Rifle Opinions Needed

GA Precision. Excellent Rifle smith!

[link to www.gaprecision.net]

pricey though...

again... all about taste and budget...

I know that the one on his .30-'06 is a Leupold. The smaller rifle he taught the kids to shoot with has a different scope- I can't remember the name. He tends to buy what works and doesn't mind paying for quality. So that will be my guide on which scope to get, I think.

So, on say a $1200-$1500 rifle (if I can find one for that in the .300 or .338) how much should I expect to pay for a scope. I'd like to keep it under $3000 total if that's a reasonable expectation.

Is it?

This one: [link to www.savagearms.com]

In 300 Win Mag or 338 Win mag.

Rounds are easy to find, the accu-trigger is the best trigger on any factory gun and the gun will be more accurate than a Rem 700 out of the box.

Get him a good scope and he will never need another elk gun.

The .338 Lapua is a waste of money for the ammo, as the .300 and .338 Win can out shoot the majority of sports hunters.

The only other gun to consider is the Weatherby Vanguard in the same calibers.

:)

I'm in southern CA. After being gone for a couple of weeks on vacation I don't foresee going on a trip again soon.

But I bookmarked the page so I can see it if I get down that way. Thanks.

OP. the link did not bring the rifle I wanted here is the model # Model: 116 FHSS

Sorry.

Thanks, I found a pic of it on another site. Why are the Savage rifles so much less expensive than the others?

Very doable for 3K. lol...

For 3K I would look to spend the following:

$500-800 on rifle. Personal taste for elk would be Remmington 700 - 7mm but everyone has their own taste (as witnessed).

$500 on Smithing. Find a good smith (trigger/lower receiver work, glass bedding, etc...) tell him 3 lb trigger and improve the accuracy. He will know what to do.

$1000 on scope. Again personal taste might be Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20x50mm ER/T M1 mil-dot illumnated.

I think this would be a good distribution of funds at that price point. If he likes the tactical look go all matt black. If not go wood grain.

Have fun shopping.

Whatever money is left over get him

Good Ammo

And buy him a few day passes to an outdoor range (the longer range the better - he will need to work up a range card for his new baby. The further out the better)

Don't want to be stumbling around for your come-ups when you have an elk in your sights... lol!

Sounds like a lucky guy.

I didn't realize that a factory new gun from a quality manufacturer would need that much gunsmithing. Interesting.

He has a membership at a big outdoor range about 30 minutes from the house. He is into guns, so he spends a couple days a month out there just tinkering with god knows what.

And yes, he's lucky. He was smiling BIG when he got the invite to go on this hunt.

Definitely optional. But worth it if he is a serious hunter and given your price range.

The thing is the price points take you into another category typically > 2K for a rifle alone (i.e. GA Precision as an example) for a custom platform.

IMHO, You can get real close to that accuracy with a massed produced gun (i.e. winchester, remmington, savage, etc...) and added custom smithing for little less money.

hth,

Every man should own a Ruger Model 1 Falling Block. .338 Win Mag is a great Elk dropper and bear stopper.

Elk needs a big gun, 300 Win Mag is my vote.

Benelli

Yup...

So would you spend a little more and get a rifle from GA Precision, or would you stick with getting a run of the mill rifle fixed up?

Am I cheating him out of a nicer gun by going with a mass produced rifle?

I'll look at this one too, thanks.

Which model of rifle? Like I said earlier, I need detail because this isn't really my area of expertise.

As you know, for every price point there is a product. There is nothing wrong with a mass produced rifle. There is always something better but it is diminishing returns. A very decent rifle in the hands of a good shooter is more effective than the best rifle in the hands of an average shooter.

It is a gift. I (for one) would never feel cheated by a gift. :)

Nikki has it right. Perhaps getting a older "classic" gun would be the right gift. Your guy sounds like he is "up" on the new stuff and if he is a guy that won't take a "percentage" shot at game and waits for the sure killing shot will do well with any long range big game caliber on elk in a time tested proven reliable platform.

Those pre 64 Winchester 70s would be a good choice. A nice shooter 30-06 could be found for 1200-1500$[and they ain't eveeeeeer going down in price!] Same could be said for a old FN Belgium made Browning or if you can find one a old Finnish Husqvarna!!! or old Swedish Sako. Expect to pay 1000$ plus for a 50+-year old classic gun that is APPRECIATEING.[unless it is a FN, Husqvarna or Sako that was house branded by by Sears, Monkey Wards, Western Auto, etc. hee hee hee... those are my meat]

The 65+ year old sporterized Springfield[USA]like Nikki has, and Mauser[European] military rifles can be very nice and full of charactor also. Note I shoot a military mauser made in 1936 rebarreled with a Husqvarna 30-06 sporter barrel under a old $80 jap 6X Bushnell Scopechief that will shoot way under a inch groups at 100 yards with my reloads. Aclassic old Springfield military 30-06 would be a nice gift. Expect to pay $600-700 for one, that "bubba" hasn't spent time with.

The diminishing returns point is a good one. He is an excellent shooter, studies the bullet drop charts, tests different bullets in his guns, and all that good stuff that is beyond me. My concern about going high end is that he would not want to take it on the trip because it will probably get some dings and stuff.

As for the gift part: I don't think he'll feel "cheated", I just want to do the right thing. Some people would argue it's not even a gift really, as I've been saving up from the allotment he gives me biweekly. So all gifts are really being bought with his money, all I can put into it is the thought and concern.

But it's the thought that counts, right?

Dings'n'stuff give an individual firearm character, like when a leather holster rubs the blueing from a handgun over time. In this case maybe fond memories of a special hunting trip. But a composite stock vs. wood might be in order.

Last Edited by Red Auroras on 11/09/2010 07:09 AM

444 or 44-40. Great for low flying aircraft.

The 7.62x54r is teh round for the Mosin-Nagant a junky old soviet rifle from the turn of the century, the prior century..

WHat kind of terrain are you in? Brush shorter range? go 45-70. It will plow thru branches and brush and whatnot..
Open plains long range? Go 30-06 or .300 or 7mm, nice flat long range shot.

I live in Upstate NY, so 7mm, .300, and other larger magnum rounds are not needed. The longest range shot you will take will be less than 150yds.

:samjackson:

Rifles are good for long distance. But pistols work better in close quarter fighting.

That's just wrong!!

7MM magnum.

you are right about the 54r, but to say a mosin is junky is stupid, they are very accurate battle rifles. They are only cheap because the soviets produced 12 million of them, so they can be had for pennies now. Some are dogs, some are tack drivers out to a 1000 yards, depending on bore condition. And built like tanks.

but for hunting, i would go in something common, like what has been mentioned. There are a couple US rifles chambered for 7.6254, but most are russian rifles..and ammo is mostly mil surp. So its out of the question

get a decent Savage or Rem rifle in a common hunting cartridge. You dont have to go all out on the top of the line scope, Nikon makes amazing scopes for the money, even the higher end Bushnell scopes in the 300-400 dollar range will hold up to the abuse. I have a bushnell 4200, that has had thousands of rounds through a .308 and is holding up fine. Zeiss, leupold, etc are all fine scopes, but cost an arm and a leg. Only for the most serious hunter.

She said he's not going to take one of his girlfriends...he has two of them...

Weatherby 270 Magnum