Best Gun For Under $600.

[Kotupod]

Ok,   I know I may be getting annoying, but im trying really hard to make a good decision, and yall help alot.

The rifle will be used for white tail hunting and maybe some target in the future.  Well, this will be my first rifle, although I have shot for years. My mom is paying for the gun, and the gun alone. She is willing to pay up to 600 bucks.

I was thinking the Tikka T3 Lite Stainless, or the Hunter. I was also thinking the Browning A-Bolt. Are those good choices or should I reconcider? I know brand choice is mostly preference, although I don't want a gun with a bad reputation. I also want a gun with a smooth action, solid stock, and a overall good feel; not cheep felling (I think you know what I mean). So, has anyone heard anything bad about the Tikka such as: the stock, the trigger, the barrel, the scope rings that come with it, and ect..? Is there any good of better value that is around the same price? If there is, feel free to recommend.

I have narrowed my caliber choices down to the 30-06, 270, 308, and or anything around there, above the 243. Which one of these calibers would be better concidering price, and everything else overall. I might concider hunting different animals and some target just for fun in the future.

Oh, and by the way i'm buying all the optics and other stuff. I was thinking a 3-9X40 or 50 leupold, nikon, or tasco scope; which one would you recommend concidering the quality for the money?

Thanks,  

[Butler]

I have an a-bolt in 30/06 that I have used since 91 with no trouble and great accuracy,great caliber too...My friend bought a weatherby vanguard today that seems quite nice for the price,,575 canadian dollars...The tikkas seem all right as well..Find one that shoulders the best for you ,some will not be as nice as others..Can't go wrong with  a 30/06 either.It was my first big game caliber rifle and I still love it .I also purchased a cz-550 last year and that seems to be a very fine rifle..

[Butler]

You cannot go wrong with a leupold scope as well,,one that can be passed down to your grandkids not thrown in the garbage when it breaks..3-9 is a fine choice!!!!!

[Kotupod]

Do they all have a lifetime warranty? How much will a silver 3-9x50 run me?

[Butler]

I am from alberta canada and not sure on the prices there,,there is a big variance between the rifleman vx1 vx2 vx3 ... The vx 2 that I use is very nice as is the older vari x 2..The 3 is quite a bit more money and I also am not sure that I would go for a 50 mm objective... 40 mm is fine and I have a 33 mm on my 375 H&H.3-9 x 40 is what I use on my /o6 and 308 and the leupolds have awesome eye relief as well!!!! If you go to the 50 mm objective you may have to mount the scope higher than is comfortable for shooting.

[Kotupod]

Yeah, but i hear it lets in a LOT more light

[Kotupod]

Should I accept my brothers price of 400 for his browning a-bolt that is 7 years old but in pretty good condition and comes with leupold rings.

[Butler]

Some people also say that the one inch tube is not good enough anymore that you need a 30mm tube,,,Buy a good quality scope and it will be clearer in a 33 or a 40 mm than a cheaper one in a 50mm.By a long shot.But if it is what you want get it by all means :wink:

[Butler]

what do the new brownings cost??You shouldnt pay much more than half of new depending on the condition,at least I wouldn't.

[Kotupod]

new it would be a little over 600

[Kotupod]

it has one little nick in the metal at the tip of the barrel, and a couple of minor scratches in the wood

[Butler]

See if he will let you shoot it,if you like it and It is in the caliber you want buy it.Shoot it alot and go after some big deer next year!!!Take the 200 or so you will save over new and buy that much better of a scope and you should be served very well .Make sure the nick at the end of the barrel doesn't go into the barrel  itself or accuracy will be adversely affected.The crown should have protected it..why is he selling it,???

[Kotupod]

He is only selling it for me i think, and he may be interested in a new rifle

[Kotupod]

so you think i should go with taht instead.. I will not be saving money, my mom will, and she will not give me the other 200 bucks. i dont save any money, but my mom does.

[Kotupod]

does anyone know about the quality of the tikka t3 hunter stock? Is the barrel free floated?

