Premium Production Rifles Worth It?

[skipglo]

I run out of capability long before my cheap savages do. I would like something nicer someday but am under no illusions about more expensive guns making me a better shooter. If I honestly ever get to the place where i need to part ways with my 111 long range hunter .300 win mag because it can't keep up with me something will have gone tremendously right for me… an added plus…my rifles are hunting rifles, work tools plain and simple, and I'm not afraid to treat them as such - not that I deliberately abuse them but I'm not afraid to take them anywhere or let snow get on them or let them get scratched up in the bush. I'm afraid at this juncture in life where money most definitely is a big consideration, as with most of us I'm sure, I think I'd be afraid to take a $3000 + rifle/scope out in the field to do real work haha.

Honesty is a good policy! Great response.

 

[skipglo]

Pick something you are interested in, go to you tube....check the reviews. Your needs are simple, as such your wants can be too.

 

[Buckys]

Answering the question about what you get with the Premium rifles is an easy one.
The Kimber is hand fitted to the stock and hand bedded, this attention to detail is what you're paying for.
I have several Kimbers, ranging from the top of the line down to the Classic. I do not own a Hunter model, but do have Super America, Select grade, Talkeetna and Montana. I cannot fault any for fit and finish. I did have one with a bad chamber job, but polishing it cured it's woes.
Of the 13 I own, all are excellent shooters.
I have a few old "L" series Sako rifles and when new they were about 3 months wages for my Dad, so very expensive. They were/are one of the most accurate guns out of the box, again, you are paying for hand fitting and attention to detail.

Cheers.

MoreSalsa,

I agree with this perspective. And extrapolating on fit&finish, "hand fitted to the stock and hand bedded, this attention to detail is what you're paying for" is a next-level after you get past some of the relaitvely cheaply made components that go into a Ruger American, TC Venture, etc.

I think those value guns are terrific values and own a few, but they are not the equal of even my 80's/90's vintage Remington 700 or Winchester Model 70 rifles when it comes to the weakest link in the overall system (at least after replacing the triggers with Timney's or similar).

And my Kimber Montanas, Barrett Fieldcrafts and customs like my APR 270WBY are another level entirely.

But only the APR 270WBY can shoot rings around my TC Venture 243. But for me at least, I want accuracy as well as good fit and finish.

 

[Muddyboots]

The .308 was briefly mentioned but it will do everything you want including elk at the range you described. It is available in the Savage Ultralite, short action, shoot lighter weight bullets for smaller game such as deer or speed goats and up the bullet weight for wapiti. Recoil is less than 06 with flexibility of the 06. It is easy to find ammo, good selection, inherent accuracy, once reloading brass easy to find. You are not allowed to have a manbun to shoot a .308 though.

 

[Snowboy]

Cheap lures will catch fish. Expensive lures catch fishermen!

My $269.00 Ruger American .270 weighs 6.2 pounds. Topped with a cheap, but light Nikon scope, it will shoot an 1 1/4" group at 200 yards with cheap Hornady American Whitetail ammo and it's an absolute pleasure to carry in the field. Hard to argue with that!

On the other hand, I've had to mess with it to get it shooting well. The stock is pure crap and needed sanding and shimming to get the barrel off it, and the trigger needed some tinkering as well. The bolt looks for things to get snagged on and opens every time it can. There's probably a fix for that as well.

Bottom line is I have many more expensive rifles that shoot well without all the fussing but you pay for that one way or the other in dollars and or pounds.

Cheap lures still require good quality hooks!

 

[Plinker147]

Lots of good options in under 1k guns. Pick your favorite caliber and go. Factory tikkas, rem 700 and a bunch of others shoot well out of box. The new Ruger are cheap and surprisingly accurate. 6.5 creedmore great round but anything from .243 to 30-06 will work for your purpose

 

[ofbandg]

I've bought new production rifles over the years but my treasures were always the used classics I found in shops and shows. The production rifles I bought were Winchesters and Rugers because I liked the feel of them and Brownings and, more recently, Tikkas because they worked so darn well. I have always had a real aversion to buying top of the line guns because I knew I could get top of the line performance out of my regular rifles with just a little tinkering. Recently, however, things changed. My wife had lost all her rifles and hunting season was upon us, so we were madly looking for a rifle that would suit her, and she is fussy. Then one day in a store I described the kind of rifle my wife was looking for to a salesperson and she said, I have just the one, and she grabbed a top line Sako. I handed it to my wife and when she shouldered it and worked the action that was it, no questions, no arguments, we took it home. Sometimes that extra little bit of quality is what makes you happy. If that's the case, and you can afford it, buy it, because every time you pick it up afterward it will make happy again.

 

[Tac-O]

If you're wanting a 5.5lb short action in 6-6.5mm.... I'd look at a Kimber Montana or try to find a Barret fieldcraft for ~$2000

If you can stomach the Tikka not being a true short action, get a 6.5 superlite tikka and an AG privateer stock. I believe it's the stock that the Montana and FC use. Make it even lighter by adding on a carbon prefit. But at that point, you're in the FC and Montana price bracket

 

[skipglo]

Take a look Howa or Weatherby Vanguard! Great rifles low cost, very accurate! Lightweight

 

[SSgt G Cody]

Sounds like you want a mountain rifle. Most, fully loaded, are around 7.5 lbs. I would look for one with a good trigger, fast rifle twist, a good thick butt pad, and maybe a suppressor. The 7mmRM easily handles anything out to 500 yds.

 

[GunHawk]

Another vote for 7-08, and maybe 6.5 PRC.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Everyone should own at least one hand-picked custom or semi-custom rifle. Do your homework and GO-FOR-IT !!

Enjoy

 

[Wolf76]

The .308 was briefly mentioned but it will do everything you want including elk at the range you described. It is available in the Savage Ultralite, short action, shoot lighter weight bullets for smaller game such as deer or speed goats and up the bullet weight for wapiti. Recoil is less than 06 with flexibility of the 06. It is easy to find ammo, good selection, inherent accuracy, once reloading brass easy to find. You are not allowed to have a manbun to shoot a .308 though.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is great advice. Can use a 18-22" barrel have a lower recoiling/very effective cartridge

 

[tomsd]

I would look at the 6.5 Creedmore - and for $1,000 or less - check out Tikka T3X (uses same factory barrel as Sako),, and the Savage, Remington, Browning, TC and other Manufacturers - who pretty much all make very good production rifles today. Get a good scope - plenty choices around for say $400 (Burris, Vortex, Leupold, and more) - and spend the rest on AMMO and go practice.