Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Experience with best rifles, $1700 or less

Fill me in. Prreferences? Actual experience which you like best? Price limit is for he rifle only, I have a leupold for it. Nosler, bergarra, ??? Others?

Need more info.

Cartridge, purpose, etc. etc.

1700? Hands down have one built.

BCH --

Would have to be a R A R or Savage



Jerry

Agreed.

Buy a Tikka, take the other $900 and pay on a hunting trip.

Purpose of the rife? Deer, Elk, Antelope, Varmint, Moose, Caribou, Bench Rest, Cottontails, Cast Bullets, 1,000 yard target, Bears, Buffalo, Lions, Hogs, self defense or what? What is your most critical criteria?

For $1,700 you could have just about any of these covered fairly well, but you couldn't cover them all with one rifle very well.

I'd bet most would prefer a bolt action for most of these applications.

I've had good luck with Nosler rifles, and if you total up their features it's hard to have a rifle built for the same price--especially if you want a walnut stock. The MSRP for the Heritage is a little more than $1700, but not much. However, whether they have the features YOU want is another question. If you're into something a little more, uh, modern then the Ruger Precision Rifle is a deal.

Haven't tried a Bergara, but have shot a couple rifles with Bergara barrels, which were pretty good.

You can find a really nice used Sauer 202 or wood stocked Steyr for that kind of money. It will be a tack driver with very fine fit,finish and function.

Lots of Sakos in that price range too.

This and I assume it will be a hunting rifle. Id go a Kimber if I wanted lighter, gen purpose a M70 dropped into a McM or wood if you roll that way.

Of the pricier new factory guns I have purchased in the last decade or so, my Sako 75 Finnlight 7mm-08 is easily my favorite. Had one in 243 I shoulda kept. The 7-08 has been in a McMillan Sako Hunter for a long time now.

Or go with a semi-custom..........

Yeah, Sakos are very good. In fact one of the general trends in rifles as well as other products, such as optics, is less far less difference in performance between lower-priced products and what we've come to think of as top-of-the-line stuff, whether custom rifles or "alpha glass."

I wouldn't use best in the same sentence as $1,700 in today's dollars. Strictly good enough of which there are many

Agreed it will buy quite a nice rifle along the Sako, Nosler or a custom to the extent of choosing an action, barrel and aftermarket stock for assembly. $2,500 would open a world more of choices including a nicer Nosler a really nice Weatherby or what have you.

Strictly as an academic exercise today I've been pleased in the long ago past with buying a nicer Remington or CDNN style Winchester Supergrade type and paying a willing gunsmith to check it out, blue print lightly, making sure the barrel and receiver are in line, the bolt is squared up the trigger is good and the scope mounts are square and centered. Take the existing stock if wood and slim it down while adjusting fit within limits. Time was there was a pretty good business in slimming the factory stocks especially on tang safety Rugers and on Sako's which responded well to a little wood removal.

Mr. Barsness and others have written a good deal on the value of proper fit. I haven't seen any ads for doing automotive body work to fit a hand laid composite stock but if there are such businesses that would be well worth it.

This amounts to taking a Remington 700 BDL and making it a CDL such as the factory used to tout along with their 40X and all the rest of it.

Maybe in today's world of CAD/CAM and Glock style center insert triggers that sort of additional handwork is passe.

Montana x2 in my mind...

The wise choice would be a Tikka,spend the rest on a quality scope.

Or, for $1700, you could buy 3 scoped rifle combos & go kill stuff !

For $600 you get this.... I understand it doesn't feel like a fancy-dancy rifle...

Check out the Remington 700 SPS.

Sako gets my vote.

And, IME, mine.

Purpose of the rifle will be limited to deer, elk, and antelope. If your recommendation is to build, please provide specifics

I woud look for a Kimber 84L. About $1350, and as good as some customs. The sub-MOA guarantee seems to be good.

