Budget LRH rifle: venture, 783, I-bolt, American, savage

[SofaKing]

Looking into getting a new budget minded LRH rifle. And to spend a total of $750. Considering staying with non magnum cartridges like .308 or .30-06. Would any of these make the cut on a budget build?

-Thompson Center Venture
-Remington 783
-S&W I-bolt
-Ruger American
-Savage w/acutrigger

Most of these have an adjustable style trigger and other small improvements from each other. Are these current budget priced rifles around the $400 or so found locally. Are they capable 7-800 yd rifles? As far as optics with $300 being the max price. What's a good choice? lots of brands out there but not to sure on quality. Have redfield revolution 4-12x40 and leupold vx3 3.5-10x40 currently but desire more magnification for Wyoming.

 

[BrentM]

Not sure what you mean by build. I have a project rifle on my bench right now that I am working on. It is a Savage axis 7mm-08. I think the rifles are under 400.00 new. You can install a trigger for 100.00ish or do the job yourself for $0. I am in the middle of that right now. Super easy to work on and so far it is awesome. Breaks nice and clean and is around 3.5 lbs. I am taking it down to 2.5 to 3.

The stock is the weak link but it does have pillars so I will clean it up and probably bed the action.

After I get this done I have some 140 bergerg vlds I want to develope a load with. It shoots factory ammo pretty well so I am hopeful handloads will do nicely.

I would think all the rifles mentioned with a little attention will serve you well. If it were me, I would get the savage and put the money in the scope. I am not brand loyal to savage either but all the rifles I have been around shoot very very well.

 

[MudRunner2005]

The words "budget" and "LRH rifle" rarely get used in the same sentance, and unless you're buying all or primarily used parts, I doubt there will be anything budget about it. LR rifles require precision parts, precision scopes, and precision gunsmithing...Therefore will never be inexpensive.

I'm building my budget .25-06 Ackley Sendero SF with almost ALL used or 2nd-hand parts, and I'm still over $600 in the gun alone, without smith work, and not including the 3-12x56 Zeiss sitting on top and $70 rail, and $80 rings holding it down... And I even lucked up and bought the action for next to dirt from a local guy who was selling out of gun stuff and didn't have a use for it anymore, so I got it rediculously cheap.

Honestly, the cheapest way to build a semi-inexpensive LR rifle is to buy a good used Remington 700 SPS long-action (standard or magnum, depending on your caliber choice) for $300-400, then chunk the stock, chunk the barrel, chunk the trigger...Then have your smith true the action, put in an old style Remington trigger that's been tuned, put on an inexpensive Douglas bull barrel (Rem Varmint countour works great), and stick it all in a Bell & Carlson Medalist stock. Your smith will have to inlet the stock's barrel channel to accept the larger diameter barrel and have him free-float the barrel and bed the action.

 

[SofaKing]

I read an article in the magazine where the author used a Stevens 200 action , rebarreled it. He kept the rifle price under the $700 mark without optics. Can't seem to find one of those actions. So thus my idea of buying one of the earlier mentioned rifles. Possibly keeping the factory barrel if it shoots sub moa and keeping the price down.

 

[BrentM]

go to savage shooters . com. You can get a new Stainless steel action for 350. I do agree that LR shooting is not normally a budget process for precision shooting. If you are just shooting MOA steel out to 7-800 yards then just about any good rifle will get you there. By good I mean MOA or less with a good shooter behind the trigger. If you wanting precisions shooting solutions at all distances you have to have a good scope. Vortex Vipers are good for the money but way over the 300 you want to spend. Another option is to find a Leupold cheap and send it in for M1 turrets.

 

[roninflag]

i suggest a remington sendero. if you shop you can get one near your budget.

 

[MudRunner2005]

i suggest a remington sendero. if you shop you can get one near your budget.

Gotta go with a +1 on that one!

 

[SofaKing]

Hate to say it but I didn't know what a Sendero was until today.
Might be a change in game plan. Any savages that are on comparable level?

 

[MudRunner2005]

Hate to say it but I didn't know what a Sendero was until today.
Might be a change in game plan. Any savages that are on comparable level?

Never will be, in my opinion...But I'm also very biased, and don't like Savage rifles.

 

[roninflag]

virtually all the answers on this forum are- " sendero and leup 6.5-20".

 

[BrentM]

What do you mean by comparable? I have both. I like the feel and look of my Remington better but the performance of the rifle is not marked by the brand name. All of my rifles, ruger, remington, winchester, and savage have shot fine. It is simply a Ford, Dodge, Chevy thing. Might as well say standard/stock Remingtons are a *** compared to Stiller. It is just isn't true. I do believe you can get a good rifle or a bad rifle as they are all mass produced and 6 sigma is part of every business model.

I think you have to pick the package to get you to where you want to be more so then the name. Barrel contour, twist rate, stock components, chamber, bullet choice, powder choice, optics, etc. Savages are proven to work and all BS aside, it is up to you to get what you want. Like I mentioned, I have both, and my savage kills targets as good as any rifle I have ever shot, that includes $10000.00 plus models of Gunwerks customs.

 

[MudRunner2005]

virtually all the answers on this forum are- " sendero and leup 6.5-20".

There's a reason this one keeps getting brought up...And if you've ever owned one, or shot one that's in good shape, or been taken care of, then you'll understand why it keeps getting brought up.

 

[MudRunner2005]

What do you mean by comparable? I have both. I like the feel and look of my Remington better but the performance of the rifle is not marked by the brand name. All of my rifles, ruger, remington, winchester, and savage have shot fine. It is simply a Ford, Dodge, Chevy thing. Might as well say standard/stock Remingtons are a *** compared to Stiller. It is just isn't true. I do believe you can get a good rifle or a bad rifle as they are all mass produced and 6 sigma is part of every business model.

I think you have to pick the package to get you to where you want to be more so then the name. Barrel contour, twist rate, stock components, chamber, bullet choice, powder choice, optics, etc. Savages are proven to work and all BS aside, it is up to you to get what you want. Like I mentioned, I have both, and my savage kills targets as good as any rifle I have ever shot, that includes $10000.00 plus models of Gunwerks customs.

I've been lucky enough to compare my Sendero and 5R rifles with such fine examples of weaponry at the range... Usually the guys get very disheartened when I tell them that they are stock rifles straight from Remington and have never been altered, other than trigger jobs. LOL

I have been very lucky and blessed, because I've only had 1 rifle (out of Remington, weatherbys, brownings, Rugers, Marlins, etc...) that no matter what I could NOT make it shoot...Yes, it was a 700, and yes it's getting rebarreled very soon...Yes I bought it used for really cheap, so I wasn't too disappointed.

 

[BrentM]

Mudrunner2005, I have the same experience except I did have the actions bedded on all the other rifles and in some cases had the crowns cut for better accuracy.

I don't know why, perhaps luck as well, but my savages have had nothing done to them period. I have not bedded, not needed to mod the stocks in anyway, nor play with the triggers. They have been fine from the box to the range. Not trying to convince you to like Savage, but it seems they are doing something right for those who want options. Actually is a little overwhelming to know there are quite a few good choices out there for guys not able to purchase custom or have access to trusted smiths.