I'm looking at/for inexpensive rifles as a practice, shooter, spare - take your pick of descriptive terms. Been looking at Ruger American, Rem 700 ADL, Salvage Axis, Howa 1500 rifles. I frankly don't know much about any of these except the M700. Buds of mine have Ruger Americans and like them well enough.

What is the skinny on the economical rifles - good, bad, and no freakin' way info.

Thanks.

Mossberg Patriot.

IMO the most under-rated rifle. I have one in 350 Legend, a friend has one in 243, great guns.

I’m guessing there are many people that like each of those mentioned, including the Mossberg Patriot.
This thread is going to be a never-ending thread or so it will seem. There’s one on the list that I’ve only owned one of. I didn’t care for the trigger and I sold it. I had won it at a fund raiser - that was the Axis. It was accurate enough though.

There’s at least one other rifle that you might also include. That’s a 783 Remington. I had only one and it was chambered in 308 and it was a sub-MOA shooter with anything I fired in it.

May I suggest that you go to a dealer and handle each one?

I agree with handling rifles and will do so. Handling one will tell us about how it feels and handles and may show some mechanical flaws - but the guys on this board have insight into the mechanics and other aspects that only come with long term use.

This is the time of year to hit the used rifle racks at pawn shops and gun stores. I’m not afraid of a decent used SS bolt gun at a fair price. Make mine a 700, 1500/Vanguard, 77, or American, depending on chambering and price.

Ruger American Ranch or Predator for bolts. The magazines and stock kind of suck for the regular model.

Not a fan of the Savage Axis series. They are accurate, but both the ones I bought had issues straight out of the box and had to go back to Savage.

The CVA Scout and Hunter single shots are a pretty good value for the price. Just ugly azz meat and potatoes, but they are cheap, decently accurate for most hunting purposes (1-1.5MOA on the ones I have owned/do own) and I've yet to have a functionality issue with one.

I bought a RAR about 10 years ago as a platform for a 5.56 hog rifle with a can. Being that it had limited use at the time, I did not want to put much money in it. After a trigger spring and epoxying the trigger blade back, it is a 1/2" gun all day long. Hundreds of deer and hogs later, it is what I use 95% of the time unless I am having to shoot a LONG way...

You don’t hear enough about the Mossbergs but I do like the way they look. I’ve heard from one person that had a 7-08 and they had good things to say about it.

Howa if you don't mind the weight.

This. Lots of people thin the herd once the Christmas bills come due and in the run up to Tax Season. I'd take a used 700, Model 70, or Ruger 77 variant over any of the new economy rifles any day.


Okie John

This. It's amazing how many guys buy a rifle to kill a deer then need the money and dump it right back on the used rack. The 6-8 weeks after deer season are prime time.

Added: HA! Posted before reading John's above. Must be great minds... 😂😇

I agree, although the Mini's are a different story. Of course, the selection of chamberings is slim.

This is an interesting question because some of the rifles that were "budget" guns two years ago aren't anymore. The price of Tikkas has gone up a bunch. The price of XPRs has gone up, too, though you can still find them on sale for about $480-500 online. I used to always say don't sleep on the XPR... good trigger and good barrel... but now that they cost about the same as a Howa from Grice, it's hard to justify not going with the metal trigger guard and real recoil lug, etc.

I've always hit the used rifle racks. Just got to know what you are looking at:
Here's ONE of my recent economical rifle purchase. Well if you consider $360-$380 for the rifle economical:


It's a shooting SOB too.

Remember when 788's were Remington's economical line of rifles? Took this one home recently:

Came with a bunch of reloading components, die sets, etc. Plenty of great deals out there. Just have to know where and how to look for them.

How about this one for "economical":


In damn near perfect condition. Set up with a Lyman rear aperture sight and ivory front bead. Very nice rifle for the price:

I'd take that old mauser any day of the week over a damn Howa, RAR, TC Compass etc. etc. There is a difference between "economical" and a piece of schidt in a plastic stock..

