Looking to buy my first bolt action rifle

[ruger35]

If that doesn’t include the scope price you could come pretty close to putting together a custom yourself. My advice being this is your first bolt action, buy something that has prefits available. I’m a dedicated Straight Jacket Armory customer, check with them on prefits they may have on shelf and running a sale on. Sometimes they run decent sales on guns they have in-stock and ready to go too.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Does that budget include the scope? If so, what scope do you have in mind? And if not, what is the scope budget?

 

[TaperPin]

You can invest $3k in a rifle with all the cool stuff that might shoot like crap, or use the basic/plain action of your choice, have a top barrel installed by a gunsmith ($1k) and shoot little groups. Either way is ok.

I think of any rifle as just a box of parts to be changed and swapped out to fit your interests. More parts are made to fit a Remington 700 pattern than any other, but Tikka, Savage, Ruger, Christensen, Mosberg, Winchester, Browning, Weatherby, or any major brand with a top quality $1k barrel will shoot well under MOA.

 

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[S-3 ranch]

It’s hard to beat a savage with decent glass and still be under budget
Avoiding fierce & Christensen is advisable especially if you’re a Canadian

 

[Petergon]

Tikka announced a 7prc earlier this year at SHOT Show. It hasn't appeared yet and the year is running out. But they announced it.

I would avoid Christensen and Fierce as they have QC issues more frequently than they should.

Seekins PH2 if you don't go with a Tikka.

Really? Then im waiting hahaha

 

[bojangles808]

the x bolt 2 looks promising if you wanted a ready to shoot 7prc. or a seekins. stainless tikka 7 mag swaped with a 7prc prefit and dropped in stock chassis of your choice wouldnt be bad idea either. but maybe a little more trickier being in canada.

 

[eric1115]

Looking for a 7prc though and tikka doesn’t carry them

I'd be rethinking chambering if I were in your shoes. If this is a first/only bolt gun, you'll be way more deadly way further with a 6CM or 6.5CM and a big pile of ammo you burn through every year vs a 7PRC and a smaller pile of ammo (budget and recoil means we all shoot little stuff more and better).

If you don't shoot many hundreds, preferably multiple thousand rounds a year, none of us has any business shooting game at the kind of ranges where 7PRC gives an advantage over a CM sized case.

Stainless Tikka
6CM prefit barrel (especially since Canada and no suppressors)
Rokstok when it becomes available to you.

 

[LostWapiti]

Tikka, browning, seekins, weatherby. Those are the only brands I would be considering for factory rifles.

Remember more money does not mean better. On tikka it’s very easy to get aftermarket stocks so it’s a great option.

 

[Bado20]

For that budget I'd throw a Tikka in a Mcmillan Mtn Tracker LR, swap out the trigger spring, and let it rock. I'd also get it in a 6.5 CM instead of a 7 PRC if it was my first bolt gun.

 

[TaperPin]

This is a lot like a first girlfriend - no matter what your first choice, tastes will change and you’ll see greener grass elsewhere, so there’s no need to over think it. In fact it might be better to buy a used rifle, shoot it for a summer until the newness wears off, sell it for the purchase price, then buy the gun you want. As long as you’re paying no more than market price for a used gun, it’s free to shoot as long as you want. Free. Literally free.

 

[Seak_angler]

Looking for a 7prc though and tikka doesn’t carry them

Forsure, no worries. I only suggested a tikka because they are proven accurate with no BS and they are reasonably priced with no fluff..

 

[BKM]

for what your doing I’d do exactly what I did, a tikka 6.5cm stainless in the stock of your choice (I went KRG Bravo) and spent all that extra money on a really nice scope.

A 6.5cm will be much easier to shoot well, cheaper to shoot so you can shoot it a lot, and kill very effectively.

 

[Brucebarker024]

I’d either get a tikka built by unknown munitions for 2800 ish or a tikka and drop it into a krg bravo or echo and spend the rest on a great scope.

 

[solarshooter]

Tikka in .243 Win (1:8" twist), 6.5CM, or 6.5PRC. Add the vertical grip, wide forend, and cheekpiece to the stock or swap it. Do the light trigger spring if you want. Get a reliable scope and strong rings. Practice practice practice. Gun with these minor mods will be <1000$ US, and it will be among the most reliable, accurate, and light rifles you can buy PERIOD.

 

[magtech]

Id go tikka ctr in 6.5 with a ~$1k scope. Put the research in to get the scope you want for your needs (may be able to get a scope for half that price, needs depending) n go shoot.

If you do it, right that setup will let you do anything the catridge can do.

 

[magtech]

One of the benefits of a tikka is youre getting a known quality item. Im thinking about getting a few more of them so all my actions match and feel the same to me.

 

[fuzzymarindave]

A lot of folks will recommend toyota (oops meant Tikka). Whichever brand you get for $3k you can get a top of line with a nice carbon fiber stock. Usually a better value to get the carbon stock with the purchase but you can get them after market for most brands.

 

[z987k]

A lot of folks will recommend toyota (oops meant Tikka). Whichever brand you get for $3k you can get a top of line with a nice carbon fiber stock. Usually a better value to get the carbon stock with the purchase but you can get them after market for most brands.

I'd argue quite strongly that carbon for carbon's sake isn't a good thing. From the stock to the barrel.
The vast majority of factory carbon stocks are surprisingly heavy and terrible from an ergonomic view,