let's compare apples and oranges

M1 Garand seems to answer a lot of your questions.

30-06
Milsurp
Reliable
Tough
With the 5 round clips you can hunt with it.
Accurate enough for Camp Perry matches
Don't know what your definition of inexpensive is, but not too pricey for a CMP.

If you want the above, look at a Mosin-Nagant.

Similar to 30-06, cheap (even if you go all out for a hand select rifle, which will cost you in the neighborhood of $100.00 plus shipping fees), Tough as nails, reliable (unless you save money by buying a junker), after market stocks, scope mounts, etc. are available, and reloadable brass, dies, etc. are also available, as well as factory loaded hunting ammo.

See here...

J&G Sales

mosin 91/30

.30 cal, similar to .30-06 balistics


100 yds 200 300 400
table is energy over bullet drop

.30-06 Springfield 2435 2025 1665 1360
180gr +2.1 0.0 -9.0 -26.4

7.62x45r 2301 1939 1622 1347
181.9gr +2.6 0.0 -9.8 -28.2

not to mention you can get a gun, scope and mount, and 800 rounds of ammo for $350

i love my mosin.. LOVE it. Fun and cheap to shoot, easy and cheap to modify, parts are everywhere. Still want to find a turn down bolt and short relief scope mount for mine, but here it is now

Some one here will come along and say that mosins are junk, and not accurate, but if you use the search function you will see, recently, that a guy shot a 91/59 VERY well, with iron sights.

here: http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=421033&highlight=91/59

I shoot fairly well with my 91/30 iron sights, it is in a ATI plastic stock for comfort.
They are easy to sporterize, and as long as they are not a finn, or some curio, thats not a terrible thing to do. Go ebaying or gunbrokering around and you'll find guys that will turn your bolt nicely for you. Or you could go ATI scope mount and bolt handle if you're handy.

Reloading won't make ammo cheaper, maybe factory ammo, but surplus is still around $.28/rd (remember to clean with water)
Enjoy!

For 45 bucks you can get a scope mount kit that includes a replacement bolt handle. For about 90 you can get a nice sporter stock.

91/30 insta-mount kit

I just want a rifle that is accurate, relatively inexpensive, tough, and reliable.

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Well, you just describe the 98 Mauser very well, so there you go - in the tough and reliable category in particular, much more so than a Mossberg. That is, assuming you get an accurate Mauser (luck of the draw).

The question comes down to, are you going to scope it or not? If you are, get the commercial turnbolt. If you're gonna shoot irons, get the Mauser. The scout scope mounts are crap, so forget that, and it makes no sense to pay a gunsmith to drill & tap for mounts, turn down the bolt handle, etc., which only makes the gun LESS valuable than it was before you paid the gunsmith.

Yes, the modern 8mm Mauser military loading is virtually identical ballistically to the military .30-06 loading.

Apples & Oranges.
Milsups are not to be confused with modern hunting rifles like the ATR-100.

The Mauser will be difficult to mount a scope properly without expensive drilling & tapping, safety mod, and bending the bolt handle to clear a scope. You could easily double the price of the rifle converting it for hunting use.

8mm Mauser ammo is either military surplus junk unsuitable for hunting, or commercial hunting loads which are not made in a very good selection.

The 98 Mauser is one of the most reliable military rifles ever made, and would beat out the ATR-100 hands down in a muddy foxhole. Easily taken apart and cleaned without tools, it will run forever with only minimal care.

The ATR-100 in 30-06 will give you a very wide selection of factory and surplus ammo, and will likely shoot rings around a mil-sup rifle going & coming.

rc

I am in the market for a rifle, something in the .30 neithborhood, and I am leaning towards .30-06

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KEEP LEANING toward it! Keep in mind, some states (like Pa.) do not allow semi-auto's for hunting

Any modern hunting rifle is going to have an exceptional trigger compared to any mauser. It makes a huge difference.
HUGE.

M1 Garands are not scope friendly. If 30-06 is what you want, you will be better off a commercial bolt rifle. In a Military type, what about an M1A in .308. Ballistically close to a 30-06 and very scopeable. Not cheap but a very nice set-up. To scope a K98k or a 1903 Springfield you will need to get the receiver drilled and taped for a scope base, this usually cost about $25.00 a hole and most bases require 4 holes. The Mosin-Nagant is a nice accurate rifle, but it too will require some sort of a scope base.

The OP siad:

relatively inexpensive,

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That pretty much rules out a scoped M1A then!

rc

If you want relatively inexpensive, go for a Savage 110, or a Stevens 200. Both can be had for around $300 in a variety of calibers. They are as sturdy as any commercial bolt action, and shoot incredibly well.

Around here in Western WA you can buy very good sporterised Mauser 98 (with simple yet beautiful wood stocks) rechambered in 30-06 for less than $200, often with a scope.
Mind you, not in presentation grade but in very very good conditions.
The gun shop close to my house has two of them at the moment, one for $200 and another for $165!!! And probably there is some wiggle room too!!

The rational mind in me is against a sporterization of a Mosin Nagant....yes you get the rifle for 80-100 bucks, then you need to buy a bent bolt handle, tap the receiver and change the stock.

By the time you finish you are, budget wise not to mention time, already on a used Steven or Savage territory, not to mention the sporterized and rechambered Mausers I described. Economically it doesn't make sense. Finally, the value of your rifle will be less than when you started.

And you ruined an historical rifle in the process.....yes 7.62X54R ammo milsurp is cheap (but corrosive and FMJ only) but commercial rounds are still a bit harder to find compared to the everywhere 30-06 and there is less load and bullet weight assortment.

New Stevens with usual, run of the mill, 3-9X 40 scopes go for $299.

That said, for less than 100 bucks everyone should get at least one Mosin in his/her collection (it's a crime not having one!!) ....but leave it as it is. I use my 3 Mosins for very long range open sights fun.

I'll second the Savage/Stevens.

I compared the ATR100 to a 110 and the Savage had a much smoother action and felt more solid. IIRC it was about $250 with a scope at Dick's but I replaced the scope with something a little better.

If you can, have a CMP-approved membership someplace and you can buy Greek ammo for cheap shooting and save the brass to reload later.

I forgot

The Mauser 98 in its original 8 mm chambering IMHO is not a good choice for an everyday shooter, especially for a beginner.

8 mm Surplus ammo are becoming scarcer and scarcer, at least around here.
Commercial ammo is expensive.
All American and some European ammo manufacturers, mainly for liability reason (someone may load the ammo on an old 0.318 inch "I" bore instead of a more polular 0.323 inch "IS" bore) are loaded way below the original pressure specs.
The results is that the commercial 8 mm Mauser are closer in performance to a 30-30 than a 30-06.

Only RWS and, if I remember correctly, Norma load the 8 mm Mauser at full specs...but try to find them in stores and, if you do, look at the price.

To me, the Mauser 98 original chambering is a reloader proposition or for informal under-powered plinking or a wall hanger.

Between a Mosin or a Mauser misulrp, the Russian rifle is much more of a "practical shooter".

I'd recommend a new or newer rifle over an old surplus rifle. I would rather buy a ready to go factory rifle for hunting if you are going to use a scope.
I would rather not sporterize a military weapon. Open sights, It's your call.
A new rifle would probably be lighter, more accurate, more realible or at least have a warranty. Milsup rifles may have had a long hard life. But old milsup rifles are interesting, fun to shoot and probably up to the job. I enjoy mine.
But you can hardly go wrong either way.

weatherby vanguard blued/synthetic for $399.00. you won't find much better at that price.

I saw a guy with a bubba Mosin tapped with a scope using handloads doing 1 MOA at 100yds.Mosin's are capable of excellent accuracy.Even a as issue Mosin 91/30 is capable of decent normal milsurp accuracy depending.

K31 period..... if you can't get ammo, start reloading. Inherent accuracy trumps all in my book

Thanks everyone for your advice so far! This board is always such a wealth of knowledge.

Please indulge me just a bit further. If you had to choose only one, what would you choose between a K31 and a 91/30. Based on ammo price, availability, ease of maintenance, etc what would you choose and why.

Thanks again!

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If youc an find a 91/30 in very good conditions (check the crown for sharp rifling end) I would get the Mosin hands down.

It cost less than a K31, cheaper and a bit more powerful ammo, very accurate, cheaper and easier to find parts.

The most accurate milsurp will most likely be a Swiss straight pull, amazing pieces of machining. If you have your heart set on a 98 though they will be ok, but the milsurps are not usually as accurate as the Swiss. I personally think the Yugo 48 Mausers make decent shooters, and you can usually find them in very nice condition. There are also replacement rear sight scope mounts for most milsurps now, that way you don't need to bubba it to mount optics.

You might also consider a Swede '96 Mauser, generally very accurate although the 6.5 is a bit lighter than the '06 cartridge.

skip the atr; the best of the new cheapies that can shoot lights out, is the marlin xl7. great trigger, solid made bolt, green moutain or t/c made bbl, timney trigger I do believe. also they are coming out right now with the xs7, or is it xr7, a true short action; it will be offered in 243/308/7.08.
This is what i would do, then next would be howa. I would not get an atr, unless it was made no later than 2008, before that, they had some bolt probs that got corrected. Otherwise, the atr has some decent things going for it as well; it is basically a Howa knockoff, with a decent stock.