Good first bolt action rifle?

[Witsendidk]

Anyone have any recommendations to someone new to long range shooting? I've shot my FIL's .308 and really enjoyed it, but I admit I don't know much about different long range calibers or long range shooting in general. Very new world to me.

Advice on where I should start my research?

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[BSG 75]

Advice on where I should start my research?

PrecisionRifleBlog.com - A DATA-DRIVEN Approach to Precision Rifles, Optics & Gear

In terms of bang for the buck consider the Ruger Precision Rifle in 6mm Creedmoor.



Ruger® Ruger Precision® Rifle * Bolt-Action Rifle Model 18032
RUGER PRECISION RIFLE Matte Black 6mm Creedmoor 24-inch 10rd Hybrid Muzzle Brake

EDIT: I changed recommendation from 6.5 Creedmoor to 6mm Creedmoor because according to this Rifle Caliber – What The Pros Use 6mm Creedmoor is the current king.

 

[Witsendidk]

PrecisionRifleBlog.com - A DATA-DRIVEN Approach to Precision Rifles, Optics & Gear

In terms of bang for the buck consider the Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor

View attachment 549968

Ruger® Ruger Precision® Rifle * Bolt-Action Rifle Model 18029
Ruger Precision Rifle for Sale Cheap Shipping | 6.5 Creedmoor 24 Inch Black

That's a super nice looking rifle... Thanks for the reply! I guess i should have mentioned im always on a budget...

 

[American123]

I've been checking out the mossberg mvp in .308 just because the detachable mag is more my style, but then again. For the price of the ones I've been eyeing, the AR10 is more appealing.

 

[American123]

For a more helpful reply. I'm not sure what your desired caliber, price range, or features are.

I vastly prefer semi auto firearms and most of my shooting I do involved them, but I had a hankering for a bolt action a while ago.

I definitely went the more "cheap practical route" and watched many many videos online demonstrating the capabilities of these cheaper rifles being churned out by Ruger and Savage and compared to them to what has seemed to long been a standard of the Remington 700.

Ultimately I went with a Ruger American. Of the many reviewers I watched and comparison of features I saw that it offered enough of what I was looking for and at a great value. Could there be other rifles that deliver better accuracy by a percentage, most definitely, but from what I watched and read, it appeared the price point between a rifle that shot good enough and one that shot unbelievably accurate was astronomical and not in my price range. I was able to get a .270 model new off gunbroker for well below what I could find locally. So far I haven't done much more than play 'sniper' on a few paper targets at 200 yards.

The only thing in hindsight I should have done more thinking about was whether I wanted a push fed or a controlled feed system. I envisioned being able to put a round in the chamber and run the bolt, that would be a push fed system (what we see snipers do in movies). Controlled feed (in my experience with my rifle) does not allow that easily and requires feeding from the magazine. They are detachable and hold 4 rounds, but replacements are unnecessarily expensive in my opinion.

 

[Kruel J]

PrecisionRifleBlog.com - A DATA-DRIVEN Approach to Precision Rifles, Optics & Gear

In terms of bang for the buck consider the Ruger Precision Rifle in 6mm Creedmoor.

View attachment 549969

Ruger® Ruger Precision® Rifle * Bolt-Action Rifle Model 18032
RUGER PRECISION RIFLE Matte Black 6mm Creedmoor 24-inch 10rd Hybrid Muzzle Brake

EDIT: I changed recommendation from 6.5 Creedmoor to 6mm Creedmoor because according to this Rifle Caliber – What The Pros Use 6mm Creedmoor is the current king.

I'd avoid that one. Start with a basic platform and a common caliber. The chassis and all don't make it shoot any better. Convo me if you want to know how I know this.

 

[turq]

Tell us exactly the longest range you expect to shoot an animal OR is it targets only?
Tikkas are nice and CZ rifles. Not bad on the wallet. Savage also.

