So I'm in no position to buy a rifle right now therefore I seem to be looking twice as hard!
My question is specifically what is the best handling bolt action rifle you have used in a #/10 score.
No caliber comparisons or alternate actions please. Accuracy not an issue unless you couldn't get 2MOA. Just simply which rifle feels like a natural extension of your body.
So far I've only carried 4 bolt action rifles for a whole season. I've shot 2 more regularly at the range.
1 P14 Eddystone . Dad's heavy old battle axe... Got a 3rd place finish prone with irons at competition but heavy and clunky while hunting. 4/10
2 Savage 110 old side button mag release. Pretty Meh. Decent ergonomics at the bench. I could get up to 70rds in a session before fatigue. I was often surprised by bruising later because it didn't seem bad at the range. 5/10
3 Rem 700SA Mtn rifle. I have neck and shoulder issues and with a big Leupy and cheap sling it could wear me down a bit on the 15-20km hikes. Great fit and balance. Snap shooting deer that jumped out of their beds was easy. Fast follow ups. Often too fast since they proved totally unnecessary. 1 downside seems to be prone. I have had trouble with sight picture. A berm or a pack is perfect but true prone is a bit off. 2 upgrades, bedded by a great smith and has a timney trigger. Currently running a 12" LOP for the kids and a lighter Burris Fullfield II. 2 elk, a bear, and a dozen deer it's an easy choice when heading out. Also it seemed like everyone 5'8" and shorter who handles or shoots it falls in love instantly. 7/10
4 Ruger 77mk II SA Magnum All Weather. Well it's heavy, not bad and an upgraded sling took care of that. Points well and I haven't noticed one shooting position that trumps another. Factory LOP getting long for me I'm 5'8". It's adequate all round and I don't have any real complaints but nothing to rave about either. It's not an instant joy. Negs are bolt bind, some feed rail issues, and trigger creep(it came horrible but I found some technical diagrams and was able to smooth it considerably). It does have a better overall feel than the Savage. 6/10
Rifles I've shot a lot,
5 Tikka T3 lite. My friend loves playing with scopes and loads for his kids but doing ladders for 3 or 4 rifles can be too much work for him. We often reload together so I KNOW what I'm shooting. My handling of these is 90% at the bench. My impression is neutral. Triggers are stiff from factory and it can be hard to switch back and forth from my timney. Feeding singly with no mag is near impossible. For carry and handling I don't like how the mag sticks below the belly of the stock. Bench and bi-pod shooting are comfortable. I don't like the balance of the one with the 4.5-14 leupy. I feel a difference with the 3-9 Conquest. Not a thorough opinion because I haven't spent days and days hunting with one. 6.5/10
6 Browning x-bolt Stainless Stalker SA. In an eyes closed handling comparison at the gun store I preferred the Hunter with wood stock. I really like the bolt unlock ergonomics. I've put the mag in and out dozens of times, it feels great and takes no thought for me. In and out the mag is snuggled in my hand perfectly. I've put well over 100 rds through it. It comes to the shoulder intuitively and is a great feel for offhand. It's the first rifle I've spent significant time with with the pear shaped forend...it really fits my hand. At the bench it's pretty neutral, the pistol grip feels a bit open and therefore a bit of a reach at the bench. Again I haven't carried all day for days on end so it's a limited assessment. 7.5/10 SS 8/10 wood stock.
Gunshow/store impressions.... unfair for me to score
WBY Vanguard I feel these are built for 6' plus guys. The wood stock angles don't fit/feel sharp to my hands (I have fairly big hands though size 10glove or XL for most brands... But they're thick from work, read Sausage fingers). Action is smooth but LOP is long overall feels "big". Probably unfair for me to give a #/10
WBY Mk5 Accumark handled on a clearance sale. I was surprised by the balance. Nicer overall than Vanguard. Didn't feel as " big" or maybe I should say it feels smaller than it really is but not quite "handy" again it would be unfair for me to give it a score.
Zastava, neutral to handy. I like the mag release button and the relief in the stock above the trigger guard, there's a natural place for your finger other than the trigger. Reminds me of a good "dead pedal" in a car, a place for your left foot makes a long drive more comfortable.
Parker Hale, I love the fancy roll over cheek stocks and deep pistol grips but those things don't lend themselves to handiness. The simpler stocks were neutral and didn't make a big impression... Very limited experience please don't flame
Winchester featherweight, nice feel. I like the Schnabel forend but find I'm wishing it was lighter.
Remington Model 7. HANDY! The small Schnabel seems to meet my hand instinctively. No real world experience though.
Brno fullstock...neutral. Forend taper offers infinite hand positioning and never feels wrong
Manlicher Schoenaur.. Smooth and handy. Seems to deserve its reputation.
Axis, because someone will mention it I'm sure. I've handled them, Most notably I didn't like the safety. Rough and a bad angle for my fat tradesman thumb.
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR:
Sako, Husqvarna, Kimber, Sauer, details. You know, do the "nicer" rifles feel nicer?
Please give details, pros and cons. At the bench? Field positions? Forend? Pistol grip, too tight or too open?
Is your BSA Majestic hard to tell apart from your body?
Remember please leave cartridge and bug-hole accuracy out of this, if it can hit the intended target at the intended range we want to know how it feels to carry and shoot for the whole season.
