I know this is a generic question, and I've been reading old posts until I'm blue in the face.

I'm looking to add a bolt action rifle to the hunting arsenal. Budget is $1500 for the rifle - I already have a scope.

I have no preference of wood or synthetic.

Caliber is undecided but will be a popular hunting caliber - 7mm-08, 270, or 30-06. Possibly 7mm Rem Mag.

Size/weight isn't important. I'm just looking for something besides the usual Remington/Ruger/Winchester/Tikka/Browning.

Until this week I had never heard of Montana, Christensen, etc.

Location and type of hunting?

First thought right off the bat is a Kimber Montana; caliber of choice.

MRC or Kimber Montana - most likely.

I had tossed around the idea of the Kimber Montana.

Strictly white tails with open shots at all ranges under 300 yards. I don't have a specific need that I am trying to fill, I am just looking for a new rifle, and trying to find something a little bit different.

Mauser 98 , 8mmjs or 270 or 30-06

What sort of scope you got to put on it.

How about a Sauer 101. It would be definitely different from the above mentioned ones. Sauer has never produced a substandard rifle.

A Montana Rifle Co. ASR in a .270 Win would be my choice.


ASR is American Standard Rifle.

Save your money Tikka super light in 7-08

Used Weatherby six lug in any .30-06 size case.

Sako 85 Finnlight

If weight is of no consequence, I wouldn't go with a flyweight rifle. I don't know anyone who shoots the light rifles better than average sporting-weight rifles.

$1,500 and different?

Hunting-grade Pre-64
Mauser 12
Nosler Patriot
Cooper Excalibur or wood stock
Steyr Pro
Kimber Classic

Leupold VX-2 3-9x40 and VX-3 3.5-10x40.... depending on the rifle.

Sako A7 in 30.06

Yuck. Lots of better rifles around for 1.5K

I just made the same the same choice. I went with a MRC X2 in 7mm08 as my deer rifle. Could have easily chose a 260 as well. But I have been wanting a 7mm08. They will pretty well customize it if you wish for reasonable right at the factory. I had the 24 inch standard barrel cut back to 22. Wish I would have had it fluted. Seems very well built and fit and finish is great. I had a concern on how stiff the safety was but after following cleaning and luricating instructions I got on here from Jeffbird it loosened right up after working it a while. Pretty smooth now. Action is smooth. Feeding is flawless. I shot it for the first time this week. First group was inch and a half and the next two were a inch or close enough to an inch. That was shooting over an atv rack with a backpack rest. Thats as good as I can shoot. Shooting hornady american whitetails 139 grain factory loads. I wish I could say I have years of experience with the rifle but I dont.

Arguably the worst possible suggestion. Coming from Ringman, that's no surprise.

With $1500 I'd buy what I liked, used if I had to keep it within budget, and put it in a quality aftermarket stock. I'm partial to the Winchester Classics or FN made Winchesters in a McMillan Edge, but there are other options.

Kimber, out of the box. But while I like mine, I don't consider it a true all-around rifle. The 5 lb weight is good for specific tasks, but I find a rifle/scope/mount combo between 7-7.5 lbs just about perfect, 8 lbs tops. I don't shoot anything heavier any better and that weight is easy enough to carry most of the time. I can shoot lighter guns well enough most of the time, but a little weight helps if you're not perfect.

I paid $700 for the 308 rifle used, $450 for the stock used, 7 1/4 lbs as it sets. My perfect all-around rifle

This would be my choice for $1099.

http://www.eurooptic.com

Kimber with a SS 6x is probably heavier - to the point you like.

Nice thing is the weight is right in the middle then too. Nice and handy still.

Steyr Manlicher is a bit different.

I'd prob go something a bit different than has been mentioned. Sako L61R in 30-06. Classy and you won't find a more well made rifle.

What do you like in a rifle?

Weight?
Stock type, i.e. High comb, cheek piece or no, lop, wood or synthetic, long or short barrel, long or short action, heirloom or bush tool, stainless or blue, irons or scope, walk around or stand gun, lever, bolt, semi, and so forth?

May narrow it down for us...

CZ 550 6.5 x 55 Swede

I really like the Winchester Ultimate Shadow in stainless. Sub MOA right out of the box. I choose the Ultimate Shadow (30-06 & 338) over the EW because it had a 24" (30-06) barrel instead of a 22". Also, I am not very fond of fluted barrels. Drop it into a McMillan edge and you got a great buy.

Would not have been one of my first choices ,either; till I owned one . My MK V 6 lug 7mm-08 now gets carried for 60% of my hunting. And I have other nice guns to choose from.

Not sure of the price, but the MRC ASR in stainless looks very nice.

Stainless/walnut rifles really wind my clock for some reason.

This to me, is yelling, and jumping up and down for a .257 Roberts in a Kimber Montana or Select Grade 84M.

I also like a stainless/walnut combo:

This topic is a sore spot for me as apparently EVERYTHING is under $1500.00 for you bloody yanks...here you can raise that price to 3-4 grand.


Lucky pricks.

For $1500 and something different buy a donor rifle or just get an action and shop around for a smith that is reasonable. You could end up with a unique rifle that fits you perfectly in the stock of your choice in any caliber you can dream up.
Could start with a used factory rifle or M98 in the $300 range and $1200 should get you a stock, barrel and some labor.
Plus it would be a lot more fun than buying something already made up.

I would buy a Tikka T3, put a good scope on it and have money left for a lot of loading components or to put toward a hunting trip.

You might also post up an ad in the Classifieds and see what strikes your fancy. $1,500 should bring some decent options and probably produce a few that you'd never think of.

Clearly you should have put a little more thought into deciding where you were going to be born.

Better luck next time!😜

CZ-550 in whatever flavor you like and a Leupold FX3/VX3 or Meopta Meopro...under $1500 all in and most likely a real tack driver.

Try to find you a Colt Light Rifle on one of auction places, then send it in to Melvin Forbes at NULA for his conversion package. You'll have a rifle that is 95% a NULA at 50% of the price.

I also second finding a M70 EW and putting it in a Micky Hunter's Edge. Makes a damn fine hunting rifle. A little heavier than the CLR/NULA hybrid I suggested but not by a ton.

If it must be 'out of the box,' my vote would be for the MRC 1999 model of your choice.