Barely even noticed the extra time honestly as I really enjoyed the entire thing, time flies when you're having fun as they say. Thanks V ntn guy's🇺🇸. Oh I forgot to mention btw yeah, my Savage Axis in 3006, she's definitely a tight group'n tack drivin(in 30.06 perhaps more like 6 penny nail driver lol) sweetheart, & of course I've set my adjustable accutrigger trigger to about 2lb. Can't beat these imo for the $... Or more $ for that matter, chrome won't bring the meat home.
A year ago, I did a bit of research into my first rifle and my budget was about $700. Total I wanted to spend with a scope setup was under 1K. For the features, price point, reviews and availability, I chose the CVA Cascade chambered in 6.5 CM ( I was also looking at the .308 but it was not available locally at the time). I got it on sale for $550 at Sportmans Warehouse and ended up putting a Diamondback Tactical 6x on it. After many months of range time and just having returned from a deer hunting trip with it, I can say that I am thoroughly happy with my choice. I don't think you can beat it for the price and I would recommend this rifle to anyone looking for a "budget" rifle.
I got a howa 1500 hogue stock in 6.5 creedmore and it is a great accurate rife for around $600. My buddy has a $1500 6.5 and he has tried buying mine from me as he likes it better. Howa is a great budget rifle
I bought 3 Weatherby Vanguard rifles in 308, 223 and 30.06 (same as Howa) for 200usd each.. What a bargain! That price is insane for the Norwegian market...
Back Fire on you tube did that. That was interesting to see that he found out. Mind you they where all different caliber. I would like to see a apples to apples comparison.
I don’t usually have a whole lot to say, but in this case I wanted to point out a few things. Not being critical of you guys, I think you do a great job and it’s tough when you have all that in front of you to cover, easy to miss little things. Here goes… First, RIP Marlin X7 (XS7 and XL7) rifles. Worst thing Remington did to Marlin when they bought them out, so as to not compete with their own Remington branded budget rifle, which was worse. Maybe under Ruger’s leadership we could see a resurrection of the X7 rifles. I think there’s room…slot it in right in between the American and Hawkeye price points…so make it slightly nicer/more expensive than an American but less expensive than a Hawkeye. Second, a Remington 783 does exist. New owner Rem Arms has started making 783’s again, both full-size and compact. So if you’re a fan you can once again own a 783. On the Franchi I think you guys nailed it. The only things I would add are that it is a European rifle so length of pull is quite long at around 14” with no way to change it. The bolt gets more smooth once you clean the factory preservation oil or whatever off of it. The sling attachment points are kind of annoying. I had a Momentum Elite and the only sling I could get to attach and work correctly was a Limbsaver, which was ok, but is not my preferred style of sling. Also, the Elite has a detachable magazine but retains the hinge floorplate release, which is a little awkward. My magazine would not seat properly in mine if you were gentle with it, so a firm tap to insert was necessary. A little polishing around the edges by Franchi could take a really good rifle and make it hard to beat. As far as the CVA Cascade, the only things you missed were that it comes with dual front sling studs…love that or hate it, as well as it has a very well done length of pull spacer. It’s an inch, so not as adjustable as the newer Savage 110’s, but it does adjust. They also have a slightly heavier barreled model now called the XT, which is fluted and comes with a brake. One notable thing from CVA…they’re supporting Illinois hunters and the silly single shot restriction that state places on hunters by offering a factory available single shot magazine for the 350 Legend and 450 Bushmaster Cascades. The Mossberg Patriot and Savage Axis seem to not follow convention, I think because both of them existed before the trend really started with the 3-lug bolts. Mossberg didn’t change that much from the 4x4/ATR to make the Patriot. One thing to note on the Axis is, Savage is still making the Axis with the old style stock, in tandem with the new, better feeling and more ergonomic stock. Also, a regular Axis does not have an Accutrigger, you have to get the Axis II for it to have the Accutrigger. So be careful and do you homework if you’re thinking of buying a Savage Axis. The Winchester XPR and Browning AB3 share a good bit, but there are some big differences. The AB3 trigger is basically a small, removable, plastic trigger. It’s hard to describe but look it up. The XPR uses a much more conventional trigger. My biggest takeaway from most of these budget rifles is weight. They’re all kind of heavy. My father has a Browning AB3 and I’ve owned literally every other one on the table, as well as the Weatherby and Howa’s that were mentioned…and they’re all sort of heavy. Maybe not the Ruger American Compact, but that huge bolt makes it feel kind of off balance in hand. These “beefy” bolts could really be improved. I think of a Browning XBolt and it’s 3-lug bolt, which isn’t a fat bolt and it’s a much better and more refined design. I realize they’re not $700, but why can’t they reduce the material/size of these bolt bodies? I also think of Tikka and even though theirs is a 2-lug bolt, it has a 70° lift and is very trim. I realize Tikka is just over the $700 cutoff but I think you end up with a lot more for your money if you just spend a little more. Now if you’re shopping Savage Axis (most basic, non-Accutrigger model) versus Tikka T3x, there’s a larger divide in cost. But if you’re at about the $700 mark for a rifle, throw $50 more at it and get the Tikka.
