Growing up I remember the local hardware store had a barrel full of oily enfields for $50 each.

I think the stock sights on the enfields are better than the Mauser. And it's a very tough rifle. Make an excellent club for when you run out of bullets.
I still have mine, but ammo has gotten expensive, and It hasn't left the closet in years.

Good shooter though.

Hard to beat a Mauser action. Many of them have been re-done in 30.06 now.

I have shot of few of the newer Savages with the Accu Trigger. IMO if this isn't the best rifle trigger on the market, I don't know what is.

Does it say "targetmaster"? If so, we have the same rifle...

I also have
Ruger M77 in 7mm Rem. Mag...(Elk Rifle..the big club)
Remington model 721 in .257 Roberts (tack driver..good deer caliber)
Dad's old sporterized springfield 30-06

All sporting rifles..though I'm sure the TV bimbos would call them "sniper rifles"..

I've got three Sakos (you know they are hand made by naked blonde 18 year old Swedish girls) in bolt action. .22LR, .17HMR, and .223 Rem.

Fair enough.I should know better.

This will be a hunting rifle. Deer at least. So sling weight is important. I also want to use an easily obtainable ammo. Even though I'm shopping for the Dillon set up now, I still would like to purchase the ammo easily.

thanks gang

For whatever reason I've gravitated to model 70 Winchester's in .308. Have four, only one is pre-64 though. A same caliber Remington 700 Remington somewhere, and even an Israeli mauser and Ishapore SMLE in .308
A few more in larger and smaller calibers also.
Jim

Had a Mauser in 308, sold it to fund another purchase (AK clone for $250 in 2007) which then got traded for a nice 20ga O/U (thanks Obama!)

Currently saving nickles for a "mini-mauser" made by Zastava in 762x39. My "bigger centerfire" needs are handled by either my FAL (308) or my Ruger 44 carbine.

Sako finnbear 30-06
Winchester M70 classic feather weight 22-250 (possibly the perfect gun)
CZ 527 FS .223
CZ 452 FS .17HMR
Marlin M25 MN .22 WMR
Marlin M25 .22 LR
Browning 22LR grade II

None of these are safe queens I shoot them all.

This year I would like to add a .204 ruger and a .17 hornet to the gang.

targa, how old is your sako?

I'm sitting in my deer blind, Weatherby Vanguard .30-06 at my side. Excellent gun. Great accuracy at that price point.

The Howa 1500 is the same rifle, different markings on it.



As to other bolt guns (I thought we were talking centerfire) I have a few bolt action 22s - just sold a Savage 93 in 22wmr, still have its twin in 22lr, also have a rusty Mossberg 44US-c and a Remington 41 targetmaster single shot.

Someone mentioned the targetmaster up further, and a lot of different models had that name applied by Remington.

come on. can't beat a Mosin Nagant. what other gun can you say is battle proven, has a long standing deployment career of over 80 years (and still in service today!), still able to hit at 18" target @ 1000yards, has a report like a cannon, and costs less than $200 even from a dealer?

I have been impressed by Savages in terms of bang for the buck if you go for one of their higher line models that have the accu-trigger. I would still recommend one of these, if you are interested in a wooden furniture gun (that series is called the "American Classic").

What I recently ran across is the Ruger "American Rifle", which appears to copy a lot of Savage's nice points (adjustable trigger like the accu-trigger, barrel nut) and combine it with a 3 lug 70 degree bolt and a detachable rotary magazine. It is light as well and under $400 street price and a real performer according to all reviews I have seen. Unfortunately though with all the plastic parts, it probably is not going to be a family heirloom to be passed down to your great-grandson in 50 years from now.

Calibers depend on how far you plan on shooting your deer. Here out in the West, shooting out to 300 yards and even 400 on an antelope hunt are not uncommon, so people usually prefer flat shooting rounds like the .243, .270 or even .300 Win Mag or 7 mm Rem. The big whoppers are loaded down for smaller game but loaded to normal levels for Elk, bear or wild boar trips.

If I were you, for a first deer rifle, I'd get a .243 or .270 Ruger American Rifle:
The Ruger American Rifle™ Bolt-Action Rifle Models
I would stay away from the heavier bullets (30.06 and 308) for the sake of a better trajectory. I also recommend you spend at least $200 on a quality scope. There a Bushnell Elite (made in Japan) or a quality Nikon scope will get you going.

HTH?

G

Swedish Mauser M96
Swedish Mauser Carbine M38
Norwegian Krag
All in 6.55 Swede
Also a Win. Model 70 in 270

I'd like to get a Swedish M42B sniper rifle, but they can be spendy...

