Package rifles

While I don’t have extensive experience with packaged rifles the one I had was junk and the ones I’ve seen all seem to have questionable quality scopes and mounts on them…built for a price point and nothing else.
The guns are usually okay albeit with with the usual entry level fit, finish and functionality but they usually shoot well and if they don’t in my experiences the issues have always been optic related.
Considering the gun is about the cheapest (amortized) cost of shooting a rifle I prefer to use something a bit more known for reliability.
But for many that path would include using the services of whomever they purchased the separate parts from to mount everything and get it bore sighted.
I’ve seen more problems with that path than packaged rifles…
So find a reputable supplier and be wary of unknowns…(a D.Rumsfeld quote comes to mind).
Or as Dad used to say “you either buy the tools and learn to use them or pay someone with the tools every time you need them”.
I like to keep my QC as in house as much as possible so as per normal Dad was right and I have a lot of tools and mount all my scopes myself.
Not only do I eliminate any mounting issues I also get a (small) feeling of accomplishment when I see a job done right from my hands.
Wow, 500 rounds…you sir have got to be retired…so much jealousy…lucky friend, that’s a lot of work/time.
 
Experience has taught me that when buying any new rifle, said rifle must be cleaned and the scope and rings changed out before a shot is fired. The cheap china rings that come with most package rifles are good for pellet guns and .22's, the scopes get the same consideration. scope mount get loktite and steel rings are next. I'm a bushnell scope kinda fella, so a scope in the $250 range usually works for me. The last time I did tried using the rifle straight outta the box as it came...I'm pretty sure I could hear the whitetail laughing at me as he ran away...
 
I bought a package rifle many years ago for the wife. We were at a gunshow and she decided she needed a hunting rifle and she liked the look of the savage axis 243 in snow camo. Think I paid $399 for that thing, with the cheapest bushnell? scope ever made. I took it home and sighted it in, she did not want to change the scope as it matched the rest of the camo... priorities, lol.

Well, that rifle is still wearing that same $25 scope, and its holding zero!

Would I trust that setup for an important hunt? Not a chance. But to grab and go shoot a yote thats sneaking around the calves? It still works. Wife doesn't hunt anymore, I guess it wasn't her thing so rifle sees minimal use.
 
SuperCub said:
Hoppes #9 will not clean carbon nor will it clean out baked on carbon in the bore or the ring ahead of the chamber.

A bore scope will tell all on this subject. Without one, I was guessing.
Click to expand...
Agreed. But I've never had to clean out any really hard caked in carbon in the chamber.
 
Just to throw some gas on the fire, one of the Black Friday retail blasts had a series of Remington 783 package guns in .223, .243. 6.5 Creed and .308. Priced about $650 or $700. What caught my eye was they are Remingtons, and I wondered how well the newest version of big green is making centrefires.
 
You're a good man.
Hope the dude appreciates it.

I offer to do the same for some fellas but seldom accepted... Not my loss ha ha

Love a cheap package gun though 😝🫣
 
WhelanLad said:
Love a cheap package gun though 😝🫣
Click to expand...

And that’s the conundrum with todays “Package Guns” isn’t it?

Long gone are the days of $399-$500 Savage Axis/II or Stevens 200’s, whereby you ditched the optic for a holdover you had lying around needing a home and were pleasantly surprised by the out of the box accuracy.

Now your into $8-$1000+ range for todays variants ie; American, Patriots, XPR etc that still have questionable optics, cheaper then before stocks that need replacing, accuracy and QC issues that are suspect.

Now your at the point of questioning if it is not better to spend a couple extra bucks find a used Rem/Tikka/Win and use that same holdover Scope needing a home and be further ahead in the long run..

Admittedly I’m guilty at times looking and seriously considering one of them myself as a cheap to buy & run “just in case” backup. However my previous statement just above keeps me going back to the buy something solid and not have to worry about all the issues that seem to come with the package stuff.
 
ShrtRnd said:
And that’s the conundrum with todays “Package Guns” isn’t it?

Long gone are the days of $399-$500 Savage Axis/II or Stevens 200’s, whereby you ditched the optic for a holdover you had lying around needing a home and were pleasantly surprised by the out of the box accuracy.

Now your into $8-$1000+ range for todays variants ie; American, Patriots, XPR etc that still have questionable optics, cheaper then before stocks that need replacing, accuracy and QC issues that are suspect.