They way I remember it (which could be wrong) is that Remington facelifted the X7 into the 783, which then replaced their 710 (I'm not sure it was the 710; I seem to remember another Remington cheapie in the mix). So, the X7 is sorta still with us.
Weight is my focus on these too. I’ve had them all including tikka, xbolt speed, kimber, Remington 700. The Mossberg is 6.5 lbs and feels much more balanced and solid feeling to me than the ruger. Bought one after these findings and not disappointed.
I believe they had elaborated on the "fat" bolt supposedly being a design that utilizes the same bolt for most/all chamberings, requiring only a different head. It's clunky, but makes manufacturing that much cheaper.
@@funkla65 I have nothing against the 783 and hopefully RemArms can produce a better quality firearm with more consistent quality control. The only thing I dislike about the 783 is the cheap looking molded sling attachment points, but a $900 Henry Model X also has them, so there’s that.
I own a ruger American go wild wth bronze cerakote in 7mm08 . $567 when i purchased it. It is a tac driver and the action is smooth. I bought it instead of the brown8 g x bolt in bronze cerakote for $1300 at the time. Glad i did.
I had bought my son an Axis .243 and later the Axis II in .308. He had stopped using the .243 and I decided to deer hunt with it one year. It's the youth model and I've been using it since. It's extremely light and very accurate and handles great. I was always confident in Savage after I had gotten a great deal on a model 110A in 30 06 which to this day is still the most accurate rifle I've ever shot or owned. The 110A was my first bolt action rifle. I've now moved on to AR variants for hunting.
I recently got a stainless CVA Scout single shot in 45-70. It's light, well balanced, and the trigger is top notch. No take up, no creep, no overtravel. Breaks like glass a little over 4lb. As good as a hunting triggers ever needs to be.
@holeinmind I would suspect it could handle the Ruger loads, but it's a very light weapon, so the recoil would be interesting! I've fired some of the Hornady LeverEvolution rounds, and they're not too bad. I'm sure the muzzle brake gas a lot to do with that. I'm planning on using subsonics.
I bought a Sauer 100 for $599 new in 308 at a small gun shop not far from where we hunt and its an impressive rifle never had any experience with one before id say its very underrated
Be careful with the bolt on the Sauer 100. You can lock it upside-down if you’re unlucky with the bolt insertion after cleaning. Not difficult to undo, but it could ruin your ‘flow’
A too quick on the trigger story. I had a 7 RM AB3 and really liked it. But as with most things I wanted to “modify” it and found almost no aftermarket support. At that time the aftermarket couldn’t put out enough stuff for the T/C Compass so I switched. I put in a $10 trigger spring off of ebay, a oversized bolt handle, and a tuner brake. The T/C consistently shoots right at 1/2 MOA and now T/C as a company is gone😢 And of course now I see aftermarket support for the AB3! I just hope the T/C finish stands up!
I have a Browning AB3 in 7mm-08 with a Vortex Iron Peak 4-12×44. I'm getting 1/4 " groups at 100 yrds with my reloads. Shoots as good as my X Bolt in 6.8 Western.
Very many years ago I bought my wife a Savage Axis 308 Win, with the Bushnell scope. It was probably the most accurate rifle we ever shot. At $350 CDN, it was a steal of a deal.
My first rifle was a tc compass ii. Still a great shooter. Gonna pass it on to the grandchildren to start. Sad that tc got thrown to the side by Smith and Wesson.
I think there was some hate/dislike for the first generation Compass rifles, mostly the trigger. The Compass II solved that issue with an Accutrigger type trigger. Same trigger was used in the Venture II. I think the only drawback about the Venture was weight…7.5lbs bare is kind of heavy when you’re talking almost 9lbs ready to hunt.
I’ve been hearing good things around my gun club from the owners about new Remingtons quality, both the 870s and the 700s. Hopefully Remington comes back full force, there a lot of American history in that company
I own both and that smooth what I think is phosphate finish is nice, but will scratch up and rust pretty easy. Its a shame. I wanted stainless synthetic and they both have gotten rid of stainless steel. I prefer stainless steel over cerekote.
Still love my pre Remlin Marlin XS7's even put laminate wood stocks on them, very under rated guns in my opinion and I believe they were $350 back in the day!
My wife shoots a .250 Savage, model 110, custom wood stock (Her grandfather is a respected gunsmith) and for the icing on the cake... it's a left handed bolt gun. The thing is an absolute nail driver. You shoot a hole where ever you want and all follow-up shots land in the same hole. Clover-leaves all day. I've always liked Savage rifles. My best squirrel gun, is a .22 Sears and Roebuck, that'll feed shorts from a 10 rd box mag. It's made by Savage. I now own a Savage 110 in 6.5 cm. Amazing action, super accurate. Fit and finish on the rifle is top notch. Everyone who knows me makes fun of me. "Thought you were a ruger guy" ....yeah I thought I was too.
Franchi and Benelli have the best sling mounting setup, especially from a noise standpoint. Too often I’ve had squeaky metal swivel stud/sling interaction.
That CVA is a great buy as is the Vanguard for that price range! You might be able to get a T3X base model for close to that. Those 3 are great guns I have owned many of each being a 60+ year collector!
