I know this looks like and probably is one of "those" threads. But I figure with my needs being well thought out it could bring about some good thoughts.
Here's the scoupe - I have many rifles of many sorts, and am quite familiar with lots of rifles that aren't my own or aren't even my cup of tea. 308, 223, 7.62x39mm semis based on military designs. Mauser and Mosin and Enfield (Oh my!) American sporting arms in 22LR, 12ga, and 300 RUM.
And after much time and a growing experience with shooting, I come back to wanting a basic bolt action 30-06 for multi-purpose use. By that I mean something I could use in the widest variety of situations. From hunting to target shooting to being ready for homeland defense, I'm convinced that a good 30-06 bolt gun with in the hands of a practiced owner has a place as much as any high capacity semi-automatic or heavy barreled precision rifle, and I don't just mean to take a deer each season and return to the shelf. I'm talking about something I could depend on in adverse conditions, take anywhere and find ammo for, carry as well as anything, and shoot with confidence in a pinch.
So here's some of my thoughtts, or tentative criteria -
1.) Smooth, durable, forgiving action - sorry Savage, accuracy's all you have going.
2.) MOA accuracy. 1 is plenty. Larger, well, I know one can do better, so I'm going to hold to MOA. Don't need a company guarantee, just a model where it's a reasonable expectation.
3.) Strong extraction, but not controlled round feed, at least not Mauser type. My Mauser feeds a little too roughly for my preferences, and I think it's had a controlled round feed related jam or two. A Weatherby Vanguard seems ideal in that regard, with a mild claw extractor and a button ejector, only that I can't understand why they're not 180 degrees from each other like on the Rem 700. On that note the Rem 700's C-clip extractor isn't my cup of tea, but I'll take it any day over the ball detent driven linear extractors like on the Mossberg ATR, Savage, and Win M70 (non-classic). (So nix those three.)
4.) MUST, absolutely MUST be able to load from the top. I would be happy to have a detachable magazine to boot, but anything that has to be loaded outside of the rifle is a no-go. The only top loading detachable mag bolt gun I know of is the Rem 700 DM. Sorry Rem 710, Savage, Tikka, and FN.
5.) Rifling suitable for the widest range of bullets, but centering on those most likely to be used, ie 150-180gr.
6.) Medium weight 22-24" barrel and an average weight. Nothing insanely lightweight or heavyweight. Normal weight is normal for a reason - it's a good weight.
7.) I would like to have open sites available. Installing them after the fact is a possibility. I would be particularly interested in a "scout" type scope setup, but that's not 100% necessary (even if preferred.) That would mean rear receiver site and forward mounted scope.
8.) Durable finish and real synthetic stock, or perhaps a wood one with a basic and durable wood finish - no black painted wood stocks - sorry Howa. It's a tough call, but I don't think a stainless rifle would be a good choice. Getting the right stock in the first place may prove more economical than paying for and then replacing a cheap stock. But I'm open to suggestions there. Heck, I make stocks for AKs, maybe I should for this one too.
9.) Receiver safety, or at least a forward-backward safety. The type on most Mausers, Rugers, and Winchesters is not my friend. Two position is good for me.
10.) Base gun in the $400 range, give or take. Optics and other mods will be another budget, but a new stock is pushing it.
You could call this somewhat of a "settling down" gun. The idea is a non-glamorous, affordable, versatile, and capable rifle - capable, as I said, of shooting accurately in a pinch and taking not exactly abuse but real world use. The two guns at the top of my head are Rem 700 SPS, whose stock I absolutely hate, and the Weatherby Vanguard, whose stock I haven't evaluated as recently. Savage, Tikka, Winchester (non-classic), Mossberg, Browning, Weatherby MkV, amidst all of their strengths, are simply out of this equation. Ones I'm tentatively curious about are the Rugers, CZs, Steyr Pro-Hunters, Zastava Mausers (formerly sold by Charles Daly, now sold by Remington), Century Mausers (I don't know from where) and any that I don't know of already.
So what does experience and technical expertise say to any of these points or any that I'm ignoring?
