Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Most dependable rifle make

Hey fellers, lets start a debate. What is the most dependable bolt action rifle for the money? I'll start by saying the Ruger mod. 77. The only failer I have ever known from a 77 is the triger-gard broke on some of the earlyer models. So, what is your idea of the best for the money? 06

Ought six,<BR>the most dependable bolt action rifles for the money are selected military surplus rifles.<BR>You could go for a Tokarev, which worked better than the Mauser in Stalingrad, 1942.<BR>Your P14 and the mauser (similar) are also famous, and I love the look and feel of the Lee enfield.<BR>With these rifles, dependability is no question, and minute of meat is also proven, all this for low prices...<BR>olivier

this might be an interesting topic, everyone will have an opinion, here's mine, i have done most of my hunting over the last 25 years with a model 700 in .270, its my favorite rifle in my gunsafe, but if i could only have one, and id have to depend on it in every situation, it would be a toss up between my No. 4 enfield .303 with the synthetic stock or my 336 marlin in 30-30(with the 20"bbl), i feel that for sheer ruggedness and dependability both would be hard to beat, and they are both adequate for anything that wears hair in the lower 48...gutpile

ooops, i meant to say the 336 wears the 24" barrel, its one of the new cowboy models and is probably the most accurate 30-30 i've ever squeezed the trigger on...gut

350 RM, Your point is well taken, I did not state it in my message put I was thinking more in lines of what you can buy today. So my eddited qiestion would be what is the most dependible currently made rifle you can buy for the money.

the most dependable rifle is the one that is properly maintained an effort is made to learn to use it.

In the realm of sporting rifles, probably one of the CRF guns/actions. The Ruger mk. II has the famous Mauser extractor, ejector, and bolt stop. Their bolts are one piece units. Their safetys don't get bumped easily, but they are harder to use as quickly than the M70 Win. They also have alloy trigger guards and floorplates. The Winchester M70's stainless parts are all that, not alloy. The Ruger trigger leaves much to be desired. The Winchester trigger is easy to turn into a first class "glass rod" break. The Winchester action is much heavier than the Ruger. And let's not forget the famous 98 Mauser. One piece bolts, three position safetys, and their famous ejector, extractor, and CRF. But, as has been pointed out, they all require care and consideration. Forced to choose, I'd vote for the M70 Winchester. It is not perfect, but probably closer than any of the others. And, I must add, much of this is theoretical, more than practical. The Remington 700 action has been all over the world for many years, has served the military well as a basis for it's sniper rifles, and earned a solid following. E

Ought Six,<P>If we talk about consistency of new rifles only, the best gun for the money in Europe is the Brno/CZ rifle. Really cheap, and Mauser clone, which means reliable...<BR>My preference goes to either Ruger or Winchester, the latter being, in its supergrade version, a joy to contemplate and use. I had a 7RM, and it really impressed me by its overall quality. (I sold it because it was too big and heavy for my taste).<BR>olivier

350, I have never seen a cv yet so will take your word for it that they are good for the money. As for the Rem. 700 fans, I would say that at the same vintage (year} as my old Ruger the Remingtons were a good one but The last Remington I bought, and the one that Rem. replaced it with (all in the past 2 years) have a lot to be desired. My latest Ruger (replaced by the damn Remingtons) Does not have the fineness of my 20 year old Ruger but the Ruger in totaly functional as the Rem. was not. Perhaps Remingto will mend their ways. They have a heck of a reputation to keep up but as of year 2000 they are on the down hill slide. 06

Ought Six,<BR>Your comments on the latest remington production is, I think, totally justified. Some friends own 10 years old reminftons, I have a 243 varmint of this age, and quality is far better than the latest seven KS I bought. That one comes from the custom shop, and finish is as rough as it can be. I paid more than 2000 USD for it and believe me, i won't buy any remington in the future: there are many better designed rifles for that price.<BR>I also use a ruger 77 (with the tang safety and claw extractor but no CRF) which finish is really good, but again, the design is a bit special, and I feel like buying one short action new ruger rifle (with CRF) just to put it on my rifle...<BR>olivier

My vote goes to the old Ruger M77 rifles.