What Old Budget Rifle Should I Buy?

conor_90

conor_90

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
91   0   0
Location
NW BC
Lately my gun cabinet has not been a good place to be if you are a rifle that doesn't want to get sold.

It's down to the bare bones, upland game and rimfire are covered and the only centerfire rifle present is a .338 wm. Fun but expensive to shoot. I would like to practice more, but I would also like a rifle that can be used to hunt deer.

Having sold my smaller caliber rifles and being left with some cash from the sales I am left with a hole that requires filling. There is a gun show coming up, and last year I drove into town to attend it and was impressed with the selection of older hunting guns.

- in the 500 dollar range
- deer legal
- not a magnum, but capable of carrying bullets in the 150-200 grain range
- not a .243 or .270 or anything of that ilk
- less expensive than the .338 wm to reload
- preferably works well with components I have like 30-31 (I am leaning towards a .30 cal because of the above)
- something unique from the past rather than a dime a dozen modern budget rifle; read wooden stock
- preference for a "carbine"
- must have functional iron sights
- not for long range hunting or moa target shooting, just deer slaying in the mountains and surrounding forests.
- not a semi

I've been thinking .308 caliber for cheaper reloading, Do any other caliber bullets come to mind that are deer legal and not especially expensive?

A few idea's I've had are a 30-30 bolt stevens/savage, Handi-rifle in 30 cal, and the Winchester 88 (may be out of my price range).


What are your favourites? Anything I should look for in particular with your chosen rifle if I'm lucky enough to find one?
 
If already owned a 338 winmag I would go smaller than 30 caliber for a compact lighter rifle. There are lots of sporterized 6.5x55 mausers out there that fit your bill. But if your stuck on a 30 caliber a 1894 in 30-30 doesn't use much powder. Both should work well with 3031.
 
Gatehouse I am saving my Husqvarna for when I can afford to feed and have time to figure out reloading for the 9.3x57. And the money for gunsmithing to make it perfect. I have realized that's not a reasonable project for now.

I sold a 30/30 marlin 336 and bolt action Zastava m85 in 7.62x39 that both fit the bill during the great selling bonanza of '15. Want to try something new, old rather.

I think the .308 is about as compact and small as I would like to venture. 30/30 gets a pass for some reason.

Do model 660's with the rib and older model 7's go for high prices generally?
 
Last edited:
Too bad you don't want a Husqvarna 1600 in .30-06 like GH suggested. Cheap to shoot, readily available brass etc etc.
 
You'll find as you age, and I'm maybe only a decade and a bit down the road from you, that the extra $300-500 to get the right rifle compared to just another you'll buy and sell is meaningless. And after the $300-500 more era, it becomes a percentage, seems to usually fall at about 40-50% more.

Seems to me you want a Ruger Scout, .308, excellent factory iron sights, comes in a pretty version with walnut not laminate (see Superbrad's posts), but you're looking for something half its price. But that's just my thoughts on it.
 
^the GSR is nice, it seems to get more and more expensive as the years go by.

What I am looking for here is what I would describe as a "truck gun", if I owned a truck or hunted from one.

I want to keep a .30 cal beater in the rotation. It is only right. My problem if anything is buying guns in odd calibers and not knowing what to do with them. I think E.E and facebook gun group browsing addiction may also be a contributing factor. Still settling into which calibers/actions I like I guess.

A big factor here is; the less money is spent the more is around for practice ammo.

If the gun show fails me I might just order a husqy, but who knows what it will have for me.
 
conor_90 said:
- in the 500 dollar range
- deer legal
- not a magnum, but capable of carrying bullets in the 150-200 grain range
- not a .243 or .270 or anything of that ilk
- less expensive than the .338 wm to reload
- preferably works well with components I have like 30-31 (I am leaning towards a .30 cal because of the above)
- something unique from the past rather than a dime a dozen modern budget rifle; read wooden stock
- preference for a "carbine"
- must have functional iron sights
- not for long range hunting or moa target shooting, just deer slaying in the mountains and surrounding forests.
- not a semi

I've been thinking .308 caliber for cheaper reloading, Do any other caliber bullets come to mind that are deer legal and not especially expensive?
Click to expand...

760003.jpg
 
I would look for a Husqvarna 1600 series in .308 ( I can't remember the exact model number). They had fairly short barrels, just over 20". It might take a while to hunt one down, but the chase is half the fun of buying used guns.
 
Just cruise the tables... for sure you will come up with a good used M77, M7, M700 or M70 (XTR etc...) in .308 that is within your budget... better than the flimsy, stamped, soulless offerings of our day... Stick to the 7's.
 
What about a Savage Model 99E in 308,...one of those should be quite easy to find, and the 99E doesn't command a big price, probably right in your budget range,..plus, from my experience around these rifles, they are very accurate.
 
While I probably shouldn't post a reason not to purchase another rifle, consider this. Cutting your .338 barrel down to a handy carbine length won't reduce it's effectiveness. Its better to have a rifle that is of a useful size. Handloading for a .338 is no more expensive than handloading for any other full sized hunting cartridge, provided one takes care with his powder selection and bullet choice, and if approached correctly, handloading greatly increases any centerfire cartridge's versatility. Cast bullet loads over 15-20 grs of pistol powder makes for pretty cheap shooting, and turns your moose/bear rifle into a viable plinking - small game rifle to deer rifle. So if it was me, I'd take that $500 and buy more brass and components.

But, if this doesn't catch your imagination, and you're set on purchasing a new rifle, then I'm with Ardent; the Ruger Scout in .308 is a top, albeit more expensive choice. the danger is that you might never have a reason to use the .338 again.
 
Last edited:
I've got to chime in on the .308 as well. If you want a bolt or lever gun, there's lots readily available on the EE as well as gun shows. You can still get reasonable surplus ammo for plinking, though it's kinda crappy. Since you load your own anyway, your shooting costs drop. Performance wise, because it's on the .30 cal. platform you have a very wide range of bullets and powders available to you. Half the fun for me is finding the load that any particular rifle seems to like the most. I might not use it on something like wood bison, Kodiak or Grizzly bear, but you have your .338 for that. Though I love the venerable old .303 which is still my favourite, I'm very fond of the .308 and it's put a lot of game on the table for me over the years as well as being fun to shoot. There, my 2 cents worth!
 
I was just looking online at the inventory that one of the gun shops has here on the South Shore,...I think you could find something to suit your needs.

Model 99s

- 1 303 sav
- 5 300 sav
- 2 308 win

Remington 760

- 3 30.06 sprg
- 1 308 win

Marlin 336

- 3 30.30 win
- 2 35 rem

Model 94

-2 30.30 win
-1 32 win

and 2 Stevens 30-30 bolt actions.

All of these guns are in the ball park of your price range.
 
One of my favourites is a short little Remington 600 in 6.5 RM, light, handy and very accurate.
Easy to carry, handy in a vehicle or on a quad, you can carry it all day and a very capable cartridge.
I have put it up for sale twice and changed my mind because of the above reasons, just a nice little rifle..
 
You are in Ontario, correct?

You need to sell one more rifle...

Lose the .338 and buy a quality bolt rifle in .308 or .30/06, and start reloading.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom