Quality is obviously somewhat subjective, but generally, we're talking build and component quality, fit and finish (bluing, wood to metal, stock stiffness if polymer, etc), and accuracy BEFORE you do anything to it. Has to MSRP at $1000 or less. Must be in current production.

This always seems to come up tsnhentially in other threads, so I'm curious what y'all think.

Weatherby vanguard

I find below $1,000 it isn't as much about a particular model as it is a particular specimen. When you lower initial cost the chances of lemons increases. Your dream rifle you own could be the last piece of crap the next guy would ever own, and BOTH of you would be right. FWIW, I like the Bergara b-14's. Howas a close second. (Off the top of my head)

Tikka.

I agree with the Weatherby Vanguard. Wish they were still making them in Stainless.

That is what I would have said also until my last one, my newest one has been a dud

Winchester or kimber

Kimber.

Vanguard

Specific model, street price, sporterweight centerfire? Hmmmm.

Weatherby Vanguard and caliber but I love the 257 Weatherby

Vanguard gets my vote. I've owned 3 and every one was a trouble free tack driver.

Bergara, several models.

Any Browning love under a grand?

Out of the Box? Are you listening Remingtoon?

Any browning X bolt

Tikka, or Bergara.

Yep!

TacSol X-Ring .22 rifle. Most fun you can have with your clothes on.

https://tacticalsol.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=1398416&CAT=13321

Is there any real difference between the Vanguard and a stainless Howa 1500?

We have lots of great rifle choices for under 1K, but for Me id vote Tikka......Hb

Lighten up Boomer. You buy a trigger, an extractor, bottom metal, re-barrel it, re-stock it, maybe blueprint it...man them 700's are keepers.

After shooting my brother's new Tikka I would have to say that is the one... and at 5.5 lbs without scope, I really appreciated it ... may have to look at one in a couple years...

Tikka t3x or kimber hunter both good choices

5.5 lbs ???

Lightest one I can find is 5.94 lbs ?

Maybe I'm lucky, but I've had several "out of the box" Remington 700s that shot just fine.

Howa

Tikka

Tikka

Bergara or Tikka. I prefer stainless though, and that is getting difficult to find under a grand. I have a Howa stainless but haven’t shot it yet so won’t include with the other two.

His is the T3X Superlight in a 30-06 and stainless. I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure he said it weighed in around 5.5 lbs without scope, rings, etc.... about 6.5 -7 lbs with his Vortex scope on it... and he said he paid just over $700 for it about a year ago....

Bob

Cant argue with any nominees so far as I can personally vouch for the howa, vanguards and the tikkas.

I would also add I am very impressed with the quality and performance of my sauer 100 xt.

Thanks Bob.

It's hard to know what a Tikka weighs, unless you actually weigh it. Be suspicious of any weight they list.

The lightest rifle in their latest catalog is 2.7kg, or 5.94 lbs.

But if you look at the Superlite in 30-06 they say it weighs 6.1 lbs. Below is a link to a page with the 30-06 Superlite specs. Hit Show More to find the 30-06.

Tikka Superlite specs.

Tikka

Not much. Finally, Howa (Legacy) is importing a SS model in walnut, but it’s just a bit heavy for my current tastes, so I bought a, M70, which ain’t under a grand, unfortunately. Never had an issue with any of maybe six 1500-based rifles. Simple, sound design, made with quality materials.

Only Tikkas I’ve seen are used ones. The machining looks stellar, but I wish they’d lose a bit more of the plastic.

I just went with a Vanguard. I wanted something that handles inclement weather so got one with the bronze cerokote. Paid 670 for it, just something to consider as an alternative to stainless. Love the gun. Also looked at Tikka and Bergara at the gun shop, the Weatherby handled nicely and snapped do my shoulder better than the others.

Problem is most X-Bolt models are over a grand, the composite stalker is under a grand and a very nice rifle.
steer clear of the AB3.........steaming pile of schit

I'll chime in for the M70 FWT. Hard to beat for a traditional new production rifle. (Some of you knew this eas coming 😂😇)

Tikka or Bergara

I didn’t realize they were importing stainless Howas again. Good to hear!

Either one will do fine.

I agree. The M70 FW or Sporter. They're fantastic for under $1,000.

As much as I like the M70s, the Browning X-Bolt is maybe my favorite. I'm getting sub-MOA groups out of my .30-06 and .270 with run of the mill hunting ammo (Federal and Remington). They've got decent triggers, they're reliable, have strong ejection, and have that nice stock palm-swell on the bolt side. Great rifles.

