options for an all around rifle I would lean towards the hog hunter due to the medium weight barrel, iron sights, ability to customize later, and general feel/weight of rifle. For strictly hunting I would choose the Ruger 77 every time. Rugged, accurate, and good balance.

Also, I seem to remember that Nikon has changed focal planes on their bdc so now you don't t have to be on full power to have the math work out correctly for the reticle on the new version .




Hope this helps.
 
thanks for the info . I also saw a packaged deal on a Mossberg patriot night train .308 od green comes with a 6-12x50 scope , bipod, muzzle brake, and cheek pad. for under $600 any thoughts on this rifle? but I heard that the bedding is questionable.
 
If you want to stay in budget, does it HAVE to be a bolt gun?

I'll also chime in here. Through my research, I've come to the conclusion that the Ruger American is the better of the Savage Axis and Mossberg Patriot. The Predator is on my short list for .308 rifle with the only competition being if I can find a good deal for a used H&R/NEF Handi Rifle with a spare .223 barrel.
 
well I already have a ruger 566 in 223/556 with a Nikon P-223 that shoots great, so I am looking for a decent .308 to target shoot maybe up to 700 yards. i have shot up to 500 yards with iron sights when i was in the marines, but that was many moons ago. the eyes are not what they use to be. but i still enjoy shooting and i shoot well. but bolt action rifles is new to me. i have read so many reviews on many different entry rifles, i am not really looking for a pretty rifle just one that is accurate and durable so i can test my skill with.
 
The Savage Hog Hunter was my first bench rifle before going to a Tikka in 260 and back to a Remington milspec in 308. I think I bought mine new for $425.00 and I've seen them priced at $399.00 on some sites over the holidays. I was banging steel out to 800 yards with it and never had any issues until the 6.5 craze hit. I enjoyed it for awhile but went back to the 308 myself. All Savage rifles I've owned have been good out of the box excluding the Axis. I can't bash the Remington 700 line but they are going to require trigger work and most likely a different stock for bench work out to 700 yards.
 
If you are going to target shoot then one of the two would work

Cabella Only:

Model 12FV: Good heavy barrel, acu trigger, entry level stock. $480 on sale, sometimes less if you get a Savage and Cabell $75 rebate.

Model 10T: Good heavy barrel, 24 inch so a bit handier, acu trigger, good stock, rail. $520 or so with the rebates.
 
I don't recommend the Remington 783.
1. It uses the same crappy extractor as the Marlin X7, and they are prone to failure (either breaking, or popping out of the bolt and jamming the bolt closed).
2. It's a Marlin X7 with some cosmetic tweaks, but for a higher price. (Remington wanted more profit, and their own name on the rifle; since their own 'budget' bolt action was crap.) If you want one, buy an X7 -- but remember that the extractor is a common failure point.
3. The fire control housing is probably the second most common failure point (same, exact assembly used on the Marlins). It breaks at the mount points, cannot be repaired, and replacement parts must be installed by Remington (and are not available for Marlins). Bad, bad part to have fail.

I have had many X7s, and still own a few; and I've spent a little time with production 783s. Outside of very special circumstances, I would never buy another X7, and will never buy a Rem 783.
The extractor design is a fatal flaw, and the weak fire control housing is icing on the cake.



My suggestion would be the Ruger American.
Better design.
More reliable.
Better customer service, should a problem arise.

I haven't given modern Mossbergs a chance, whatsoever, so I have no opinion there.

The Savage Axis should have a good barrel on it; but is otherwise garbage, in my opinion. (Just my opinion - plenty of people love them.)
 
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