Bolt or Semi 308

Money is an issue as you said so...

Yes, the m14 is fun, and ready to shoot out the box, but your going to feel the need for mags, and you will burn through rounds faster than you can say "oops?" So your not really saving much there, and they are known to not shoot to well, if they work at all. Accuracy will be a joke.

As for the savage. Yes, your going to need an optic, but that can run about 80-100 bucks for an OK one if you know where to look. You will actually hit your mark 9/10 times, and the finish/feel are very nice, PLUS if you want to change caliber down the line (say the fabulas .260 REM), all you need is a new barrel.

I'm a bolt guy all the way, but I like to look at my facts and make an educated decision. Hope this 2c helped you, and happy shooting!
 
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I was all about semi's for the longest time, until I picked up my first bolt gun, and now I'm hooked for good. There's a certain vibe/calm that I get when shooting my bolt action, it's a bit like meditation and I find it quite therapeutic and relaxing. My first was a Savage Model 10 in .223. Soft shooting, .5 moa out of the box, not to expensive to feed compared to .308. You can pick up a fixed 10x Bushnell Elite and be shooting pretty little groups on day one!

Feed it quality ammo and save your brass for future reloading if you decide to go that route. Nice thing with the Savage, down the road you can swap out the bolt face for a .308 bolt face and re-barrel with a factory pre-fit from one of the reputable barrel makers and now you have a .308. if that's your ultimate goal. I had no trouble keeping up with the .308's out to 600-700 yards, once I knew what I was doing. Once you have more cash, sell the 10x scope for almost what you paid, and upgrade your scope. There are lots of good deals to be had for scopes on the EE all year long too.

Just my experience. Have fun!
 
Let me prefix this by saying that I have both firearms. I don't have multiples, just one of each. Bought both around the same time on a whim because of the price. If you are a hunter, go with the Savage. I sight in my Savage at the beginging of the season, shoot a few rounds and then put it away for the year. Out of the box it is a very accurate rifle but for me the cool sniper thing had long passed and I am finding that there are other better platforms out there when chasing accuracy. For that reason my Savage is now just used for hunting.

As for the m305, it is a piece of junk compared to the Savage but it is a piece of junk with history, character and much more potential. I am not a m305 fan but I am very surprised about the strong following this rifle has. If you are thinking that in the future you would like to improve the platform, the possibility and support is greater than the Savage. There is a community of m305 owners that are very knowledgeable, resourceful and innovative. The m305 can almost be rebuilt with all after market parts which is quite appealing to some. I am quite impressed with the m14.ca website. These people do not only sell parts but make entire chassis. The accuracy of the m305 may never be as good as a bolt gun but it can come pretty close. I read somewhere that the navy seals still use the m14 as a sniper rifle which saids a lot about the rifle.

The Savage tr is a serious rifle that I can't really take seriously when chasing accuracy. It is more accurate then anything I will need for hunting but when I go to these long distance matches or really get into the accuracy game, I get the impression that it is really an entry level gun and .308 an entry level calibre. Not knocking the .308, its my calibre but the F class people really know what they are talking about. Kinda takes the wind out of your sails when you are being schooled about calbres and loads but hey, I am here to learn.

The m305 is a fun rifle. You could chase accuracy without being too serious about it. It has a certain cool factor which I am beginning to understand. It thumbs its nose at ARs, stating that it could be a black rife too, but in 30 cal and non restricted. The coolest thing for me though is the fact that I could legally stick a 10 round magazine in a semi and go hunting with it which really captures the imagination of others around you. I personally would buy the m305 over the Savage if I had to chose one.
 
IvoB said:
Once you go bolt you never go back -
Click to expand...

Once you go Bolt, we don't want you back- lol

I have a Savage 11/111 "Hog Hunter" .308 in a LSS Chassis, what an awesome rifle & set up. I have couple M14/M305 type, selling one atm, the Savage gets lots of attention & delivers. Im enjoying shooting bolt actions as much {sometimes more} then the semi's. My First choice way back though was All Semi-automatics, I never got a bolt action until like 5 or 6 down the line {.303} :p)
 
My uncle has several guns including a Remington model 7 bolt with a 18.5" bbl in 308 Win and a Winchester model 100 carbine with a 19" bbl also in 308 Win.
He is getting long in the tooth and doesn't hunt much except grouse any more and has told me he would sell one or both of the rifles to me cheap.
It looks like we are going to be stuck with Trudeau past 2023 and I have a sneaky suspicion the Liberals with either ban semis like the britts and aussis did or make them restricted so I'll pass on the model 100.
I am thinking about getting the Remington model 7 bolt action which weighs about 6.5 pounds scoped.
Nice light little rifle to carry in the bush and powerful enough for moose.
It is in pristine condition and he only wants $400 for it and the Leupold 2-7x33mm scope mounted on it.
 
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