The Ruger Go Wild series rifle for $625 is a bargain. Although I could not get the new 6.5 PRC to shoot sub MOA. My 6.5 creedmoor Go Wild is consistent sub MOA. Out of the 5 rugers 4 of them have been stellar for price. But the Bergara built CVA is on my list to try out. I believe the B14 hunter is sub 700 also. My 850 dollar Bergara 300WM. Outshoots my buddies $2400 Browning xbolt pro.
The Bergara B14’s have crept up. They went from blued barrels to cerakote. The new models have a product code followed by the letter C, if you’re looking at them online. They’re like $750ish now for a B14 Hunter. Ruger’s QC seems to be slipping lately. I used to have Americans and got out of them, but ended up with an American Predator that a friend won at a raffle…he wanted a silly low amount for it because he wasn’t interested. I was with him when he won it, picked it up and sold it to me cheap. That rifle shot terribly…couldn’t put 4 rounds in the rotary mag, otherwise it would sort of swell and wouldn’t feed. Even with 3 in the mag, often the rounds would fail to ramp into the chamber. You’d almost have to hand-feed the cartridges in or adjust them with your fingers for the bolt to pick them up right. With good factory ammo it was shooting well over an inch, like 1.5-1.75” no matter what I did. Sent it back to Ruger and they sent it back saying they did some stuff to it and a new magazine…to the range, same issues as before…gun went bye bye. Haven’t owned one since and likely won’t again.
Best lower price point/ entry level price gun I ever shot was a Marlin xl7. This was long before $700 being budget. Not $700 but I grabbed a Winchester model 70 for $849 new on the shelf and have been extremely glad I did!
I had to pause the video and take a moment to recollect myself when Ryan said, “It’s a 10 minute talk that’s gone… at least 14 minutes” at the 61 minute mark lmao
I just picked up a weatherby vanguard in walnut for $650 at academy, they had em on sale. Doesn't come with a scope tho. Edit: nvm I just looked and they are back to regular price.
Picked up a new XPR 270 with included Vortex optic a few years ago and it has been great. Taken many deer at this point with it and never had an issue with the rifle, or optic. This package has provided amazing performance for an great price.
The Ruger American all day every day as a price leader and out of the box accuracy. It has the most rigid stock out of all of the injection molded plastic junk stocks put on rifles today. Ruger made all the right choices in terms of cost cuting design measures and modern machining to produce a rifle that is almost as light as a $3200 Wilson Combat NULA rifle, more accurate and easily had for $500 or less if you shop around!
At first I was concerned whether this review would be helpful to me. But after eatching this in segments, I am impressed by the depth and specificity of your discussion. I recently obtained a How a, Japanese made, which probably would fit in with these examples. T hankyou for you information & opinions.
Finally some love for the locked bolt and release button on the XPR and AB3! If Franchi or CVA had this bolt feature along with the cerakote I'd buy one immediately.
The best accuracy I ever got from a cheap rifle was a Savage 223 110. Tiny groups. I wanted a dedicated varmint rifle. It has delivered. My Brother bought an Axis II in 280AI. That gun is a heck of a shooter. He has gotten a bunch of hogs and several deer with it. I shot it and was getting .5" groups at 100yds. That was factory ammo as well. Savage really reduces the freebore. That helps make an accurate rifle with standard off the shelf ammo. Handloads only increase that accuracy.
Keep em comin. Great topics and talks. Its crazy how inflated prices have become. I miss the good ol days of getting awesome rifles at Wal Martin for under 500 bucks 😂
I’m not a huge Walmart fan but they still have some good deals occasionally. I saw a Ruger American in 450 bushmaster recently at a local Walmart for a little less than $400…I wasn’t in the market but it was pretty cheap.
It could be worse, you could be living in Australia. Whatever you guys are paying for guns, we'll be paying more. The Ruger American compact will set us back $862.95AUD. In Australia, a Tikka T3X Lite stainless will set you back about $1700-$2200AUD (About $1000-$1380USD at time of writing) and a lot of other stuff you guys have as a constitutional right is just prohibited. If you think rifles are bad, handgun prices over here would melt your brain.
@@mattrickard3716your spot on mate, we get taken for a ride on anything that's hunting or fishing related, would love the prices to be like our USA bros
I would love to see y’all go into, or just do a show about going into, a pawn shop or gun store with a budget for used deer rifle. Just talk about what could found on older discontinued rifles that were amazing shooters. Maybe even the 3 of you have a set budget to purchase a rifle to go hunt with and compare them on a show.
you really need to add two things to follow this up: 1) add a couple of inexpensive sccopes on these - maybe a hunting scope and a target scope, and 2) shoot the rifles with these setups - you don't need to pick a winnner per say, but you should list the good and the bad - compared to higher priced setups. I am old, shoot exotic euro stuff with Razors on top, but this is really good for the younger generations
Surprised you didn’t mention the cascade barrel is made in Spain in the Bergara factory as Bergara owns CVA… have for a while! So yes first bolt action for CVA but honestly a “discount” Bergara to some extent… and honestly amazing rifle! I love mine!
