First deer rifle - Stevens 200 or Lee Enfield Sporter?

I went with the scoped sporterized Enfield. I had this exact same dilemma about 6 months ago when I was looking at the $150.00 Enfield and the $329.00 Steven's 30-06. The whole package deal for rings, scope, mount was about $300.00 and I got a bushnell 3-9x40. The money I saved went into bullets, powder, and primers. I basically told myself that if I could save $150.00 on the gun, I could buy 200+ rounds of ammunition to train with. Now I don't have to deal with factory ammo either, which you could do on the Steven's as well.

If you've got the money to spend, go hog wild on the Steven's. It's going to cost you $200.00 for the scope setup plus whatever it will cost in ammo to get you comfortable.
 
The whole idea that Enfield are not as accurate as a modern sporter is false.
Some are inaccurate owing to bad bores etc. But there are some really nice
sporterized .303s out there; Parker-Hale, Churchill, Whitworth and so on and some have cut down mags for ease of carry.
They also have something a Stevens doesn't have, character.
My advice would be look around, you can find a real beauty for $300 bucks or so, already scoped.
The .303 British is more effective on game than paper ballistics would lead you to believe.
 
chise said:
The money I saved went into bullets, powder, and primers. I basically told myself that if I could save $150.00 on the gun, I could buy 200+ rounds of ammunition to train with. Now I don't have to deal with factory ammo either, which you could do on the Steven's as well.
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It's not a small consideration :yingyang: ; like louthepou said elsewhere:

louthepou said:
I realized a few years ago that shooting Lee Enfields means reloading, it's unavoidable.
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Or, cough up $30 for 20 rounds of factory-loaded.....;)
 
This one should be a poll, too..... ;)

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
Another Vote for a Stevens in .308.

Personally I have had my fill of picking up the pieces and trying to make bubba sporters work.
 
There are so many brands out there so it comes down to features and price. As for caliber I would recommend 30-06 for 3 reasons,

-It has the largest range of bullet weights (110 grain to 220 grain) and types (jbp, bt, hp, sp, hpbt, sbt, rn)

-It is avalable literlary everywhere from way up north to the smallest ammo shop in the middle of no where.

-Will drop anything from a rabbit to a bufflo.

The 30-06 has been classed at the most universal hunting rifle by many hunters. Almost every hunter has one in there safe and I think would be an excellent place to start. Due to how popular they are they can be found for perty cheep too. I would recomend staying away from a savage as yes they are usually cheeper but I find they shoot like a tank with a more harsh recoil and often they are heavier than other models, This is not to say they are a bad gun they are great and used by police and mp around the world but for the above reasons would not be my first choice.
 
Go with the Stevens over the Bubba'd Enfield. They're easier to mount a scope on and have a better stock design.

If you don't mind spending a bit extra, Trade Ex also has several Husqvarna 1600s advertised on their website.
 
wizzardsl said:
There are so many brands out there so it comes down to features and price. As for caliber I would recommend 30-06 for 3 reasons,

-It has the largest range of bullet weights (110 grain to 220 grain) and types (jbp, bt, hp, sp, hpbt, sbt, rn)
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I hear that arguement all the time. Usually it's either a 30cal or 7mm compared to a 277cal. Fact is that very, very few people would take advantage of that large bullet selection using at most two bullet weights.

Most folks here on CGN would just buy another rifle. ;)

.
 
bjjzak said:
"Most folks here on CGN would just buy another rifle."

Or 3 or 5........:p
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or more :D

try

22-250
25-06
7mmRM
30-30
308
303
300WM

those are just my sporting lineup :D :D and I have multiples of some of those. I still think I need a few more in the 6.5mm 260 and 7mm 284 range. And then I'll start looking at bigger calibers once I have the mid caliber filled out a little better :eek: :D
 
Get the stevens. You can do so much with it if you want to, But you don't have too. Go google some of mystics articles to see what the home mechanic can achieve with a stevens. There's a cult following on its way I reckon.

They are neat guns. But beware the EE prices are often more than new. Or if your lucky you can save the tax. ;)
 
several issues

it's more than the choice of a gun, old vs new, military vs sporter. There is caliber to consider. Weight and experience of the shooter. All have an impact on the choice. I started with a full-stock LE as a teen, and it was only the 11 pounds of stock that made it bearable for a 105 lb weed to shoot. As a sporter, I wouldn't have liked it much. That said, I have yet to find a rifle with an action as easy and quick to cycle as the No4. I've had Sakos (Still do in .222) and they are smooth, but not as fast to cycle. It was a .270 and a good cartridge for anything out there this side of Africa. The Stevens has a great action as well, just ask mysticplayer when you have an hour or two to spare. No complaints about accuracy neither. It can be had in a variety of useful calibers depending on year of manufacture. 7-08 has been mentioned and .308 and it has been in .260 as well. All great for deer thru moose for those who use them. BUT: if we are thinking sporterised military and the .303 seems a trifle large to you, then for something between the cost of the Stevens and the Enfield you can get a very nice sporterised M96 in 6.5x55 or M98 in 7x57 from TradeEx and be very happy indeed. A M38 Swede sporter came to stay this year (from the EE) and I've never made a happier purchase.
 
warrenb said:
They are neat guns. But beware the EE prices are often more than new. Or if your lucky you can save the tax. ;)
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Yeah that occurs with all guns on EE, for some reason people sometimes list guns for close to, or more than the retail value. I guess it's an attempt to recoup costs after using the rifle for a short period.
 
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