I know this wasn't one of the two you were looking at, but I'd agree with the other posters, for a few dollars more I'd get a Tikka. And, if you can spare a little more than that I'd get a Tikka T3 CTR. (I found one for under $900). Guaranteed sub MOA and a really nice action and trigger. Put on a SWFA 10x or 12x scope and you have a really nice rifle.
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Which bolt rifle should I get? Opinions...
- Thread starter napoleon1815
- Start date
Savage
Sorry for the ignorance on the subject, but what makes a bolt gun better than another one? Better barrel? Just a better trigger(from what I've seen it seems Savage has a very good one)? The action is manual, so how much of a difference does the bolt etc make in them?
Individualist
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I don't have one but like what I've read about the new Tikka T3x series.
Savage will not disappoint, neither will a Tikka. The same can't be said for the Mossy, unfortunately, not quite in the same ball park. Not to throw salt in wounds but the Ruger American will also out perform the Mossy, but I would go Savage or Tikka personally. Savage is new england local, but my kids are 1/4 Finnish so for me it's a toss up.
napoleon1815
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Not to go off topic...but since I am getting the Savage...what is a good optic for it considering the price of the gun? I don't want a 2k piece of glass on a 700 dollar gun ha.
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Individualist
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Alot of Vortex fans here. Good glass on the Viper and terrific company warranty. For the money its very hard to beat something from Primary Arms like a 4-14 with ACSS reticle.
NorthShore
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I have a savage .308 and mounted a vortex 3x9x40 scope on it - does a good job. I bought the rifle used and I think $300 for the scope. I have gone shooting and hunting with many who have expensive nice rigs but in the end, I'm hitting the same gong for half the cost.
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Less moving parts, faster lock time, less barrel harmonics is the standard answer. To that I'll add increased barrel length which is more typical of bolt-action rifles than AR/AK types.
Lever-actions are a whole other animal that require constant training to keep the muzzle on target for follow-up shots due to the torquing of the lever.
My thought is find the most versatile platform for you and become proficient with it. For me it is the 20" AR and the .30cal M1 Rifle.
Hope this helped.
~Matt
So the Savage generally has "less moving parts, faster lock time, less barrel harmonics" than the Mossy? Like I said I shot a 308 Ruger American and did pretty good at 200 yards(considering I never shot that far before) and would like to pick up a bolt action at some point.
i have a .300 win mag savage i left in CO for hunting out there. It is great...no muss...no drama...pretty accurate at 200 yards. Get one with a stainless barrel and you will be good to go.
My brother prefers the .300 WSM winchester short mag.
My brother prefers the .300 WSM winchester short mag.
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lol I was wondering why you were talking about ARs. My question may not have been clear enough though, no worries. I was just wondering why general consensus is that the Savage is better than the Mossy.
Don't own either a Savage or a Moss. (I own a Tikka), but I'll try to take a shot at what makes one bolt action rifle better than another. IMHO there are at least 4 things you need to look at in a bolt action rifle. The most important is the barrel, as this will probably have the greatest effect on accuracy. More $ gets you a better barrel. A top quality barrel will almost certainly be very accurate. Cheaper barrels will generally be less accurate and have more of a variation. You can luck out and get a pretty accurate cheap barrel. But a more expensive bolt gun/barrel mfg will consistently produce very accurate rifles. Some will give you a guarantee.
Actions - More money gets you a stronger, smoother, more reliable action. Once you have used a good quality action, it's hard to go back to a cheap one.
Stock - A more expensive/better rife will have a better stock. It will be stiffer/more comfortable/more adjustable, etc.
Trigger - a more expensive bolt gun will have a better trigger. It will be lighter, crisper and generally more adjustable than a cheaper trigger.
Having said that, although you can certainly spend $3-5,000 on a bolt gun, I do think you can buy a very nice bolt gun for under a $1,000. I picked up my Tikka T3X CTR for under $900. Savage and CZ also make some nice guns. Or you can pick up a Remington 700 for now, and then little by little upgrade and customize it.
Same is true of scopes. You can actually get some pretty decent scopes for $3-500. Of course you can also spend $2-3,000 on a scope. Additional money will get you spectacularly clear and bright optics, bullet proof ruggedness and reliability, and tons of adjustability to compensate for bullet drop out to 1000 yards and beyond.
Actions - More money gets you a stronger, smoother, more reliable action. Once you have used a good quality action, it's hard to go back to a cheap one.
Stock - A more expensive/better rife will have a better stock. It will be stiffer/more comfortable/more adjustable, etc.
Trigger - a more expensive bolt gun will have a better trigger. It will be lighter, crisper and generally more adjustable than a cheaper trigger.
Having said that, although you can certainly spend $3-5,000 on a bolt gun, I do think you can buy a very nice bolt gun for under a $1,000. I picked up my Tikka T3X CTR for under $900. Savage and CZ also make some nice guns. Or you can pick up a Remington 700 for now, and then little by little upgrade and customize it.
Same is true of scopes. You can actually get some pretty decent scopes for $3-500. Of course you can also spend $2-3,000 on a scope. Additional money will get you spectacularly clear and bright optics, bullet proof ruggedness and reliability, and tons of adjustability to compensate for bullet drop out to 1000 yards and beyond.
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I have no cause to speak poorly of the other brands mentioned, but if you dumped a pile of rifles at my feet and told me to pick out the shooter, odds are I would not go wrong grabbing the Savage.
I've had several, the best was a heavy barreled .308. My son currently uses the Predator scope/rifle package in .223 with factory ammo for coyote that does well and really was a heck of a deal. Hands down the best shooting factory rifle I've seen yet was heavy barreled .223 an old guy used to spend every waking moment handloading for.
They make a good barrel, the accu-trigger is about as good as you'll get for a factory trigger,and some people say the floating bolt head helps with the accuracy. As far as appearance, well, they shoot pretty good. Customer service is supposed to be decent, but I have no first hand experience with that.
I've had several, the best was a heavy barreled .308. My son currently uses the Predator scope/rifle package in .223 with factory ammo for coyote that does well and really was a heck of a deal. Hands down the best shooting factory rifle I've seen yet was heavy barreled .223 an old guy used to spend every waking moment handloading for.
They make a good barrel, the accu-trigger is about as good as you'll get for a factory trigger,and some people say the floating bolt head helps with the accuracy. As far as appearance, well, they shoot pretty good. Customer service is supposed to be decent, but I have no first hand experience with that.
I have the MVP Varmit and don't have any complaints with it however it was an impulse buy purely because I saw it and the fact that it takes the AR mags so I bought it. The bolt design is a little strange but I haven't had any problems with it. I have shot 3" 5 shot groups at 250 yards with it off the bench. I have a couple 700's that I would go to first though and if I could only buy one or the other it would be the Savage. If you ever wanted to try it I am in Douglas.
The Remington 700 is the erector set of bolt guns. I have heavy barrel varmint sps in .308. $400 on sale w $50 rebate in spring. Dropped it in Boyd's stock to my liking ($117 delivered) and added Timney trigger ($125 ish). Consistent sub MOA with hand loads. Used at Granby today with hits at 366 and 612 yards and just missed at 924 yards with first three shots of day. Of course a good scope and mount on top.
My brother used this formula (Remington 700 sps, Boyd's stock and Timney trigger) twice last year for sub MOA rifles. One regular barrel one varmint in two different calibers.
If you have to pick between Savage and Mossberg, I would pick Savage. The accutriggers I have shot are nice. Be aware some have reported that if you don't pull strait back trigger can bind. Have not experienced it on mine.
My brother used this formula (Remington 700 sps, Boyd's stock and Timney trigger) twice last year for sub MOA rifles. One regular barrel one varmint in two different calibers.
If you have to pick between Savage and Mossberg, I would pick Savage. The accutriggers I have shot are nice. Be aware some have reported that if you don't pull strait back trigger can bind. Have not experienced it on mine.
I'm hearing a lot of good things about the Tikka's. Are they something built heavy enough for taking constant shots at the range without accuracy loss or are they more of the lighter rifles that you shoot a few rounds to 1. zero in and 2. bag some game then go home?
fencer
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I would pick the Savage over the Mossberg every time, but in that general price range, I would have a hard time not buying a 700.
https://www.remington.com/rifles/bolt-action/model-700/model-700-sps-tactical.
https://www.remington.com/rifles/bolt-action/model-700/model-700-sps-tactical.
You toss a set of aperture style sights on a bolt gun and you would shoot well
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I shoot my 513t just as well at 200 as I do my NMA2 and my garand! Aperture match sights are great.
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They have the full range from the T3 light to the heavy barrel thick stock target models.
napoleon1815
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Yes I ordered the Savage! In the future I may get a Tikka too based on what I have been reading but happy for now. Will likely be a month or two before I get it out with school, etc., starting up again and it gets busy. However I will certainly provide a report...on the hunt for a scope next week.
Don't to cheap on rings or mounts.
Over the years I have learned a quality set of rings will do wonders.
My dad came from the school of thought that you should spend the same if not more on the optic as you did on the rifle.
Don't get fooled by high magnification on low end scopes.
If your looking to do target work resolution will go a long way vs magnification.
I still like my old luepold vxiii 3x9x32! Also very happy with my sightron and Mueller 8x32x44 with the "tactical" reticle.
napoleon1815
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I am weak in this area. If you bought this rifle (Savage 10FCP-SR, 20"), what rings and scope would you buy?