I've got the Cascade in .308, the American in .308 and 300blk and the patriot in 6.5CM. All moa guns but best accuracy from my guns comes from the 308 American. Consistently getting 1/2 groups with that gun with 175gr Sierra MatchKings. My Cascade is SUPER picky with ammo and pretty much only shoots the federal Terminal accent round well. I don't shoot the patriot much but did take a nice buck with it last year. Really tough to beat the value of a Ruger American though.
I picked up my savage axis 2 in 6.5 creed last year on black Friday at Academy for $329.00, put a Vortex Crossfire with vortex rings and one piece rail. It did not come with the accutrigger but did a quick polish, set the over travel, shimmed the sides, shortened the spring a smidgen. I installed a longer bolt handle and a bolt lift kit. I trimmed the stock for 100% free-floating, and filled the stock in with casting resin for strength and weight. I'm all in less than $800. Sub MOA gun all day with good factory ammo, 3/4 MOA with Hornaday Precision Hunter shooting the ELDX 143s. I've shot many groups near 1/2 MOA with hand loads with 140g ELD Match.
Just ordered a CZ 600 Alpha in 6.5 Creedmoor for $499. There's a $100 rebate after that as well! All in with a vortex scope bought separately it's still under $700 total. Really enjoyed this episode! It helped me see that the features of the CZ 600 rifle was meeting and surpassed most if not all the rifles in this episode. Feeling more confident in my purchase because of you guys! Thanks for all you do and keep it up!
I bought both of my sons each a Mossberg patriot 7mm-08 bantam youth rifle for their 1st rifle. Shoots pretty good for what they are as a budget rifle. The thing that made me pick the patriot was you can add to the stock as they get bigger to make it an adult length of pull. On a side note I was HUGE nikon fan for scopes but they stopped making them. I switched over to Vortex and and completely blown away. You guys make great glass
I have an XPR and an American. They both shoot great, BUT I think the XPR is super underrated. When I picked it up at the store and tried the trigger I was instantly sold. Super cool guns. Good podcast guys.
Gotta agree with Jim and Ryan, on the fact more of the manufactures need to cerakote their guns. I have a Ruger American Ranch in 350 Legend that is cerakoted Barret brown and has a black stock and its probably my favorite "cheap" gun. That rifle with a set of Tally medium one piece ring/ bases and a 6x36 leupold is a deadly 200 yard gun.
I have 2 guns that the cerakote has cracked and flaked off in spots. Its just not as durable as they say. Id rather have stainless if i was super worried about corrosion
@@John_Redcorn_like any finish it’s all in the prep work, my 350L is holding up good with a few scratches but it’s a hunting rifle so it’s just part of it for me.
Any finish can fail. I have received several “stainless” barrel rifles on trade that needed som attention to the barrel/bolt. I just had an older Browning XBolt Stainless Stalker in 280 Rem that had rust on the barrel (minor) and a spot on the bolt. Some time and metal polish/rust remover and it looked pretty good. I use either Break Free CLP or Birchwood Casey Barricade on all of my rifles before and after a hunt. It’s just good practice. The best combination is a stainless receiver and barrel that is then cerakoted, because it’s stainless inside, which is far more overlooked than the exterior.
I have my XPR Sporter chambered in 270 Winchester (classic 270) and I absolutley love it! Put a Vortex Diamondback Tactical 4-12 on it. Did my max point blank range at 27 yards with factory and my handloads and im dead on all the way out to 325 yards (yes I do my DOPE cards.) Its shoots every brand ive put thru it with sub MOA using factory and Sub Half MOA with some of my handloads using SST and Accubonds along with Factory Core Lokt and Norma ammo at 100yards.
I love my Savage. Now, mine is a Model 10 SBA, so it takes what worked with the axis and improved upon it. (Tactical oversized bolt handle, 20 inch bull barrel in .308, and a cheap blind magazine stock that is functional.) Not as refined as a remington or a tikka, but that rifle is definitely large and in charge.
TC Compass II .308, out of the box with factory synthetic stock (aluminum pillar bedding and separate recoil lug) shot .54 inches apart with 150 gr (did better later with 165 grain.) I have 4 pieces by Mossberg, you might consider me a fan boy of them. I have the 590A1 SPX in 12 ga. The MVP LR 308 Thunder Ranch in Kuiu Camo with the medium bull barrel and composite stock, but it is out of this budget. I have the Mossberg Patriot .308 and that was 525 with the Vortex Crossfire II 3-9X40 Dead Hold that Jimmy mentioned. I would later change that to a Diamondback Tactical and 6-24X50 FFP. And the accuracy was okay but not readily 1 MOA in my hands. I always liked chassis because of adjustable cheek riser. So, I migrated the Patriot .308 to an MDT LSS Gen 2 chassis, folding stock adapter and the SCS butt stock. One time, I thought of going back to the Patriot synthetic stock and as I was torquing down, I could hear a crack. I had cracked the mag well, which is removable and used as a shim. I noticed there was a gap in the rear action screw guide and I thought that I did that. So, I ordered a new stock in OD green. Same difference. In the chassis, it is a 1 MOA rifle, especially for hunting. A few Diamondback Tacticals until the Venom came out. Now, all of my rifles have Venoms on them. And I got the Mossberg Patriot Predator 7 mm PRC in cerakote. Never shot it in the factory stock. I put it in an Oryx chassis, like I eventually did with the TC Compass II. Anyway, hunting group of 2 to 3 shots, .41 inches. So, I would still call that one a 1 MOA gun. I have mentioned this twice to Mossberg about the rear action screw guide. They are not interested in changing that.
