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Best factory rifle?

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I plan on "building" a rifle, and by building I mean upgrading What I deem necessary whether that be barrel (I hope not), stock, lugs, mercury tube, brake etc. caliber aside, in y'all's opinion what is the best factory rifle under or at a 2k$ price point?
Bergara Premier Pro hands down. Tikka are pretty good.I dont like that Tikka has a Smaller Bolt.My gunsmith pointed that out to me when I was asking the question you are asking 18 months ago.
 
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Bergara Premier Pro hands down. Tikka are pretty good.I dont like that Tikka has a Smaller Bolt.My gunsmith pointed that out to me when I was asking the question you are asking 18 months ago.
The bolt may be smaller but the Tikka action is soooooo slick. The first time I chambered a round from the magazine I had to open the bolt back up to see if it actually picked up a round. I can cycle that bolt so fast that when I shot my bull moose in Newfoundland about a mile from camp the guys thought it was someone shooting a semi auto. I shot that bull as he as moving through the spruce twice in the lungs before he moved 10 feet.
Of course that means diddly if you're shooting at paper. Just a testimony as to the smoothness of the Tikka action.
 
I plan on "building" a rifle, and by building I mean upgrading What I deem necessary whether that be barrel (I hope not), stock, lugs, mercury tube, brake etc. caliber aside, in y'all's opinion what is the best factory rifle under or at a 2k$ price point?
For me sir, I think the Remington model 700 Sendero is the one. I bought and still have 3 of them. 25-06, 7mm STW and 300wm. I also had a 30-06 built on this pattern. Just my 2 cents worth. You will find a lot of different views on this question.
Good luck
 
I'm sorry, the intended use is kind of an all around hunting rifle, everything from white tails to elk. I prefer it to be in the 8-10 pound range and would like performance to be the main factor.
The Bergara is noticeably heavy than the Tikka's so if you are wanting a little more weight it would be my choice.
 
Y
The bolt may be smaller but the Tikka action is soooooo slick. The first time I chambered a round from the magazine I had to open the bolt back up to see if it actually picked up a round. I can cycle that bolt so fast that when I shot my bull moose in Newfoundland about a mile from camp the guys thought it was someone shooting a semi auto. I shot that bull as he as moving through the spruce twice in the lungs before he moved 10 feet.
Of course that means diddly if you're shooting at paper. Just a testimony as to the smoothness of the Tikka action.
eah its all in what you like.I killed a big elk with a 270Win and 130gr Silver tip. He took 3 small steps and rolled down the hill.
I think too many people get bigger rifles/calibers than they actually need.Me included.I have a300 PRC and a 300 Win Mag. But Ive killed alot with my 7mm Rem Mag and my Remington 270 my Dad bought me in 1968.I have an awesome Stiller Predator 300 Win Mag that is completley Cammo that I rarely even shoot.
 
My New Tikka superlite in 7mm-08 loves Eld-m 162 with 4166. I have 7"x14" railroad plates staked at 100yd spacing starting at 400 - 800 yards. No problem for the 800yd if I do my part. Here's the paper work at 100yd[
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Bergara
Tikka
Seekens
Howa

A lot depends on intended use and cartridge. With gas being as high as Willie Nelson on a transcontinental flight....I let my fingers do the traveling. I look at barrel length and twist rate. If brand X doesn't have the barrel length and twist rate for the cartridge I'm wanting to use then I move on. I make a short list of brands I'm interested in before I go to the gun shop. I don't buy a production rifle with the intention to hack it apart and build something else. Changing out a stock or trigger is one thing but putting a barrel in a vice and threading on a new barrel kinda defeats the cost advantages of buying a factory rifle.

If you are planning anything long action then the tikka is going to come pretty well maxed out as far as C.O.A.L. I look at tikka actions as an "extra medium" size action. They are smooth as glass and great for saum/wsm size cases. If you are going to shoot something like factory 300wm ammo then you won't have a mag length issue in a tikka, but if you are gonna handload 215s or heavier in a 300wm you are gonna run out of mag length pretty quickly. I have a tikka in 223 and 308 and they both could use some load development but they both shoot sub moa with a dozen different types if factory ammo.

I have 2 bergara's. 1 HMR in 300prc that shoots .5-.6 moa with hornady match and sub half moa with hand loads. I bought it because it had the longest barrel out of all the rifles AND 1:9tw at the 1k price point. It also has a 3.850" detachable magazine. I have 5 boxes of lapua brass that are waiting on some RL26 and cooler weather. My handloads with once fired hornady brass showed promise so i went all in on the 300prc. I also have a premier series in 450 bushmaster that I won in a raffle that will be turned into something else one day. Bergara's are another Remington clone for the most part so aftermarket support on stocks and triggers and anything else you could think of is pretty available.

My father just bought a very lightly used Seekins havak in stainless and 7mag. We sighted it in yesterday. 5 different types of factory ammo all shot under 1.5"@ 100yds. The best group was about 5/8" with factory ammo. I don't remember exactly what kind of ammo but im pretty sure it was federal gold medal match. 26" 1:8tw barrel. I think he's going to put a brake on it and see what it does. He is thrilled with 5 shot groups where some of the holes touch and doesn't care for much more.

Another one I'd throw in the mix is Howa. I have a mini action in 6.5 Grendel that gets used A LOT. It's just so handy in a chassis with a collapsible stock and 20" barrel. I'm gonna try the 99gr hammers soon. I also have a howa in 25-06 that shoots 115vld's into .3" with a stock sporter weight barrel. That one took some handloads to come alive. It also shoots 120gr coreloks sub moa.
 
I'd just be speculating on many of the models mentioned here, which I've never personally owned. So, with that said, as an "all-around hunting rifle" I've never found any fault with the Weatherby MV of which I've owned about eight or so over the years. There are others but this one comes closest to what I like in a rifle. Just my 0.2 Cheers
 
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