[anytimearcher]

I'm looking to buy a rifle. I currently own three remington rifles, one winchester rifle, and one husqavarna rifle. After seeing the performance of my last remington rifle (grouping/consistency even after experimenting with different loads) i am sort of leery about buying another remington although what i was origianally leaning towards was a remington model 7. So my question to you is, what gun maker do you think gives the best out of the box performance and quality and why? remington, winchester, kimber, ruger, browning, sako, cz, weatherby etc..?

 

[tcprohunter]

Thompson Center hands down. Look at the T/C Icon. They are a fine rifle. I may be biased, but I feel they make the best rifles out there. I have a T/C Pro Hunter and it shoots little ragged holes for groups. They have 5r rifling. They hold their tolarences much tighter. Pick one up, you will feel what I am talking about. jmho

Bob

 

[zimmerstutzen]

My feeling is that some compnies have been coasting on their laurels for far too long. And frankly a nice feeling, well fit and finished exterior doesn't make the interior any more accurate. Look at the WW2 Jap Arisaka. Cheapest external manufacturing of the century, lathe marks, stocks not even sanded, but where it counted they are ahead of the curve. Chrome bores to resist corrosion in tropical climates, fairly accurate for an old military gun too. They had what it took, where it counted. There are differences in separate models from some manufacturers as well. There are some really nice heavier barrel guns from Savage. There are differences in how guns are chambered and how much free bore is ahead of the chamber. A match gun hopefully has a match chamber. I used to shoot a Winchester 52. When the bolt was closed the bulet was already pushed into the rifling. Not in their cheaper 22 rf's. I shoot old guns and many obsolete cartridges. There is a difference in rifling for those old lead bullets that allows them to achieve amazing accuracy for their age. Is the twist and width and depth of grooves matched to the bullet and velocity? You could be better off getting a semi custom barrel put on a used action.

 

[TedC54]

I really like my Browning A Bolt Stainless Stalker. Magazine is on the inside of the hinged floorplate, safety is convenient and quiet and it is very accurate. Looks nice too. The only downside was the trigger. Bought mine in 1990, not sure how their triggers are these days. For $35 I had mine fixed up just fine.

It is my go to gun.

Good luck, have fun choosing your rifle!

 

[Trailcamologist]

Do yourself a favor and take a look at the Tikkas. They put out some very accurate out of the box rifles. On top of that the price is very appealing!!

I recently set up a Tikka T3 Lite in 30-06 for a good friend that was amazingly accurate with most any load I fed it.

 

[JasonN]

Another nod for the Browning A-bolt. There's just too much to like about them....60* bolt lift, tang safety(where it's supposed to be!), hinged floor plate WITH box magazine, lightweight, accurate, well finished, stylish too!

If you were leaning toward a model 7 look into the Micro Hunter line from Browning. Popular calibers(mroe than Rem offers!) and a nice, lightweight, handy package....great mountain or still hunting rifle.

The X-bolt is basically an upgraded version with a bolt release so you can unload without taking it off safety. Also some aesthetic changes.

 

[Harrysigafoo]

Model 7 in either 7-08 or 308 and you will never look back. Quality, great trigger, and nice looking. Very accurate, we have 4 in the family all are shooters.

 

[anytimearcher]

After looking at the browning A bolt medallions, there is nothing not to like about them. I will have to handle one to get a better feel, but they are very stylish and well finished. Definately not cheaply made. I still like the model 7 cdl, but it's definately not finished nearly as nice as a browning a bolt medallion.

 

[anytimearcher]

Model 7 in either 7-08 or 308 and you will never look back. Quality, great trigger, and nice looking. Very accurate, we have 4 in the family all are shooters.

i actually already have a model 7 in 7mm-08, and it is accurate and well handling. What i was looking at now was a model 7 cdl in 300wsm. any thoughts?

 

[Huskyhunter]

I have had several heavy barrel and sporter howa's all shot moa and smaller, I have rugers and remingtons that shoot good , but they took some tinkering to get them to shoot with the howas.

 

[Gunnermhr]

The most accurate out of the box factory gun is Savage. I know that might be painful to hear but you just can't argue the fact. I have seen Savages compete and hold their own against full out custom bench rest rifles costing upwards of $5k. A very close second is the Cooper, although many consider it a custom and not factory.

 

[chessiedog1]

I agree with tcprohunter. Take a look at the Thompson Center Icon. They are a fine rifle. Also, try to pick up a used older Remimgton or Winchester from the early 70s.

 

[patonyk]

I have 6 howas in the gun case right now that I can offer anyone to shoot. They are all sub moa with factory ammo( I don't reload yet). They are inexpensive and IMHO hold their own with the bigger makers. It's no different than buying a car. Some have great luck some have poor luck. I had a remington 700 that I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with any ammo I used. I had remingtons that were extremely tight. same with winchesters, and rugers.

 

[anytimearcher]

I have 6 howas in the gun case right now that I can offer anyone to shoot. They are all sub moa with factory ammo( I don't reload yet). They are inexpensive and IMHO hold their own with the bigger makers. It's no different than buying a car. Some have great luck some have poor luck. I had a remington 700 that I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with any ammo I used. I had remingtons that were extremely tight. same with winchesters, and rugers.

