What are your "bolt arsenal" must haves?

R

Rustle in the Bushes

New member
I was thinking about arsenal management the other day as I am currently shedding a gun to trim down the fat. I came up with this list as what Id want to have to cover the gamut of bolt rifle shooting. Not near to owning all of it yet.

Posting it of course cause Im curious to know what other folks have going on


CZ 452/savage- An accurate bolt .22 for training. Cheap scope and sights as well.

Win Model 70/CZ 550- A heavier .308/30-06/270 for enjoyable scoped shooting that wont knock you down like a light gun. develops proficiency under recoil.

Browning X bolt/Tikka T3, etc...etc.. - A really light, possibly synthetic/stainless, dedicated hunting rifle. Shot at the range to sight in, then shot 1x at a beast for dinnermaking. Too light to be a fun shooter. .308/30-06/270.

1 decent military surplus bolt (mauser,mosin, enfield, k31) Because theyre awesome. open sights + bayonet in case of zombies
 
I have a Remington 700 .308, a .22-250 that I had built on a K98 receiver, and a M48 8mm Mauser (No bayonet).

I'd like a nice 03-A3 but I'm not willing to pay what people are asking for them around here.

Also I'd like a nice .22 magnum or a .17hmr.
 
let's see. well the collection thus far is as follows:
ruger 10/22(archangel AR style stock) for cheap plinking
remington 700 ADL 243, first centerfire rifle inherited from my dad and is never leaving
weatherby vanguard 300 WBY mag, for moose, elk, grizzly or any other large game
mossberg 535 12 gauge real woods dipped tactical stock, for turkeys and possibly HD some day
DPMS AR15, 223 deer and coyote rifle
9mm AR15 custom build, cheaper to practice with than 223
mosin nagant sporter, about half worthless, only keep it because I can't get anything out of it
mosin nagant 91/30 for my rusky gun
savage enfield no4 for my british persuasion
Springfield 1903 for when I feel like sergeant york(please no 1917 comments)
remington 1903A4 because the 1903 is politically incorrect to shoot and, well it's a real sniper rifle.
enfield no4 in 45ACP(under construction) because...well why not?
 
the 1903 isnt incorrect to shoot it just sometime u have to watch firing hot loads. i think serial..not positive num 0..... 300xxx they took the reciever under ultra violet light heated them up ( extreme tempeture ,hotter than u can load a round) and hit the reciever with a ball pin hammer.. under the ultra violet light on some of them,,, not all.....u could see a so fine less than hair thin crack
 
and the springfields are 800xxx and the rock island are 300xxx
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I was under the impression that the rock islands were safe to fire after 200xxx. either way I still fire my pre 800xxx springfield, just not very often. I'm of the group of people that thinks that all of the unsafe to fire recievers were destroyed long before they started ending up in pawn shops and that many of the failures coincided with casing failures so will the quality of ammo being a little better than WWI standards I think that many of the low serial springfields are still safe to fire.
 
In terms of quality....I think there are four that would rank as the finest bolt actions of all time.

- Winchester Model 52 (finest rimfire bolt ever made)
- Colt Sauer (Smooth as ball bearings)
- Mauser (classic design)
- Pre-64 Winchester model 70 (legendary design that others try to imitate)
 
I have what I need to do most any job.

Ruger 77/22
Ruger Hawkeye Compact .223
Ruger 77 RSI International .308
All rifles are scoped with Leupold scopes and all shoot very well.

I am thinking about adding a Ruger Gunsite Scout. Can't imagine needing anything additional in a bolt gun. I have no need for larger calibers since elk is the biggest thing I hunt and the .308 has taken several over the last 40+ years. Obviously I am very partial to Rugers. Never had a bad one and they have never let me down.
 
What are your "bolt arsenal" must haves?
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Got to be a Win Model 70 target rifle in 308.

Might just have it too, I'm the high bidder on an auction for one with perfect bore.

I can use it in Across the Course HP, or Palma Matches. Even 300 Meter ISU Positon Shooting, if I so choose.
 
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In the bolt arsenal
Savage markII 22lr good practice/small game
win 70 in 243 win. Heavy barrel targets/range
rem 700 in 243 win. Light barrel medium game/deer, black bear
ruger 77 in 338 win mag. Elk, griz, moose, and fun long range target
I do have the requisite 30-06 but it is not a bolt action (but I will have one eventually)
And I hope to have a bolt 223 someday soon, but that will have to wait til the budget doesn't include diapers
 
Must haves for actual use, not from my past collection?
Browning, A-bolt, 308, 260, 223.
Marlin 35 Remington, 44 magnum, 357magnum.
Maybe one controlled action 30-06.
 
My centerfire range rifle is a .223 Rem, Tikka 595 that is almost boringly accurate, but lots of fun to play with. Recoil is light, components cheap, and the barrel doesn't heat up as much as heavier calibers. It will also kill many varmints out to 250 yards or more.

My hunting rifle is a .270 Win, Rem 700 Stainless with two stocks, one for "purty" (Stocky's Ultra-Walnut) and the other for hunting (Sendero HS Precision takeoff). They both shoot to the same POI and accuracy level.

The "go-to" rifle for eastern coyotes and other stuff out to 450 yards is a 1980's wood-stocked, customized Rem 700 ADL. It shoots as well as the first two and fits the niche between the calibers.

As far as rimfire goes, nobody can have too many, but you can have too few. Mine are specialized for different activities, with some overlap. I've got several bolts, one lever, and one semi-auto. All are darned accurate and fun to shoot. I probably burn ten thousand rounds through my rimfires yearly.
 
Marlin 891TS. If I had to this would be the one rifle I owned. It is inexpensive enough I hardly worry about it, in my hands or another's. More accurate than any of my centerfires; so, fine for practice.

MN 91/30, b/c you shouldn't pass up a rifle suitable for expressing your Second Amendment rights at that price.

Swiss K31, b/c you can't find any other centerfire target rifle at close to that price and you can't find target quality ammo at the price of GP11.

IFF you have a little left over, an SKS, AR, mini, AK, PTR91, Tavor, or any of their variants or anything similar. Pick according to your personal taste.
 
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