Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Best value (low cost) rifle?

One had better take a very hard look at the Mauser M18 on sale at Eurooptic.

Mauser M18, Winchester XPR, and the Howa/Vanguard are where I’d be looking for a cheap, new rifle.

I don’t consider the Howa a cheap rifle at all. Even the little minis feel solid and well made. I liked the old Marlin x rifles too, but they did feel cheaper than the Howa.

You can replace the bolt head on the Savage for a few bucks...the barrel too...

If you're serious about 223 I'd buy the new rifle that offers a 1/8 twist rate with the best barrel.

That will cross a few good rifles off the list in that caliber, but that's the breaks...

Its nice to have a 1in 8 twist, if you shoot heavier bullets than the 77's. From what ive seen, most guys arent running heavier pills. Therefore the op's 1 in 9 thought works well enough, for most people.

Let's see..

i have the old Stevens in 22.250... with a 7/08, 243 and 223 barrel...

I have a Savage Axis in 243, I bought for $269 last year... stainless barrel and white-ish camo stock.. a "Cabelas Exclusive"

and then TC Compass in 6.5 Creedmoor I paid $200 for new this past December....

and I've have a couple of Howa Mini's in 223....

I've liked them all...

the one other thing I had was a Ruger American in a Predator in 223... I didn't like the magazine..
the rifle shot real well.. but I didn't care for it...

gave it to a good friend off the campfire...down in Louisiana.. he seems to enjoy it, and he worked out the magazine unreliability problem....the biggest reason I let it go... replaced the Ruger with a Howa Mini....

I've donated food and money to a couple families up here in Alaska who lost their homes to chimney fires. Then swallowed down a sorrowful lump in my throat after the visits. Sobering to say the least.

Burning firewood all season, my line of thinking:
If my place burned down and I lost my hunting rifles, I'd be walking right into Sportmans Warehouse for a $399 howa/nikko sterling rifle/scope combo.

Over in the ammo section, I'd grab a couple $33 boxes of 220 grain speer hotcor federal blue box 30-06.

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting...-king-package-bolt-action-rifle/p/p42068

wanted to try 6.5 creedmoor got a t c compass 219.00 trigger job skim bed and I have been pleasantly surprised . only shot factory ammo , fed non-typical shot better each time I shot it. last group (3 shot) 3/4 " out of first box. Then shot a group of hornady whitetail (again 3 most deer don't let me shoot at them 3 times) .431 These groups were at 100 yards. May quit reloading !

I would still have a hard time passing up a deal on the Rem 700 ADL rifles when they come on sale a couple times a year. I've seen them for around $300 or a bit more a few times and they are quite often available in just about any chambering Remington makes them in- not just the left overs after hunting season.... I've always thought those were a killer value for the money and I have had excellent results from my Remington rifles over the years....

Bob

Ruger Americans shoot and with the 450 bushmaster mag not a bad package in the standard SA family.

Mom parts is a minus, so is the stock. But 223 and 243 are twisted pretty decent.

But considering how you can take a factory 700 and basically go any direction you please it’s hard to recommend savage axis and junk rifles like that.

If they’d just ditch the dam 1-12 twist in 223 that’d be great

I can get Ruger American Predators for $389 OTD. I have them in 223, 6.5 CM, and 308. They are the most accurate rifles in my safe. All 3 will consistently shoot groups of 1/2" to 1" at 200 yards. I'm sure there are other good rifles out there, but I'm sold on these. I'm less impressed with the standard rifles, especially the long actions. But sure do like the way the Predators shoot.

This......if it weren't for europtic the m18 may not be a candidate. A year ago folks would have steered one toward a sauer xt 100 because Reed outdoors was closing them out at $450. These two rifles shoot real good.

Damn, BSA - that was a bargain and a half!

Like you, I like used rifles. Half the rifles in my safe wewre preioulsy owned, gently used and cheap. That includes a Savage 11FXP3 .243 and a 111GNS 7mm RM, both under $300. A new Savage 12FC joined them last Christmas, also under $300. Ripped the barrel off the 111 but the other two as excellent shooters.

Had the .243 at the range last weekend. Took me 3 shots to hit a clay pigeon on the 600-yard berm. The first was a sighter, but close. The second got a slight adjustment in POA and was very close but still a miss, Another even slighter adjustment and the third was a hit. Love rifles that shoot, regardless of the cost.

A friend of mine is going through a divorce and losing pretty much everything, last August he wanted to fill his freezer with moose so we got him a Ruger American in 270, it was off a used rack for 289.00, we put a leupold freedom 3-9 that was 125.00 used and worked up a load. He went and dropped a nice 58” bull then went on to limit out on caribou a few months later.

Well under 400 dollars. If I was buying a budget gun I don’t think I’d even look at anything other than a Ruger american.

Gotta say the Mauser 18 and back when Marlin was making the X bolt gun. Bought the wife a 243 marlin put it in a Boyd’s stock and bedded it and it is a shooter. The Mauser is a steal at 400.00.

Maybe a CZ 527

Me 3. I've seen quite a few Ruger 77 in very good condition that can be had at a steal compared to a lot of today's rifles, especially wood stock versions. Have a .270 blue bolt red pad I gave $400 or $450 I forget which. First 3 shot group after sight in was around 3/4" at 100 with Federal blue box. Trigger was tuned and stock bedding was tweaked. Dang near new otherwise. Maybe it's my fogeyism showing but it just beats the crap out of what you can get new at that price range.

Amen buddy.

What. No one said the Remign 700 from Wally World for 398 ?