This is what i have experienced with my remingtons. My model 7 in 7mm-08 shoots nice groups with 47 gns of rl 19 behind a 140 gn nosler ballistic tip, most of the time if i give the barrel enough time to cool down. My model 700 mountain rifle in .270 i can say the same about. It needs alot of time to let the barrel cool in between shots though. These are both newer remingtons, year 2000 and up. My buddy on the other hand has a later model 700 bdl in .270 winchester, (probably a 1990 model)that ive repeatedly shot 3 shot groups with all bullets touching at 100 yards. An absolute tack driver. I'm definately going to do some research and handling of my own of the browning, and thompson center line and so on before purchasing.

 

[jayd4wg]

Marlin X-guns...sub MOA on factory ammo is the norm, not the exception, and I'm QUITE pleased with mine. I've handled other rifles...some of which had a price tag bigger than my first 3 cars COMBINED...and to be honest, i'd be afraid to take one of those in the woods. My Marlin is a HUNTING rifle with a tactical rifle pedigree.

Floating bolt head, barrelnut mounted barrel makes a barrel swap to a savage barrel simple, and functional. the ONLY complaint I have with my marlin is the lack of a 3pos safety. all for 300 bucks. you can have a fully tweaked marlin in a custom caliber and custom stock shooting ragged holes for less than a bone stock remington that might not pull 2" groups. think about it.

 

[*Moose]

Marlin X-guns...sub MOA on factory ammo is the norm, not the exception, and I'm QUITE pleased with mine. I've handled other rifles...some of which had a price tag bigger than my first 3 cars COMBINED...and to be honest, i'd be afraid to take one of those in the woods. My Marlin is a HUNTING rifle with a tactical rifle pedigree.

Floating bolt head, barrelnut mounted barrel makes a barrel swap to a savage barrel simple, and functional. the ONLY complaint I have with my marlin is the lack of a 3pos safety. all for 300 bucks. you can have a fully tweaked marlin in a custom caliber and custom stock shooting ragged holes for less than a bone stock remington that might not pull 2" groups. think about it.

And I'm glad I have one now.

 

[uncysid]

The most accurate out of the box factory gun is Savage. I know that might be painful to hear but you just can't argue the fact. I have seen Savages compete and hold their own against full out custom bench rest rifles costing upwards of $5k. A very close second is the Cooper, although many consider it a custom and not factory.

Some good advise here from gunnermhr. I own a browning A-bolt, several winchester 70's, a couple remington 700's, a smith&wesson ibolt, a mossberg 100atr, a couple marlins and several savages. I just took the browning to the gunsmith because it has never done better than 3 inch groups since I bought it. Anyway upon investigation there is too much metal in the rifling 3" from the end of the barrel causing it to throw the bullets. $850.00 for the gun, another $600.00 to correct the problem= $1450.00. Bought a savage 300 win mag - $350.00, a savage edge 7mm-08 - $258.00, stainless savage 243 - $450.00. All will print clover leafs straight out of the box. Can you see what I'm getting at? I have shot many guns in many calibers and of all of them I have to say the Savages have been the best shooters.

 

[wiktor]

I like the new Winchester model 70's. If you want to spend the bucks it would be hard to beat a Cooper for the money.

 

[HighCountry66]

My Marlin is a HUNTING rifle with a tactical rifle pedigree.

I'm sure that your rifle shoots pretty good and I'm glad you like it, but how do you mean it has a tactical rifle pedigree?

I really think alot of what is on the shelf today, depends more on who's behind the wheel than whether one is actually more accurate than another. They all make good rifles. Your chances of getting a dud are slim, in my opinion. Most guys try 1 or 2 boxes of ammo and that is it. Your average guy doesn't mess with triggers, or free floating, or reloading, or any tuning of the rifle.

I find it hard to believe that most rifles on the shelf don't shoot reasonably well, or can't be made to shoot without a little effort.

Having said that, I would look seriously at the Winchester's or CDL Remingtons. That is what I call nice looking rifles. I wouldn't even worry about getting a dud, but thats me.

Do your research and pick what you want and suits your needs.

 

[BrownTrout]

I got to many rifles I care to mention on here, but I'll name some already mentioned manufactures that I own. I got one winchester 70, several rem 700's which I've always considered myself a rem guy. Within the last five years I've started sampling other manufacturers. Big green still puts out good rifles, but they have started slipping in the QC department lately. My sps shoots lights out but the VTR I struggled with some. I've purchased three savages, one howa, a CZ 527, two newly made 700's one sps and one VTR and two Tikkas.

Having said that, I've got to agree with two previous posters highcountry and Bonzy. All of mine shot decent with factory ammo in the beginning after trying a few different manufacturers and bullet types and weights. But reloading can make a night and day difference.

And out of all the recent rifle purchases I've grown fond of Tikkas. They handle anything I feed through em. Finding incredible accuracy with factory ammo is always a plus for me in case you forget your re loads. And with the two tikkas I've found factory loads that will rival reloads for em. Plus, I love them for the price and they fit, pull up and point for me perfectly. But all the recent rifles I've purchased will all shoot MOA some sub with reloads and the Tikkas sub with certain factory even. If I was you I'd get a tikka t3 lite and never look back. I got all the rifles a guy really needs, but Tikkas will probably be purchased in the future. I must say I've never owned a browning, ruger, marlin centerfire, or TC, therefore I cannot comment on them.