Bolt Action Advice

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I have the hankering for a bolt action rifle just to have. I like the Winchester 70 Featherweight in 308 but others like the Ruger American and Winchester XPRs are decent and cheaper. I don't expect to do much than occasional popping off at targets. Does it make sense to go cheap on the rifle and get the best scope I can afford or go high on the rifle and get a run of the mill scope?

Re: Bolt Action Advice

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If you want a bolt gun just to play with then start with the Ruger Precision Rifles or Savage. I bought a Savage 10 FCP-SR in 6.5 Creedmoor for like $400 and the tigger is fabulous - gun shot sub MOA right out of the box with a $250 Vortex Crossfire II 6-24X50 scope.

https://www.savagearms.com/

Savage all day long if you want inexpensive accuracy.

VooDoo
Tyrants disarm the people they intend to oppress.

I am sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Re: Bolt Action Advice

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If you're not going to hunt, you ought to get a lighter caliber. A very inexpensive caliber these bolts come in is .223. A .308 in a light rifle will beat you up and you won't shoot very much.

CDFingers
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Re: Bolt Action Advice

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Agreed on the lightweight/larger caliber- for a fun shooter from the bench, heavier is better. The Ruger PR is a great suggestion- if you're open to 22, they even have a version of it in that which makes for cheap plinking and can be had for around $400. For optics, Vortex is a great option- VV has made some solid recommendations. Haven't shot the savage personally, but it gets good reviews.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: Bolt Action Advice

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VodoundaVinci wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:31 pm If you want a bolt gun just to play with then start with the Ruger Precision Rifles or Savage. I bought a Savage 10 FCP-SR in 6.5 Creedmoor for like $400 and the tigger is fabulous - gun shot sub MOA right out of the box with a $250 Vortex Crossfire II 6-24X50 scope.

https://www.savagearms.com/

Savage all day long if you want inexpensive accuracy.

VooDoo
How did you find that one for $400?
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Bolt Action Advice

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SubRosa wrote:Don't forget better milsurps. They tend to go up in value, too.

SR
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Last edited by atxgunguy on Tue Dec 10, 2019 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bolt Action Advice

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The 30-06 is over 100 yrs old now. It's popularity is well founded. To this day many who write about guns will say that if you only have one rifle it should be the 06. They also say if you don't reload the ammo is available anywhere you go world wide. It has ammo from 22 sabot loadings that are close to 220 swift performance up to 220gr solids that have killed Africas big five of dangerous game.

For the reloader the choice of components is dizzying, and there has been so much R@D in load development it is a very good choice for a beginning reloader. The only thing for an ordinary shooter that the 308 has over it is the short action. I'm throwing this out there just to keep the thread going. It's a good thread.

Re: Bolt Action Advice

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eelj wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2019 11:53 am The 30-06 is over 100 yrs old now. It's popularity is well founded. To this day many who write about guns will say that if you only have one rifle it should be the 06. They also say if you don't reload the ammo is available anywhere you go world wide. It has ammo from 22 sabot loadings that are close to 220 swift performance up to 220gr solids that have killed Africas big five of dangerous game.

For the reloader the choice of components is dizzying, and there has been so much R@D in load development it is a very good choice for a beginning reloader. The only thing for an ordinary shooter that the 308 has over it is the short action. I'm throwing this out there just to keep the thread going. It's a good thread.
.308 will have less recoil if you are recoil adverse as well. But agree on all of the points above.

Re: Bolt Action Advice

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The quality of the cheap rifles you mention is pretty high these days. I’d pick which one by handing in person. Just get whichever feels better to you. 6.5 is nicer to shoot than 308, but there’s more cheap 308 ammo; choose accordingly. 223 was mentioned and it is light on both the shoulder and the wallet, but maybe you want a little thump.

A cheap scope is a miserable thing, so spend some. I Prefer the low end scopes from high end manufacturers to midrange scopes from cheaper manufacturers. Plenty of folks disagree with me on that.

There are lots of other choices out there and lots of other ways to go for a decent bolt gun, but they all take more experience and expertise and money than you sound like you wanna invest. I think you’re on the track to getting something excellent at your commitment level.
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Re: Bolt Action Advice

12
Think carefully on what you want to do with it. Do you want to compete against others, or just do it by yourself? It is easy to get an AR-type rifle to shoot 1 MOA. It takes some work to get most bolt rifles to shoot 1 MOA. The bolt action rifles that steal a lot of AR-type features seem to not need much work to shoot 1 MOA, but I have no personal experience.

There are other things you can do with rifles. One of my most meaningful experiences with a rifle in recent years was shooting a Model 1903 Springfield rifle made in 1919 and probably used in the 1919 National Matches, at the 2019 National Matches "Springfield Match" and won a Silver medal. There are rifle matches where one stands up on his hind legs and shoots at various targets, such as Metallic Silhouette, where you shoot out to 500 meters. There are Prone matches, usually just with .22 rimfire rifles any more, but at ranges out to 100 yards. There are various competitions involving multiple positions and sometimes different distances. Most of these have restrictions on features that can be present.

I used to revel in recoil and muzzle blast. Now that I am 62, I don't. If I shoot a .308 Winchester bolt rifle with 168gr target loads, 20 rounds from a bench, I can feel it the next day. Less so if it is a really heavy rifle, more so if it is a light rifle. My sensation of recoil is far higher when I am shooting heavier bullets (eg 180 gr), than when I am shooting light bullets (eg 125gr). Shooting from a bench will give you a much greater sensation of recoil than shooting standing up.

A light rifle is a nice thing if you are going to carry it around all day, and not shoot it much. Carry a heavy rifle around all day and your arms will feel like they are going to fall off, in the evening.

If all you want to shoot at is targets from a bench, I don't see what you gain with a .308 over something like a .223.

What you get with an expensive telescopic sight is usually better light transmission and more durable adjustments. If you pick a variable, more money will give you a wider range of magnification, the highest used to be 3 times the lowest, but now you occasionally see 8 times the lowest power. Are you going to use the adjustments much? With a really cheap scope, even if you don't use the adjustments much, it will go to hell soon. Even with a really good scope like a Leupold, you may still have some trouble, but Leupold will be willing to fix it, sometimes for free. Leupold's custom shop will sometimes let you design a custom reticle, with things like cross hairs appropriate for multiple distances.

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