I don't own any [Howa-made] Vanguards anymore, but the ones I've had in the past were very good shooters, indeed. Howa makes good stuff.

Tikka would be my choice as well.

Don’t lose your composure. One model, walnut, .308 or 6.5 YouKnowWhat.

I want a SS Carbon Mini.

A Tikka Lite SS costs $1800 in Scandinavia..

They are practically giving them away in the US...

Browning X Bolt. The one I own is consistently accurate with factory loads or hand loads. 3/4" MOA I wouldnt hesitate to buy another one.

Weatherby Vanguard

Exactly, Quality components assembled correctly. Fit and finish better then anything under 1k or less then 2k.

You are probably right, and I'm sure he got his info off some literature or hearsay as neither one of us has a scale to weigh our rifles with- probably a good thing... In any case, a very impressive rifle for the money and a lot easier to carry than his 12 lb Winchester Classic 300 Mag... at least I think that is what it weighed...

Bob

Tikka or Bergara

Tikka

Tikka

Would love to try out a Howa but I'm terminally left handed, so..........

Tikka

Tikka

What model did you buy that was under a grand ????????????

Sort through these pages. There are some for under 1k. Filter for Browning.

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/rifles/c/cat100003

Where do people find all these Howa 1500s? Local stores? I never seem to find any in stock online.

A SS Carbon Mini or an SS Carbon 7-08 would melt my butter.

My SS Howa, purchased new last year, was in a black synthetic stock. I saw a handful of the same in 30-06 around the same time, but haven’t seen any since. Gunbroker is the only place I ‘saw’ them.

I would love to find a stainless in 243 or 6.5 or 708 that isn't marked up to insane prices.

Tikka. I bought a superlite in 243 a few days ago, a couple M+ magazines, some Talley lightweights, and mounted a mechanically centered VX3i 3.5-10x40. I mounted it all up, loaded some 95gr NBTs at .5 under max and went to the range.

Removed the bolt and found the target in the bore, looked into the scope to find the crosshairs a couple inches high and left. Did a SWAG worth of clicks and the first round hit 1 inch high at 12 o’clock. Moved the target from 50 to 100 and fired 4 rounds into a quarter size group at about 1 1/2 high at 12. Fired one round at 200 and hit the center of the target. 6 rounds and I’m zeroed.

Got off the bench and the rifle points great and holds steadier than a rifle of that weight should. Never missed a single time on steel plates ranging from 4 to 6 inches seated using shooting sticks or prone off a pack.

That’s not extensive load workup or anything, but why would I need to put more effort and money into a rifle that already shoots well enough to hit any deer out to 400 yards?

Bud's has them

I'm not a fan, but to be fair, I've not seen an A-Bolt nor X-Bolt that didn't shoot lights out.

Cabelas has 5 or 6 scratch n dent howas in 6.5 manbun in their used gun library. Most look to be new with minor handling scratches.

Have you tried GI? I seem to find more of what I’m looking for there than at the other place.

has anyone looked at the Sauer 100 ? Sweet looking rig to me. Have not heard much on them.

Do they have the same pinned barrel as the newer Mausers? They seem very similar. I had an m10 briefly. Very nicely made, especially the trigger.

I have liked Tikkas for many years and every one that I have, and have had, were excellent in respect to quality but I am really surprised that they have turned out to be such a favorite in this thread.

drover

I've seen an xbolt3 that shot like [bleep] until I bedded it. The xbolt3 doesn't come bedded like most other brownings. After bedding it shot as good as anything I've ever shot and better than most

I've seen an xbolt3 that shot like [bleep] until I bedded it. The xbolt3 doesn't come bedded like most other brownings. After bedding it shot as good as anything I've ever shot

I'm one more vote for the tikka as well! Maybe not the prettiest but the most usable. IME tikkas are less susceptible to environmental change than any other rifle under $1000. They have always gone bang and hit where I aim. They also have by far the highest quality machine work according to a few gunsmith friends.

Winchester 70 as currently made.

Ruger Predator. I really want one but I don't really need it. I still want it.

kwg

[/quote]

A SS Carbon Mini or an SS Carbon 7-08 would melt my butter.

My SS Howa, purchased new last year, was in a black synthetic stock. I saw a handful of the same in 30-06 around the same time, but haven’t seen any since. Gunbroker is the only place I ‘saw’ them.[/quote]
I would love to find a stainless in 243 or 6.5 or 708 that isn't marked up to insane prices.[/quote]

Have you seen a stainless 7-08 at any price? I have my Creedmoor in an Alpine stock, but haven’t shot it. I’d rather have a 7-08:

Yep, I agree. The Weatherby Vanguard / Howa 1500 is hard to beat. Here's a few pics of my 1985 CMC Mountaineer .308. - it's an older Aussie version of the Howa 1500 / Weatherby Vanguard made for CMC (Commercial Marketing Company) by Howa in the 80's & 90's.