I have a couple economical rifles.
Savage axis 308 that I got for $200 out the door. Bolt is hard to open after firing. (Common problem)
ruger American and TC venture in 270 I got for 299. I Had mossberg 4x4 in 06 and it was a great rifle. But the bolt didn’t lock with safety on and that was a no go as my main hunting rifle.
The tc venture has the smoothest bolt/least sloppy and is also the most accurate. The mossberg my buddy bought keeps up with my Tikka accuracy wise.
Just go hold them and feel for your self.
While ago sportsman’s had sauer 100 for under 500.
That was a steal.
I’d be Looking at the nicer rifles that are not main stream.

What's economical? I have a Ruger American Ranch .300 BLK, I like it. However, it takes every ounce of my being to not change the stock and other things. If you start doing that the rifle no longer is economical and you'd be better off just buying a better rifle.

I'm a sucker for the used rack a a well.

I've owned more than my share of centerfire rifles including two Savage Axis rifles in 223, still own one. They are the most economical/cheap centerfire rifles I've ever owned but cheap and IMO cheap looking up close, or not, everything worked as it should and accuracy has been outstanding on both.

I'll take the Mauser off your hands for what you paid?! 😂😇

I would take a Parker Hale, BSA, Zastava, Mark X, Husqvarna, or just about any used European commercial Mauser over any new buget rifle made in the US. For the same price you will get all wood and steel construction. No plastic. A rifle that will last generations if properly cared for.

I have at least one of each of those four rifles, plus a few other lower priced rifles.

I hate, hate, hate the stock ergs of the Savage Axis. I have one in 6.5 CM that I'd be happy to sell to you.

The Ruger Americans tend to be good shooters, all of mine will go MOA or better except the 22-250 that comes close but has never made an MOA group.

The Remington 700s are good rifles, particularly if you want to tinker with them, lots of after-market parts.

The Howa 1500s are also good rifles, but a little on the heavy side. Howa 1500s have metric barrel threads and some 'smiths won't work on them.

The Mossberg Patriot is a good rifle. I bought the one that I have in 6.5 CM to replace the Savage Axis that I had bought for a friend of my Son's to use. I like the feel of it better than either the Ruger American or Savage Axis.

The T-C Venture2 is good rifle, but a little heavy and the stock ergs don't work as well for me as the Mossberg Patriot.

I like the Marlin X guns better than the Mossberg, Ruger, Savage, and T-C. I'll never understand why Remington kept the 783 instead of the XL7/XS7 when they took over Marlin.

Someone suggested that the best thing for you to do is handle each of them and see which one fits you the best.

It’s hard to whoop those Brownell Howa barreled actions. That a a cheap take off stock and you’re into them for very little money and they’re solid rifles.

I have them in a 6 Creed and 6 ARC. To me, I like them more than anything Remington but I’m weird like that. They’re straight and have good triggers and 3 POS safeties.

I put one in a McMillan and the other came with their Carbon stock. I like them a lot and use them exactly as what you mentioned, range gun or a rifle to lend to a friend or family.

TC Venture or Marlin XL rifles.

I have 2 ADL's and 2 Americans. They are both economy rifles but I don't need much and I don't have the hunting opportunities that other folks have. Pretty much all of my rifles are economy rifles. But they service my needs and wants. In few years they will be my son's rifles and he can do whatever he wants with them.

kwg

Hard to beat a Vanguard in my humble opinion

It appears that Sportsman’s is going to offer the Savage Arms Stevens 334 Synthetic Matte Black Bolt Action Rifle - 6.5 Creedmoor - 22in for $340.00. I’ll bet that they sell a few of these “budget guns” at that price.

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting...action-rifle-65-creedmoor-22in/p/1802618

I've been following this thread with interest and thought I'd add my observations. I had a good deal of experience with an ADL but since it was not of recent production I won't comment on it.

Savage AXIS: 308 that I bought used. It had a poor trigger (not the Accutrigger model) that was mostly remedied with a lighter spring. Lots of flex in the forend that was somewhat alleviated with epoxy and metal rods. To me the stock ergos are not horrible. Feeding and function have been fine through (estimating here) 5-700 rounds. It has THE WORST protective finish on the metal that I've ever seen on a rifle! Any exposure to moisture will have rust all over the barrel on the following morning. The magazine would be at home on a toy gun that came from a Cracker Jack box but it has worked without issue for me. The virtue of this rifle is how it shoots. It is a joy to reload for. Everything I put through it groups well. Not fussy about bullets, powder, or seating depth.

Howa 1500: I bought this one new in 243. It shoots well. It seems a bit heavier than it should be. The plastic stock is reasonably rigid and functions well, although I'm not a huge fan of its shape. The trigger is decent. This rifle does not have any glaring flaws in my opinion and is a step above the other two rifles. In my mind these Howas barely qualify as "economical rifles" as their prices have climbed substantially.

Mossberg PATRIOT: Bought this one as a 7mm-08 in the compact version thinking it would be a nice rifle for the grandkids to begin their big game hunting with. It has the fluted barrel and bolt that (I guess) look cool. I like the fit and feel of this rifle. The bladed trigger is a bit more than decent. The magazine feels/is chintzy plastic but has worked flawlessly for about 240 rounds. This rifle is even fairly easy to load through the ejection port. Surprisingly, the Patriot has the smoothest bolt of the three. The big downside to this rifle is that it is NOT a good shooter. I nearly sent it back at first because I was getting 3-5" three shot groups consistently. I've tried at least six different bullets and at least four powders. I finally hit on 120 TTSX's with Varget and it will consistently put three shots into about 1 1/2 inches if I get just the preferred amount of powder in the case. I believe the problem with these lies in the fact that (from the factory) there is not a good way to snug the rear action screw. There is a hollow space of about 1/2" between the stock and action. Tightening the screw stresses the magazine well and will crack the well if you're not careful. AND, if you don't crack the magazine well, the action screw will protrude into the bolt raceway and contact the bolt. I wrote to Mossberg and they recommend 24 inch/lbs on the action screws. I cannot get that on mine without jamming the tip of the action screw into the bolt. Very poor design. Much about this on YouTube as others have experienced the same problem. I'm glad other respected contributors to this thread have had positive experiences with their Patriot rifles but I can't recommend them based on my sample of one. It's a real bummer because I WANT to like this rifle!

Bottom line, the Howa is the highest quality of my three cheapies and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that a person take a look at one. The Axis shoots the best but has some glaring flaws. The Patriot handles the best but ranks at the bottom of my list.

I'm pretty interested to see one of these because the press release said it had a true, integral recoil lug (which surprised me... most of the budget guns that cost $200-300 more still have the removable mortis). But why in the world did they go with a 14.5" LOP? The new Mausers are already kind of ridiculous at 14"... then add another half? Yeesh.

ttpoz - that is a good post and good information. Thanks.

Might be considered economical to buy a rifle that suits you rather than ending up with 2 or 3 "economical" rifles that just don't make the grade.

Ruger american…

Not sure what they go for now, used to be $400 or so.

Folks on here will poor mouth the RAR.

But it shoots great.

Best finish? No
Best stock? No
Best magazine? No.

I got one of the lefty 6.5cm predators when they first came out. And a regular 7-08.

Shoot great.

Anarchy makes a lot of upgrade parts for it if you want to dump more money it.

Other choices also, but savage and ruger were the ones with lefty offerings.

I have three of the Ruger American rifles. They are all accurate and reliable. For those that don't just worship their rifles, it's the way to go.

This is a fair point but I've been looking for a Kimber Hunter in 243 for 6+ months. I'd even go a Kimber Montana.

The purpose of said rifle is practice, grandkids rifle, etc. This rifle will get shot a bazillion times. I lean towards something that can be rebarreled when the tube gets fried.

How big are the grandkids? I've got a Howa in 6.5CM with an OEM and youth stock (Bell and Carlson) in thinking about selling. My son gravitated towards the TC Contender with a silencer.

They range from 1 to 9. I've had a 243 since 1975 and have a pile of components which is why I'm looking for a 243. Thanks for the offer though!

I'd go Rem 700 ADL. The bead-blasted, blued model. Cheap to put a youth stock on if wanted.

👍

That is not what you said in your first post
But ok

Not sure I'm seeing that but refining one's thought process after considering 4 pages of input is somehow a bad thing?

Me thinks you miss the value of soliciting thoughts/opinions from the Campfire.......

My bolt action centerfires consist of three Rem 700s, and three Ruger Americans. I'll offer some of the strengths and weaknesses as I see them.

