Wanting a new "Everything cartridge/Rifle under $1500"...Thoughts?

[TexanHunter]

So I got the itch to buy a new rifle. Looking for a Do all or more of a big game like elk and bear but can also use on small Texas whitetail. I've been eyeing a 7mm-08 but cant find a decent ultralight rifle available. Other round I've been considering is the .308 or possibly 7prc. If you were looking for a new do all rifle under $1500 what caliber and rifle would you choose?

 

[grfox92]

So I got the itch to buy a new rifle. Looking for a Do all or more of a big game like elk and bear but can also use on small Texas whitetail. I've been eyeing a 7mm-08 but cant find a decent ultralight rifle available. Other round I've been considering is the .308 or possibly 7prc. If you were looking for a new do all rifle under $1500 what caliber and rifle would you choose?

Do you want a rifle that you buy off the shelf and leave it as is or will you want to upgrade it and change stocks? Suppressor? Muzzle brake?

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

 

[TexanHunter]

Do you want a rifle that you buy off the shelf and leave it as is or will you want to upgrade it and change stocks? Suppressor? Muzzle brake?

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

Add suppressor eventually. Mostly stock.

 

[BadDogPSD]

Tikka T3X from Eurooptic, put in a Manners, Mcmillan or Rokstock

 

[Speaks]

Yea t3x

 

[Hnthrdr]

T3x roughtech super lite on @EuroOptic, I would got 6.5cm but pick what ever flavor you like, take the 500 left and buy a trijicon Huron 2-10 or a Swfa 3-9, grab some solid rings and go shoot stuff

 

[coyotekilla]

Hard to beat a Tikka t3x right now. But savage just dropped their new 110 core line. A core trailblazer in 25 creed... hard to say no to...

 

[StuckoYota99]

That Tikka T3x ultra lite 6.5 prc in the classified is what I would be looking at.
scope would be a nightforce SHV for around that same price.

 

[Rock’N Tacos]

I would take a close look at the browning xbolts. They are better quality than tikka imo.

 

[zoartags490]

Another vote for tikka. I like 280 AI for an all around cartridge as well. Similar ballistics to the magnums with a more manageable recoil

 

[displacedtexan]

T3x roughtech super lite on @EuroOptic, I would got 6.5cm but pick what ever flavor you like, take the 500 left and buy a trijicon Huron 2-10 or a Swfa 3-9, grab some solid rings and go shoot stuff

Exactly this.

 

[MeatMissile]

My “one and done” cartridge choices for the lower 48 will typically be long action. Tikka long magazines don’t have much space.

I’ve always been happy with the performance I’ve gotten out of the 300 Win Mag and 300 Wby Mag. From pronghorn to moose, you’d have it covered.

 

[johnnycake]

I would take a close look at the browning xbolts. They are better quality than tikka imo.

I really like my Browning X Bolt 2.

 

[CarterHunt]

I'd probably look at a Bergara B-14 wilderness in 6.5 PRC.

 

[UnckleBob]

I really like my Browning X Bolt 2.

X-Bolt's are underrated on this board. My X-Bolt Mountain Pro action is every bit as slick as my Tikkas are.

Despite the lightweight setup on my rifle, it shoots very well.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I don’t think there is a ton of x-bolt hate on this forum, I think they sort of get ignored because they don’t offer much over a tikka, they had a stupid proprietary scope mount for a long time, and their price point was double a tikka’s, I owned and liked my x-bolt a lot, what I didn’t like was the fact it was a 6lb 7 rem mag with a stock that was awful for recoil, oh that the other thing, x bolts had very little aftermarket support for a long time so I think they were despised but kind of ignored here.

 

[TradLife406]

Tikka 243 and Rockstok it. You're out $1300-1400. Maven rs1.2 used or the new S2H scope.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I don’t think there is a ton of x-bolt hate on this forum, I think they sort of get ignored because they don’t offer much over a tikka, they had a stupid proprietary scope mount for a long time, and their price point was double a tikka’s, I owned and liked my x-bolt a lot, what I didn’t like was the fact it was a 6lb 7 rem mag with a stock that was awful for recoil, oh that the other thing, x bolts had very little aftermarket support for a long time so I think they were despised but kind of ignored here.

Anything that doesn’t offer something objectively better - at the same price point - than a customized Tikka, should be crossed off the list. Out of the box, you have a superb action, trigger, and barrel. And the barrel is easy to change. It’s not that it’s the best rifle ever made, it’s that it offers superb value for the money and it can be easily dressed up to punch way above its price point.

There are cheaper options at the same quality if you are happy with the factory configuration on a Sauer 100 or similar. Although it pains me to say it, some of the Savages are really remarkably good rifles. But for a lot of folks, Savage has not always been synonymous with quality. If you go to resell a Savage, you are probably going to take more of a loss than on a Tikka (unless EuroOptic is having a sale. It’s hard to compete with their sale prices.).

There are better options if you want to specialize. If I wanted a really light sheep rifle, I probably wouldn’t start with a Tikka (maybe Kimber? IDK, not in that market). If I was dead set on a 22 or 6mm ARC, I probably wouldn’t start with a Tikka (Howa, CZ, Ruger?).

 

[slm9s]

Do you reload? If you do, I'd make a list of 'acceptable' cartridges and put up a 'WTB' ad on a few forums describing what you're looking for. You might be able to afford an already ironed-out semi-custom perhaps with an accurate load already worked out. More bang for your buck.
(oh and if I got to choose the chambering, it would be 300wsm, 7wsm, or 7saum)

 

[h2so4]

Get the suppressor with the rifle. Don’t wait. You’ll enjoy it way more and your ears / brain will thank itself.