tell me about it...I can't bring myself to spend $800 on a rifle chambered in x39, when I could get a rifle chambered in pretty much anything else for the same price. Is a bolt action in x39 in the $400 ballpark too much to ask for? something deer legal.
No, not entirely, it's not all about the cost of the ammunition. There are a few reasons. One, it's generally more accurate (precise?) (using sks as an example, I have 2 by the way), if not because of the action/barrel, because of the ability to mount proper and reliable optics, without turning a $200 rifle into a $400 rifle that's less capable/reliable than in its original configuration (most mounts and precision optics prevent stripper loading). Yes, the 7.62x39 cartridge is a deer legal caliber, non-corrsive, non-surplus is still less than half the cost of .308 win, and is more than good enough for 200 yd which is not only the max distance at my local range, but also further than I need to hunt medium game, which makes it an excellent candidate for my next rifle purchase. I have a fair bit of non-surplus, because my 1950 tula non-refurb eats only Hornady SST, so it would be convenient to have a common cartridge in case of ammo shortage, crashing economy, etc. my 54 refurb gets the Czech special I have stockpiled (lol). The problem is if I'm going to spend $800 on a rifle, and several hundred more on optics and mounting, I may as well pick up something else, because I won't be saving much on ammunition in either case, cause i'll only need 1 range trip plus 1 bullet per year. Might as well go big (cartridge). If a decent x39 bolt action rifle was made in the $4-500 range it would ideal for a lot of people, with optics would be even better. I get that 7.62x39 gets less credit than it's earned, but for an $800 rifle with no optics, you ARE getting less for the same price, no matter how you look at it. Especially when you can get a savage 111 in 30-06, with optics (surely not ideal, but probably good enough to take a deer at 200), for $500.
savage has the wrong bore size, it should be a .311 not a .308Thanks, sorry but I may have gotten the last one at Reliable.
I didn't see the post about P&D being cheaper until after I had bought from Reliable.
Reliable still has the Savage Arms 10 FCM Scout Bolt Action Rifle - 7.62x39mm, 20.5 if anyone else needs that caliber.