Rem 700 strengths - Best aftermarket support for parts and accessories. Overall a solid design that has been the basis for a ton of custom actions.

Rem 700 weaknesses - X-mark pro trigger is easily broken at that adjustment screw (I've broken two, replaced with Timney). Brazed on bolt handles have been known to fall off. Two lug bolt means more bolt lift that can become a hinderance with some scope setups, and wearing gloves. That little metal clip extractor works, but is not the most robust design. I've never had trouble with it in my 308s or 30-06, but the magnum boltface require that extractor to be riveted in place which creates a weak point of sorts.

Ruger American strengths - Good trigger out of the box. Short bolt lift with the three-lug design gives plenty of room for large diameter or low mounted scopes. The bolt handle will NEVER fall off.

Ruger American weaknesses - Stock is very cheap, but still serviceable. The rotary style magazine have been known to be finicky for a lot of users. The AICS and AR pattern magazine models are pretty solid feeders. Aftermarket support not as good as the Remington.

No, your first post is 3 days old.
But you been looking at a Kimber for 6+ months. And mention it after pages of suggestions.

Good post. I almost bought a Husqvarna 270 2 weeks ago. It was a sweet rifle, but after inspecting it closer, I noticed it had a crack in the stock behind the tang. I was really disappointed!!! Also, a lot of guys don't even know what a BSA rifle is, but I've had a few and they are all great shooters. I'm down to one now, chambered in 308 Norma magnum. BSA sporterized/built it from an M1917 military rifle. One of my favorites.

Ha ha.. It's a sweetheart rifle. I guess I shouldn't call it an "economy" rifle, just because I got it for cheap. I looked them up, before I bought it, to see what they are selling for and was shocked. Nearly $1,000.00!!!


I believe back in the day, they were an economy rifle though, if you read this article, I also bought after getting the rifle:

Was it a 1640? Something about that stock design seems to make that happen a lot. All my Huskies get the rear tang bedded with relief (two layers of bedding tape) from the wood because I'm paranoid about damage and replacement stocks are nearly impossible to source now.

Great rifles. I place them in the same category as the Stevens 200:



Exceptional rifles for the money. I didn't like that gray stock they put on them, so swapped it out with a Savage trophy hunter (also another great rifle for the money) stock with DBM. That rifle was one of my favorite sleepers.

I hear you. I left plenty of clearance at the tang on my new Mauser pictured above, as well. Don't want to crack that beautiful stock!!! As for the Husky, no it was not a 1640. I stopped looking at it, after I saw the crack. I hear you about stocks being hard to find. I probably would have just put it in a ramline or something.. But then it takes away from the beauty of a nice walnut stock.

Fair enough. I thought you were referring to me adding a few uses.

I'd greatly prefer a Kimber Hunter but given they don't seem to be in any hurry to make more, thought I'd explore cheaper options.

Handled a Ruger American a little bit ago. I wasn't bad at all. The stock do feel cheap but it fit pretty well. Also handled a Salvage Axis - pass. I have smallish hands and the pistol grip was modeled for a 10 year old girl.

Off to Buds Gunshop and Smoky Mtn Guns tomorrow to handle a Mossberg and maybe see one of the newer Remingtons.

MM - good feedback - thanks for the info.

There are a couple marlins on classifieds.
Think one was a stainless 7-08 for $550.
I have a hunter and few tikkas. Tikka hands down and I think the new 243 comes 1:8 twist

Not just the 1640s. Nonetheless, I am a total fan of the commercial Mauser action rifles. Now that everyone seems to have a delusional woody for 700s, etc., the 98 variants tend to be a stone bargain.

Ruger American 308 bedded in a Boyd’s stock.
Howa 1500 6.5 creed in a Bell and Carlson.
Both shoot MOA or better with factory ammo.

If I had to pick sub $500 guns off the used rack for the rest of my life, they would be Howa’s.

I've had and shot several Ruger American's. I do like the Predator version and all have shot way better than a cheap rifle should. But I've had magazine troubles with the standard 4 round magazines. Both the original rotary version and the newer 4 round stagger feed version. If you get a short action the 3 round straight feed mag made for 450 BM will feed any of the short action 308 class cartridges much better. The versions that use AI style magazines or the 223's that take AR magazines work well too.

But those have priced themselves out of my interest level. I paid $350 each for the Predators I owned. I've seen the standard rifle sell for $200. Today the Predator is $500+. At that price point I'll pay $100 more and get a blue Tikka. Everyone wants a $750 SS Tikka, and I do like them better. But the Ruger's aren't SS, and the blue Tikka's aren't that much more than Ruger anymore.

The Mossberg looks good, but knowing the rifles history I just can't bring myself to buy one. They were originally made by the now defunct Raptor rifle company as the cheapest bolt rifle you could buy in the 1990's. The company quickly failed. Charter Arms bought the rights to the design and made the rifle briefly before giving up on it. Finally, Mossberg bought the rights to the design. Mossberg did a better job with QC, and they have expanded the features. But it is still the same basic design that failed twice before.

And the design has seriously injured several people when the bolt lugs did not go into battery and the bolt came back into their face when they fired.

Get a tikka or a Vanguard s2.

My 6 Creed is one of the cheapest rifles I put together. It isn't super heavy, it was weighing around 7.5 lbs with Alpine stock and 4-12X40 Redfield Revolution. It's at my GS right now getting shortened and threaded for my suppressor.

J - good info. Thanks.

Nice looking rifle! Where did you find the Alpine stock?

Bought 2 off the classifieds here and found one on eBay, all sold too cheaply IMO. I made a faux Alpine .308 with a Sportsman's Kuiu rifle for $499 for my daughter. Then my buddy got the last one for his Howa .223 rifle.

Daughter's faux Alpine.

Congrats to the lady!

That was 5 years ago when she was 15, but still makes me proud. She learned a valuable lesson that day. Her first shot wasn't great at first light, but she spent 8 hours and 5 miles of tracking to finish the job. He was a smart buck and was hard to track, and she felt horrible for not making a good first shot. It was a big relief for her when she was able to anchor him.

Ruger American Ranch or Predator or Savage axis or axis 2.

Pretty impressed with the ruger Americans. I can see why they're the top-selling bolt action, year after year.

My ruger American, bought used for $100, scoped with a 2-7x33 redfield, is 1/10 the price of my dedicated hunting rifle.

I always liked my budget bolt-guns to be in 223, 308 or 30-06.

Just adds to the value of the whole thing, as I'm always stocked with gobs of free range-rubbish brass.

I've experienced jams with both the rotary and updated flush mags. Both a cheap design and a bummer.

With boyds making an all-metal ai kit, at least there's a cheap fix.

Not sure if you can call them economical, but have 2 LH zastavas a 6.5 swede an 7.62x39 msrp 800 CDN bought them used for $330 each
One of thses days I'd want to try a ruger american to see how it compares, did shoot a friends 450 bushmaster and liked the lower recoil.
Thinking it would make a good truck/scout type gun with irons a QD rings?

What he said. I did the Ruger American thing. Junk. Accurate junk, but junk nonetheless. I've also done the cheap Salvage thing. Same story!

My wife has a Savage Axis in 7-08. After I got the trigger worked on, it was no trick at all to get a 140 accubond to print 1" or less. Pulled it out last fall and the first shot was exactly 2.5" high and dead center, right where it should be.



I hate the flimsy stock and they are ugly as sin but she likes it. I think the Axis mag is 10X better then the American's.

Really, the Axis mag better? Neither suits me.

I said better, not great

I have never had an axis mag fall apart just putting a new rifle together out of the box....can't say the same about the American.

I sighted one in for a friend, a 25-06. What a shooter. The mag was hard to seat and hard to remove.

Life's too short.

Hit the used racks and see what shows up.

I like the older savage and Stevens 110 actions. Then you can do what you want with it.

They're getting harder to find cheap though.

-Jake

Bwinters, you are an accomplished hunter and you know what works for you. I would hold out for a real deal on that favorite rifle, or an M700 in 223, 6.5 Creed, or 308. If i found a real deal on an M700 in a different chambering, i'd go for it if relatively inexpensive factory loads are available (such as 6.5 Swede, 7 Mauser, 30-06) from Prvi, etc as backup to my own reloads... i think you will be happier in the long run ...

D - I think you're on to something Got a lead on a Kimber Hunter......

Victory!