The most readily available ammo in the world is .30-'06. It also comes in the greatest variety as far as bullet weights and applications. You can get everything from dirt cheap surplus ammo for plinking to premium ammo loaded with the very best bullets, suitable for hunting anything that walks the North American continent.

I demand all of my hunting rifles have open sights, even if I plan to scope it. Scopes fail, even the best of modern scopes. Back up iron sights can save the hunt. Just make sure they are zeroed with your hunting ammo of choice. It simply astouns me how many bolt action hunting rifles are supplied without iron sights these days. Very, very bad idea in my book.

Most guys will tell you that modern materials are best for hunting rifles intended for use in bad weather. Stainless barrels and actions seem to be prefered these days. I will say, however, that all of my rifles are traditional blued steel and walnut. Properly taken care of, this has never been a problem in over 30 years of hunting what some would consider the very harshest test or climate - the soggy Pacific Northwest, from Oregon to my native Washington to Alaska. I've never had a problem. In addition to being somewhat of a romantic, or a traditionalist, another factor driving this choice is that I've not seen modern stainless / synthetic bolt guns with iron sights on them. It's that important to me - I won't buy a big game rifle without them (varmint guns are excused).

Another factor that comes into play for me is the trigger group. I'm not looking for a match trigger, I'm looking for a trigger that is reliable under all conditions. Many modern triggers are housed in pretty enclosed little boxes, and have many intricate parts. Guess what - water gets in there. It can freeze. It can rust those parts (even stainless actions have, for the most part, carbon steel parts in the trigger groups). Dirt and grime can get lodged in there. No thanks - any of this will ruin a hunt. I prefer a simple, open trigger assembly, like on Mausers and original Model 70's (the rebirth of the M70 now has a boxed trigger group - a major shortcoming in my book). These will never freeze, accumulate dirt, and are very easy to clean and keep lubricated.

Lastly, there is the safety. In my book, unless it locks the firing pin, it's really not a safety at all. Most modern safeties merely block the sear, leaving the firing pin to its own devices. No thanks. I want to know that pin is locked, thank you very much.

Much is made of controled round feed vs. push feed. I've personally never seen any difference in feeding reliability. Hell, the legendary Harry Selby (Robart Ruark's PH on many African trips), when his prized .416 Rigby (on a magnum Mauser action) had to be sent to Rigby for repairs, bought an off the shelf - horror of horrors - post '64 M70 in .458 Winchester Magnum. Push feed and all. One of the most experienced PH's of all time. And he used it for the rest of his career (he sold the Rigby when it finally came back, something like four years later) with nary a problem. Anyway, on this point, I can go either way.

So, in summary: .30-'06, equiped with open sights, "hunting" vs. target trigger, and a real safety that blocks the firing pin. That short list of requirements narrows the field considerably. It essentially leaves us with M98 Mausers, '03 A3 Springfields, and Model 70 Winchesters (prior to this reintroduction). Fortunately, all are readily available and inexpensive to boot.

i'm guessing 60's. It was my Dads. I remember how excited he was about getting it around that time. I inherited it when he passed a few years ago. I've shot a few groundhogs with it just to shoot it, it was a quick but ugly way to die for the critter.

So, in summary: .30-'06, equiped with open sights, "hunting" vs. target trigger, and a real safety that blocks the firing pin. That short list of requirements narrows the field considerably. It essentially leaves us with M98 Mausers, '03 A3 Springfields, and Model 70 Winchesters (prior to this reintroduction). Fortunately, all are readily available and inexpensive to boot.

Dunno about inexpensive . The Winnies I've seen are around $1K. But I like them.
__________________

Jeff,

I respect your traditionalist views and always enjoy reading your gun input, but that rifle advice, while logical, is so traditional, that it doesn't leave much to buy these days.

Maybe it is because I hunt the warmer climates mainly, but I don't know anyone whose trigger froze. I do however know a lot of people - including myself - whose long range shooting improves greatly with a <3 lb trigger that breaks like glass ...

I don't care how my "safety" works. I never count on it working - as you should with any gun safety, even the one that locks the pin. I always chamber a round as late as possible ...

On the open sights you have a valid point - not a deal breaker for me however. There are a lot of things that can mess up your hunt - this is just one of them and it isn't terribly likely IMHO, if you buy a good scope with solid mounts / rings. I have beaten the hell out of my scoped rifle in nasty terrain and have yet to lose zero. Also, many hunts would be ruined anyways without a scope. I can't hit an animal past 150 yards with iron sights ... you'll probably tell me I don't practice enough. :)

Cheers,

G

Not much traditional about this bolt action...but I've got a hankering for a Scout rifle..

Steyr Scout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia