Texasred
Member
Hey there guys, I've got a quick question for ya. Due to my youth and paranoia, I have only bought semi-auto rifles for the last year and a half(besides Mosins) and would really like to pick up a new bolt action beater. I don't mean that I would mistreat it or carelessly leave it unsecured in my truck. But I need a low-cost bolt action that me and my girlfriend can share. Normally I have all my gun bases covered, but my situation requires something different.
Me and my fiancee need something simple and versatile. My two bolt actions are a Remington 700 Sendero Special in .25-06 with a Leupold 2.5-8 w/ 26" Bull Barrel, and a Remington 700 VLS in 7mm Rem Mag with a muzzlebreak and a Leupold 3-9 VX-II 40mm w/ 26" Bull Barrel. These 2 guns are both super accurate, super nice, and super heavy, super long and unweildy for my girlfriend and even sometime for me and getting in and out of stands and crossing fences (inner property). I used to have a Remington 700 ADL 7mm Rem Mag w/ Leupold 3-9 VX-I. My first deer rifle, bought I sold it like a stupid young child that I was. Now I'm thinking the same rifle could give me just what I'm looking for. Since me and my girlfriend are soon to be leaving town next year, I wanted to take a basic battery of rifles that aren't to extreme in any one area. I'm thinking shotgun (Remington 870, 2 BBLs), semi-auto defense rifle (stock Stag AR), .22 (Marlin 60), and finally deer rifle (insert opinion here). Since we're moving to a new part of Texas that we are unfamiliar with and the criminal element is unknown, we don't want to take more than we need and some of these guns can do double duty. I would take my M1A or 6.8 SPC AR but that gets funny looks from people and ranchers sometimes in my experience. So the bottom line is, that I already feel nervous taking the AR but if I keep it out of sight then that's no big deal to me.
So I went to Gander Mountain to look around, then Walmart, then Academy, and finally I'll be going to Carter's Country. I have heard about the Tikkas, Weatherbys, Mossbergs, Remington 710, Savages, and etc. I am looking for a scoped combo. Now I know that my only experience is with Leupolds, so I'm a little spoiled in that department. But I would like to see what these other scopes have to offer before I ever knock them. I have a couple friends that have Simmons and Tascos, never shot them, but they still get deer every year.
What I liked and didn't like.
Tikka:
Pros: Good reputation, accuracy guarantee.
Cons: Polymer everywhere, made overseas, magazines are expensive plastic but useless gun if lost.
Savages:
Pros: I hear that they're buildable like ARs, American!, that trigger thing they've got.
Cons: Feels a little cheap, didn't get to handle a whole lot though.
Remington:
Pros: Know the system, know what to expect, American (I think), lots of parts out there, kind of a standard out there.
Cons: None really, just want to see if I missing anything out there.
Marlin:
Pros/Cons: Didn't see any samples.
Mossberg:
Pros: 100 ATR, Seems kinda nice, but I really did like the 4x4 and the idea of a laminate stock.
Cons: Lots of polymer, So low priced it scares me, don't know if action is proven.
Weatherby:
Pros: Feels good, accuracy guarantee, they offer wood stocks direct from MFG.
Cons: Made overseas, the more expensive model (for a reason I'm sure).
Overall, I think I'm leaning towards the Remmy, the Walmart near me that still sells guns had a Remington 700 scope combo, it was an ADL w/o iron sights however, and I'm sure it wasn't a 770. It was a 7mm Rem Mag that caught my eye and it ran only 467.00. I'm sure that it has been there for a while, since I thought they didn't make ADLs anymore.
Looking for:
-American made
-<500.00
-Strong Action
-Long life
-Quality without concerning aesthetics
Well guys I appreciate your insight and your patience with my rant.
Me and my fiancee need something simple and versatile. My two bolt actions are a Remington 700 Sendero Special in .25-06 with a Leupold 2.5-8 w/ 26" Bull Barrel, and a Remington 700 VLS in 7mm Rem Mag with a muzzlebreak and a Leupold 3-9 VX-II 40mm w/ 26" Bull Barrel. These 2 guns are both super accurate, super nice, and super heavy, super long and unweildy for my girlfriend and even sometime for me and getting in and out of stands and crossing fences (inner property). I used to have a Remington 700 ADL 7mm Rem Mag w/ Leupold 3-9 VX-I. My first deer rifle, bought I sold it like a stupid young child that I was. Now I'm thinking the same rifle could give me just what I'm looking for. Since me and my girlfriend are soon to be leaving town next year, I wanted to take a basic battery of rifles that aren't to extreme in any one area. I'm thinking shotgun (Remington 870, 2 BBLs), semi-auto defense rifle (stock Stag AR), .22 (Marlin 60), and finally deer rifle (insert opinion here). Since we're moving to a new part of Texas that we are unfamiliar with and the criminal element is unknown, we don't want to take more than we need and some of these guns can do double duty. I would take my M1A or 6.8 SPC AR but that gets funny looks from people and ranchers sometimes in my experience. So the bottom line is, that I already feel nervous taking the AR but if I keep it out of sight then that's no big deal to me.
So I went to Gander Mountain to look around, then Walmart, then Academy, and finally I'll be going to Carter's Country. I have heard about the Tikkas, Weatherbys, Mossbergs, Remington 710, Savages, and etc. I am looking for a scoped combo. Now I know that my only experience is with Leupolds, so I'm a little spoiled in that department. But I would like to see what these other scopes have to offer before I ever knock them. I have a couple friends that have Simmons and Tascos, never shot them, but they still get deer every year.
What I liked and didn't like.
Tikka:
Pros: Good reputation, accuracy guarantee.
Cons: Polymer everywhere, made overseas, magazines are expensive plastic but useless gun if lost.
Savages:
Pros: I hear that they're buildable like ARs, American!, that trigger thing they've got.
Cons: Feels a little cheap, didn't get to handle a whole lot though.
Remington:
Pros: Know the system, know what to expect, American (I think), lots of parts out there, kind of a standard out there.
Cons: None really, just want to see if I missing anything out there.
Marlin:
Pros/Cons: Didn't see any samples.
Mossberg:
Pros: 100 ATR, Seems kinda nice, but I really did like the 4x4 and the idea of a laminate stock.
Cons: Lots of polymer, So low priced it scares me, don't know if action is proven.
Weatherby:
Pros: Feels good, accuracy guarantee, they offer wood stocks direct from MFG.
Cons: Made overseas, the more expensive model (for a reason I'm sure).
Overall, I think I'm leaning towards the Remmy, the Walmart near me that still sells guns had a Remington 700 scope combo, it was an ADL w/o iron sights however, and I'm sure it wasn't a 770. It was a 7mm Rem Mag that caught my eye and it ran only 467.00. I'm sure that it has been there for a while, since I thought they didn't make ADLs anymore.
Looking for:
-American made
-<500.00
-Strong Action
-Long life
-Quality without concerning aesthetics
Well guys I appreciate your insight and your patience with my rant.