I really don't wanna sidetrack this thread, but every once in a great while you say something that provokes thought

Thanks, I needed that

No seriously though JB, in ways, and I guess in general, I agree with that. But can think of plenty of exceptions also. I have old Weaver steel tube Micro Tracs here that are built like tanks and will out track and hold zero better than the vast majority of todays optics. And that isn't even close to a guess. Glass, strictly speaking, is definitely better overall today.

As for cheaper rifles, accuracy has undoubtedly increased overall. Without question. But often, a lot of the rest of the rifle leaves much to be desired IMO.

Just me thinking out loud. Would be a good thread to start. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.....

I like Tikka.They are hard to beat for accuracy,but alas they are not cheap anymore.I would spend the dough on a Sako or a Nosler Heritage 48.I have seen some with knockout wood.In fact is if I find one with good wood in 6.5 Creedmoor,it will probably be adopted.Huntz

I'd look for a used Colt Light Rifle, send it to Melvin Forbes for his NULA conversion and have it built to your specs. From my experience it's the best bang for your buck. You won't find a more consistently accurate rifle with any bullet that will be built to fit you like a glove, and carry like a dream.

My step dad picked up a Montana in 280AI. Has shot all the form loads sub moa out to 375.

A lot of people have dislike for Montana's 280AI's and forming cases(shooting)though.

Weatherby Ultra Light

I really love the feel and function of my Sako Finnlights. Solid, accutate, and easy to carry.

I'm mighty proud you fellows like all the 'odd ball' rifles! I'll just stick with this:

VS308 by Sharps Man, on Flickr

Delivers 5 shot groups akin to this from 600 yards that I can cover with the knuckles of my fist:

My 308 Winchester by Sharps Man, on Flickr

Find yourself a nice used Remington KS Custom Shop rifle........you'll be able to find a very mint one for $1,700.

They are reasonably light, have good stocks & all the ones I've seen have been very accurate.

This a a 270 with a skeletonized bolt handle & a cerrokoted stock.....shoots bugholes.

MM

I have a few rifles in that range, some higher and some lower. My Pre-64 375 is very nice. But I don't think any rifle I've owned, shot or even looked at is better than my early 700 30-06 ADL with an after market Kevlar stock. The Walker trigger breaks at 2 lb 6 oz. The groups with hunting loads Hornady Interlocks or Nosler Partitions are less than 1/2 MOA. It still has a factory barrel. The rifle points like a shotgun. There's nothing about the rifle that I'd change. The stock cost more than the rest of the rifle. It wears a VX-2 2x7 scope. The scope perhaps could be improved, but it is perfect for me.

That rifle cost less than $1,000.

If the rifle were for Africa or for Kodiak, I might change my choice. But for deer, antelope and elk, none better.

This

Talk about oddball....it's got the bolt handle on the wrong side!!!!

Sakos are good rifles for under what you are talking about. I have a couple of buddies with Nolder rifles that are nice guns as well.

No one should hunt with a rifle that ugly.........even if it's free.

MM

Pretty large range, depends on what it is for. Rifles I have owned and would recommend in that price range; Steyr Pro Hunter and get a decent scope. Sako and need a scope. Sauer and have a little left over for a scope. CZ 550 and get a decent scope. Tikka T3 and get a really good scope.

I'll give two examples.
1-Winchester Extreme 308 Winchester. Sell the original stock for $150-175. Buy a McMillan Hunters with Edge fill. Toss the original trigger spring and replace with an Ernie. Done.
2-Buy a pre 64 model 70 featherweight in 270 Winchester. Repeat the stock swap as described above. If needed send the rifle out for a trigger job. Good to go. Really done.
I've done the above as described several times and am happy with the results.

I agree. Received my Nosler Heritage with wooden stock this week and it seems better built with much nicer wood than my Sako 85, which used to be my favorite rifle

I would get a T3 Tikka and stick it in a McMillan Sako Hunter pattern stock, with Edge fill.