Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Help selecting a rifle

A friend asked for my help in selecting a modestly priced deer rifle for his son, since he knows that I am a long time hunter and shooter. He decided that it's going to be either a Ruger American, a TC Compass or a Mossberg Patriot. Since I have no real experience with these rifles, I thought I pose the question to you guys out there that actually own one of these rifles and have used them. Which one would you choose and why ? TIA, Ben

Because a normal level used rifle does not become an entry level rifle with aging, I feel they are a better choice than a new entry level rifle.

THIS ^^ reason for the money problem be able to find a nice used unique rifle for your young man that he will cherish all his life with some older history too. >> maybe someone from the campfire has a rifle for you to buy for your son at a reasonable price ?

Mauser M18 or Impact

Esox357, I actually have a Mauser M18 in 243 that I love, but for some reason he has decided to buy one of the other rifles ? Ben

Ben243,
So far, nobody is answering your question.... I'll try.

Of the three rifles you mentioned, the Ruger American and the TC Compass are both known to be very off-the-shelf accurate rifles. I know people who have bought both and are happy campers.
I would shade toward the American, because more people have chosen it, and all are very satisfied. (numbers mean something)
The ONLY reason I would not buy the Mossberg is I don't know anybody who has purchased it, so am ignorant on that one.

By the way, I would not buy a used gun, because a person who doesn't shoot much would not be able to easily detect if they are buying somebody else's problems, and the new guns are coming out with better barrels than the guns of old and shoot tighter groups as a general rule, plus your friend will have a warranty.

Happy New Year, and Stay Safe!

Agree with old crab. I own many rifles that range from beautiful m70s to old beaters. Have been using a RAR in 308 lately. It's cheap accurate and puts down deer. If I take a fall in the swamp, I wipe off the important parts and keep hunting without any worries. I think it's a good place to start. He can always graduate to something else and the RAR can become a backup/pickup/loner rifle. Also, believe it or not, not everyone grows to enjoy hunting as much as most of us. He can still "casually" participate and be well armed without a huge investment. My RAR, a used Bushnell elite and some weaver rings left the store with me for $500.

Weatherby Vanguard or Bergara.

Yes, I would also go with Old Crab. The Ruger or T/C.

Exactly. I ran across a few good deals yesterday, but the one that caught my eye the most was a Tikka T3 stainless lite chambered in 308 win. It even had a scope on it that would work just fine for most folks. At $549.00, I'm thinking I should have bought it. I'd gladly give that much for a rifle like this vs. a Ruger RAR. JMHO..

One of my buddies loves buying these cheap azzed "budget" rifles. He's had the TC compass and it had major feeding issues. He bought a RAR predator in 6.5 creedmoor and the rifle shoots great, but eats up brass because the chamber is bad. Be warned Ruger QC is not what it used to be and for those of you that have not had to deal with their customer service on a bad rifle, be extremely thankful because my buddy has also had to deal with them and they suck balls. Thats putting it nicely. He's always been a savage shooter because they are inexpensive, but usually always shoot great with minimal issues. He's also had great luck with the TC venture and the old Stevens 200. I also have a buddy that used to buy cheap azzed rifles and learned a great lesson when it was time to sell said rifle. He went to a gunshow with me and people just laughed at him and offered ridiculous low amounts (like $150.00). Why guys want to buy a new "budget" rifle is beyond me, because it's a losing proposition. Used is always a better route to take..

Look for a used Howa 1500 or Weatherby Vanguard.

After shooting all 3 it seems to me to be a toss up.

All shot well and for the money they all fit the bill.

Maybe the one that fits the best might work.

If I were right handed, a Mauser M18 would be at the top of my list.

Plainsman makes a good point. I got the RAR for 2 reasons, I hadn't had a 308 up to that point and I wanted a beater for bad weather.
You do get what you pay for. "Budget" rifles are exactly that. I have no illusions on passing them down. I view them as disposable. Shoot it to death, salvage what you can, toss the rest. My RAR was only $350, scope and rings brought it to $500. Figure when the gun is dead I can reuse the scope and rings. Maybe give the stock to someone and move on.
Still, it's not a terrible way to "dip your toe" into hunting.

Also a southpaw, reason I got the RAR.

LeonH, I'm also a southpaw, reason I got the RAR.

Yes, me too. I have been a Savage fan for a long time, because they offer more left hand options. The Ruger American is a better gun than the Savage Axis, so I have bought a couple of the left hand rifles including a 6.5 CM in the Predator. Great shooting rifle with a sucky mag until they offered a stagger feed. Now all is good. I had to wait 13 months to get the left hand Predator. By the time I found out that Ruger had made a limited run of the left hand Predators, they were sold out.Lucky to get one in the next years run.

I see plenty of Remington 700ADL synthetic rifles on the used gun rack and the prices arent bad

https://stdgun.com/mauser-m12-black-impact-308-winchester-rifle-20-barrel/

Forget entry level . . . tell your buddy to buy one of these (link above) and don't look back. Don't be fooled by the $869 "regular price". These retail for >$1500 and are a big step up from entry level. Downside . . . his son will be spoiled by the quality, and won't know what he doesn't know. This is the deal of the year. Shipping for me was $10 and no tax. All in, with transfer fee--$530.

Here is a similar rifle in the M12 Extreme line, but $1500 MORE:

https://www.eurooptic.com/mauser-m12-extreme-308-winchester.aspx

Thread that has some discussion on this deal (toward the later half):
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...mauser-m12-extreme-opinions#Post15471522