Best bang for buck hunting rifle?

It hard to beat Zastava for a simple, rugged, reliable, utility rifle. They go for 695 at tradex which comes to 750 shipped to your door. They shoot great out of the box. I have used 6.5x55, 7x57, 7x64, 30-06, 8x57, and 9.3x62. They have all shot good and preformed well. Today I decided to put together a backup rifle in 30-06 with some old scope and standard weaver bases + rings and at 100 yards off the quad seat I got a pretty decent accuracy with cheap factory ammo. Same can be said for CZ 550's but they go for 500-600$ more.

They're not a gem but they work, and get the job done. Like some have said,"diamond in the rough."

Just like others have said, best bang for your money lies in the used rifle market. In my opinion they are the Husqvarna rifles from Tradex. 400$ gets you into a very high quality mauser 96-98/1600s in 6.5x55, 30-06, 8x57, 9.3x57, 9.3x62.

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1600 in 8x57
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I hate to admit it but I think a t3 is probably the best bang for your buck out there right now. I have 2 and they both shoot .5 moa or better. Triggers are excellent and they are very reliable and repeatable. I like that all different loads out of each rifle shoot to very similar poi's. A lot of guys are turned off of the polymer mags and trigger guards and all the other plastic on them but there's no arguing with results. I used to be a hater on them but am now converted and I've owned many other rifles in and around the <$1000 price mark.
 
My Zastava's / Remington 798's are capable of decent accuracy. Groups shown are at 100 meters off the bench with my .350 Rem. Mag.

These are classic Mauser 98 design rifles made of iron and wood only. Except for the recoil pad or stock if synthetic. :p

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.350 Rem. Mag. Remington 798 with Leupold VX-2 Ultralight 3-9x33mm
 
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Id say Tikka is the best choice. Own a couple and they are .5 moa shooters with cheap factory ammo. And they just feel quality. Plus they have serious aftermarket. Mountain tactical in Montana has tons of upgrades of top quality, and they ship to Canada at a flat rate of 15$ usd. And it’s pretty rare to get a lemon Tikka. That said, Sako A7 are just a couple hundred more. And Howa/ Weatherby are great rifles. I just love the light weight of a tikka. And this time of year you can find original T3s for great deals. I bought my 270wsm ss for 650$ last January. 50$ for a titanium lug. Good to go. And with fed blu box and fusion it shoots bugholes.
 
plenty of good used guns on the EE at decent prices. I bought a remington 783 a while back...under $450 shipped to my door and has put deer in the freezer the last two seasons.
 
Hunter45 said:
I'll second to that ..the BSA is very well made and a great shooter...in 6.5 x 55
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I sat on the fence when they had other CF2's...7mm, 308, 30-06, and a previous 6.5x55, should have bought them all in hindsight. Less then 1800 of the 6.5x55's were made, not a whole bunch of them around.
 
I've had a couple of BSA cf2's.
22-250, and a 243
They were cheap to buy and very nice quality.
However the triggers were terrible and they weren't very accurate. I didn't spend much time or money trying to improve them, and sold them for around 500$.
 
Buckmastr said:
I've had a couple of BSA cf2's.
22-250, and a 243
They were cheap to buy and very nice quality.
However the triggers were terrible and they weren't very accurate. I didn't spend much time or money trying to improve them, and sold them for around 500$.
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The trigger on the one I picked up is adjustable and quite crisp, it also has a pressure point in the stock (like HVA does).
The pressure point can need a tweek on old dry wood from my experience. I've got much worse shape guns shooting well with just a few minutes work. I'll hopefully get it out next weekend, have some ammo loaded up ready to go.
 
After having owned many different kinds of rifles ...
if I had it to do over again, I'd buy what I grew up with ... a Winchester.

My vote for a quality rifle that is the "best bang for buck hunting" is a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight
They are reasonably light-weight, very accurate, well-crafted, a joy to own and later pass down to the nextgen
Remarkably, they can be purchased brand-new for only $1100

 
-Savage- said:
After having owned many different kinds of rifles ...
if I had it to do over again, I'd buy what I grew up with ... a Winchester.

My vote for a quality rifle that is the "best bang for buck hunting" is a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight
They are reasonably light-weight, very accurate, well-crafted, a joy to own and later pass down to the nextgen
Remarkably, they can be purchased brand-new for only $1100

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I’m with you on this - I think they’re a terrific value! Beautiful guns.
 
jbmauser is selling some excellent Mauser based hunting rifles on EE scoped for $700 or less! Unless you are fixated on a modern rifle (and I suggest T3 or Howa), these are the best bang for the buck!
 
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