Definitely excited to listen to this one. I used to own tons of sub $400 rifles and I never really enjoyed shooting any of them. I have since sold all of them and have purchased Weatherby Vanguards and Browning AB3's. Not having to fight what seems to be a 15lb bolt throw or hear a zipper noise in the action is worth the extra $300.
I lol-ed on the zipper comment. It’s totally true and I tend to agree. I’d rather pay a couple hundred more and get a pretty big jump in quality and fit and finish. I’m not a Vanguard or Browning fan, I generally stick with Tikkas. I’ve heard the CVAs are close in quality to the next step in price point.
@@phild9813I have a buddy who's enamored with Tikkas too and they're definitely great rifles. It sounds so snobby, but I HATE the "zipper" noise. My number 1 complaint with the Ruger American (besides feeding issues with everyone I've owned) is the dang zipper.
I actually have an American. I’ve heard the “zipper” goes away. Mine so far has not. I wanted something inexpensive with a compact stock to get the kids going on shooting bigger calibers. It even has a threaded barrel. Annoyingly hard to beat.
Of the guns that I own, my CVA products are among my most accurate. I just picked up a Cascade in 30-06, threw a scope on it, and with 4 shots I was same holing my shots at 100 yards.
I remember it took me a few days to figure out how to put a new scope on my AXIS .270 I eventually found a rail that would fit well enough and we slapped a vortex on there 💪
I am shooting a Savage Axis XP II chambered in 6.5 CM that came with a Vortex Crossfire 3-9x40 scope on it. I paid $600 all in 2 years ago. Rifle is just plain impressive. I bought it as a spare to lend to others. I find may myself wanting to carry it. I have never had an issue with it loading, have never touched the trigger and is always crisp, no binding of the bolt, and the gun is super accurate. Been wanting to put a different scope on it but it shoots do well I can’t bring myself to do so. All I have done is put a Boyd’s hardwood stock on it for appearance more than anything. Rifle just shoots!
I run the Franchi in .300 WM with Diamondback glass and a Boyd's On-One stock. One thing I didn't hear mentioned that Franchi is a subsidiary of Benelli.
Great Episode! CHOOT EM' - Let's discuss accuracy (cheap is great, but not if it's not accurate). Jimmy mentioned Euro style rifles and Ryan brought some shorties several episodes back. Let's do a deep dive into which cartridges excel with those short barrels and discuss what is currently available. I'm all in on shorties with suppressors for hunting!
I have 3 of these guns, Savage,Ruger,XPR. Of those 3 the XPR is my favorite. Trigger, stock,bolt smoothness, recoil pad are all better in my opinion. I also have a Weatherby Vanguard and it is another step up from the XPR, except for the XPR has a 70 degree bolt throw instead of the 90 on the Weatherby.
I picked up a Ruger American on clearance at a big box retail store for $169 at the time the Ruger American was fairly new to the market. I bought it for my twins and they wanted nothing to do with it. It is in 243 Win. My oldest son decided he would love to own it and now does. Out of all of the rifles he owns he will flat out tell you he would never sell that rifle or part with it. It is light weight, handles and packs well and shots like a laser. As some one that worked in automotive engineering I could spot the brilliance of the design from both a cost savings design point and a design that could be produced and machined easily with precision on modern tooling. There is a smart way to reduce cost on a consumer good and a foolish way and Ruger made the right calls on this product. They could have taken a bit more money out of the design but chose not to and I think they made the right call!
Completely off topic, but can you possibly show us the view of say a 5-25x50 magnification scope ( any of your ffp ) at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 starting at 200 - 800 yards as an example? No one has anything even remotely close online.
my first gun I have bought new 6 years ago, XPR in .308. Bought for my family to shoot the year after was AXIS 6.5 Creedmoor. Both shoot very well! But today picked up my X-Bolt speed in 28 Nosler 😁
Remington 783 is back Ryan. I love my compass 7mm rem mag. I'd add one more with the Mossberg MVP line both the full size varmint, the Patrol and the Scout. I have the patrol and for $525, it's a great 16.25" barreled bolt that is very accurate, can fire with a suppressor easily and with my Can on it's only the length of those you have on the table except the compact ruger. Fluting on bolts help keeps the bolt from freezing in place. I have the Patriot .375 Ruger too and if you want a .375, it's about the only game in town under 1k. Final edit. The new ATA Turqua is tempting me. With adjustable cheek piece, 18" threaded barrel, full length pic rail etc for only $540. I do have one more sorry. Last winter, I decided I wanted to get a 6.5 Grendel Bolt and almost jumped on the Ruger American Predator. Then I found a barreled Howa 6.5 Grendel mini-action for $456 and put a Boyd's At-One Thumbhole stock on it and an EGW 20 moa Pic rail and it came in under $700 for all that. ;) If you want a Howa action, but don't like their tupperware stock, you can add an after market and be in this range also. There are also some newer much better Patrior rifles like the ceracoted, camo'd, threaded barrel predator or the longrange hunter.