[Zachary]

Yes, the barrel on the T3 wood stock is free floated.

However, I would personally recommend the T3 stainless synthetic.  I like the ability of not having to worry about scratching a nice wood stock and the blue finish.

I highly recommend the Tikkas as I believe that they are the best value in the $500 to $600 range.

Zachary

[Kotupod]

Well i've heard there is alot of plastic, is that a bad thing or am I just a skeptic?

[Coyote Hunter]

so you think i should go with taht instead.. I will not be saving money, my mom will, and she will not give me the other 200 bucks. i dont save any money, but my mom does.

Speaking as a parent, any time my kids can get what they want and save my wife and I some money it is highly appreciated.  Especially this time of year.

Find out why your brother is selling it and walk away if it is because the rifle won’t group.  Otherwise, $400 for the rifle and Leupold rings sounds pretty good.  New Leupold rings and a base will run you $40 or more, so you would really be getting the rifle for $360.  You’ll have a hard time matching that deal.

“New” always has a certain appeal, but you will often find a better value in used.  A minor nick in the barrel finish and a couple minor dents in the wood should not be a deterrent as neither will affect the way the rifle shoots.  My brother and I both purchased Ruger M77’s back in the very early 80’s.  His looks like brand new because it has rarely been to the range or in the field.  Mine, on the other hand, has a lot of “character” from 20 years of elk hunting.  While working up a new load recently, my old Ruger turned in a 3-shot 100-yard group that measured 0.26” center-to-center, less than the diameter of the 7mm bullet I was shooting.  I don’t mind those “character” marks at all!.

Will a new Browning or Tikka shoot any better than your brother’s Browning?  Perhaps, but probably not enough to make a difference – you’re looking for a hunting rifle not a target rifle.  A half-inch group is no better than a one-inch group when it comes to putting down deer-sized game.

[Patriot_1776]

As for scopes, you can't do any better than Leupold.  Their lifetime warranty is for the life of the scope; not the life of the user (thats a good thing).  As for power and size, a 3-9x40mm is the standard all around configuration.  It offers more than enough light transmission for most hunting situations that you could encounter for the time being.  That is why when you get older, and find more experience, you can better judge next time what you should get, if such a need should come up later.  

But the best way to go would be to get a 3-9x40mm. Leupold VXII.  I have one and it works great.  It has the standard duplex reticle, which I didn't like too much.  I currently target shoot more than anything, and trying to aim for a 1 1/16" Shoot-N-See dot at 200yds. is not easy.  Therefore, I preferred a scope with a fine duplex over the standard size.  In a hunting situation, you should be able to hit at least (or worst) a 9" paper plate at 100yds.  So any kind of reticle you want is sufficient.  Shooting off a bench, that sounds too easy.  Try it standing, sitting, or in some uncomfortable field position that may come up while hunting is a whole different matter. :shock:  Even I was suprised... :lol:

I hope this helps you some.


-Patriot

[Kotupod]

Yeah i think i worded that wrong... I just ment like my mom wants me to get something good and no matter the price, im paying for everything but the gun itself

[Kotupod]

My brother is only selling it for me.  Oh, and I don't think my mom wants my brother to sell his gun because she bought him it and it was his first, and thats kinda why she wants me to get my own new gun.

[victorcharlie]

Your a pretty lucky kid to have such a great mom...I hope you realize that.......If she's paying, and she doesn't want your brother to sell his gun, then you'd be crazy to buck her.  I don't mind buying a used gun but I have a little more experience than you.
 
That said, you sound like a fellow who does the research and has a pretty good idea about things before you commit.  I'd much rather buy a quality used gun at a good price than pay full list for the same thing new.  Have you visited any local gun stores to see what's available on the used rack and at what price?  Who knows?  You just might find something used that's really nice that you couldn't afford new.  Just a thought.......

[Kotupod]

Yeah, she is great, but this is also a one in a lifetime thing. The tikka in my gunshop was being sold for over 750 bucks. I dont know whats up with that, greedy i guess. and everything around here lists more than the prices i found online.

