Time for a new rifle.

[Kamptown]

I am in the market for an all weather 7mm with a 26" barrel. I have been shooting the same Ruger m77 for 20 years. It shoots great(after a trigger swap). Shoots under an inch at 100. I really like to keep my shots under the 300 yard mark, but inevitably there are times when I will find myself ranging out to 4-500 yards.
So my price range is not in the truly custom range, and I would have a hard time busting through the brush with a $5000 rifle. That being said I currently have my eye on four. All in the 7mm, I really like the ballistics. Also I hike, so weight is a factor.
The browning LRH or Hells Canyon Speed
Remington CDL SF(I know it's wood, but)
Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather SS(that's a mouthful)
Kimber Mountain Ascent
I'm sure there are more sub $2000 rifles out there, and I sure welcome the input. My eyes are smoked from hours of articles and reviews and forums. Everyone has an opinion, and I would love to here firsthand what your experience is.
I shoot Elk, Mule Deer, Antelope in Idaho. The farther north I go the wetter it gets! It stays wet days after it rains, and then it rains again.
One concern I have about the Kimber is the super thin barrel. I do reload, and can fiddle with powder and projectile. Honestly I can't imagine ever taking a shot past 600 yards if even that far. Sorry if I rambled there, just a lot of info.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Nick

 

[BrentM]

You didn't mention savage for some reason. I have many and built many. All OEM rifles shot exceptional out of the box. The weather warrior with stainless, accustock, and accutrigger is hard to beat especially if you get a good deal.

I think I am right at 11 savages in the past 3 to 4 years.

 

[Kamptown]

I will look into the savage rifles as well. Thank you for the reply.

 

[MudRunner2005]

The Rem 700 CDL SF is a very nice rifle, and gets my vote. Only issue, you will need to do a trigger swap immediately. Those "lawyer-proof" X-Mark Pro triggers are garbage, IMO.

Timney makes a very good and affordable replacement option.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

Save your money, buy an el-cheappo deluxe T/C Compass, $299.00...it will kill just as dead as those 5K rifles, plus you could care less what happens to it !!!

 

[jpd676]

You didn't mention savage for some reason. I have many and built many. All OEM rifles shot exceptional out of the box. The weather warrior with stainless, accustock, and accutrigger is hard to beat especially if you get a good deal.

+1 It's tough to beat a Savage.

 

[WildRose]

I have both the Win Mod 70 EW in .300wm and a 700 CDL SFII in .264wm.

Mind you at heart I prefer the model 70 action over all others but that being said while the EW shoots pretty well for a factory rifle I was a bit disappointed in how light the barrel contour is and shooting anything over 180gr through it will knock the snot out of you. Because of the latter I added a brake and dug out the forearm of the stock and back filled it with a mixture of tungsten powder and epoxy. That solved my issues with the rifle and I don't blame Winchester, it was my fault for buying it online having never actually handled one but we have a real dearth of firearms dealers in my area that keep any kind of decent stock of rifles in the store.

The 700CDL stock as far as I'm concerned is way too pretty and that makes me hesitant to carry it through the brush but if I ever decide to I can always restock it with an HS Precision or preferablly a McMillian.

If you have a stocking Winchester Dealer in your area I'd say go see them and put your hands on an EW before buying it and if they have the Black Shadow in stock definitely give it a try as well. Everyone I know who has that model is very happy with it.

Out of the box you'll be hard pressed to find a factory rifle that shoots better than the Remington Sendero so give them a look. It may be more weight than you want for a carry rifle but even as old and crippled up as I am I don't mind carrying any of mine and I have several along with a .220 Swift in a 700 VSSFII model.

 

[roninflag]

rem sendero stainless fluted

 

[SansSouci]

Hi Kamptown,

If you're willing to go 2k for a new rifle, my advice is to check out Sako.

I own a Sako AV 7MM Rem Mag. It's the most accurate rifle I own. It'll shoot very tiny groups all day long. It has a 24" barrel on it, which I prefer for Rocky Mountain hunting. With hand loads, I can get better than advertised velocity. I've killed a monster 7x7 bull elk with it a couple seasons ago with one 160 grain Partition through that old dude's heart. He went better than 900 pounds. He scored 374. That Partition left an inch hole on the other side of his massive chest. Yes, the 7MM Rem Mag is an excellent elk cartridge. My guide loves the 7MM Rem Mag.

BTW, I believe Sako guarantees 5-shot MOA.

I'll soon be leaving on a Rocky Mountain mule deer hunt. I'll be taking my Sako AV .270 WIn.

In reality, it'll boil down to your preference. Computer-aided manufacturing has taken human error out of rifle production, so most quality rifles will be shooters. You merely have to decide which is the right one for you.

I wish you absolute success,

 

[Smokepoles]

The xbolt is a fine shooting rifle, I stumbled into one in 270 and it'll shoot with my much pricier guns. The stock isn't bad for factory plastic and it's factory bedded, maybe I got lucky but I'd say it's worth the money. they sell it in a game scout stock now, that would be nice if in the budget. The savages shoot but I just can't get comfortable behind the accustock personally, that being said there's plenty of aftermarket stocks for them. If I had to guess I'd say that would be the least expensive ticket to a reliable accurate factory rifle. I haven't had great luck with factory Remington's being accurat as of late but there's always semi custom 700s in the classifieds that can be had for good prices, honestly that would probably be the route I'd take if something that catches your eye pops up. Good luck and I hope you find the right one!

 

[SansSouci]

You didn't mention savage for some reason. I have many and built many. All OEM rifles shot exceptional out of the box. The weather warrior with stainless, accustock, and accutrigger is hard to beat especially if you get a good deal.

I think I am right at 11 savages in the past 3 to 4 years.

I've yet to read a negative review of a Savage.

 

[FEENIX]

You didn't mention savage for some reason. I have many and built many. All OEM rifles shot exceptional out of the box. The weather warrior with stainless, accustock, and accutrigger is hard to beat especially if you get a good deal.

+1 It's tough to beat a Savage.

Ditto!

 

[FEENIX]

Save your money, buy an el-cheappo deluxe T/C Compass, $299.00...it will kill just as dead as those 5K rifles, plus you could care less what happens to it !!!

TC Arms rifles are very underrated but they are quite the shooter out of the box. I have had many friends, mostly young airmen; set them up with Ventures as their first ever hunting rifle and they are very pleased with them.

I got my eye on the Compass for exactly what you mentioned, I like the fact that it also comes with pre-threaded muzzle ready for MB or suppressor.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

For $299.00, you'd be hard pressed to beat one, ugly, cheap stock, fit/finish are OK...but for the price you can over look lots, heck, you could abuse, scratch,, whatever and not be upset...once the bullet leaves the barrel who knows what it came from..