Your Best Budget Gun ever?

thebobcat

FNG
Joined
Oct 30, 2022
Messages
13
What is the budget gun and you bought that by and far exceeded your expectations? I know budget is very subjective but for all intents we can just say you spent well under what you would normally be willing to spend.

Mine would be the Savage 12FV in 6.5 Creedmoor. At the time Cabelas sold them for 399.00 retail. On black Friday weekend they reduced the price to 299.00 and savage offered an additional 100 dollar rebate. Got the gun for 220 with taxes. Paired it with a Vortex Viper 4x16x44 HSLR. Gun shot .5 moa right out of the box with factory hornady ammo. Unbelievable for 220 dollars for a brand new gun.

Whats your best budget story?
 

49ereric

WKR
Joined
Jun 21, 2022
Messages
834
I bought a couple F12’s in .308 win put luepold 6x on them. Paid a little more than you but had a few 20% discount cards.
just a little harder to clean once you put a borescope down the barrel and see the button rifling chatter marks.
bought a well used sporterized M1917 for a $100. Added Timney trigger and on sale Bushnell scope and have just over $200 into it. Playing with it these days trying find the best bullet for the old worn barrel. It might do 2” @100 yards as is.
fun searching for a better bullet and time will tell.
 
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mainbeam pursuit2

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
147
Location
Parker, Co.
Bought a Weatherby S1 vangaurd 243 for $379 on a closeout. Trigger is petty rough but does it shoot little groups. Had a 12fv that shot really well but i just can't get a liking for Savages.
 
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
902
Location
Broomfield, CO
A sporterized 1896 Swedish Mauser in the early 90s off a used gun rack for $185. I added a scope and timney trigger, and it was my only big game rifle for over a decade. Shot my first elk, moose, mountain goat, and pronghorn with it, as well as many whitetail and mule deer. Still take it out deer hunting on occasion. Super accurate and about the easiest to shoot rifle I've ever shot.
 
Joined
Dec 31, 2021
Messages
1,625
Location
Montana
Husqvarna tradewinds import in 1971 for $100. It is 7mm Rem mag. Super accurate and very light. I killed a lot of elk with it over the years.
 
Joined
Oct 8, 2019
Messages
2,956
Savage Axis II Stainless in the WKR-loathed 6.5 CM was my best budget-surprise rifle. It shot amazingly well. Only parted ways with it once I confirmed that a T3X in 6.5 CM that I won would actually out-shoot it; it did but barely.
 

Pdzoller

WKR
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
321
Location
Oregon
Savage Axis in .243. Bought it for $100 for my wife. When we took it to sight it in I thought the scope or rifle was messed up because I only hit the target with the first shot of a three shot group. We walked up and we’re pleasantly surprised that every shot was hitting the same hole at 100 yards. Most accurate centerfire I’ve seen and that is with 100gr Federal power shocks!
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2021
Messages
607
Winchester xpr. Cabelas used to do a “gun of the week” deal 5 or so years ago. They would put a couple guns on a 10-20 percent discount every week. After the discount and the 50 dollar rebate Winchester had at the time I payed just under 300 with taxes. Gun is a shooter
 

Maverick1

WKR
Joined
Jun 1, 2013
Messages
1,524
Tikka whitetail hunter. $399 in 2000. Shoots as good as - or better than - my capabilities, and better than I’ve shot with expensive custom rifles. Couldn’t ask for more. Bought a T3x in 2017 or so in another caliber. Really don’t need anything else.
 

TN2shot07

WKR
Joined
Dec 19, 2020
Messages
562
I didn’t buy it but ended up with my uncles axis in 270. It was a scope combo and I swapped that out with a prostaff and some standard Leupold rings. It’s not much to look at but will shoot as well as I can despite the flimsy stock and clunky bolt.
 

sconnieVLP

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 11, 2022
Messages
256
Location
VA
Grew up in a shotgun zone in WI so never had use for a rifle. In 2013 when the rules changed to allow rifles statewide I bought a Savage 11 Trophy Hunter in .308, got it on sale for under $400. I have since added a number of other (more expensive) rifles to the stable, but I'm still amazed at the performance of that rifle for what I paid for it. It's light, handy, and shoots just about everything I have fed it well.
 

JBradley500

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 15, 2020
Messages
154
A-bolt 3 in 6.5 CM was easy button for me. I sold it to get into a stainless Tikka, but I sold it to a friend so he could enjoy it. He made his first hits at 600 yards with it and couldn't believe he could do it so easily.
 

grfox92

WKR
Joined
Mar 14, 2017
Messages
2,397
Location
NW WY
Stainless Black synthetic 10/22. Shoots 1/2 inch at 50 yards with just about any ammo yoy put through it.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk
 

kswaterfowl

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 3, 2020
Messages
208
Bought a lefty stainless tikka t3 in 223 with an xlr chassis, and krieger barrel blank for $800. I sold the chassis for $400 and the krieger barrel for $325.
 
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