# Which rifle???



## Elkoholic8 (Jan 15, 2008)

So I am in the market for a new rifle and I am trying to decide which one to get. I am looking for a medium priced gun, probably less than $500. I have been looking at the Savages, Ruger American, and T/C Venture rifles. Anyone on here have one of these guns and have any oppinion as far as how good of a gun they are? All of these have some good and bad reviews on the web. I wish some of the gun stores had some rifles I could demo and see how they function and shoot before I buy one. 
I have not decided on a caliber yet, and that will make a little difference as far as which rifle offers which caliber. I have a .338, 7mm, .243, and my son has a 7mm-08. The 7mm isn't a very accurate rifle so I might just replace that one with a new gun and see what happens.

Thanks.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Whatcha going to hunt with it?


-DallanC


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

Go visit KSL.com and find a nice used Remington 700 in whichever caliber you like. The older the better. Your local pawn broker may have some nice examples to choose from as well.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

You looking for a shooter or a looker? I "was" a Remington fan for years. But for accuracy I have gone to Savage. I shoot the varmint calibers and every one I have bought has done very well. If you want to take a look at Cooper Rifles you'll be impressed not only with the accuracy but they look outstanding.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Provide us with more of your criteria and why you have narrowed it down to these options; why do you like those?



Al Hansen said:


> If you want to take a look at Cooper Rifles you'll be impressed not only with the accuracy but they look outstanding.


 For $500? I thought those were muy caro.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

For accuracy, Savage. That's coming from a die-hard Rem700 guy. You might want to look into a Howa 1500. I just bought two Howa barreled actions for a couple project guns. Boy am I impressed with the new triggers!


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## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

Affordability.... most accurate gun you'll shoot out of the boc get a Tikka T3, and the price is right. I've got the 300 wsm but get which ever caliber you'd like.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Huge29 said:


> Provide us with more of your criteria and why you have narrowed it down to these options; why do you like those?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Si, si. But if your looking for a real "looker". The Phoenix Model can be had for about $1400. Try First Stop Guns in Rapid City.


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

I picked up a Tikka T3 in 270 WSM and I love it. It's a shooter for sure... I think I paid around $575 with tax. I haven't heard if they will be doing it again this year, but Cal Ranch did an expo at the Cache Valley shooting range and we were able to try out a handful of different rifles and calibers. If I remember right, it was sometime in early April last year.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Al Hansen said:


> Si, si. But if your looking for a real "looker". The Phoenix Model can be had for about $1400. Try First Stop Guns in Rapid City.


I think he is a Y fan, so unlike U fans only after the lookers I am pretty sure that he is after one with a real sweet spirit. :mrgreen:


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Sweet Spirit. :lol: Funny way of referring to a rifle.


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## Elkoholic8 (Jan 15, 2008)

I will be hunting deer and elk with this rifle and possibly antelope. I recently sold a Rem 710 in .270, that is why I am wanting to upgrade rifles. I am not opposed to buying another .270, but I mostly kept it because my wife liked to shoot it. Now if I get a new 7mm I can get managed recoil loads for her to shoot and plinking, then shoot the good stuff for hunting.

I want to keep the price down because I am a bowhunter at heart so I don't want to sink alot of cash into a rifle that wil spend most of it's life in the safe. But, I do want a gun that is accurate when I do use it. The 7mm I currrently have (dads old rifle) is an old Interarms that is barely accurate enough to hunt with. So that is why I thought about replacing that gun. 
Choosing the 7mm will eliminate the Ruger American rifle, but the T/C Venture, the Savages, and some of the Remington 700's are chambered in that load.

Any other suggestions???


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## buglehimin (Jan 15, 2012)

I have read a lot of really good things about the Tikka T3 and the Weatherby Vanguards. I have never shot either of them, but almost bought one of each. My little brother shoots a Howa 1500 in 308 and it really is a great rifle, caliber too. I have seen him hit rock chucks at 500 yards with it. Whatever you do, do not even consider the Remington 770. Check KSL. I have seen some really good deals on all sorts of rifles that wouldn't normally be classified as "budget" guns.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

I've got a T/C venture predator Max 1 and I absolutely love it. I've never shot a regular venture but they are almost the exact same. T/C guarantees MOA groupings for a reason, mines a .22-250 and it's a tack driver. For a moderately priced rifle I think it looks great. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality as well. It's got a very smooth action and the Max 1 coating has held up perfectly. I think T/C makes an outstanding product for the price they ask.


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

I hope I'm not pushing too much.... if a .270 is on your list of possibilities, there's a Tikka T3 at Sports Authority for $460-ish. That's a pretty good price considering that they normally sell for ~$549. 

A Remington 700 in 7mm is a pretty classic rifle. I've seen some good deals lately on ksl. Keep watching those ads and you might find what you're looking for.


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## Elkoholic8 (Jan 15, 2008)

So here is another question for you guys. I am leaning toward the 7mm, but I have noticed that most of the remingtons have 26" barrels, while the T/C has a 24". Is there a real benefit from the extra 2" of barrel? I thought I read somewhere that the 7mm needs a longer barrel to reach optimum velocity. Is that true or a wives tale?

Thanks.


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

Elkoholic8 said:


> So here is another question for you guys. I am leaning toward the 7mm, but I have noticed that most of the remingtons have 26" barrels, while the T/C has a 24". Is there a real benefit from the extra 2" of barrel? I thought I read somewhere that the 7mm needs a longer barrel to reach optimum velocity. Is that true or a wives tale?
> 
> Thanks.


My understanding is you will loose some velocity but it may not be that significant. Field and Stream recently did a short article on the subject found here:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/gun-nuts/2012/02/why-shorter-rifle-barrels-may-be-better

According to them, you may lose some velocity but you stand to benefit from increased accuracy.


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