Now your at the point of questioning if it is not better to spend a couple extra bucks find a used Rem/Tikka/Win and use that same holdover Scope needing a home and be further ahead in the long run..

Admittedly I’m guilty at times looking and seriously considering one of them myself as a cheap to buy & run “just in case” backup. However my previous statement just above keeps me going back to the buy something solid and not have to worry about all the issues that seem to come with the package stuff.
Click to expand...
No i think you are exactly right here-
it is not the same these days, i cannot find a Stevens 200 for under $500...... WHAT.
they were less than that Brand new 10 years ago---

everything else is up there for sure--- i did have a laugh at the old "hold over" that we have laying around to put on an replace the typically Nikko sterling or Tasco scope one comes with !


i too Umm and Arr over them in this catorgory, , its $750-900 range, but have passed on a few now as i think i will just buy Myself a Kimber Hunter in plastc stock as the back up to the Montana when it gives up any ghosts.....

i was looking budget for my partner but we settled on Franchi-- i do however want her to hold a FWT mod 70... a plain jane T3 and a try talk her into a kimber hunter one of these days now she is keen on it!
 
Ganderite said:
I thought it would be a good idea to check the scope base screws for tightness, and give them a dab of blue Lok-Tite. When I took the scope off, the rear scope ring spun around the scope. It had not had the ring tightened on the scope...

The I decided I should bed the rifle. When I put the Allen key on the screw, it wobbled. It was loose.
Click to expand...
I was at the 100yd range early this spring and a young fellow came in and took the bench beside me. He didn't have much with him other than his new rifle in a case, ammo and a front rest. He started shooting with his bbl resting on the rest with nothing supporting the rear. I suggested that he might have better results if the rifle rested on the forend and there was a rear bag. I offered to let him use a sand bag I had with me. He then confessed that he didn't have much experience and asked if I could help him get it on paper and sighted in. We went back to the 25/50 range to get it on paper where I discovered that the mounts were loose as were the the receiver screws. He had just bought this new rifle and this is how it came to him.

IIRC it was an Axis in 6.5CM. Once we got everything fixed up, it was a pretty good shooter at about 1" at 100yds. He was quite pleased with it but would have certainly wasted a lot of ammo getting where he needed to be without a tune up.

We were all there at one time, esp us older guys who didn't have youtube to mentor us when problems came up.
 
ShrtRnd said:
And that’s the conundrum with todays “Package Guns” isn’t it?

Long gone are the days of $399-$500 Savage Axis/II or Stevens 200’s, whereby you ditched the optic for a holdover you had lying around needing a home and were pleasantly surprised by the out of the box accuracy.

Now your into $8-$1000+ range for todays variants ie; American, Patriots, XPR etc that still have questionable optics, cheaper then before stocks that need replacing, accuracy and QC issues that are suspect.

Now your at the point of questioning if it is not better to spend a couple extra bucks find a used Rem/Tikka/Win and use that same holdover Scope needing a home and be further ahead in the long run..

Admittedly I’m guilty at times looking and seriously considering one of them myself as a cheap to buy & run “just in case” backup. However my previous statement just above keeps me going back to the buy something solid and not have to worry about all the issues that seem to come with the package stuff.
Click to expand...
That is what I usually do, finding a used quality rifle that has seen little use and find a scope in my stash to put on…. That said the latest one I didn’t have bases and rings so I bought weaver base and some basic Leupold freedom I think rings. Still waiting on the rifle to show up, most likely today!
 
I'm not big on package deals. I'd rather buy the gun by itself. Check the screws on the stock. buy a decent set of bases and rings, and re-install a proven scope or buy one on sale someplace. Most times I can get by without bedding. It works for me.
 
WhelanLad said:
No i think you are exactly right here-
it is not the same these days, i cannot find a Stevens 200 for under $500...... WHAT.
they were less than that Brand new 10 years ago---

everything else is up there for sure--- i did have a laugh at the old "hold over" that we have laying around to put on an replace the typically Nikko sterling or Tasco scope one comes with !
Click to expand...
Ya, stuff has really ballooned since Covid sadly

You know we’re all guilty of having a stash of Optics that we’ve held onto. Ones that are reliable on zero and offer a no hassle setup.

I have a Japanese Bushnell Elite 4200 that’s seen its fair share of different setups since it was bought new decades ago. 270, 300WSM, 375 H&H and a host of others. It’s like the old Timex Watches catch phrase “Keeps on Ticking”. Currently it needs a home on something in my safe, one that will stay around for another few decades hopefully.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom