Your opinion, best "battle rifle", hunting, etc for under $1k

[H2O MAN]

Maybe one of these >> Springfield Armory M1A Bush Rifle, 308, 18'' Barrel, Used.

 

[Brutus57]

Where can you find a Garand for $1,000? All the ones I have seen at gun shows are way more than that and pretty rough.

Brutus Out.

Plus a Garand is not very light. I drilled with one of those at Pensacola for 13 weeks and, never got to fire it but boy I got to clean it a lot.

 

[del_and_bones]

Where can you find a Garand for $1,000? All the ones I have seen at gun shows are way more than that and pretty rough.

Brutus Out.

Plus a Garand is not very light. I drilled with one of those at Pensacola for 13 weeks and, never got to fire it but boy I got to clean it a lot.

Check out the CMP Garand sales. $1k + S/H for:
M1 Garand, CMP Special (.30-06)
Allow 60-120 days for delivery.
M1 Garand Springfield Armory receiver. This is a completely refurbished rifle consisting of an original M1 Garand Springfield receiver, new production Criterion barrel, new production American Walnut stock and handguards, and new web sling. Receiver and most other parts are refinished USGI, but some parts may be new manufacture.

 

[unklekippy]

I rarely see Garands for over $1,000 at gun shows. Those that are seem to be fine examples. I generally see them in the &750-1,000 range. I loved mine and only parted with it on a trade that I simply could not pass up. It was a great gun, but the trade was so good that I would do it all over again. I would like my next Garand to be a Tanker in .308.

 

[orygun]

Not trying to piss of the loyal Howa fans, but I'll never own another. That's a hugely personal choice. (they probably wouldn't like my rifle either!) It didn't feed all that well (although better than my overpriced Kimber) and it just didn't "fit" me.

For a gun I'm packing in the back country chasing deer or elk, the M1 Garand won't cut it either. It's a bit heavy for that and not an easy rifle to scope. (but it's an easy rifle to lust over. Not many are cooler)

For the budget and requirements of the OP, I'd pick the Gunsite Scout Ruger.

Your choice may vary!

 

[ICEarms]

For your budget, the Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle would be a good choice. I can borrow one from pops and you can try before you buy.

The Ruger Gunsite Scout is a fantastic rifle. I've shot one on multiple occasions. With a reasonably priced red dot, I'll bet you could keep it under $1k.

Sent from the ICE Arms Customer Service Cave.

 

[Cryogaijin]

SAIGA .308.

This.

Or if you're lucky enough to find one, Vepr .308

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

How about a Swiss surplus straight pull rifle? From what I have read these are the swiss watches of the milsulps. Supposed to be deadly accurate and in very good shape. And you can buy 3 of them for your $1000.00 budget.

 

[oregunbob541]

I guess you would have to make up your mind on whether or not you want a battle rifle, or a bolt gun. For a battle rifle in that price range I would suggest a Saiga .308 or an FN FAL, both are excellent choices for your intended use. If you want a bolt gun, I would go with a Remmington 700 ADL, or SPS. Get some quality glass and either will serve you well.

 

[jim97701]

Heck, How about 7 or 8 Mosins and a crap load of surplus ammo, No detachable mag but what the heck!

 

[ICEarms]

Heck, How about 7 or 8 Mosins and a crap load of surplus ammo, No detachable mag but what the heck!

If you're going to go the surplus route, go Swiss, like the poster above mentioned. The Swiss find aren't as cheap as they used to be, but neither are the Mosins. One Swiss will set you back $300, but that leaves you $700 for ammo, along with one of the most accurate war guns ever developed.
Sent from the ICE Arms Customer Service Cave.

 

[Jr1982]

Fn FNAR. You can find used ones for under a grand but you still have to put some sort of optic on it. If your willing to shop around you can find a good used rem 700 and then put the badger ordinance mag kit on it. Someone said above mags are speedy for it though.

 

[clearconscience]

So an update.
I wasn't planning on buying one for a while, but a good friend was selling his Remington 700 VTR for a great price and I couldn't pass it up.
Bough his scope too, so for about $1000 I got the Rem 700, Vortex Viper scope, and a blackhawk bipod.
I'll just wait to get the box mag kit later. Besides I'm hoping the mag prices for them come down!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Johnny Corona]

The Garand is just plain hard to beat for that all around battle rifle. I have two dating back to 45' that came out of an armory in Missouri, new never fired after they were returned for retrofit after the war. 30-06 in semi auto mode, with that many different bullet weight combinations available, great all around gun, and caliber. IMHO

 

[Kimber Custom]

I've been very happy with my Howa 1500 .308. 2 mags, bottom metal, BDR scope w/ mounts for around $700. Fabulous trigger and is capable of sub MOA. I agree that it didn't fit me very well out of the box but a $15 cheek rest, a new set of rings and moving the sling stud fixed me right up. I think it's a lot of bang for the buck.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

SAIGA .308.

^this. But a converted one.

The only thing it lacks is reliable, light and available military quality magazines.
Ive owned a few S.308's, down to one now.
Fantastic rifle all around though.

My next choice, a G3 clone/variant.
Cheap spare parts, mags and rollers.
The only downside.. Optic mounts aren't to my liking.. But the ones that are out are ok.
After that, an AK.
The AK can easily be had for under 1K, the better quality are up towards the 1k mark.
Different optic mounting options, furniture, common spare parts and mags, quite accurate with decent ammo and not to mention the 7.62x39 is a great round.

 

[cookie]

What bugs me about the Scout rifle is the short barrel, it is louder than a longer barrel.

 

[JulianH]

^this. But a converted one.

Yeah, I was also going to suggest the Saiga .308. Unfortunately they are hard to find right now, what with Izhmash going through bankruptcy reorganization. Now the VEPR is easier to find, and even though it's somewhat more expensive, it's probably better made overall. <broken link removed> has them in stock in various configurations - I'd recommend an 18+ inch barrel.