1885 Highwall

I assume you mean the Hawkeye Predator. The one I had, which now belongs to my son, is just about perfect. I floated the mag box and the barrel, but “just because”, not to address any problems. Stellar trigger. When I read about how rough the actions are on Rugers, I think about this one. I applied a bit of moly truck bearing grease to all the right places, and it’s slicker than snot on a doorknob.

When I gave my son the choice of several nice rifles, he took this one, having borrowed it for a cull hunt and putting it to work on a couple. Good choice, dammit!

You’re a bad influence

LOL

You must be a bit confused, Browning never made an xbolt3......nor did they make an A-Bolt III

Browning makes an X-Bolt and they make an AB3 (could mean abortion three but surely is not an A-Bolt)

Tikka T3x Superlite

That's some good looking lumber on your .308

Not necessarily, I swore that I would never own another Ruger rifle, but one of my buddies stuck me with a new Ruger American Predator in 204 Ruger. It has some awesome features for a budget rifle.......the stock is Tupperware like so many others these days but has a very good bedding system (night and day better than on my recent Tikka purchase). It has the Glock style trigger that I HATE, but I was able to get it to 30oz.......better than my new Tikka again. and I absolutely love the AI 10 round magazine, again much better than the Tikka magazine. for the icing on the cake it shoots better also.........never say never !!!!!!!!!!!

BA-

Unlike the Savage Accu- trigger ,that "Glock" trigger on the Ruger can be made normal feeling by simply removing the safety blade. The slot in the trigger feels like a grooved trigger face and with a lighter return spring change the Ruger triggers can be made to break like a glass rod at about 2.5 pounds.

Another advantage of the Ruger over the Tikka is that the Ruger is made by American workers and serviced by Ruger- not the crooked sh*tbirds at Beretta.

I would expect a $1000 Weatherby Vanguard to be pretty much flawless.

https://ammoandarmsstore.com/035496226/

I paid $839 + $84 tax = $923 for a Kimber 84L 280AI on 04/24/18

I usually build rifles on used Rem 700, Win M70 or Mauser 98 actions.

The Kimber is a better rifle than what can I build for twice the money in parts with my labor being free.

It seems based on the results that the poll splits along the same line that divides most of the other threads on this forum: the Tikka vote likes out of the box MOA accuracy but doesn't care as much about plastic vs. wood/metal and the M70 vote cares about accuracy but might sacrifice a smidge of out of the box ease for all metal components, walnut, etc.

Honestly, the couple votes for the X-bolt is the first time I've seen anyone mention Browning here in quite a while.

And just to show how biased I am, here's the best rifle you're gonna get for $900!

https://ammoandarmsstore.com/535200227/

A few guys by my cabin have them. I'm considering a Hells Canyon Speed in 6.5 after shooting a few of their offerings.

Yes, you don't even want to know what they go for used. My vote is for Tikka. Next vote would be for Savage, then Ruger American.. In that order.

Whether it is 5.9 or 5.5, still a damn good rifle and choice IMHO. . Very hard to go wrong with a Tikka. I was shooting some of mine today, along with my A7, but that one is a $1,200.00 rifle and not worth consideration. Too bad they discontinued another rifle I was shooting today. A Steven's 200. That one meets all the criteria and outshoots most of the suggestions here. Just sayin.

I was really surprised by the T/C Compass but since T/C is kinda up in the air I guess it doesn’t qualify. Cheap stock and Mag but handles well and the one I had in 6.5 Creedmoor shot under 1/2” with factory loads consistently, not just a one time cherry picked group

Cherry picked targets are the best though. You can cut them out and put them in your wallet and show all your friends....

Must be a bargain shopper too.

I’ll take a 70 Featherweight. .

I threw the 6.5 Cm conversion on my Dimension for the first time this past weekend. It shot rather well.

Ditto

Maybe a good choice. I can't like them for all of the well-known reasons, but I hear they shoot well.

Can't help but wonder why a company that is touted as producing precision products can't quite figure out what they weigh.

Check the link I posted. It says 6.1 lbs.