If you like the Turqua check out the new Stevens 334 (Savage). Looks like they struck a deal with the Turkish maker and are importing the same rifle for less than what Four Peaks is selling them for…better support too, being from Savage. We’re taking like $350 for synthetic and like $450 for wood.
I own 3 of these rifles. Weatherby vanguard in 300 wby mag, ruger american in 308, and winchester xpr in 6.8 western. All shoot moa or better, the ruger is a exceptionally good shooter. Got it a few years back for under $500. Put it in a magpul hunter stock and is it ever fun to shoot. The xpr is the most recent purchase and it is the best rifle I own for the price point. Trigger breaks like glass, short bolt throw and feeds perfectly. I read stories about 6.8w not feeding well in certain rifles and I'm super impressed with it. Will be getting more rifles in this model.
Cost is always subjective based on manufactures marketing. My mid 1980's Winchester Model-70 Classic Featherweight (Control-Feed) in 308 stacks bullets in the same hole at 100 yards. It cost me at the time $385 out the door. I put a used Leupold VX2 2.5 x 10 power scope on S&K rings/bases for $243 total. So total of $628 and will pretty much do it all. There are a lot of great rifles to be had for minimal investment. One need not spend multi thousands of dollars on a rifle. The animal you shoot will never know, nor appreciate the difference.
I appreciate your input but that same rifle today is far more expensive…like $1165 at most retailers. A Leupold of similar quality, whether it be a $300 VX Freedom or a $450 VX3HD, plus scope mounts will put you into the $1600-1700 neighborhood. A lot has changed since the 1980’s.
That new Remington 700 ADL is going to be a great gun with a Timney trigger and R5 rifling. I have seen one and they should make a great hunting rifle!
My only concern about that particular Timney is, what did they do to reduce the cost? Hopefully it’ll still have the same quality fit/finish/feel and reliability of known Timneys. Good on RemArms though for souring out a trigger manufacturer, if it helps them streamline production and make a good product overall.
The CVA is the superior rifle on the table in my opinion. It’s built like it doesn’t even belong in that price category, but it is. One rifle I would have added to this list, that no one ever considers in these comparisons, is the Ruger M77 Hawkeye. It’s a fine rifle in this same price range.
The winner of the budget rifle was the TC Compass. During fall of 2018 you could buy a 300wm compass with the cheap scope and a gun bag from Buds for $275 shipped to your ffl.
Maybe on price point, but I wouldn’t and didn’t buy one. Used ones I’ve seen have generally been in terrible condition as far as finishes go. The threading on the barrel was probably a bit ahead of its time.
I just ripped 1200yard shots on a 10" plate with my Tikka T3 .308 with a Vortex Diamondback Tactical. Rifle is under $700. The whole setup is sub $1000. Highly recommend!
@@buckshott00 The Bergara B14 is a 700 clone. I have 2 of them (HMR and Ridge) and you will be hard pressed to find a better rifle for the money. Extremely smooth actions and both of mine are absolute tac drivers!
A word of caution…two local gun shops and a major sporting goods store have told me they’ve seen some customers coming back in with Cascades that had issues with the stock finishes peeling. The customers were directed to CVA, who made it right, but could be an inconvenience someone doesn’t want to deal with. Not bashing the rifle, I had one in 350 Legend for a while…I’m from Pennsylvania and didn’t really need it here, so a friend from Illinois now has that rifle and with the CVA single shot magazine he meets their centerfire requirements for this deer season.
@@scotteger6271if a peeling stock finish is the biggest issue they've had then they're golden. I couldn't care less what my rifle looks like aesthetically, all I care about are form and function, and though I don't intentionally beat and abuse my guns I am also not gentle with them.
Remington 700. My first rifle I bought myself brand new, 2006, was a Remington 700 30'06 for $350. It was very accurate. As accurate as my new now Ruger American 308.
You also might want to consider Swampfox optics. I'm running a 2 to 12 on my 5.56 DMR. First focal plane with a great reticle and nicely priced. Athlon is another "budget" option. Got a 6-24 on my big 6.5 CM AR10. Also a nice 1st FP reticle. Both under $500
I can't recall what calibers I tested that on but I have several Rugers. Set aside bolt length, etc; they made the lugs different thicknesses. There was idiot proofing that put in place.
I own a Ruger American Predator in 22-250 and it just flat out shoots. Sure, the stock is lacking and the bolt isn't the smoothest but it's a hammer. I luckily got one that feeds well out of the magazine, too. Vortex Crossfire 4-12x50 BDC and I can ring 8" steel at 430 yards with Hornady Varmint Xpress 55 gr VMAX. It's a coyote slaying machine!
i think perhaps we have a terminology issue: is it actually a collet? as a visual for those who have used dremel type multi tools, the collet is the 4 way split thing that clamps around the bit when you tighten the nut. i've always heard the thing that tightens and locks the barrel and receiver at the correct headspace as the "barrel nut" and that seems to me to be what it is. a locknut of sorts, not a collet with split sections.
