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Selecting A rifle

3730 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  muzzleblast
I am looking to buy a rifle but i dont know what to look for ! i am looking for an all around rifle that does it all. I currently have a SKS rifle but am not to impressed. What do you suggest?
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well some rifles do some things better than others
what do you intend to use it for? knowing this would help
some rifles are better at certain tasks than others
what will you be hunting? what range will you be doing target shooting?
how much are you willing to spend?
what features do you like ie wood/synthetic stock, scope or irons etc

also how do you think your SKS failed? knowing what you dont like about it could help determine what qualities to look for in another rifle
is it accuracy? feel? bad caliber for what your using it for?
although there is no one rifle that will do em all (some come close) a Remington 700P would be a good choice as it is affordable, accurate (if ur lucky its super accurate) and the availability of aftermarket parts allows you to make pretty much anything you want or have money for... that said, stock... its pretty rugged with its synthetic stock. almost all stock manufacturing companies make stocks for the Remington 700 action..
another good choice would be the Savage 110 LE but some say it needs a different stock unless you get the Choate or McM stocks... there are a few more that are affordable and accurate... savages tend to be more accurate than remingtons out of the box
Remington 700P or Savage 10 FP LE wuld be good choices i think
so is the Winchester Model 70 Stealth
thier HS stock is perfect but the cheap plastic stocks on the savage are crap, the Savage can be gotten with a McMillian stock which is great but that costs more
the action on the 700P is smoother, the Remington 700 action is what a good portion of world class sniper rifles are based on and as a result unlimited aftermarket parts for them
Savage accu-trigger is a huge imrpovement over thier old cheap trigger
personally i prefer the Remington 700P, mine shoots great
accuracy is a toss up, you can get a good Remington or a good Savage, its possible to get a bad one but more often than not with these rifles the bad ones suddenly turn good when a good marksmen picks it up
if you want more accuracy a good gunsmith can help you out considerably
prices are around $500 for Savage, $750 for Remington but i think Remington is worth the extra money
they are a good weight, about 9-10 lbs + optics you can figure 10-11 lbs
there are lighter rifles you can use for hunting but they are generally no where near the accuracy so i woulndt use them for target shooting
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My opinion...

i am looking for an all around rifle that does it all.
You cannot demand to have a rifle that does it all.Several rifles have been manufactured each one for a cause.Every one of them has something special that makes it better in the comparison with another rifle.
You have to decide what do you really want the rifle for.Hunting or shooting so you will have a point to start.How much money you want to spend,are you going to have a scope mounted,how often are you going to use it etc.
All I'm trying to say is that if you want to make the best choise you will have to think a lot of things and clearly understand which your needs are at this moment...xxx
If the SKS disappointed you, it is because you do not understand what the SKS is.

The Simonov Automatic Carbine is designed to be exactly that - a semi-automatic battle rifle feeding 7.62x39mm rounds, or a selective-fire assault weapon feeding from a detachable magazine. (SKS-D)

The SKS was never meant to be accurate, and 7.62x39mm is hardly the best around available.

For target shooting, hunting, scratching your back, and cooking dinner, I'd recommend taking a decent bolt-action in any caliber from .22LR to 30-06, maybe even .300 WinMag and duct-taping a can opener to the stock.
Maybe a single shot like a TC or a Handi Rifle. You can get new barrels and have a new gun on the cheap. Or, if you don't like single shots, the Savage was a good idea...Lots of gun for the money you spend on them and lots of different options...Varmint, LE, Sporting...and pick a good do anything caliber. .308 can do lots of jobs. Surplus ammo is cheap, hunting rounds are fine unless you want to pop elk or moose past 300 m, or tangle with a grizzly bear.

Like the guys said though, unless you know exactly what you want your rifle to do, you can't really decide what to buy.
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