So you’re a young-ish man or woman, and you want to get into the wonderful world of Hunting / Target Shooting, Rifle Division. But when you start looking at what’s out there, you’re bowled over by the prices.
You might saunter over to Collectors, and snatch up this one, for only $600:
Here’s the checklist, all answered in the positive:
- well-known brand
- good, adjustable trigger
- bull barrel which won’t start to wilt after only three rounds fired
- popular cartridge, relatively cheap for practice, not horrible recoil
- includes an acceptable Nikon scope (for hunting; for greater distances, buy something more powerful)
- lightweight stock
Caveats:
- it’s consignment, which means Collectors hasn’t tested it for function (as they do when they buy guns from individuals)
- the bolt may be stiff and clunky to operate (common fault of Savage rifles that haven’t been worked on
Honestly, it’s a dandy for an entry-level shooter. Me, I think the positives outweigh the potential negatives, bigly.
Years ago I bought a Ruger American for the purposes of deer hunting. I never have gotten around to sitting around out in the cold with it, but it’s still a fine entry-level rifle offered for $600 new. Mine is .30-06, but they also sell it in other calibers including 6.5 Creedmoor.
ASSuming it is in decent shape, not a bad price at all.
However, that 6.5 is a turn off to me as I’m not wanting to get involved with an additional caliber. If it was in 308 I might consider it for adding to the stable. I see lots of room for customization.
My entry rifle 21 years ago was a Ruger Model 77 Mk II in 30-06 with open sights on it. I didn’t want to spend the money for glass at that point because I bought it right before I got married. I paid around $525 for it. I wanted a Mauser action, rifle sights, hinged floor plate, three position safety so that left me with the options between a Winchester Model 70 or the Ruger. The Winchester cost about $100 more. Oh well. I’m pretty sure that Winchester would have gone up in value quite a bit since their plant in New Haven closed around 2007 or so.
JQ
I have a 40 year old 30-06 bolt action hunting rifle. I am like many others. Once you have a good hunting rifle why do you need another? I inherited my dad’s pump 270 over 10 years ago. It came with 3 partial boxes of hunting ammo. I have never fired that gun because I have my 30-06 that has never failed me.