That Ruger American is hard to beat. The stock sucks, but only as far as cheek weld goes, and the bolt doesn't lock on safe. These are the only 2 complaints I have with mine. I put a $15 midway cheek rest/ammo pouch combo which fixed the cheek height situation. The bolt always comes partially open when carrying it slung, but I always unload when I get in the stand, and reload when I get in, so it's not a huge issue for me. If you're spot and stalk hunting, it could be a problem, honestly. As far as accuracy goes, I broke my 6.5creed in with some berger match ammo (which it hated), then tried some Barnes 127 lrx vor-tx, which shot 3 shots into 3/8". Obviously that's what I've continued to shoot. I keep this gun in the back seat of my truck at all times for a backup or coyote/pig opportunities, and it's perfect for this role, but I have hunted with it and harvested a couple deer.
I’ve had two American predators in the 6.5 CM and they were amazingly accurate. My two howa heavy barrel rifles are honestly the only two rifles that outshoot those two rugers. But test the cheek weld on the American is terrible, and the rifle feels awful in general, but they do shoot!
@andrewcleveland That's the model of mine, the predator. A simple cheek pad fixes the cheek weld, but yeah, the action could be smoother, but I paid $375 for mine, and for that money I don't think you'll do any better. I put an old ebay bushnell elite 5-15x50 on mine (a gem of old Japanese glass) and its just a great combo that I have just over $600 in.
I convinced my uncle to get a ruger American in his favorite caliber 762x39mm he thought it’s accuracy would be junk but was very happy to be wrong loves it very much shoots 1MOA with surplus ammo no problems.
I'd love to see a left-handed version of this episode. Hard to find an affordable left-handed bolt rifle, and even harder to find a decent selection of calibers.
To this day my favorite Vortex video is the one where they top a Ruger American with a Vortex and ring steel at a 1000. Talk about debunking FOMO. This is your real superpower. You've never been gun snobs. Keep up the great wor, and I'll keep buying Vortex...
Gotta love these concise lil ten minute talks. Short, sweet, and to the point.
🤣🤣🤣
Barely even noticed the extra time honestly as I really enjoyed the entire thing, time flies when you're having fun as they say. Thanks V ntn guy's🇺🇸. Oh I forgot to mention btw yeah, my Savage Axis in 3006, she's definitely a tight group'n tack drivin(in 30.06 perhaps more like 6 penny nail driver lol) sweetheart, & of course I've set my adjustable accutrigger trigger to about 2lb. Can't beat these imo for the $... Or more $ for that matter, chrome won't bring the meat home.
A year ago, I did a bit of research into my first rifle and my budget was about $700. Total I wanted to spend with a scope setup was under 1K. For the features, price point, reviews and availability, I chose the CVA Cascade chambered in 6.5 CM ( I was also looking at the .308 but it was not available locally at the time). I got it on sale for $550 at Sportmans Warehouse and ended up putting a Diamondback Tactical 6x on it. After many months of range time and just having returned from a deer hunting trip with it, I can say that I am thoroughly happy with my choice. I don't think you can beat it for the price and I would recommend this rifle to anyone looking for a "budget" rifle.
Vortex nation is the most criminally underrated 2A podcast. These guys are great!
Comfy Wisconsin rifle nerd vibe fr
Exactly. Just down to earth dudes and not annoying.
Pretty happy with the Howa 1500 .308win (Hogue Stock) I purchased this season. paid about $600.
I got a howa 1500 hogue stock in 6.5 creedmore and it is a great accurate rife for around $600. My buddy has a $1500 6.5 and he has tried buying mine from me as he likes it better. Howa is a great budget rifle
I bought 3 Weatherby Vanguard rifles in 308, 223 and 30.06 (same as Howa) for 200usd each.. What a bargain! That price is insane for the Norwegian market...
Budget rifle shoot out . Sounds like a great time. Please do an episode of that !
Back Fire on you tube did that. That was interesting to see that he found out. Mind you they where all different caliber. I would like to see a apples to apples comparison.
Best part about this program is every other sentence isn’t about “my last deployment”.
I don’t usually have a whole lot to say, but in this case I wanted to point out a few things. Not being critical of you guys, I think you do a great job and it’s tough when you have all that in front of you to cover, easy to miss little things. Here goes…
First, RIP Marlin X7 (XS7 and XL7) rifles. Worst thing Remington did to Marlin when they bought them out, so as to not compete with their own Remington branded budget rifle, which was worse. Maybe under Ruger’s leadership we could see a resurrection of the X7 rifles. I think there’s room…slot it in right in between the American and Hawkeye price points…so make it slightly nicer/more expensive than an American but less expensive than a Hawkeye.
Second, a Remington 783 does exist. New owner Rem Arms has started making 783’s again, both full-size and compact. So if you’re a fan you can once again own a 783.
