What are the really accurate bolt action deer rifles?

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  • gregr

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    What are the really accurate bolt action deer rifles, (with factory ammo)? The thread about the Rural King American rifle got me thinking. High-end. low-end, doesn`t matter. Which are the really accurate bolt action deer rifles? And are they as good used, or do you need to buy new to get that impressive accuracy.
     

    Dean C.

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    Been looking really hard at a SIG Cross in 308 or 6.5 myself, got to shoot one the other day and it handled very very well. Might not be a "deer gun" look but very light and handy rifle.


    Now with Indiana law being how it is, on public land I would use a 44mag lever gun myself.
     

    gregr

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    Tikka if your bank account isn't overflowing, Sako if it is. Slick as snot actions, good triggers, and sub 1 MOA accuracy guarantee. Lots of options in stocks, finishes, and barrels. Both of mine are well under that 1 MOA, the Lite isn't far from .5 MOA with factory ammo.
    What kind of money are we talking for either?
     

    snapping turtle

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    Long beer drinking post:

    New rifles available at RK? Prolly good to go.

    With the current tech most rifles made today will shoot fine for deer in Indiana. What you loose With the cheaper rifles is weight bolt smoothness open sights ect. All trade offs. But they will shoot minute of deer. You don’t need half inch groups to kill deer at normal Indiana distances.

    Some rifles I have had very good groups 1-1.25 three shot groups maybe 1.5 ) i shoot better with lighter kicking rifles so remember I am behind the trigger here you may do much better. with in deer calibers are: kinda in order of price. Not all of these I have hunted with but all have seen range time for groups.

    1: Savage 340 30/30 (good luck finding anyone who is selling one that groups like mine did) not great over 100 yards but not needed in my area. Best 200 dollar rifle scope and sling I ever bought. Con the scope to bolt space was very close so not quick on follow up shots.

    2: savage axis 308 (my cousin’s rifle) shot good bolt needed a little attention but started to run well after a couple years.
    Cons the stock was weird feeling and was kind of front heavy

    3: savage 110 308 (older 1970’s rifle in family)
    Shoots great groups cons 26 inch barrel long barrel. Had scratches and dings and the scope eye relief was not for me and an old scope also. (Savage is much more proud of these rifles now)

    See a pattern here above

    4: rem 721 30-06 shot lights out nice older weaver scope with a German number 4 reticule nice action nice groups cons stick looked like a carved out 2x4 if you see an old model 721 in a pawn shop or a gun show don’t overlook the ugly stock. These Romeo rem 72x rifles should be 3-4 in price

    5: rem 722 257 Robert’s shot great groups like above but have a red field 2-7 scope and we also used it for coyotes/fox even with it being overpower for them. Be careful if 22-250 as these barrel are known to shoot out easy and not Indiana deer legal also ugly rifles.

    Here is where another price line is at

    6: rem 700 ADL 243 win I am still using this now. Was my uncles and he shot it little and loved it lots. 4 power Japan made Tasso scope

    7 rem 700 bdl 308 same as above but you can drop the bullets out the bottom

    8: browning safari 30-06. One of the nicest stock grains I have seen on a rifle and it grouped better if shot under 3 shots in 7 minutes the barrel was thin and I think the point of impact did shift up when hot.

    9: browning a-bolt 308 Pentex scope 3-9 almost as pretty wood as above but a much glossier finish enough to flash if the sun hit it but this one put them in small groups.

    10: Ruger stainless model 77 308 leopold 3-9 scope. This had everything all weather light weight and great handling great bolt and outstanding groups. Most likely lower in the price than the brownings but bought much later in life than the a bolts and safaris

    Some bad one rem model 710 sump mag every shot a rem 700 243 that would not group a savage 110 in 270 win. So even with very like model rifles these three were maybe 4-6 inch groups. So even with the writers signing praises of a rifle the one you buy may give you what he got maybe it is better maybe worse. Until you pull a trigger you may never know. Gun companies often send hand picked and hand grouped rifles for gun mag writers or now youtube’ers

    Brands listed savage Remington ruger browning. I only own Winchester in 22 and lever action. Only rifle on the list not old is the savage axis. You will get this when your dad took you to gun shows when you were waist high.

    End of beer end of post
     
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    On a hill in Perry C
    What kind of money are we talking for either?
    Haven't really checked prices lately but last time I looked Tikkas started around $650, Sakos about a grand. Those are just basic, plain jane hunting types. When you get into some of the fancy models prices get expensive fast. They all use the same basic action then add on different stocks and finishes. One of bad things about them, tho, is availability. They don't churn out hundreds a day like some manufacturers so if you don't see something you like it might be a bit until they do a run.

    ETA: just did a quick search. Cabela's has the T3x Lite in 308 for $680, eurooptics.com has the Lite on sale for $650 in multiple chamberings and the Hunter model starting at $970. So they haven't really gone up much since last I looked.
     