Whelen,
Those weights are pretty damn close. Every superlight I’ve owned and weighted (t3 and t3x) from Sportsmans has been between 5 pounds 15 ounces and 6 pounds 3 ounces - or ~ 5.9 to 6.1 pounds. They advertise “as light as 5.9 pounds” or something similar; which, they are. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone took 5.9 pounds to be 5 pounds 9 oz - or 5 1/2 pounds - which they aren’t. Happens all the time on here.

My creedmoor weighs 5.9 pounds. Now whether a 30-06 weighs 6.1, rather than 5.9, I could really give a fuc king rats azz.

Oh really? Not 6.6lbs like the Tikka boys say?

Pretty sure neither you, or Tikka knows what your rifle weighs.

But it sure as hell isn't 5.5lbs like was mentioned earlier.

All them recycled milk-jugs is heavy

M70

Tikka for me also. I really want to like the Bergera but they are too heavy for my liking.

Tikka also has a huge aftermarket following for parts. So you can upgrade any plastic pieces you don’t like and most likely still stay under a grand or pretty darn close.

I've followed this thread closely and am surprised

I have 2 Tikkas, T3 Lite SS (2003) & T3X Lite SS (2018) and BOTH triggers are FANTASTIC (emphasis). No creep,
No travel, No over travel, No adjustment needed, - Perfect.

Has something changed on the 'newer' Tikkas?

I have NO criticism of my 2 Tikka rifles. I have other rifles I like TOO but the 70 Classics are too robust.
My XTR is slimmer - trimmer - AND lighter. I have no need for CRF so that is moot.

I'm just relaying my experiences with my Tikkas. I'm not rating them as # 1 but I haven't found anything wrong with them.

Jerry

Between the Ruger M77's, Rem 700's, Howa 1500's, Weatherby Van's and Tikkas that I have owned, modified and worked up loads for... The Tikka takes the cake. Change the trigger spring, easy to load for, light weight, great factory synth stock and very smooth for a $750 rifle.

Same deal here

Do it. I bought one last year and haven’t let the wife shoot it in fear of losing it to her. X-Bolts are damn nice and the HCS is a keeper.

The T3's have aluminum recoil lugs that should be changed out. That's not a problem with the new T3X models though. That's the only "gripe" I had about my T3.

oddball possibility here: Franchi Momentum, about $600 when i bought it about 17 months ago. mine's in .308. crisp trigger at about 3 pounds out of the box. yes, a pig of a plastic stock in looks, but fits me to a T, and puts my shooting eye centered on the reticle in talley lightweight lows. the bolt turn was slightly rough, but a couple-three hundred manipulations slicked it right up. killed three whitetails with it last season. love the bottom metal with mauser style magazine.

I am throwing in a hand grenade. I love me some tikkas as well, but wow the Sauer 100 6.5 lamo i have is stupid accurate, maybe the second most accurate gun I have ever owned behind a 6ppc Sako I had. Shoots legit .5 to .75 moa 5 shot, yes 5 shot groups with 4 of 5 loads I have tried. The bad one was 1.1 moa. Really nice flush magazine system, 3 position safety and takes rem 700 bases. Has a pretty stiff stock with a weird but really well done bedding system. Action is slick as snot on glass door nob. Great adjustable trigger as well. Only real con was the crazy European 14.5 lop and thin pad. I cut it to 13.5 lop with a pachmayr decelerator. It is medium weight gun by today's standards. Not a fly weight but not bad. Balances right with a little muzzle heavy feel.


Let the insults begin. Lol

Spence1875
I did the exact same thing except 9.3x62 Sauer 100xt. Crazy accurate. Like you I didn’t post because I didn’t want the usual insults. Helluva rifle for the price.

I’ve looked at a few Sauer rifles, and they seem really nice. If I could find one in 9.3x62 that I could get my hands on, I would probably buy it.

Tikka T3X or Weatherby Vanguard.

Not so odd. Those look pretty impressive. I think Mule Deer bought one after using it on an “industry hunt”. Newer ones have a DM, but I prefer the classic floorplate setup for hunting.

It is a sad day in America when we can't even make a decent shooting, quality production rifle :-(( Other than an occasional mention of a Win or Kimber ALL have been Euro or Jap made rifles

Yep

I don't share that opinion,

I'd take a model 70, Kimber, Ruger Hawkeye, or most any 700 before any of the euro/jap rifles mentioned.

the OP set the price at under $1,000. the kimber and hawkeye generally are over that, right? how about the model 70? i've no idea. Even savage's MSRP on many models is over $1,000. i've had two RARs; solid, basic rifles WAY under $1,000, but others under $1,000 are better ...

This the OP after several pages.