 

[Witsendidk]

Tell us exactly the longest range you expect to shoot an animal OR is it targets only?
Tikkas are nice and CZ rifles. Not bad on the wallet. Savage also.

Honestly I don't know...i guess I'm just interested in exploring the world of long range, my current experience is mostly limited to handguns, with the exception of my 10/22 with a red dot sight but even then i've never had the chance to shoot it further than 25 yds, at my local indoor range lol. I suppose i'd like to practice shooting a few hundred yards, again this is all new territory to me so I don't even really know what's considered relatively close or far. I would appreciate a value rifle in a value caliber, if that's possible or even exists. In the grand scheme yes i would eventually like to hunt. But i want to work my way up to that.

 

[Witsendidk]

I'd avoid that one. Start with a basic platform and a common caliber. The chassis and all don't make it shoot any better. Convo me if you want to know how I know this.

I will definitely be pm'ing you!

 

[Stomper]

Try the Ruger American Rifle, or a Savage for an inexpensive entry into full-sized bolt/action rifles. Either one are pretty accurate for at least the first 3-5 shots before the barrel heats up and the shot-groups open up a bit. They can be found in multiple calibers, and you can get one kitted up with a functional scope for under $450 (Bi-Mart carries them).

 

[Goosebrown]

Ruger American is a good choice. I'm into savage and find them to be very accurate out of the box.

Do you reload? If not you should go 6.5 creedmore. If you do reload 6mm creedmore is great. I like 6mm benchrest more though out to 800 yards or so. 6mmbr is a superb and forgiving target caliber.

I don't like to slag the ruger precision but among the group I shoot with almost everyone who had one has sold it regardless of caliber in favor of savages or remingtons. They for some reason get you most of the way there but are really hard to tune to perfection.

If you're starting out on a budget. I highly recommend a savage 12fv from cabelas. Get a vortex scope. 25x or so. That will get you out to 1000 pretty consistently.

If you aren't on a budget, let us know.

 

[DB is Here]

Remington 700 is a great beginning platform, they can be modded to fit what your looking for too. Just depends how far you want to go down the rabbit hole.

 

[turq]

There is still a nice Rem model 7 Predator in the classifieds here for $375.
243 cal. 22" barrel is med. dia. I believe.
Inexpensive ammo good at long range, price leaves room for a good scope.

 

[Member 34319]

First bolt action recommendations huh...

I'm going to throw a curveball.

Get a rimfire bolt action for your first.

Learn all your basics. Inexpensive ammo. Super enjoyable to shoot. The magnums are very accurate. No recoil.

Shooting to 300, which is a pretty common "long" distance to find in the woods, or even to 100 at most ranges is pretty enjoyable with rimfire and can be very challenging if going for groups.

From there I'd say my second recommendation would be a common caliber like 223 or 308.

You're going to need to ask yourself a lot of questions too.

How far do I want to actually shoot?
How far can I actually shoot, range or area to shoot distances?
How much am I willing to spend?
Do I want the latest greatest caliber?
Will I load my own ammo for it?
How much money will I set aside for the optic? Very important for past 400 yards in my opinion.
How often will I shoot these distances? 4K gun to check off a box of things you wanted to do is a big expense for a once and awhile. Once I got to 1400 yards, it lost it's fun. I sold my gun.
Will you use it to hunt?

There's probably a lot more questions needed but that's a good start.

 

[Dirt Sample]

I have Ruger american Ranch Rifles in 556 and 762 x 39, and a Ruger Predator in .308. All three have been no regret buys, and are way more accurate than I ever hope to be. For the price point, I think they are unbeatable. I don't own stock or work for Ruger, just a huge fan

 

[surevaliance]

Tell us exactly the longest range you expect to shoot an animal OR is it targets only?
Tikkas are nice and CZ rifles. Not bad on the wallet. Savage also.

Yep. Tikka.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

i like both my savage bolt action rifles