Thanks in advance Willy
My question is specifically what is the best handling bolt action rifle you have used in a #/10 score.
No caliber comparisons or alternate actions please. Accuracy not an issue unless you couldn't get 2MOA. Just simply which rifle feels like a natural extension of your body.
So far I've only carried 4 bolt action rifles for a whole season. I've shot 2 more regularly at the range.
1 P14 Eddystone . Dad's heavy old battle axe... Got a 3rd place finish prone with irons at competition but heavy and clunky while hunting. 4/10
2 Savage 110 old side button mag release. Pretty Meh. Decent ergonomics at the bench. I could get up to 70rds in a session before fatigue. I was often surprised by bruising later because it didn't seem bad at the range. 5/10
3 Rem 700SA Mtn rifle. I have neck and shoulder issues and with a big Leupy and cheap sling it could wear me down a bit on the 15-20km hikes. Great fit and balance. Snap shooting deer that jumped out of their beds was easy. Fast follow ups. Often too fast since they proved totally unnecessary. 1 downside seems to be prone. I have had trouble with sight picture. A berm or a pack is perfect but true prone is a bit off. 2 upgrades, bedded by a great smith and has a timney trigger. Currently running a 12" LOP for the kids and a lighter Burris Fullfield II. 2 elk, a bear, and a dozen deer it's an easy choice when heading out. Also it seemed like everyone 5'8" and shorter who handles or shoots it falls in love instantly. 7/10
4 Ruger 77mk II SA Magnum All Weather. Well it's heavy, not bad and an upgraded sling took care of that. Points well and I haven't noticed one shooting position that trumps another. Factory LOP getting long for me I'm 5'8". It's adequate all round and I don't have any real complaints but nothing to rave about either. It's not an instant joy. Negs are bolt bind, some feed rail issues, and trigger creep(it came horrible but I found some technical diagrams and was able to smooth it considerably). It does have a better overall feel than the Savage. 6/10
Rifles I've shot a lot,
5 Tikka T3 lite. My friend loves playing with scopes and loads for his kids but doing ladders for 3 or 4 rifles can be too much work for him. We often reload together so I KNOW what I'm shooting. My handling of these is 90% at the bench. My impression is neutral. Triggers are stiff from factory and it can be hard to switch back and forth from my timney. Feeding singly with no mag is near impossible. For carry and handling I don't like how the mag sticks below the belly of the stock. Bench and bi-pod shooting are comfortable. I don't like the balance of the one with the 4.5-14 leupy. I feel a difference with the 3-9 Conquest. Not a thorough opinion because I haven't spent days and days hunting with one. 6.5/10
6 Browning x-bolt Stainless Stalker SA. In an eyes closed handling comparison at the gun store I preferred the Hunter with wood stock. I really like the bolt unlock ergonomics. I've put the mag in and out dozens of times, it feels great and takes no thought for me. In and out the mag is snuggled in my hand perfectly. I've put well over 100 rds through it. It comes to the shoulder intuitively and is a great feel for offhand. It's the first rifle I've spent significant time with with the pear shaped forend...it really fits my hand. At the bench it's pretty neutral, the pistol grip feels a bit open and therefore a bit of a reach at the bench. Again I haven't carried all day for days on end so it's a limited assessment. 7.5/10 SS 8/10 wood stock.
Gunshow/store impressions.... unfair for me to score
WBY Vanguard I feel these are built for 6' plus guys. The wood stock angles don't fit/feel sharp to my hands (I have fairly big hands though size 10glove or XL for most brands... But they're thick from work, read Sausage fingers). Action is smooth but LOP is long overall feels "big". Probably unfair for me to give a #/10
WBY Mk5 Accumark handled on a clearance sale. I was surprised by the balance. Nicer overall than Vanguard. Didn't feel as " big" or maybe I should say it feels smaller than it really is but not quite "handy" again it would be unfair for me to give it a score.
Zastava, neutral to handy. I like the mag release button and the relief in the stock above the trigger guard, there's a natural place for your finger other than the trigger. Reminds me of a good "dead pedal" in a car, a place for your left foot makes a long drive more comfortable.
Parker Hale, I love the fancy roll over cheek stocks and deep pistol grips but those things don't lend themselves to handiness. The simpler stocks were neutral and didn't make a big impression... Very limited experience please don't flame
Winchester featherweight, nice feel. I like the Schnabel forend but find I'm wishing it was lighter.
Remington Model 7. HANDY! The small Schnabel seems to meet my hand instinctively. No real world experience though.
Brno fullstock...neutral. Forend taper offers infinite hand positioning and never feels wrong
Manlicher Schoenaur.. Smooth and handy. Seems to deserve its reputation.
Axis, because someone will mention it I'm sure. I've handled them, Most notably I didn't like the safety. Rough and a bad angle for my fat tradesman thumb.
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR:
Sako, Husqvarna, Kimber, Sauer, details. You know, do the "nicer" rifles feel nicer?
Please give details, pros and cons. At the bench? Field positions? Forend? Pistol grip, too tight or too open?
Is your BSA Majestic hard to tell apart from your body?
Remember please leave cartridge and bug-hole accuracy out of this, if it can hit the intended target at the intended range we want to know how it feels to carry and shoot for the whole season.
Thanks in advance Willy
Last edited:
