@boxer thanks for taking the time to reply, and I think I got the message overall, which seemed to be rethink my scope and buy the Barrett. Noted. Almost impressively difficult to read. As to 6.5 Creedmoor I do love the 6.5 bullets and love the idea of one for this rifle, but the appeal of being able to walk into any shop I may end up at and finding ammo influenced the decision pretty heavily (-06 was a close #2 but I assumed the recoil would be more punishing on such a little stick and want my nephews/wife to be a able to use it). I also don’t ever plan on reaching out far enough to really take advantage of the 6.5’s specialness, and this will be a meat rifle. With it becoming so much more popular these days, however, it may be worth another looks. Thanks!
I'm a bit of a fanatic about F&F (custom knives are a big hobby of mine and it is a big deal in that world) and all of these rifles, when handled, have let me down in one way or another other than the higher end Kimber. Action "smoothness" doesn't interest me either, but being proud of the things that I own does. Henry, Tikka, and Barrett all represent (to me) the highest 'pride of ownership' but all also have drawbacks.
A Winchester Model 70 Featherweight Compact in 308 with a 4x Leupold would be a bit heavy but would otherwise meet your stated specs.
As for fit and finish, what's acceptable in the rifle world and the custom knife world are radically different. The rifles you listed are among the better factory offerings, but you're looking at the wrong part of them: action smoothness is far more important than external fit and finish in a rifle you'll actually use in the real world. (The knife world equivalent would be a dull blade on a knife with perfect fit and finish.) Getting any significant improvement over the rifleus you listed will mean going to a custom maker for at least triple your budget
Definitely noted man, and a solid point. I think I was just suggesting that, as they are all lower than I expected, none of them are being discounted for it. I don’t care that Savage is ugly when the Kimber Hunter is certainly not perfect, for example. I may have been a little flippant about action quality, and that’s fair. All the animals I have harvested to this point have been with very low quality firearms, so I was mainly saying “as long as it is reliable and goes boom I don’t mind a little grit/slop.” That May be misinformed.
As to the Winchester, I have always wanted to scratch that “pre 64” itch. Although this would be a very different direction, it is interesting. I’ll do some looking around and see how much damage one would do compared to these guys with regards to my wallet. The nice thing about an SS rifle with a crummy stock is I wouldn’t be afraid to use it, where the Winchester would be a different story.
Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate it!
-Mike
