Looking for a new bolt gun

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wicat3

New member
Hey everyone. I would like to get a new hunting rifle with some money that I will be coming into soon. I have placed a budget on the spending and figured I would like to spend about 400 on the rifle and about 200 for a nice scope. For the scope I am thinking a Nikon pro staff. The rifles I have been looking at vary. I have a savage axis in .270 so It would be convenient for another bolt action in .270 but I was also thinking a .243 or 7mm would be a good rifle as well. The rifles I have looked at are the Marlin x series, the ruger all american or maybe even a savage 11 or 110. I am open to thoughts as long as it fits in my budget.
 
YouTube reviews are your friend they are endless information.I was in the market for a range fun gun in a 308 win.I watched so many reviews on most all brands.Ended up with a REM SPS varmit in the 308 26" bull barrel and am very pleased with it.Carters Country had it for 599$.
 
Ruger American Predator, $400. Redfield Revolution 2-7X32, $185. This is the combo I like on a budget. But the Savage is good too.

 
Well, consider this: You already have a cheap 270 bolt-action rifle. Ask yourself why you aren't sufficiently satisfied with it that you want another. I you aren't wanting a completely different caliber for an entirely different purpose, then you really should consider getting a nicer, better rifle, altogether.
I suggest that you get a Winchester model 70 Sporter or Featherweight with a Walnut stock, and top it off with a Leupold 3-9x40 or smaller scope, as long as it is a Leupold. Make sure that it's either a 30-'06 or 270. This can be your main hunting rifle, and the Axis can be your loaner/back-up rifle, or you can sell/trade it off. D!*n the cost. Better to have one great rifle that you have confidence and pride in, than a dozen cheapo plastic guns.
Maybe go classic, like a pre-64 model 70 Winchester.
 
I wondered the same, if you have a Bolt Action .270 already why are you wanting another bolt action .270. Either trade it in or sell it and get a nicer .270 OR, think about a different caliber depending on the purpose. If a fun range rifle to improve shooting, a nice Ruger in .223 would be hard to beat, if you plan to keep you Savage then maybe another Savage in .223 or different caliber so that the controls (safety, bolt etc) are the same. As much as I love the looks of a beautiful wood/blue Model 70, its hard to beat Synthetic or laminated and stainless for utility.
 
Some men, me included, find all we could ask of a specific caliber, but generally like guns.

I have five 270s. Each rifle is different. But all of those are 270s and no matter which one I pick up I know exactly what I can expect from it.
I have a friend in Nevada who is also a gun lover, and he at last count owns 19 30-06

There's nothing wrong with that.
 
Get on Gunbroker and find one of the dealers selling left-over Marlin XS rifles. Those are seriously excellent shooters at a budget price. Remlin discontinued them because they were killing the sales of their 710/770 line but there are lots of dealers that still have some new ones on the shelf.
 
You already own one of the best terminal performance cartridges and rifles for the dollars spent.
Instead of another bolt rifle how's bout a lever something caliber. A handy lever rifle will undoubtedly break the routineness found in practice shooting one type of action only. As I believe: "Boredom with any firearm guarantee's its becoming a dandy heirloom."
 
Not sure if there's a cabelas near you but if you do check out their sale rack. I bought a brand new weatherby vanguard s2 for 399$ and I bought a brand new Remington 700 ADL in camo and stainless for 450$
 
I like the ruger predator but the calibers offered were not what I was looking for. I like the Winchester m70 but have yet found one in my budget. The savage I have is great but the action isn't as smooth as one would like and I would like to have a second rifle to hunt with. I do like to collect guns and the .270 is a caliber that I like. I don't mind changing to another caliber as long as it's a common caliber. I once had a bolt action in 7mm-08 and couldn't find ammo for it. When I did it was about 50 dollars a box, that's not what I'm looking to get into. I really like the marlin xs rifles and may go that route but I looked last night and online you can get the ruger American rifle with redfield or vortex scope packages which would fit my budget of 600 dollars for rifle and quality scope. I know both scopes are considered good brands for optics just don't know if they are lower grade because it's on a bundled package.
 
