Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What factory rifle would you buy today?

"Seriously though, Probably my favorite all time Rifle is my XTR WW FW in 7x57."

I'm inclined to agree. I sure like mine. Probably be one of the very last rifles I would part with.
Paul B.

Kimber Mountain Ascent in .270 Winchester. There are better choices for each thing I do but I don't think there is a better single choice to cover all the things I do. Throw a Leupold 4.5-14X B&C in Talleys on top. Done.

Why? I don't imagine anyone who is at all into guns or hunting really needs that answered .. but here are my reasons. For me it's the lightest serious elk cartridge. A friend of long ago, maybe 40 years my senior, guided elk hunters in Idaho. He shot, and saw shot, elk with just about every cartridge imaginable multiple times. His personal choice was a .270. He owned 4. One was a Sako, one a Remington pump .. and I don't remember what the other 2 were. In his very competent hands it worked very well. It's a very good deer cartridge, especially a good BIG deer cartridge. I've used it for large varmints as well. As far as the rifle, Kimbers were hit and miss. My first 3 were misses. Took a lot of soul searching to put money down one more time. The one I've got now is a brilliant shooter. I appreciate the light weight when I'm hiking ... I mostly still hunt with a teeny bit of spot and stalk thrown in, no stand hunting, and very little road hunting, so weight does matter to me. The triggers are generally pretty nice and are quite adjustable .. and if you do happen to get one that is stubborn (I did) and can't tune out any grit, Trigger Tech makes a great replacement (which I have). Optics ... the way I hunt, I have little use for less than about 4x magnification. Shooting paper, testing loads, etc, 14x is noticeably better (for me) than 8x-9x. I've had real good luck with the Leupold B&C scopes .. I prefer set-it-and-forget-it to twisting knobs. Ammo ... I haven't used 'em in .270 Win but I really liked the 160 grain semi-spitzer partition in the .270 WSM. Crazy sectional density. Meh BC, but good enough for the distances I generally hunt. Accuracy was far ahead of any other bullet I tried. So there's your why and some details.

Tom

My choice would be a Ruger M77 RS in 30/06 with a tang safety. I had one in the 70s and sold it like an idiot. It will do whatever I need a centerfire rifle to do. I found another just like the one I had not long ago. It's a keeper.

Thanks MB, and a Happy 4th to you and yours also!

I'd find another pre safety Marlin 336 .30-30 in nice condition and call it good. Add a good shooting .22 rifle and 12 gauge shotgun to that and I'd be set.

If you're on a budget, the Howa 1500s are exceptional values. They have flat bottom receivers with integral recoil lug, a la Win Model 70, one piece bolts, M16 style extractors. Howa makes the Weatherby Vanguard, too. I've owned two Howas in the form of Vanguards. They are very good rifles.

https://www.howausa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_lsi_catalog_LR-LQ_V2.pdf

I would buy a tikka t3 super varmint in
7mm mag or 300 win mag if they were imported to the US.
Since they are not a t3 lite in 7mm mag or 300 win mag
Bergara b14 HMR is a close 2nd in the same calibers

I’ve pointed all that out about a hundred times. Also, they’re made from forged steel and have about the easiest bolt takedown imaginable. The floorplates are merely aluminum and not super robust, but all I’ve owned (5?) have worked flawlessly. My last one, as yet unfired, is a 6CM in a Wby stick, and cost all of $400. If Brownells gets the right barreled action in stock (and on sale!) I might have another one, as I have an extra Wby stock.

I'd get a standard wood/blue ruger Hawkeye in either 30-06 or 308win.

Boring. And would fill many truck beds with meat.

fascinating

Psh. Easy. T3 in ‘06, .270, or 7RM for being likely to be a shooter out of the gate, packable in the mountains, and a utilitarian design.

Also-rans in long-action would be a rem ti ‘06 or .270, and if going short-action, the montana 7mm-08

Funny that own the latter two, but not the std length tikka. If i did, would have to sell the ti and kimber…..

No doubt about it. A Ruger 77 Hawkeye Hunter stainless/walnut in 30-06 because they don't make it in 270.

I would invoke the universal lieutenant answer, "It depends on the situation.".

How do you hunt?

What do you hunt?

Where do you hunt?

What is your budget?

While I like to look at polished blued CM and walnut with a nice grain to it, the practical side of me opts for stainless and synthetic, but Cerakote and laminated wood will work too.

When it comes to new factory specs centerfire rifles in July 2021, I think that I would buy a Weatherby Vanguard2, as they are well made rifles and a better than average value. Actually, I'd buy the Cerakoted Weatherguard style.

Jeff you up and about yet? Hope you are recovering ok. mb

Christensen Arms

Weatherby (I like their cartridges)

Tikka & Sako (will probably get a Tikka for my kids)

CZ (accurate)




A friend has a half dozen or so Christensen Arms that I have helped him setup up with scopes and zero in. All have been very accurate. Based on those experiences, I will buy one.

Weatherby
Sauer

Of things I could easily grab right now, there's a CZ550 in 9.3x62 on gunbroker. B&C stock and it'd be OK. The 286gr partitions for the softs. cutting edge for the solid.

I wonder if the BC on those partitions is real or fantasy. I have a hard time believing a flat base .366 is .48 G1, but maybe?

In any case I'd much rather have that than the cost cutting round bottom, cartridge trigger, push feed, plunger eject, non-bolt locking safety craprifles that have infested the market.

Doing lots better, thanks for asking. The knee is still a little weak and unstable, but I can walk up and down stairs without going one step at a time, can bike 10 miles without pain, can walk a couple of miles on flat pavement without pain and that I can forgive a guy for causing an accident, but not for being a criminal undocumented alien.

There are a few I might buy if I could find anything new & exciting. Those Biden bucks are just screaming to get spent on something new to fool around with. Nothing local, I've been to Danville, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Martinsville, 3 or 4 places in WV, my buddy even drove us to Richmond for a schitty little gunshow last week. Nothing much besides 308, 270, creedmore, & 243s. Yawn... One place had a PRC but no brass, ammo or dies. Almost got a Henry SS in 223 just for giggles, but no scope base in stock. Found a 257 Roberts in a stainless Kimber... with a 22" barrel. WTF?