Three great options

B

bailey bud

New member
My 15 yr old son is about to complete hunter safety.

We'll celebrate by attending a hunt camp here in Colorado.

Have found three options as a "graduation" present:

- Used (lightly) Remington ADL (wooden) .270 with 4x Weaver scope: $425
- New Remington ADL (composite) in .270 with scope - blued - at Cabela's: $399
- Used (lightly) Remington 788 in .30-30 iron sights (free!)

(btw - thanks folks for helping me identify the 788).

The wood ADL is handsome - available at local FFL.

The new ADL is a close-out at Cabela's -- but they're a good place to buy.

The 788 is a hand-me-down --- with a price that's right (might need a scope, later).
 
My choice would be the Used (lightly) Remington ADL (wooden) .270 with 4x Weaver scope: $425.

The .270 will do everything you will probably want to do in the US. The Weaver scope is not up to the quality of today's scopes, but I used them for many years, and if it is good shape it will be fine until you determine you need something else. You will not lose any shots because of the Weaver.

Personally, I would never go for large variable scopes. My own variable is a Leupold VXIII 2.5X8. Perfect for all my use.

Have a great hunt.

Regards,
Jerry
 
Seeing your other post about being in elk country, I personally wouldn't recommend the 788 unless you knew your shots would be close.. as in 150 yards or less? I'm sure it could do the job at farther distances, but .30-30 isn't known for long distance accuracy and (again, in my opinion) is on the bottom end of power for elk.

I would probably go with the used ADL, but that's just me. I have one in .30-06 and it's a great rifle. I'm not real familiar with the newer ones, that very well may be a great option too.
 
The 788 in 30-30 would for sure be my choice. It's by far the most valuable of the three, and you can't beat free.

That said, if you have to have a 700, I'd get one of the older ones as the quality is much better.

If I was going to get a new gun and had money to spend in the $4-500 range, I'd take a strong look at the Savages with the Accu Trigger. They sell one at Walmart for $387-397 depending on the Walmart that comes with a scope. I'd then sell that scope off and upgrade to a decent scope for him. You'd be much better off than buying one of the newer Remington 700's.
 
I'd also go with the 788. I've had a 308 since they came out. You can use the wonderful 150 Hornady Spire Points in the 788 and push 2400fps in the 22" barrel.
 
Do you handload? Factory 30-03 rounds can be boosted a bit by proper handloading - especially since you get to use real pointy bullets with the 788.
 
Well, your son is 15, and I find it is more important to fit the rifle to the person. While a 270 isn't exactly a recoil intense round, it can get stout with the 150 grain loads commonly used on elk, where a 30-30 is quite mild even with 170 grain bullets.

So ask yourself what your son would like? Is he part of the new generation that loves all things "tactical" like synthetic stocks and stainless hardware? Would he appreciate a classic 788 in 30-30 and be mature enough to take his time and place the shot properly?

Is he a big husky lad who can easily handle a full size Rem700? Or would the slightly smaller 788 fit him better?

I can't answer these things, but you do have three very good choices. When I was 15 I wanted "bigger badder magnums" and so my first real purchase of a dedicated hunting rifle was a 30-06, and sighting that thing in was quite the event for someone used to 22's and ARs. It took me a little while to appreciate that the word "magnum" really means "flinch" and that grandpa's 30-30 was just fine for everything he needed it to kill.

Jimro
 
- Used (lightly) Remington ADL (wooden) .270 with 4x Weaver scope: $425
Click to expand...

I would recommend this rifle any day. I own it in 243 and it pretty much a tack driver.

little side note. I didn't know the 700 was still made in ADL, I thought that everything was BDL and CDL now?:eek:
 
The used ADL .270 would be my choice too ! At 15 Your son should have very little trouble adjusting to it ! Just make darn sure to use good hearing protection , as muzzle blast is what causes most flinches , not recoil !
 
The used ADL in wood is a few years old - but shows virtually no wear/tear - inside or out. Looking at the bolt - not even sure that it's been shot, much. The bolt is nice and tight. The Weaver 4x scope is heavy old-school. Certainly pre-dates the "Made in china" variety you seen on guns, today.

I like the wood ADL since the heavier wood stock makes the kick a little more moderate. (a .270 should be easier to handle than my .30-06, though)

The New In Box ADL is at Cabelas - in the form of a close-out (seems they've closed this model out a few times, now!). I'm told Remington does offer these models to big-box stores. I've seen the ADL at Cabela's and Sportman's Warehouse. $399 seems like a great price - even with a cheap 3-9 scope.
 
I'd be concerned with other things:
1-Trigger action: 3 lbs crisp is about right. The ADL can be adjusted.
2-Length of pull (LOP)Let him handle all three with the upper body clothes that he is going to wear hunting. Also, he should mount the gun in the position he is going to use most. I find a LOP of about 12.5" makes a fast gun mount for me.
3-Recoil: Don't poison him with your ideas of recoil. Recoil is primarily mental and can be subdued with will power and moderate shooting strings. That being said you could start out with "managed recoil" loads.
4-Do some shooting prior to hunting season so that the first time he fires a rifle won't be at game. A good experience would be to let him zero his own rifle
5-Pre-season dry fire practice would'nt hurt, concentrating on the "open sprise brake" and "calling your shot".
 
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