Those "package" deals include scopes that may be name brand, but they will be the bottom of their lineup. It may do you to start with, but personally I'd want a little better scope than the package quality.
 
Add money to your budget every paycheck and be looking for the best 2nd hand model 70 Winchester to your liking and learn to haggle over the price. Excercise a little determination and patience. The hunt for a good 2nd hand rifle is fun as you have to haunt gun shops and gun shows. You never know what you will find.
 
That's what I was thinking with the package deals. I see they are in my price range for rifle and scope but if it's not a quality scope it's not worth it to me. As for looking for a used model I am pretty limited to online as the majority of gun stores are big box stores and I only know of two gun shops in my area one in my town the other is like 45 minutes out of town. I'll look around but I don't know if I'll find one in my budget
 
I completely relate to liking a particular cartridge and having more than one rifle in that chambering, nothing wrong with that at all. I have two 44mag revolvers, two 357s, I get it. :)

But I'm still on the wagon for saving a little more and stepping up to something other than a "budget" rifle..not that there's anything wrong with a budget rifle, I have a Rem 700 ADL synthetoc with a 22" barrel that came with a basic Redhead scope as a Bass Pro Shops package for about $400 new several years ago. It is an amazingly accurate shooter and has packed alot of meat in my freezer. I still enjoy it and am kicking around the idea of passing it to my soon-to-be 13 year old son. But, a couple years ago I partial traded one of my favorite pistols, a S&W 1911 E-Series for a new model 70 Super Grade. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that rifle! It's as high quality and a good shooter as it is beautiful to look at. It's nice to have "beaters" for lack of a better term..but every safe needs a crown jewel IMHO. ;)

Check this out, you can get into a new Winchester model 70 for under $800: A new model 70 Westerner for $710. It has open sights, you don't even have to figure the cost of the scope right off the bat. ;) https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...002549/Winchester+70+Westerner+270WIN+4rd+24"

Model 70 Sporter: https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...+535202226+M70+Sporter+Bolt+270+Win+24"+5+1+G

Just something to chew on... ;)
 
About half of my purchases were made at gunshows, the rest at a regular dealer's shop. Most were 2nd hand. I am a man of few guns and even less budget, so I make do with what I've got, appreciating quality over quantity. Fortunately, I live in Oregon and gunshows are a regular part of the culture. Even in liberal Portland. Wicat3, if I may ask, what region do you live in? By the way, your choice of the 270 Winchester caliber is excellent, my personal favorite; the only other caliber that is such an all around equal to it is 30-'06.
 
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I too am a bolt rifle lover and I own several. Some are same calibers but for different uses. Personally I like wood so I shop for wood although one of my best shooting rifles is my Weatherby vanguard II in 243. You mentioned that you wanted a common caliber, 7 mag is common but very expensive and it kicks in lighter rifles..I would stick with 308 or a 30'06. Personally I have 3 7-08's but I reload so ammo is not a problem.
 
I would go with what JMR40 posted, it fits your budget to the letter. Savage also has some nice offerings in the works but a good Ruger American in .308 Winchester would fit real well.

Ron
 
I live in upstate New York only mere hours from Canada. I have been looking at older model ruger m77's with the wood stocks. I love the classic look but it's hard to find one that is in my price range. I don't mind lever action guns I actually use to have a nice mossberg 646 that was awesome but traded it. I like bolt action for its accuracy.
 
I would just continue using your Savage and perhaps consider a much higher end .270 (since you like the caliber). This assumes you aren't providing a rifle to a friend or family member for hunting. In which case, go for it.

I nearly bought a nice M77 in 30-06 as I recall a few years back because it was such a pretty rifle. I tend to like the old Remington M700's with wood stocks like the BDL. My .270 is a M700 BDL.
 
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