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    Mij

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    Just a thought, in all the posts I saw 2 calibers I’d allow on my property. The 44 pistol round and the 30-30. The new law re: deer hunting is why I no longer allow deer hunting except myself and the neighbor. If you already have permission this may not matter, if you don’t it’s something to consider. I’m not the only one, permission is harder to come by nowadays the rifle laws are one of the reasons. Just a thought.
     

    rosejm

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    @johntheplinker drills it. Maybe add Weatherby in the mix, but those are all very accurate rifles.
    Again the main question will always be: how far are you carrying it, and how far away is your target.

    If the answer to both of those questions is "deer distance" then any reasonably modern rifle will do. Likely even a shotgun firing slugs.
     

    Dooby91

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    I second the tikka. A bergara would be nice too. Like it was said before you really need to look at the features you want and balance that with your budget.


    If you wanted to be able to change parts out to your hearts content I would go with a rem 700 variant like the b14.

    If you want a nice rifle that won’t break the bank I would check out the tikka.
     

    88E30M50

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    Tikka if your bank account isn't overflowing, Sako if it is. Slick as snot actions, good triggers, and sub 1 MOA accuracy guarantee. Lots of options in stocks, finishes, and barrels. Both of mine are well under that 1 MOA, the Lite isn't far from .5 MOA with factory ammo.
    I have no complaints with my Tikka Lite in .308. It's easily sub-MOA and occasionally I'll put a sub .5 MOA group together with factory ammo. IIRC, it was about $800.

    A better shooter and the right ammo could approach .5 MOA all day long I think
     

    two70

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    What are the really accurate bolt action deer rifles, (with factory ammo)? The thread about the Rural King American rifle got me thinking. High-end. low-end, doesn`t matter. Which are the really accurate bolt action deer rifles? And are they as good used, or do you need to buy new to get that impressive accuracy.
    This is not going to be a popular opinion but people are way too hung up on accuracy for most hunting rifles. Unless you're hunting argali where shots may well be over 500 yards, plan on shooting cross canyon at elk or are on some other hunt where long range shots are likely, a sub moa rifle is not necessary. A 2" moa rifle is plenty accurate enough for deer size game out to 300 yards and is likely on par with the accuracy of high end rifles of 20-30+ years ago. Also, tiny groups shot from a bench with a match bullet/load are of no importance if a rifle will not shoot hunting bullets well in the field.

    There is more to a good rifle than just accuracy. Most of the budget rifles are capable of very good accuracy, where they usually fail is in shootability. They, pretty much universally, have cheap, flimsy stocks that handle recoil poorly. Many also have rough actions that cause delays or even bind up when you try to cycle the action quickly for a follow up shot. Some have feeding issues that exacerbate the problems with a rough action.

    In answer to your questions and keeping in mind the other factors I mentioned, Savage(excluding Axis models), Winchester and Mossberg make accurate budget rifles with decent to good stocks and actions. Tikka, Steyr, Bergara, Browning, Winchester, Weatherby Vanguard, Savage and Ruger Hawkeye would be my mid priced choices. If I were betting on a random rifle from each brand to shoot the best groups, I'd probably bet on the Tikka. The upper tier would include Sakos, Benellis, higher end Brownings, Bergaras, Daniel Defense etc. That being said, if I'm reaching into my safe for a rifle to take on an important/serious/expensive hunt then my Kimber is what I'm taking out. It is not the most accurate rifle I own from the bench but it is the one I shoot the best in the field.

    Used rifles, especially those made in the last 10 years or so, are also good options and, IMO, where good deals are typically found. IMO, benign neglect is to be preferred over a mirror clean and polished bore when looking for a used rifle. The biggest issue with some used guns is that they can become collectors items which drives up the price.
     

    two70

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    Been looking really hard at a SIG Cross in 308 or 6.5 myself, got to shoot one the other day and it handled very very well. Might not be a "deer gun" look but very light and handy rifle.

    I really like the looks of the Sig Cross for a chassis rifle but have heard that some of them have had accuracy issues. Not terrible by any means but less accurate and more ammo sensitive than other rifles in that price range.
     

    duanewade

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    I bought a new TC Venture in .243 2 years ago that is a tack driver. I mounted a Nikon Monarch 4x12 scope on it and have $500 invested in as it is. It is fairly lightweight and shoulders easily. It will put 5 rounds into ½" group from a rest and while I haven't had a chance to tag a deer with it due to time limitations last year I definitely plan on putting some stand time in this coming deer season. I've taken about 20 groundhogs with it last year out to about 175 yards so I know it will do it part out farther on a whitetail. Most of my shooting will be 150 yards or less from where I shoot from.

    We own our property and my nephew, his son and I are the only people we allow to hunt. All use .243 or .308. The nephew also has access to a 100+ acre field that I don't and he has 300+ yard shots (with the .308) that he can take.

    One last thought on this. My all time favorite deer rifle is my dad's 1896 Mauser, 7x57 with an ancient 3x9 Tasco scope on it. I quit using it because the barrel is pitted badly (dad shot a lot of old military ammo) and needs replaced. Love the gun, very little recoil and used to group under 1½" at 100 yards but won't hold 3" groups anymore.
     

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