I have read alot of reviews and have mixed feelings about the rifle I am about to buy,a .308 770 remington.I am looking for an accurate bolt action in .308,30 06,or .270,and may consider a used rifle from a pawnshop.I will be hunting coyote,doing alot of range shooting,and cant to spend more than $300.I know I can trust the ranger community,so educate me.
For me it was between the Weatherby Vanguard, Savage Axis and the American.
The made in USA (Weatherby out), user adjustable trigger (Weatherby and Axis out) and the feel of the stock (Axis out again) is why I went with what I did. I ordered mine new (no real bargaining power) and it was $374 out the door for my 30-06. It also has a three lug bolt so it only needs 70* to throw the bolt which really opens it up against a scope. I have read of people finding them closer to $300 before tax a couple months ago but right now is a sellers market and I was thrilled to get it $7 cheaper from my LGD than Wal-Mart was selling them ($350 vs $357). For the record he beat the tar out of the box stores (Cabelas, Bass Pro and Sheels) for pricing. They are on "sale" for $379.99 at Cabelas right now. The Savage is a nice gun but the way the grip of the stock is makes the gun want to roll to the left as I sight it which I thought was wierd.
The mag is all plastic vs the Savages mostly metal one, but the Savage uses a "living hinge" in the plastic to retain it while the Ruger uses a seperate piece with a spring... I prefer that. The blocks molded in the stock to retain the action are neat too. My brother won an Axis at a Whitetails Unlimited Banquet right after I got mine so we have compared them side by side, I do like the feel of the Ruger stock, trigger and bolt better but for $free.99 it is still hard to beat his.
I got burned bad on a Remington-made Marlin lever action so Remingtons were never in the running, I can't even bring myself to buy their ammo yet. Not many great reviews on the 770's either. There was a rumer going around that they were limiting the production of the Marlin XL-7's because they where hurting the Remington's sales... I couldn't turn one up anywhere to play with so while they are a good rifle with tons of good reviews I took them off the list because I didn't want to order one and either be stuck with it or stick the dealer with it. Remington's whole attitude towards them was a major turn off as well. Would be something to keep an eye out on the used rack though.
I am restoring a house, between that and occassional winterish weather I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. It also only has the rejected POS scope off my muzzleloader on it so I don't expect steller results as it sits. I am impatiently waiting for the money tree to grow more fruit to get a good scope for it. I was intending to get the rifle later this year but with all the stuff going on I decided to advance plans and just get the gun first.
I opted for the 30-06 over the .308 because IMO the .308's future is kind of unknown right now. They are/were cheap to shoot because of surplus stuff, they could get picked on easily for being an "assault weapon cartridge" and since the surplus stuff comes from the govt that is a river that they could easily dam. The all american 30-06 being firmly cemented as "the" hunting cartridge for decades might fare better. Right now 30-06 is much, much easier to find right. I haven't found an empty shelf of it yet. It is also funner to say. The .270 is a really good cartridge as well. You are probably good with any of those three really, dad has a .270 and I wanted something different.
You can find good deals on used ones, probably best to sniff around and research them as you turn them up rather that set your heart to one model and try to seek it out.
If you are wanting to save money, look around at pawn shops for sure, you can get some pretty good deals if you look around. The way the economy is a lot of people have unfortunately had to turn to selling their firearms to make ends meet, myself being one of them.
If all you want to do is hunt coyote and range shoot, you really don't need anything larger than something chambered for .223/5.56 and no you don't need an AR-15 either LOL. If you plan on doing any actual game hunting something in the neighborhood of a .243 or a .270 is plenty big enough even for taking down an elk.
Watch gunbroker.com as well there's some pretty good prices on there once in a while as well. Keep in mind what you want the gun for. If like you say just coyote and range then look for smaller calibers. You can get some cheaper off the shelf rifles at Walmart too.
Savage Edge or Axis... I have the 110 but also have dealt with the Edge a lot since my brother has one.
the .270 for a smaller round or the 30-06 for the larger option IMO.
I have the 30-06 b/c that's what my dad was set up for (read as reloading, and LOTS of it) plus the deal I got on the gun helped a lot to! But the .270 is plenty big for most people and it's a sweet shooting round, it just feels right when you shoot it.
Some good info,much appreciated.After reading reviews on anything,really,its hard to make a good choice.Thats why I wanted to hear from yall first.Im going pawn shopping,any specifics to look for when buying a use rifle aside from inspecting the barrel rifling?Also,when I was a soldier,we used FMJ,and in basic we trained with some very used and abused rifles,and they were accurate,but I have heard online about people not getting much barrel life from there rifles(one thing they didnt like about the 710/770 models due to the barrel not being changeable).Does type of ammo affect barrels that much,or were they just bashing a product?Thanks again,seriously,yall are awesome.
Most rifles do not have a chrome lined barrel, since most commercial ammo for common hunting rounds is not corrosive it isn't really that big of an issue.
Just an FWI, in most states it is illegal to hunt with FMJ. It just makes a hole however big your cartridge is straight through. Not a case of the govt being obsessive about things just a fact that it is rather crappy for stopping a critter. It is one gun law that actually makes sense. I actually had a guy complaining about the stopping power of his SKS because of that...
Check that things are tight and for any common fail points you find during internet reviews. Sometimes parts have the serial number written on them (like bolts), make sure they match the gun.
Gun people can be fickle and there are lots out there that will rag on anything new. There are also those that have to have the newest and best and anything that isn't the newest and best is junk. you gotta find the middleground. If you see a bunch of people complaining about the same thing pay attention to that before you commit. Also keep in mind many more people flock to the internet to complain than to compliment so it is going to be naturally skewed that way as well.
.223 would be fine for a coyote and cheaper to shoot than the big boys. It won't have the range or power and can have limitations for hunting depending on locale. (illegal to hunt deer with in my state but is still legit for varmits like coyotes)
Stay away from the Rem 710 and 770, if you are thinking of going with Rem look at the Rem 700 series. Savage and Ruger are good.
Far as barrel wear, you look at the rifling as well as the throat and crown of the barrel to check that. Some rounds will wear more then others as well as some calibers. like a .308 will last far longer then a 7mm RUM that is a hot fast round.
Of course your average person wont be shooting out a barrel.
I have a winchester Model 70 .270 which was what my grandfather deer hunted with, but my uncle also used it for Elk as well. Seems like the .270 ammo is a bit cheaper than the .30-06 and I haven't had any issues with the .270 cartridge not being enough to take down any game with. The .30-06 is a good cartridge as well I just haven't had any personal experience with it.
Stick with brand name rifles and you will be fine. At a pawnshop you need to inspect the gun very thoroughly including the stock for cracks and repairs especially if its a wooden stock, not so common with the synthetic stocks. Check the function of the gun as well, don't just see that the mechanism opens and closes, check the safety, the locking lugs of the bolt for wear, the chamber, etc. If it looks beat up and dirty its probably best to stay away from it.
I searched pawnshops in 3 counties looking for rem 700,ruger,win 70,or a savage,and they are all price gaughing,and most of the rifles looked neglected.Went to walmart and bought a rem 700 in 30 06.I spent all day yesterday cleaning and lubing,blue glued all the screws and installed my old bipods.Cant wait to sight it in.Thanks again to all,if yall hadnt said anything,I was going to buy a rem 770.Now,im looking at some aftermarket stocks and some detatchable mags,I have the ADL.Nothing wrong with the stock,I want a pistol grip due to my carpultunnel
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The .270 is a really good cartridge as well. You are probably good with any of those three really, dad has a .270 and I wanted something different.
I actually had a guy complaining about the stopping power of his SKS because of that...
