New gun looking at 7mm08

[kravguy]

When my son wanted to start hunting, I purchased him a little Remington youth model 7mm08. I didn't really know much about them at the time. After seeing his success on whitetails with the gun, and seeing how nice it is to hold and shoot, I absolutely love the gun. I want to pick up 1 for myself. I am looking at the Remington mountain rifle. I've been looking for one with the brown laminated stock w/ stainless barrell. I'm having a heck of a time finding one. But, as I am looking for one, I thought I should check for opinions on other manufacturers. I want to keep this under a $1000.00 purchase. Are there other manufacturers I should be looking at?

 

[tstowater]

I think you will get referred to Tikka pretty soon. Just my guess. Maybe some Savage's also.

 

[kravguy]

I think you will get referred to Tikka pretty soon. Just my guess. Maybe some Savage's also.

Would that be because Tikka would be a better all around gun, or just because that is the majority of Rokslide preference. Like Archery talk is to slick tricks as Rokslide would be to Tikka?

 

[tstowater]

Seems that this group (Roksliders) like Kifaru, Tikka, Hoyt, KUIU (some desenters), and ____ (fill in the blank). Sort of that "birds of a feather" deal. I enjoy the discussions as long as there is a degree of balance. No one gains much if we agree all the time.
I personally don't shoot a Tikka, but my son has a T3 in a 270WSM and the gun handles well and shoots very good groups. Reliability should be good, especially with the company behind it. Pretty darn'd good value for the money. I wouldn't be afraid of buying one if it otherwise meets your specs. IMO.

 

[Shrek]

I'll go there right now ! A savage is a great choice and the Tikka is a quality rifle also. Remington isn't really a gun company anymore . They are a hedge fund investment vehicle that has had the wheels run off it. Quality control is gone so there is no way to know if you are getting a lemon. They doll them up and make them look good but under the hood they are junk. My personal experience is peeling finish within a month. Out of alignment scope mounting holes , barrel going off to the left and slightly down from angled action face , bolt handle not soldered well and came off . New trigger sucks just as bad as their old trigger so it needed an aftermarket trigger. Thats just on one rifle. I'm thinking there are other problems that I can't remember at the moment. On another forum just the other day a guy is asking about ridges and scratches on his fired cases and very hard to extract. First thing one of the smiths says is this is a new Remington. ? Without naming the brand most anyone with recent experience instinctively new it was a Remington with a bad chamber. In professional circles Remington has become a running bad joke.

 

[Hunt'nFish]

Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker fan here. I have 4 of them.
Lightweight, love the swing out box mag, good adj trigger, and accurate.
And they look very pleasing to the eye as well.
Hunt'nFish

 

[tstowater]

Personally, if I was going to get a 7-08, I would try to track down an earlier Model 7. I alway thought that a Model 7 in a 7-08 would be perfect, just what the Model 7 was intended to do. Again, just my opinion.

I would generally agree with Dave's take on the newer Remingtons. Way too many bad experiences for others to not be concerned. I haven't had any and I have numerous Remingtons, but most would be at least 10-15 years old. Got a new 338 Win Mag that I won at a RMEF banquet this year that I haven't shot and that would be the only new one that I have around. That gun will likely find a new home as I already had 2 other 338s.

 

[Shrek]

The problem with the model 7 other than being a Remlin is that it has a short magazine. If you want to run heavier bullets you run out of room faster. If you just have to gamble on a Remlin go for the 700 with its slightly longer magazine.

 

[tstowater]

The problem with the model 7 other than being a Remlin is that it has a short magazine. If you want to run heavier bullets you run out of room faster. If you just have to gamble on a Remlin go for the 700 with its slightly longer magazine.

Good point. Would you run into trouble with a 160 grain bullet, say a Nolser Partition?

 

[kravguy]

So I guess Remington is out then... I few older rems that have always been good guns for me, the last one I purchased would be the one mentioned for my son, but even that is 5 years old now.

Savage, Tikka, and one for Browning.

 

[Shrek]

My argument for Savage is that they shoot great right out of the box , if you want another caliber it's easy to swap out the barrel at home for around $220. No questions about quality and performance. Get one with the accutrigger and stock and you don't need any aftermarket parts to make it perform and no need for a bedding job.
The Tikka is a quality rifle and there is nothing wrong with them. There are a couple features I'm not fond of though. The action is one size fits all. No matter what caliber you get it's the same reciever and bolt with different bolt stops and plastic magazine configurations. They are not American made and they do not have a recoil lugg. All that aside , they seem to shoot well and give little trouble and have decent triggers.

 

[Shrek]

Good point. Would you run into trouble with a 160 grain bullet, say a Nolser Partition?

You can fit them all but they stick down further into the case as you go up in bullet weight and limit powder charge and performance.

 

[kravguy]

My argument for Savage is that they shoot great right out of the box , if you want another caliber it's easy to swap out the barrel at home for around $220. No questions about quality and performance. Get one with the accutrigger and stock and you don't need any aftermarket parts to make it perform and no need for a bedding job.

This sounds to be what I am looking for. I want a nice, little deer rifle that is pleasant to shoot. I've been using a 300 ultra mag for years now, and while I do like the gun and the knock down power, it is a bear to shoot. From hunting with my son and shooting with him using his 708, its so nice and does a number on deer. I think to myself why am I lugging this huge thing around that wants to knock my shoulder off.

 

[Shrek]

The only knock I have with Savage is they have lines you have to grow to love. They are just not the most sexy rifle on the block.

 

[tstowater]

The only knock I have with Savage is they have lines you have to grow to love. They are just not the most sexy rifle on the block.

That would be one way of describing them. "Looks like a club" would be another. For a few dollar, they could clean up their lines and just make the gun look better. Doesn't affect performance, generally, but I do like a gun with at least a little eye appeal.

 

[WV Hunter]

I just picked up a Savage 11 Lightweight Hunter in 7mm08. Tips the scales at 5.5 lbs without bases and rings. I'm waiting on some Talley Lightweights to throw on there and I'll post up a pic. In the mean time here is the spec: http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11LH

I got it for $760 so it's in your range. I had looked at the Remington 7 in the same caliber but this came in lighter with a wood stock compared to the composite model Remington.

 

[Justin Crossley]

My argument for Savage is that they shoot great right out of the box , if you want another caliber it's easy to swap out the barrel at home for around $220. No questions about quality and performance. Get one with the accutrigger and stock and you don't need any aftermarket parts to make it perform and no need for a bedding job.
The Tikka is a quality rifle and there is nothing wrong with them. There are a couple features I'm not fond of though. The action is one size fits all. No matter what caliber you get it's the same reciever and bolt with different bolt stops and plastic magazine configurations. They are not American made and they do not have a recoil lugg. All that aside , they seem to shoot well and give little trouble and have decent triggers.

The Tikkas are a one size fits all action but they're lighter than the Savage so I don't see a down side. With the long action, you also get more options if you decide to build a custom with it down the road. I do think either one would be a perfectly good rifle though. Just a matter of which one you like better.

 

[WV Hunter]

The Tikkas are a one size fits all action but they're lighter than the Savage so I don't see a down side. With the long action, you also get more options if you decide to build a custom with it down the road. I do think either one would be a perfectly good rifle though. Just a matter of which one you like better.

The Savage 11 LWH I just bought is 5.5 lbs in 7mm08, what does the Tikka weigh?

 

[luke moffat]

I think most short action Tikkas are about 6.25 pounds, but they'll have a longer barrel, and be in stainless/synthetic which is appealing to me.

 

[Justin Crossley]

The Tikka weighs 6.25lbs. has a 22" stainless barrel and you can get them under $700.00
I was not talking about the Savage lightweight hunter when I said they were lighter. There is no way I would get a blued rifle for where I hunt. (western Wa)