Quick check on GB:

Kimber Hunter $800-900
70 Featherweight $949
Hawkeye $939

Kinda forgot about the XBolt. I haven't had one for a while, but I'm pretty certain it would be a good shooter. And Browning seems to understand long bullet twist rates better than the most.

We mentioned Rugers, still one of my favorites. My Hawkeye AW .223, restocked in factory walnut, ain’t going anywhere. The market for nice rifles here has dwindled so they aren’t seen very often, especially SS ones. Kimbers are almost unobtanium. Even my local Master Dealer can’t get them, so I finally ended up with an imported M70. He did have some new Remingtons in stock, but three months ago when I was looking, the cupboard was bare almost everywhere, so I jumped on the first suitable candidate.

The stock, at least, is made here.

Clockwork - I found this on Gunsandammo
The Sauer 100 steps away from the traditional European model in favor of the American method. Its barrel is screwed and torqued into the receiver just like we prefer. However, Sauer isn't content to just do what everyone over here does, either.

Sauer's receiver doesn't have the lug abutments (what the bolt lugs seat against) cut into the receiver like almost every American action. Sauer cuts a recess in the receiver and then puts a breech ring in place. The bolt lugs sit against this breech ring when the action is closed and the front of the breech ring acts as an index point for the barrel.

Breech rings are an emerging trend in bolt-action rifles and their popularity will only increase because the advantages they offer both shooter and manufacturer are too compelling to ignore. Let me explain.

Traditional bolt-action manufacturing takes a large cylindrical piece of steel and cuts the lug abutments into the front of it (internally). Once the barrel is threaded into place, the bolt lugs sit on the abutments to lock the action closed so the rifle can safely fire. Because the action is so large, there are wide variations on where those lug abutments actually wind up. Actions made this way need someone trained in headspacing a rifle to get the barrel in the right position.
A breech ring is a small part that uses very rigid tooling, so each one is identical (usually to within .0005 inch). Once the breech ring is inside the receiver, the barrel can just be screwed into the receiver until it touches the breech ring and headspace will be correct. The front of the breech ring gives the barrel a known stopping point in relation to the lug abutments to ensure headpsace is the same every time. No hand fitting is necessary.

No a $1K rifle, but Sauer 100 6.5 creedmoor is on sale for $479. Save the money to spend on optics and ammo. Great crisp trigger, slick action, very good accuracy. I like the ergonomic of the stock as well
https://stdgun.com/sauer-100-classic-xt-rifle-synthetic-stock-6-5-creedmoor-22-barrel/

Out of the box my last Kimber wouldn't extract a round
Out of the box the two Kimber Montana's I owned only needed new barrels to shoot under 2"
The Kimber before those 3 was sent back 3 times
New crown first
New stock second
New barrel lastly

Kimber's are fantastic in and out of the box...
back and forth through the mail.

I like a simple push feed, dual-lug bolt. 70 degree or 90 degree it doesn't matter. It must positively feed well and eject well and have a good trigger. With that, Tikka comes to the top. Howa/Weatherby Vanguard would be my next choice.

I own more tikkas than anything. Best bang for the money out of the box IMO.
The sauer 100 feels better than tikka in every way. But the weight.
Kimber Hunter needed to go back for a chamber polish job, but she feels and shoots on the money now.
My tc venture is the cheapest of the bunch at $299 and keeps up with all of them. If not better at times.

I have a Dimension in 6.5CM and .223. it's ugly, but shoots lights out.

I’d love to have a Kimber, but if I wanted “out of the box” quality (rather than “back from the factory”), I’d go Weatherby, Tikka, or Howa. My Bergara is excellent although I’m not in love with it.

I've almost bought a Bergara multiple times. Not sure why the trigger never gets pulled.

if i had to go 1g all in on a gun i'd throw together a mack bro's with a remage and some 700 takeoff parts.

but a tikka in 223 gets a lot right with some bottom metal and magazine and a vertical grip-cheek pad addition.


from there it's a great action to build from. screw on shouldered prefits from other people's take offs or a plethora of custom barrel shops.


bolt stroke is very good.with some lapping compound they wont bind.

becoming a huge fan of the sportsmatch ring combo with factory dovetail. makes a ton of sense.

tons of stocks/chassis to use to upgrade. krg bravo is the first good move but a bajillion of other ways to skin the cat. the factory stock isn't bad. slide forward a ctr cheek riser and you got reverse comb.


grab an LRI bolt and a couple take off barrels and ur golden for a lifetime of fun. beware the man with one rifle

That’s my vote.

Me too