I’m think of buying a Ruger American Predator .308, but I wanted to check in here, first…
Purpose: General target shooting, perhaps some deer hunting. I’m not anticipating doing real “precision” shooting, but I’m hoping for something that groups better than my M14-type.
Background: I started with semi-autos (M1 Carbine, M14-type, now an AR), but now one of my favorite guns is a $50 Marlin 25 (.22 bolt action), which I originally bought for my daughter. After several modifications it’s a tack driver. Now I’m looking for something that hits harder and shoots further than the .22, and all the “budget” centerfire bolt-actions out there have my attention.
Requirements:
.308
Threaded muzzle. The hoplophobes here won’t let me have a suppressor, but I can imagine I’ll want a muzzle brake.
18"-20" barrel. I don’t need/want longer, and I want something handy.
Decent trigger.
Some kind of bedded stock/free floated barrel.
Optics mount.
$500-600 budget (not including the old Nikon Monarch and rings that I’ll use).
So far, I think the best/only rifle that fits the bill is the Ruger American Predator .308… I know I can buy/fit scope mounts to other rifles, or buy/install a new trigger, or buy/bed a new stock, or even have a barrel cut down and threaded, but I’d rather have everything I want out of the box.
Questions:
Alternatives?
Is a $500 rifle worth buying at all? Honestly, if the answer is that there’s no way to buy/build a decent bolt gun for less than $1,000, then I probably just won’t do it.
I went with a Rem 700 AAC SD for this role. 20" threaded barrel chambered in 308, Makes a great plinker and hunting rifle, however I wouldn’t overlook Savage and Tikka for your application in that price range.
I was just giving my opinion on the last 2 questions. Alternatives, and if a $1000 is worth bothering or not. Not trying to sway you in any way, I think for a Grand you’ll be able to get what you’re wanting.
Here’s another option that cost less with a 20" threaded barrel. I’m just speaking from experience on the ones I have mentioned for your budget/requirements. I have no experience with the Ruger so don’t think I’m trying to change your mind. Hopefully someone else will chime in with Ruger Predator experience, curious myself.
I saw the Savage Axis line, which is why I initially dismissed Savage (and the “gun finder” function on their website is buggy). Even the Axis II doesn’t have the bedded “Accu-Stock,” and if I’m going to bed/replace the stock later, then I’d might as well pay up front for a 10 FCP-SR.
Also, I’m coming to the realization that a heavier barrel would be better for the kind of shooting I usually do… String after string off the bench. I’m more and more inclined towards the Rem 700 AAC or the Savage 10 FCP-SR.
I don’t have any personal experience with the Savage .308 but I owned a Savage .270 and the action was so sticky that it aggravated me enough to sell it soon after I bought it.
Savage Hog Hunter. 20" heavy barrel with iron sights. $430 The stock of course kinda sucks, but so does the Rugers. Ive handled both and I wanted to like the Ruger just cause I think it looks kinda cool, but the Savage hogger was much better
Update: I’m looking for a Savage 10 FCP-SR, with the 20" barrel.
I’ve seen these, too, but…
I’m skeptical of buying a Mossberg bolt gun. Savage has a big following and a long track record.
There’s little or no aftermarket support for Mossberg’s bolt guns… I’m tempted to buy a Rem 700 SPS AAC-SD instead of the Savage, just so that I can easily change it later.
The 7.62 Predator has everything I want, except it doesn’t have a threaded barrel, and that’s a deal breaker for me…
The 7.62 “LR” version would be perfect — I’d like an adjustable comb. Problem: it’s not actually available yet, and it would cost $80-$100 more than the Savage. Being able to use my M14-type mags would make the Mossberg worth it, but given #s 1-2, above, I think I’ll just keep looking for the Savage.
I’ve been looking at muzzle brakes for weeks, and AFAIK the most effective are the big Miculek types, and the Miculek itself is only $50 or so, and that’s hard to beat.
BTW, I’m not so recoil shy, but I wind up taking a lot of new shooters to the range, and a gun that’s easy to shoot is appealing to them…
Should work good for you, I’ve seen them below $40. I inderstand, my two kids are not into getting shoulders beat up too bad, takes the fun out of it for them.
It’s not pretty or fancy, but the tests I’ve seen say the Miculek is as effective as anything out there.
I might play with a linear comp, too, to see if projecting the blast and noise away is better than actually reducing felt recoil. Since the Savage weighs almost 9lbs empty and without a scope, I don’t expect recoil to be that bad, anyway…
Nah, that won’t be bad at all, I’ve been wanting to play around with some different brakes myself, for $50 I might have to try one out. The Surefire Socom is pretty nice, it however is the only one I have tried on my 700 AAC SD so I can’t really compare it to anything else.