Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Economical rifles

I'm looking at/for inexpensive rifles as a practice, shooter, spare - take your pick of descriptive terms. Been looking at Ruger American, Rem 700 ADL, Salvage Axis, Howa 1500 rifles. I frankly don't know much about any of these except the M700. Buds of mine have Ruger Americans and like them well enough.

What is the skinny on the economical rifles - good, bad, and no freakin' way info.

Thanks.

Mossberg Patriot.

IMO the most under-rated rifle. I have one in 350 Legend, a friend has one in 243, great guns.

I’m guessing there are many people that like each of those mentioned, including the Mossberg Patriot.
This thread is going to be a never-ending thread or so it will seem. There’s one on the list that I’ve only owned one of. I didn’t care for the trigger and I sold it. I had won it at a fund raiser - that was the Axis. It was accurate enough though.

There’s at least one other rifle that you might also include. That’s a 783 Remington. I had only one and it was chambered in 308 and it was a sub-MOA shooter with anything I fired in it.

May I suggest that you go to a dealer and handle each one?

I agree with handling rifles and will do so. Handling one will tell us about how it feels and handles and may show some mechanical flaws - but the guys on this board have insight into the mechanics and other aspects that only come with long term use.

This is the time of year to hit the used rifle racks at pawn shops and gun stores. I’m not afraid of a decent used SS bolt gun at a fair price. Make mine a 700, 1500/Vanguard, 77, or American, depending on chambering and price.

Ruger American Ranch or Predator for bolts. The magazines and stock kind of suck for the regular model.

Not a fan of the Savage Axis series. They are accurate, but both the ones I bought had issues straight out of the box and had to go back to Savage.

The CVA Scout and Hunter single shots are a pretty good value for the price. Just ugly azz meat and potatoes, but they are cheap, decently accurate for most hunting purposes (1-1.5MOA on the ones I have owned/do own) and I've yet to have a functionality issue with one.

I bought a RAR about 10 years ago as a platform for a 5.56 hog rifle with a can. Being that it had limited use at the time, I did not want to put much money in it. After a trigger spring and epoxying the trigger blade back, it is a 1/2" gun all day long. Hundreds of deer and hogs later, it is what I use 95% of the time unless I am having to shoot a LONG way...

You don’t hear enough about the Mossbergs but I do like the way they look. I’ve heard from one person that had a 7-08 and they had good things to say about it.

Howa if you don't mind the weight.

This. Lots of people thin the herd once the Christmas bills come due and in the run up to Tax Season. I'd take a used 700, Model 70, or Ruger 77 variant over any of the new economy rifles any day.


Okie John

This. It's amazing how many guys buy a rifle to kill a deer then need the money and dump it right back on the used rack. The 6-8 weeks after deer season are prime time.

Added: HA! Posted before reading John's above. Must be great minds... 😂😇

I agree, although the Mini's are a different story. Of course, the selection of chamberings is slim.

This is an interesting question because some of the rifles that were "budget" guns two years ago aren't anymore. The price of Tikkas has gone up a bunch. The price of XPRs has gone up, too, though you can still find them on sale for about $480-500 online. I used to always say don't sleep on the XPR... good trigger and good barrel... but now that they cost about the same as a Howa from Grice, it's hard to justify not going with the metal trigger guard and real recoil lug, etc.

I've always hit the used rifle racks. Just got to know what you are looking at:
Here's ONE of my recent economical rifle purchase. Well if you consider $360-$380 for the rifle economical:


It's a shooting SOB too.

Remember when 788's were Remington's economical line of rifles? Took this one home recently:

Came with a bunch of reloading components, die sets, etc. Plenty of great deals out there. Just have to know where and how to look for them.

How about this one for "economical":


In damn near perfect condition. Set up with a Lyman rear aperture sight and ivory front bead. Very nice rifle for the price:

I'd take that old mauser any day of the week over a damn Howa, RAR, TC Compass etc. etc. There is a difference between "economical" and a piece of schidt in a plastic stock..

I have a couple economical rifles.
Savage axis 308 that I got for $200 out the door. Bolt is hard to open after firing. (Common problem)
ruger American and TC venture in 270 I got for 299. I Had mossberg 4x4 in 06 and it was a great rifle. But the bolt didn’t lock with safety on and that was a no go as my main hunting rifle.
The tc venture has the smoothest bolt/least sloppy and is also the most accurate. The mossberg my buddy bought keeps up with my Tikka accuracy wise.
Just go hold them and feel for your self.
While ago sportsman’s had sauer 100 for under 500.
That was a steal.
I’d be Looking at the nicer rifles that are not main stream.

What's economical? I have a Ruger American Ranch .300 BLK, I like it. However, it takes every ounce of my being to not change the stock and other things. If you start doing that the rifle no longer is economical and you'd be better off just buying a better rifle.

I'm a sucker for the used rack a a well.

I've owned more than my share of centerfire rifles including two Savage Axis rifles in 223, still own one. They are the most economical/cheap centerfire rifles I've ever owned but cheap and IMO cheap looking up close, or not, everything worked as it should and accuracy has been outstanding on both.

I'll take the Mauser off your hands for what you paid?! 😂😇

I would take a Parker Hale, BSA, Zastava, Mark X, Husqvarna, or just about any used European commercial Mauser over any new buget rifle made in the US. For the same price you will get all wood and steel construction. No plastic. A rifle that will last generations if properly cared for.

I have at least one of each of those four rifles, plus a few other lower priced rifles.

I hate, hate, hate the stock ergs of the Savage Axis. I have one in 6.5 CM that I'd be happy to sell to you.

The Ruger Americans tend to be good shooters, all of mine will go MOA or better except the 22-250 that comes close but has never made an MOA group.

The Remington 700s are good rifles, particularly if you want to tinker with them, lots of after-market parts.

The Howa 1500s are also good rifles, but a little on the heavy side. Howa 1500s have metric barrel threads and some 'smiths won't work on them.

The Mossberg Patriot is a good rifle. I bought the one that I have in 6.5 CM to replace the Savage Axis that I had bought for a friend of my Son's to use. I like the feel of it better than either the Ruger American or Savage Axis.

The T-C Venture2 is good rifle, but a little heavy and the stock ergs don't work as well for me as the Mossberg Patriot.

I like the Marlin X guns better than the Mossberg, Ruger, Savage, and T-C. I'll never understand why Remington kept the 783 instead of the XL7/XS7 when they took over Marlin.

Someone suggested that the best thing for you to do is handle each of them and see which one fits you the best.