Suggestions welcomed for general purpose/deer hunting rifle

C

camnorth

CGN Regular
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Location
Brampton Ontario
Hi all,
looking for some suggestions that could help me make a decision based on following criteria; This will be used for my first deer hunt ( shot no more than 120 yards) however I would like it to serve as a general purpose rifle as well so I do not want to spend a ton on obscure costly cartridges as shooting more rounds per trip & more trips out would be cost prohibitive ( looking into reloading in the future).
I'm looking for a bolt action.
I love the idea of a shorter barreled carbine for getting through bush and I do really like detachable magazines (larger capacity for ease of reloads and also aesthetics).
I would also like this to be a wood stocked rifle. My initial search brought me to both the CZ 527 and Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39, however the Ruger does not come with a wood stock (correct me if I'm wrong). Since I want to be able to shoot plenty the X39 cartridge makes sense since these rifles can handle cheap surplus ammo which is awesome, however they are a bit out of my budget. Looking to spend around the $500 mark.
Mossberg MVP Predator in .308 piques my interest as well, iron sights detachable magazines (already own a .308 mag).
Are there other options out there, how about affordable calibers? I'm going to be reloading in the future.
In summary- combination of deer hunting/plinking, wood stocked, iron sights(bonus), detachable mags, affordable (ammo and rifle) something in the $400-$500 mark?
Opinions are welcomed,
Thanks
 
I think the remington 783 is becoming more available in wood. Traditional cartridges are easy to find and cheaper. 243
708
308
270
3006
7rem mag

A savage axis can be upgraded with an aftermarket wood or laminate stock later as your buget replenishes.
Your asking alot for your budget. The used market would be a good place to get a better quality rifle for the money
 
Buy a used M77 or M700 or M70 in .308, you will be far further ahead than going with a new budget rifle... IMO, take a pass on the Mossberg. If you don't have access to the EE, then apply now, you will find a top notch rifle within your budget.
 
I'd go with a 308 over a 7.63 x 39... More power, versatility, and 308 is also available as surplus. As above, buy a decent used rifle, rather than one of the budget tomato stakes... I have a Parker Hale based 308 that is one of the most accurate rifles I own, c/w nice walnut stock, iron sights, and clip. Rifles like these can easily be had within your price range, and there are quite a few kicking around.
 
A 308 or 30-06 from Tradeex will cover you for 99% of your big game hunting needs and ammo is available cheaply anywhere it is sold. As has been said, 308 is available as affordable surplus but 30-06 will work better on the larger ungulates like elk and moose. For deer, 308 is more than sufficient out to 400 yards. I have a Mauser 98 in 308 but it's never killed anything :p. My wife says I have too many guns.
 
Check out these rifles: many 30-06 but not so many 308's:

https://www.tradeexcanada.com/produits/95?page=1

The Husqvarna 1600 is an excellent rifle, btw. In your price range with iron sights and ready for scope mounting if and when you decide to do so. If you decide to scope it, Tradeex also sells Bushnell Elite 2-7x32 and 3-9x40 scopes that are great for the money ($225-ish). Those scopes are often on EE as people upgrade later on so check there, too.
 
Look to savage. Some say they are ugly.......until they see their 3 shot group at 100yrds.

If you want a dual purpose caliber in Ontario. Eg) coyotes and deer. Stay .270 or smaller. I suggest the model 11 or the model 116 or the new 110 series but the new ones will likely run $700.00 + ??? I'd wait a bit until this fall's hunting sales kick off

Good luck
 
Thank you all for your comments, much appreciated, I will check out Trade-ex for sure. Doesn't seem like anybody has any love for modern Mossberg products (MVP, Patriot)? How about new production Rem 700's? Any issues?
 
As far as I've heard, the Mossberg rifles are fairly inaccurate, as in over 2" groups at 100 yards. Check some of the magazine reviews online. IMO, there is no excuse for an inaccurate bolt action rifle - my wife's 1899 Oberndorf M96 sporter in 6.5x55 shoots 140gr Accubond handloads into consistent 1.5" 5-shot groups. (We haven't fired factory ammo out of it.) If a rifle over 100 years old can do it, why can't a brand new rifle?
 
I have a Mossberg MVP .270 with a Leopold 15-50 scope best gun I ever bought (through CGN and no tax). It'll work for anything from yots, deer, moose and bear. As long as your using the right ammo and loads.
 
30.06 is great.
I got a used XBolt from the EE, it is clean, it works great.
I avoid modern Remington and Mossberg. But older Remington 700 are fine if you find a clean one. Don't even think of getting a plastic Remington 710 (or similar) they are POS.
 
brybenn said:
I think the remington 783 is becoming more available in wood. Traditional cartridges are easy to find and cheaper. 243
708
308
270
3006
7rem mag

A savage axis can be upgraded with an aftermarket wood or laminate stock later as your buget replenishes.
Your asking alot for your budget. The used market would be a good place to get a better quality rifle for the money
Click to expand...

I'm really liking the 2 783's that I recently bought fer just over 500.oo before taxes & shipping and I find these beasties to be well laid out and properly engineered for "budget" rifles. The bolts cycle smooth & without a bunch of droop & wiggles like on old Mausers and such. The 783 is a stiffer action than the 700 Rem and has a proper extractor instead of the circular spring clip that the 700 employs. (I had one break in the first 4 rounds fired from a new BDL in .17 Rem some years back.)
The magazines are steel on the 783 and lock into place flush & solid. They ain't gonna accidentally fall out of the rifle, plus the feed lips on 'em are well formed & don't scratch up the brass. Like the Savage series, these have a floating bolt head and Brewer system of locknut securing of barrels for easy headspacing. (I love that bit.)

The triggers are easy to dial down to 2.5 lbs and let off crisp, but with a bit of over-travel. For me, the 783 is what the old 788 should have been back in the day & it's an excellent successor to 'er. For a so-called cheapy rifle I say bring em on and in more chamberings like .350 Rem mag & .260 Rem fer instance.
The target shooters are having good times with these 783's and more aftermarket goodies are coming out for 'em. Outta the box, these suckers shoot tight.

I have numerous classic type rifles that are fun to shoot & hunt with, but fer a general hunting rig I have no worries or issues with the 783. These are sleeper
target rifles that require minimal tweeking to perform well. Bed the recoil lug & sand out the fore end to ensure it doesn't contact the barrel ahead of the receiver
and torque the action screws to 40 in. lbs. and go shootin'. The walnut stocked unit I have is fully free floating as bought, so no sanding needed with it. The
synthetic heavy barrel needed a touch of clearance work to 'er, but was easy enough.

I'm more than happy to see rifles like these out there and thank fook for modern manufacturing methods done right.:cool:

Me .308's

View attachment 191205
View attachment 191206
 
RiMP9 said:
I have a Mossberg MVP .270 with a Leopold 15-50 scope best gun I ever bought (through CGN and no tax). It'll work for anything from yots, deer, moose and bear. As long as your using the right ammo and loads.
Click to expand...

Hmmmmmm...
 
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