Help me pick a bolt action rifle

The other unfortunate thing I have to weigh is ammo availability. I want a .270 win but my local Scheels didn’t have any. They had some 30.06 and a ton of .308 win. I mean, .270 win can still be found, just not in large quantities.
 
Opinions, did you say? Yes? Well, alright then...
It shall be a model 70 Winchester.
It shall have a Walnut stock.
Caliber shall be 270 Winchester or 30-'06 Springfield, unless the rifle is a Featherweight. In that case, the 6.5x55 and 6.5 Creedmoor would be preferred over the 30-'06, unless you are going for Alaska.
Never rule out a pre-'64, if the planets line up.... But now we're talking options like Featherweight vs Classic Sporter vs Alaskan vs Supergrade, etc.
 
Opinions, did you say? Yes? Well, alright then...
It shall be a model 70 Winchester.
It shall have a Walnut stock.
Caliber shall be 270 Winchester or 30-'06 Springfield, unless the rifle is a Featherweight. In that case, the 6.5x55 and 6.5 Creedmoor would be preferred over the 30-'06, unless you are going for Alaska.
Never rule out a pre-'64, if the planets line up.... But now we're talking options like Featherweight vs Classic Sporter vs Alaskan vs Supergrade, etc.
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I'm right there with you, unfortunately, a Model 70 is a little out of my price range at the moment. I'd love to own a pre-64 (model 70 or Model 94), but prices on those are through the roof.
 
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I'm leaning heavily towards the Tikka T3X Hunter model. Simply a beauty. If I can't get this one i'll likely go for the Tikka T3x Lite synthetic model
 
I would get the Tika in wood. But then, I am pro Finland.

Wood, because in 20 years you can get a fine plastic stock but I bet wood will cost you even more dearly. I guess I would be looking for a used one.

With a goal of range shooting, whatever caliber you like. There is no better time to start reloading. It will take this round of scarcity to pass, but scarcity will come again.

You don’t need a tumbler or scale or multi-stage press to start. Basic basic, wash em by hand and dry… but start hand loading one at a time. Factory ammo… bah.
 
Count my vote as cast for a new Winchester 70. I have a 2014 Supergrade in 338WM and it was worth every dime I paid when I bought it new. It shines in both form and function

You can usually find a standard configuration Sporter or Featherweight for around $1000. Special model variations like maple stock and/or stainless barrel and action will be priced higher.
 
Here ya go:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/923454425
This looks like a great rifle to me; it even comes with a tolerable scope. If you really don't want a model 70 Winchester, that's one thing... but with what's been said in the original post, I'd think you can certainly afford one if you just shop around a little bit more. Especially in 270 Winchester, as there were more made in that caliber than any other but 30-'06 Springfield.
 
You'll certainly not go wrong with that Tikka, very good, accurate rifles, nice fit and finish, what's not to like? I'd +1 a recommendation made earlier on this thread and compare vs Bergara. Those rifles are also excellent shooters and also a great value for the money.
 
iosteyee said:
You'll certainly not go wrong with that Tikka, very good, accurate rifles, nice fit and finish, what's not to like? I'd +1 a recommendation made earlier on this thread and compare vs Bergara. Those rifles are also excellent shooters and also a great value for the money.
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Tikka makes a really good rifle for sure. That said, if you need it, and most don't, the warranty and service is difficult at best.
 
Don’t let anyone talk you out of the .270 caliber. It’s old school cool and very effective. Happily somewhere between the 25-06 and the 30-06. And about the only high power rifle ammo of similar qualities that will be “easier” to find is .308, which in my personal opinion is only interesting in semi-automatic military pattern rifles. Keep the .270, stay away from 6.5 Creedmoor. You will not miraculously be Chris Kyle when you buy a 6.5 Creed. And frankly for hunting within 400 yards their are more effective rounds. If I was to even dare suggest a round other than the one you chose yourself it’d be .243 Winchester. Simply because it will be a little lighter on the recoil on the range. But easily kill whitetail and even elk if you’re good. And if you ever do get that long range target shooting itch, a fast twist barrel swap will have you in the money with high BC bullets. But frankly you chose .270 stick to your guns. Its a cool round, with a cool history of success.
 
Sako Model 85

A bit pricey...but I suggest a Sako Model 85

I have a Sako (pronounced sock-o) Model 75 in 30-06...but the detachable magazine button on it is too easy to trip.

In 1996...the president of Sako was on a safari in Africa, when he accidentally tripped the magazine button of his 75 and the magazine fell in a mud puddle. This incident brought about the design and manufacture of the Model 85.
 
My prettiest wood stocked rifle is a Sako in 270. When I bought it, I went to a large gun store and asked them to bring out all their Sako rifles in 270. I picked the best looking one. That said, maybe the best looking rifle I ever saw was a Winchester Model 70 Supergrade.

But I hunt with a synthetic stocked Tikka in 260, though I did use the Sako for a few decades.

Shoulda bought that Supergrade, even though I didn’t need it. It was $1,500 when a standard grade rifle was $400.
 
I have a Sako (pronounced sock-o)
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Most riflemen (actually all of them) I know ignore the finger-waggers when it comes to using the "correct" pronunciation for Sako rifles and call them sake-os. If you want your name to sound like a salmon then spell it that way. :)

Garand is another name commonly mispronounced but most of us aren't going to change our "bad" speech habits any time soon.
 
Tikka Hunter or T3x. Can’t go wrong with either. I have one wood and 4 synthetic. All shoot better than I can. I do have a 6.5 creedmoor but it’s far from my favorite caliber. I like the wood in 7 mm mag and synthetic in 7mm-08. Just my preferences. The hunter has a tad bit more weight which makes felt recoil not so bad.
Good luck with your choice.
All fine rifles.
 
And that's saying something, from Wendy!!
I've seen her targets!

I'm a die hard Savage guy.
But it's really hard to beat a Tikka!
 
dgludwig said:
Most riflemen (actually all of them) I know ignore the finger-waggers when it comes to using the "correct" pronunciation for Sako rifles and call them sake-os. If you want your name to sound like a salmon then spell it that way. :)

Garand is another name commonly mispronounced but most of us aren't going to change our "bad" speech habits any time soon.
Click to expand...
I hate being a finger-wagger...but I read in the past, about the correct pronunciation of Sako in a NRA magazine.

But my pet peeve --- sorry to say --- is about the correct pronunciation of the Garand rifle, should not be taken lightly --- Because...after all, it is the man's --- John Garand --- (who created an designed the rifle) last name, who developed the rifle.

But surely...I'm not going raise holy hell about the issue.

My other pet peeve, is when some shooters pronounce Lapua...as "La-pua" --- With the correct pronunciation is "Lap-wa".
 
When bolt action rifles were popular in highpower rifle matches including slow and rapid fire matches, the Winchester 70 control feed action was the best.

Remington 700 actions were not popular because they twisted loose in epoxy bedding and their extractor broke too often.
 
@erno86 & dgludwig: The words, Lapua, Sako, and Garand all pose a dilemma. Do you pronounce them incorrectly or do you pronounce them correctly and have everyone think you're saying them wrong? Not sure of the better path.

@gaseousclay: To get back on topic, I would go with the popular opinion here and vote for either the Tikka Hunter or a Browning A or X bolt. One thing I've never liked about the tikka is the one size fits all action. It seems a waste of length for the shorter cartridges. Since you're leaning towards the .270 Win, that doesn't make a difference in your situation. As for the Browning, I've always liked their shorter 60 degree bolt lift.
 
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