[Zachary]

Well i've heard there is alot of plastic, is that a bad thing or am I just a skeptic?

I normally would believe that plastic is a bad thing.  However, I have used my Tikkas for quite a while and I have never had any problems with the plastic portion of the rifle.  Specifically, the plastic is only on the bolt shroud, the magazine, and the trigger guard.  I do prefer a metal trigger guard, and all other parts to be metal for that matter, but I have not had any problems.

Keep in mind that the bolt shroud, at least on my Browning A-Bolts, is not stainless, but rather some cheap metal-like material.  

Zachary

[fish280]

used remington adl pre-j-lock in .270 win or .30-'06, about $250. add a nikon or leupold fixed 6x in talley lightweight mounts, buy a box of ammo with the change. go kill stuff. :lol:

[victorcharlie]

Just have patience.....there are tons of rifles around.......watch the classified adds in your Sunday paper.   I know the walmart thing is unpopular, and I won't debate the merits one way or the other, but walmart can order a lot of different rifles, not just what you see in the store.........and it's very difficult to find a lower price on the same rifle any where around here.....have you browsed there web site and looked at rifles?

The biggest thing, especially because it's a one time thing, is to be  patient and don't jump on the first good buy that comes along just because it's a good buy.......most of the fun of getting a gun, especially at your age, it the want part of it.......get it, and that goes away........have fun and make it last until you know the rifle in your hands is special.......One of these days......after your mother is gone.......It'll probably be even more special.....not because what it is, but because your mother wanted you to have it, and got if for you.......

[JCM]

Kotupod,

1.  Tell your brother never to sell a gun that was given as a gift.  Some day he may regret it very much.....

2.  Tell your Mom you love her.....

3.  A little research and some links.....

A link to a dealer of new Tikkia T3's in Stainless Lite for $579.  I don't know what they charge for shipping but it shouldn't be over $20.  You'd have to send them a copy of a local dealers FFL.  Your dealer would charge you to recieve the gun.  He shouldn't charge you over $20.  Total the new gun would cost $619.  I'd recommend .308 first, 30-06 second, and .270 third.  You won't go wrong with any of those.  You also get the scope rings free with these guns.  FYI, I don't know anything about this dealer.
http://www.luvtohunt.com/tikka.htm

That same dealer made a comment on his forum a few months ago about a special on those guns.  Don't know if it's still going, but if you contact him and tell him your situation, it might still be going for you.
http://www.luvtohunt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=308
(...I'm only posting a link to another forum for this one time.....)

For a scope it's hard to beat a Nikon Monarch and it's hard to beat a 3-9x40.  I don't know if you want silver or not but here's a link to a silver one for $269 to match the stainless.  This place is a sponsor of this site and great to deal with.  You can get matte for $10 less.  
http://theopticzone.com/detail.aspx?ID=2344

If money is tight, and you won't the best scope for the money, for what you've descriped doing (punching paper and occasional hunting) I'd go with the following scope.  It is a great choice.  With all the fancy stuff out there, you'll never need more scope than this:
http://theopticzone.com/detail.aspx?ID=2339

About 20 years ago my parents bought me my first centerfire rifle and I bought the scope.  It was a Remington 700 in 30-06.  Now I buy/trade off/sell 2-3 guns a year.  Only a few are special to me.  That 30-06 is the gun I use most and I love the most.  There's not a gun I'd trade it for.  I've upgraded stocks, mounts, rings, scopes,..many times ....but kept all the original stored away.  I really love this gun.  I hope whatever you get becomes that gun for you.

Take care,
JCM

[Kotupod]

i found a tikka t3 for 520 at budsgunshop.com , it will be around 600 bucks after its all done. I think thats a good deal since it comes with rings too..

[Zachary]

You may also contact Ozark Guns.  I have bought 1 or 2 Tikkas from there.  They are very nice people, and their prices were great the time that I bought from them.

Zachary

[Kotupod]

what about impact guns? I haven't seen any store beat the price of 520