Brand Rifle recommendation

[HammerB1]

I have a nephew going to buy a new 25-06 caliber rifle. It has a been a long time since I have bought a factory rifle so what is the best made, most accurate out of the box rifle?

 

[ohiohunter]

OOps, misread that

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

Ruger M77 mk2 stainless Hawkeye.

 

[gillettehunter]

That simple question always brings out a great deal of discussion. Rem is usually good or can be made to shoot relatively easily. Savage has a devout following and generally shoot well. Tikka is another that usually does well out of the box. Occasionally you get a lemon, but usually they all do well. Good luck. Bruce

 

[Jud96]

Remington or Savage. I personally prefer Remingtons but have seen Savages shoot just as well. They are also very easy to rebarrel and though they can be a little more difficult to bed because of the barrel nut, but it can be done with some patience. Remingtons are also easy to get barrels for, stocks, triggers, just tons of aftermarket and they are one of the easiest to bed and one of the best factory shooters! So pretty much flip a coin or whichever one is on sale or the one you just like the feel of. Now for caliber, see if he will budge a little and lean towards another cartridge haha, just messing buddy.

 

[ohiohunter]

Budget? How old is he, would he need a youth stock?

Rem 700
savage 110
savage axis
tikka t3
weatherby vanguard
TC venture or icon
howa 1500

As always I would consider your nephew and what the potential of the rifle is in the future. Would he consider upgrading? From the sounds of it you are a custom guy, so I'd leave some room to fancy the rifle up and go with the 700 or 110.

I like my tikka, but not the factory twist rate. The tc's I've handled were a little on the heavy side. The axis if on a tight budget. 700&110 to tinker with. I haven't handled a vanguard or howa enough to say. Like I mentioned, consider the future b/c they will all shoot minute of deer.

** I agree jud.. just curious why the 25-06?

 

[HammerB1]

I consider 25-06 one of the best whitetail cartridges around. This rifle will be used strictly for whitetail and maybe a yote or 2 in the midwest. I will be doing the reloading for it but no alterations are planned at this time. Remington 700 is what I figured would be at the top of the list.
Thanks for the replies.
Brian

 

[ohiohunter]

Will there ever be an elk hunt in this kids future?

 

[HammerB1]

Probably not. If he does, I have larger calibers he can use because I would be with him.

 

[Jud96]

.243 is another great cartridge for deer, varmints, and predators for kids and even adults. Has plenty of knock down with 100s or 105s for deer and can be loaded with some screaming loads to devastate varmints and yotes with its high BC lightweight bullets like the 87gr V-MAX. Just another popular and very effective round to consider for him. Will be a lot easier to find a Remington or Savage in .243 than in .25-06 and reloading components and ammunition will be a lot easier to come by for the .243 as well.

 

[FearNoWind]

1. Ruger M77 mk2
2. Remington 700
3. Tikka T3

 

[MudRunner2005]

Remington 700 Long Range in .25-06. They run about $600-700. The value of the parts alone are worth it, even if you have to spend a couple hundred bucks accurizing it. Comes with a Bell & Carlson Medalist stock and a 26" heavy barrel. Might need bedding and floating, but other that that, with some load development it should be a shooter.

 

[Jud96]

1. Ruger M77 mk2
2. Remington 700
3. Tikka T3

I would not list a Ruger as number one. Those are a pain to bed with their stupid recoil lug. My Uncle had one that needed a Timney, bedded, floated, and reloads just to shoot MOA. It shot like 4inches out of the box because the stock was so badly bowed and the trigger pull was like 8lbs! Just don't recommend this for a kid to be using for his deer rifle.

 

[Jud96]

Remington 700 Long Range in .25-06. They run about $600-700. The value of the parts alone are worth it, even if you have to spend a couple hundred bucks accurizing it. Comes with a Bell & Carlson Medalist stock and a 26" heavy barrel. Might need bedding and floating, but other that that, with some load development it should be a shooter.

This is a great one even though I'm not a fan of the cartridge. I was going to recommend it but didn't know if you planned on shooting long range or not. If you do plan on long range hunting than for a factory set up, the Remington 700 Long Range can't be beaten.