30-06 bolt gun suggestions

[Archangel14]

Look at Weatherby's Vanguard series. Very nice rifles. Savage also has a series of bolt actions with the "Accu-stock" and "Accu-trigger" for around $500 to $600. Very crisp out-of-the-box trigger.

 

[cdb1]

I'm a fan of the Vanguard.

 

[Strange Bob]

Mentioned once in this thread so I'll second the Tikka T3 Lite . I'd even go SS.


Another good choice and very accurate rifle would be T/C Venture.

Both of these rifles can be had NIB for around $600. There are some pretty good glass choices for under $300 and I'd start with a VX I. Leupold is tough and holds zero very well plus the lifetime warrantee.

 

[Gtscotty]

You can get a fluted, stainless Tikka T3 Superlite for $699 at Sportsman's Warehouse. Recoil is not bad in .270, 30-06 would benefit from a Limbsaver pad. I'd also echo the Winchester 70 Featherweight, and Browning X-Bolt.

 

[Milt1]

I've done a lot of reading about Ruger's new Precision rifle but it's more money ($1200) than what you want to put into a rifle. However, the reason that I bring it up is that one of the calibers that it's chambered for is the Creedmore 6.5 which seems to be an excellent hunting round that carries its energy out for a tremendous distance. I don't know if other rifle makers chamber for this round but I would advise you to at least get knowledgeable about it.

 

[RainDodger]

I was in the same boat - looking for a reasonable .30-'06... and I found one that has proven to be well above the pack in my opinion, especially for the price. Tikka T3. Mine has a wood stock and I found a great deal on a Zeiss 3-9X scope. For such a light rifle, it shoots extremely well. My only change was a LimbSaver recoil pad, which made all the difference in the world to my shoulder. Love the rifle.

 

[BudgetBucks1]

I have a Savage 110 in 30.06 that is a tack driver. It is my go to hunting rifle. I bought it used for $250 and then spent a lot more money for the scope and scope mount . Almost all manufacturers now make accurate rifles. I would go with a lightly used rifle and then go big on scope and scope mounts.

 

[sage5907]

I was at a LGS yesterday and had the opportunity to handle some of the new 30-06 rifles. One thing that amazed me was how light most of them were. The Tikka T3 weighed 6.18 pounds, the Ruger American 6.25 pounds, and the Savage Axis 6.5 pounds. These rifles seem like they would be very uncomfortable to shoot. The only one I picked up that felt like a 30-06 that I wanted to shoot was a Weatherby Vangard. The Weatherby, Savage 110 and Remington 700 were all over 7 pounds which I could live with. They didn't have a single Winchester 70 in stock.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Spend less on the rifle and more on the scope.

 

[Poper]

I currently have a Howa 1500 30-06 and I love it. The trigger is easily adjustable crisp and clean.

I have the Weatherby Vanguard in .30-06 from a Sportsman's Warehouse sale about 5 years ago just to hunt with a couple years and pass on to my son.
Dang thing shot 3/4" groups right out of the box with factory ammo. Dangdest thing I've ever seen.
I'm a handloader and High Power Rifle Silhouette competitor. No sense in even loading for it. ( I use a Tikka 5.6x55 for RS matches.)

I also have a Tikka T3 Hunter (wood stock) in .30-06. It's an honest 1/2" MOA rifle with handloaded 165 grainers and was my first RS gun. I love the Tikkas! Very hard to beat for quality and value.

Lot's of good suggestions here. Enjoy your quest. (Hint: Buy the best scope you can afford and look at all of them.)
Scopes I have and like in order of preference: Vortex Viper, Leupold VX-III, Weaver Grand Slam, Burris Scout.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Also check the used racks at your area gun stores. I bought this SEARS mdl 53 .30-06 for $240 OTD (without scope). It is actually a post-64 Winchester mdl. 70 and has become one of my favorite rifles.

 

[MistWolf]

Get the ruggedest, most iconic 30-06 ever made- the 1903 Springfield or the 03-A3. It's not as light as a modern rifle and in its stock configuration, not nearly as easy to mount a scope, but none can deny its suitability for the field, durability or reliability. The sights on the 03-A3 are among the best ever installed on a rifle, short of a modern optic. The Springfield has a rich legacy, having helped to win two world wars.

I'm talking about getting a shooter grade Springfield, not a safe queen. If you want or need an optic, shop around until you find one that's been sporterized to your liking- you can often find good ones for surprisingly low prices. They are good shooters and are a classic

 

[Reloadron]

I would be in the older Remington 700 BDL or Winchester Model 70 camp. I happen to like both. Then too, Tika makes a fine rifle as do several others. I only lean Remington because I have a pile of tools to work on Remington 700 actions.

Also, looking at the comments of MistWolf regarding an 03 Springfield or 03A3 Springfield made by Springfield, Remington or whoever. Those are good choices as well as a good number of Mauser actions I have seen sporterized and chambered in 30-06. Nothing wrong with looking at what is out there in military surplus.


Ron

 

[SwampWolf]

I have more than a few bolt-action rifles from different manufacturers but, if I could only choose one make, it would be a late model 77 Ruger. I like the hefty Mauser-style extractor, the controlled feeding design, the three position safety and the "classic" configuration of the Ruger. My Rugers have always been reliable, accurate and well-made rifles.

 

[Nature Boy]

Ditto the 03A3.

 

[P-h-w]

First time post so I apologize in advance if I'm doing this incorrectly. I might suggest that you look at Beegara rifles B-14 production line of rifles. They're a custom gun makers production rifle built with top notch parts by high quality makers, only not customizable. If not, maybe a mod 70 or a Weatherby vanguard?

 

[SwampWolf]

You're doing it correctly. Welcome to The High Road P-h-w. And I agree that a Weatherby (Howa) Vanguard would be a good choice.

 

[Gtscotty]

I'm kind of interested in those Bergara B -14 rifles now that you brought them up. Bergara apparently makes great barrels, but I thought that when I looked up their rifles a while back they were a few thousand dollars. It looks like those B-14's can be had for $600 - $700 dollars....

 

[JROC]

I would likely go with a Savage and not a Winchester.

I want to puke every time I think about my Winchester SXP Defender being built in Turkey. The traditional American arms makers(Winchester, Browning, Remington, Colt, S&W, Springfield, along with some newer manufactures like Ruger) need to be building their products in America and not in foreign markets like Turkey, Portugal, China, or Mexico. All of our traditional American industry is going to foreign markets. I mean why don't we just substitute the traditional awesome American V8's in our full sized truck for crappy, boosted 60* v6's????? oh wait we do which is why I'm no longer a Ford fanboy. Same with Winchester. I feel sorry for the vets who have fought defending this country see what it has become as it has gone way down the drain in recent times.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Is there a USA distributor for Bergara rifles? I don't see one on their website.

 

[Gtscotty]

Is there a USA distributor for Bergara rifles? I don't see one on their website.

I didn't either, and was starting to think they weren't available here, but there are a bunch listed up on Gunbroker. I haven't been able to find any reviews on the B-14, but Bergara's other rifles are supposed to be quite accurate.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

The pictures of them do look nice! Like with many other things, the Bergara rifles are something I had not previously heard of.

 

[HexHead]

Can't go wrong with a Weatherby Vanguard S2. 2-stage match grade trigger and a sub-MOA guarantee right out of the box.

 

[P-h-w]

Petzal wrote a bunch of reviews on Bergaras stuff. Great accuracy, fit & finish, customer service and so forth. I'm not sure just where to handle one over the counter but would love one in 6.5 creed. I believe I once read that gander mountain was selling them.