cheapest 30-06 or 308 rifle

May I suggest a somewhat different approch? Just avoid Remington 770(s) and Mossberg ATR(s) and you will be fine. As long as your choice makes you do this :) :D.

There are so many good values in the entery level, bolt action rifles market that it is hard to chose one. Marlin XL7/XS7 (I owned), Savage 111 (bought for a friend), Stevens 200, Zesteva...pick the one that you like.
 
hawk-i said:
Maybe you could explain to the rest of us what it was that you saw that made you want to recycle???
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There was a ;) at the end of my post, but notwithstanding this I did not see any quality parts in this gun (stamped and rough edged) and the cheap stamped ramp design of the sear whereupon the firing pin's roller ramps up the sear when the trigger was pulled actually made me laugh. Also, mine had the 'self opening' bolt as a result of torquing action of the firing pin spring as transmitted to said ramp type sear through the firing pin's round capture 'button'. It actually made me laugh out loud to myself. They work and they are accurate, but I believe the design is inherently very poor. When you look at the Marlin X7 series, which I also owned (should have kept it), one sees that for a few dollars more a truly decent entry level rifle can be had for a reasonable price.

Right now I think, as do others in this forum, the best value to be found anywhere is with the Zastava M98 type rifles at Tradex. Yes, I own a Zastava. :)
 
You own a Zastava, how would you rate that rifle for accuracy, trigger and bolt manipulation, does it balance good... Thank . JP.
 
Mine is the Remington 798 Zastava. I believe it to be the same as the current ones on Tradex, as were the Charles Dalys before them. Mine, however, has a very nice walnut stock and a deep lustrous blue in the metal thanks to the Remington part of this now historical rifle building effort.

In answer to your questions...the rifle I have found to be very accurate (sub 1.5" @ 100 yards) with 140 grain bullets of any manufacture (7mm Rem Mag); the trigger is not the best I have owned, but I would rate it good+; bolt travel/manipulation is very nice right out of the box, with some stickiness as it travels over (depresses) the magazine follower with no cartridges in the magazine (in other words, try with the floor plate open and you will experience the actual bolt function); with the sporter type barrel the center of gravity is right at the front edge of the drop floor plate (typical for most rifles) and I find it well balanced.

Other comments - The barrel is light and this makes this a hunting rifle and not a range gun for prolonged shooting sessions. They do not come with open sights, which necessitates scoping the gun. They do come drilled and tapped for scope mounting. Some may not find this to their liking in terms of either cost or function. I would highly recommend the Zastava rifle to anyone looking for a very well built controlled round feed M98 platform at a very attractive (Tradex) price. I am considering one of theirs in a different caliber at this writing. I expect their inventory will dwindle fairly quickly once word gets around. :)
 
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Thank you for the good description, i appreciate, i am looking at a 7mm with the wood stock, will speak to Anthony ( Tradeex ) this week... JP.
 
woodlotowner said:
In answer to your questions...the rifle I have found to be very accurate (sub 1.5" @ 100 yards) with 140 grain bullets of any manufacture (7mm Rem Mag); the trigger is not the best I have owned, but I would rate it good+; bolt travel/manipulation is very nice right out of the box, with some stickiness as it travels over (depresses) the magazine follower with no cartridges in the magazine (in other words, try with the floor plate open and you will experience the actual bolt function); with the sporter type barrel the center of gravity is right at the front edge of the drop floor plate (typical for most rifles) and I find it well balanced.
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So why is this gun better than the Marlin?

Marlins trigger is awesome, and mine shoots MOA with factory ammo.

It also comes with a warranty and parts support with no issues.

Just sayin........
 
mlehtovaara said:
So why is this gun better than the Marlin?

Marlins trigger is awesome, and mine shoots MOA with factory ammo.

It also comes with a warranty and parts support with no issues.

Just sayin........
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No. Not better than the Marlin. I own(ed) both and they are both excellent. They are very different rifles. I like them both very much. I give a very good review of the Marlin. I am a real Marlin X-7 fan, believe me. Everything you noted about the Marlin fits with my perception. I did like the trigger and the accuracy! I just think the Zastava is the 'best' value out there at this moment in time IMO. I'm just sayin'. :)
 
For an inexpensive accurate first time rifle to rule out a Savage in either a 10, 110 or Axis because someone on the forum laughs at the way they are built is actually laughable.
 
The way I look at the Edge/Axis rifles is that they can get you into a different aspect of hunting without spending a bunch. If it turns out you like that new aspect then it certainly won't be hard to sell, albeit at a small loss, and move up as money permits. They don't seem to last long on the EE, but I'm guessing that for the money, why bother selling it anyway. Like someone said, they are what they are. I bought a .223 so I could dabble at coyotes. I may buy another in 270 or 30-06 for bigger game, although I have a .303 that I just had scoped. From my standpoint (ever tightening wallet ;) ) the Axis pricepoint allows me to own several rifles of different chamberings for what some may pay for one. They are reasonably accurate to boot, at least from what I've seen. Don't get me wrong, I certainly would have preferred a higher end .223 but I know fully well I'm only going to use it in the field less than a dozen times per year and another dozen at the range so dropping $800 + was unfeasable just to dabble around at 'yotes. Having said that, I was actually trying to locate a used Stevens 200 in .223 but a local shop put their Axis rifles on sale so I threw caution to the wind.
 
well it going to be marlin xl7 or the stevens 200 i like the xl7 for the trigger pull but seems the 200 is a little more precise so really dont matter just need to make up my mind
 
I have 2 700s and I just bought the savage axis I really have no complaints or issues with the gun it shoots straight and it's rugged enough to get the job done for a fraction of the cost. I did some reviews and the same things came up over and over. The trigger pull is a bit stiff and the scopes are terrible. I have the axis in 243 for dogs and have had no issues with the scope at all even in low fall hour light and as far as the trigger goes I have had a lot worse. It always feeds always ejects and hits wher I want it all said for 414$ after taxes, Just my 2 cents.
 
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