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My coworker rifle brand choices

Good factory rifle for first time bolt action rifle purchase

  • Weatherby vanguard hi country

    Votes: 19 26.0%
  • Browning x bolt long range stalker

    Votes: 26 35.6%
  • Savage 110 high country

    Votes: 17 23.3%
  • Bergara ridge

    Votes: 24 32.9%
  • Ruger american go wild

    Votes: 3 4.1%

  • Total voters
    73

SamuelBerryhill308

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 15, 2020
Messages
1,442
Location
Vale nc
Hello all I have a friend/coworker that is looking for a good reliable rifle to hunt with this year and to use for many season to come this will be his first bolt action rifle as he has always been a ar15 and ar10 guy and has built some nice rifles but he's wanting something better for deer hunting. And he is looking at weatherby vanguard hi- country,
Browning x bolt long range stalker and savage 110 high country and bergara ridge and ruger american go wild these are the rifles he can get in store at his local gun store.i personally do not know anything about four of these and have never looked at them In person I have owned three ruger american rifles in the pasted and they worked okay for me.i would like to try and help him figure out which one is a better factory rifle.he will be hunting from stands and on the ground shots won't be more than 200 yards.he just wants a good reliable accurate rifle it be nice to hear from people on here that has experience with two or more of theses brands.he really likes that the browning and weatherby has the m16 style extractor and they have longer barrels in the caliber hes looking at.but he also likes that the savage and bergara and ruger american are threaded 5/8x24 and dont have to use an adaptor for surpressure.ive tryed to help him from what ive heard from people on here but i figured id post and see what insight i can get for him.thanks in advance
 
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Tell him to go for one of the already threaded brands like Ruger .
If he ends up with an unthreaded one and sends it out to get barrel threaded , by the time he gets it back deer season will be over and maybe Christmas to.
 
Tell him to go for one of the already threaded brands like Ruger .
If he ends up with an unthreaded one and sends it out to get barrel threaded , by the time he gets it back deer season will be over and maybe Christmas to.
Yea thats what I'm thanking.all of the models he's looking at are threaded.three are 5x8/24 and the others are 1/2x28 or 9/16 or what ever browning uses
 
Samuel- all of those mentioned can be good shooters. For 200 yards I don't believe you need a barrel over 20". However more than that won't hurt. I have a Ruger American that shoots 175 gr - 30 cal-100 yds - 0.5 " . So big or little $ won't necessarily matter. All those other firearms should do as well or better. I have used them all at one time or another.

Accuracy in any firearm currently manufactured can usually do well when you find the load it likes. Guns are like people, some are better than others,very similar but different. Each has its own preference. Your friend may have to factor in cost vs finish vs weight vs how it feels when he shoulders it. He will have to decide what combination of things he likes or dislikes and get it in a suitable caliber for the type of hunting it will be used for.

I'm not sure I have helped but hope so. Be safe and well, Tommy.
 
Samuel- all of those mentioned can be good shooters. For 200 yards I don't believe you need a barrel over 20". However more than that won't hurt. I have a Ruger American that shoots 175 gr - 30 cal-100 yds - 0.5 " . So big or little $ won't necessarily matter. All those other firearms should do as well or better. I have used them all at one time or another.

Accuracy in any firearm currently manufactured can usually do well when you find the load it likes. Guns are like people, some are better than others,very similar but different. Each has its own preference. Your friend may have to factor in cost vs finish vs weight vs how it feels when he shoulders it. He will have to decide what combination of things he likes or dislikes and get it in a suitable caliber for the type of hunting it will be used for.

I'm not sure I have helped but hope so. Be safe and well, Tommy.
Thanks your right about the ruger american model rifles I've had three and they all shot well. And I can't remember what caliber he is looking at getting. And he has looked at all these rifles in person and a few others but these are the ones he has gotten down to
 
I agree with Tommy that at those distances the extra couple inches of barrel aren't critical and could be a hindrance in the stand. I had a Ruger American and it shot well enough but just felt cheap.(which it is)
I currently have 2 Browning Xbolts and are definitely an upgrade from the Ruger and shoot excellent for a factory rifle. I don't think he would be disappointed with the Weatherby either.
 
I agree with Tommy that at those distances the extra couple inches of barrel aren't critical and could be a hindrance in the stand. I had a Ruger American and it shot well enough but just felt cheap.(which it is)
I currently have 2 Browning Xbolts and are definitely an upgrade from the Ruger and shoot excellent for a factory rifle. I don't think he would be disappointed with the Weatherby either.
Cool deal yes the rugers I had felt cheap as well and rough action.are your x bolts threaded? If so do you know what size.ive heard they are metric and also that they are 9/16x 28or something like that
 
It all depends on what he likes, as all of these will cover the ranges he is looking at. If he is going to want to put a suppressor on it, I would definitely lean toward the 5/8x24 threaded barrels. Not sure why he wants the longer barrel unless he is thinking about stretching it out in the future. Weight is important to me, but it really depends on how you hunt and how far you plan on carrying that rifles while hunting. I've owned Browning xbolt, Savage 110, and Bergara from your list. I grab my Browning when hunting for whitetail deer at those ranges.
 
Hello all I have a friend/coworker that is looking for a good reliable rifle to hunt with this year and to use for many season to come this will be his first bolt action rifle as he has always been a ar15 and ar10 guy and has built some nice rifles but he's wanting something better for deer hunting. And he is looking at weatherby vanguard hi- country,
Browning x bolt long range stalker and savage 110 high country and bergara ridge and ruger american go wild these are the rifles he can get in store at his local gun store.i personally do not know anything about four of these and have never looked at them In person I have owned three ruger american rifles in the pasted and they worked okay for me.i would like to try and help him figure out which one is a better factory rifle.he will be hunting from stands and on the ground shots won't be more than 200 yards.he just wants a good reliable accurate rifle it be nice to hear from people on here that has experience with two or more of theses brands.he really likes that the browning and weatherby has the m16 style extractor and they have longer barrels in the caliber hes looking at.but he also likes that the savage and bergara and ruger american are threaded 5/8x24 and dont have to use an adaptor for surpressure.ive tryed to help him from what ive heard from people on here but i figured id post and see what insight i can get for him.thanks in advance
All of this rifles will work great for him just personal preference will be the deciding factor. I personally will never recommend a salvage after dealing with a customer service rep in a bad mood but that's me. I did used to be a salvage fan. Those rugers and vanguards will really shoot if he does his hand loading magic to find what they like.
 
Samuel, all of those are good choices for first bolt action. I really like my Weatherby Vanguard II. I like the Savages that my sons have. I recommend your friend try shouldering each one at a retail store. That way he can see what fits him best. I have taken a few rifles on trade and they just feel cheap or wrong for me. Those are the only guns that I have ever parted with.
 

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