On the Franchi I think you guys nailed it. The only things I would add are that it is a European rifle so length of pull is quite long at around 14” with no way to change it. The bolt gets more smooth once you clean the factory preservation oil or whatever off of it. The sling attachment points are kind of annoying. I had a Momentum Elite and the only sling I could get to attach and work correctly was a Limbsaver, which was ok, but is not my preferred style of sling. Also, the Elite has a detachable magazine but retains the hinge floorplate release, which is a little awkward. My magazine would not seat properly in mine if you were gentle with it, so a firm tap to insert was necessary. A little polishing around the edges by Franchi could take a really good rifle and make it hard to beat.
As far as the CVA Cascade, the only things you missed were that it comes with dual front sling studs…love that or hate it, as well as it has a very well done length of pull spacer. It’s an inch, so not as adjustable as the newer Savage 110’s, but it does adjust. They also have a slightly heavier barreled model now called the XT, which is fluted and comes with a brake. One notable thing from CVA…they’re supporting Illinois hunters and the silly single shot restriction that state places on hunters by offering a factory available single shot magazine for the 350 Legend and 450 Bushmaster Cascades.
The Mossberg Patriot and Savage Axis seem to not follow convention, I think because both of them existed before the trend really started with the 3-lug bolts. Mossberg didn’t change that much from the 4x4/ATR to make the Patriot. One thing to note on the Axis is, Savage is still making the Axis with the old style stock, in tandem with the new, better feeling and more ergonomic stock. Also, a regular Axis does not have an Accutrigger, you have to get the Axis II for it to have the Accutrigger. So be careful and do you homework if you’re thinking of buying a Savage Axis.
The Winchester XPR and Browning AB3 share a good bit, but there are some big differences. The AB3 trigger is basically a small, removable, plastic trigger. It’s hard to describe but look it up. The XPR uses a much more conventional trigger.
My biggest takeaway from most of these budget rifles is weight. They’re all kind of heavy. My father has a Browning AB3 and I’ve owned literally every other one on the table, as well as the Weatherby and Howa’s that were mentioned…and they’re all sort of heavy. Maybe not the Ruger American Compact, but that huge bolt makes it feel kind of off balance in hand. These “beefy” bolts could really be improved. I think of a Browning XBolt and it’s 3-lug bolt, which isn’t a fat bolt and it’s a much better and more refined design. I realize they’re not $700, but why can’t they reduce the material/size of these bolt bodies? I also think of Tikka and even though theirs is a 2-lug bolt, it has a 70° lift and is very trim. I realize Tikka is just over the $700 cutoff but I think you end up with a lot more for your money if you just spend a little more.
Now if you’re shopping Savage Axis (most basic, non-Accutrigger model) versus Tikka T3x, there’s a larger divide in cost. But if you’re at about the $700 mark for a rifle, throw $50 more at it and get the Tikka.
Great insights, thank you
They way I remember it (which could be wrong) is that Remington facelifted the X7 into the 783, which then replaced their 710 (I'm not sure it was the 710; I seem to remember another Remington cheapie in the mix). So, the X7 is sorta still with us.
Weight is my focus on these too. I’ve had them all including tikka, xbolt speed, kimber, Remington 700. The Mossberg is 6.5 lbs and feels much more balanced and solid feeling to me than the ruger. Bought one after these findings and not disappointed.
I believe they had elaborated on the "fat" bolt supposedly being a design that utilizes the same bolt for most/all chamberings, requiring only a different head. It's clunky, but makes manufacturing that much cheaper.
@@funkla65 I have nothing against the 783 and hopefully RemArms can produce a better quality firearm with more consistent quality control. The only thing I dislike about the 783 is the cheap looking molded sling attachment points, but a $900 Henry Model X also has them, so there’s that.
I personally have a Mossberg Patriot bought it for $300 back in 2019 and put a $400 vortex diamondback tactical 4x16x44 ffp moa
I own a ruger American go wild wth bronze cerakote in 7mm08 . $567 when i purchased it. It is a tac driver and the action is smooth. I bought it instead of the brown8 g x bolt in bronze cerakote for $1300 at the time. Glad i did.
I had bought my son an Axis .243 and later the Axis II in .308. He had stopped using the .243 and I decided to deer hunt with it one year. It's the youth model and I've been using it since. It's extremely light and very accurate and handles great. I was always confident in Savage after I had gotten a great deal on a model 110A in 30 06 which to this day is still the most accurate rifle I've ever shot or owned. The 110A was my first bolt action rifle. I've now moved on to AR variants for hunting.
The Bergara B14 Hunter is another great option at the top end of this category.
CVA cascade has a great trigger and barrel smooth action. Very accurate. Ruger American just shots, so does the Savage.
I recently got a stainless CVA Scout single shot in 45-70. It's light, well balanced, and the trigger is top notch. No take up, no creep, no overtravel. Breaks like glass a little over 4lb. As good as a hunting triggers ever needs to be.
I want one so bad. I wonder which set of 45-70 load data it can handle? Lever or Ruger No. 1?
@holeinmind I would suspect it could handle the Ruger loads, but it's a very light weapon, so the recoil would be interesting! I've fired some of the Hornady LeverEvolution rounds, and they're not too bad. I'm sure the muzzle brake gas a lot to do with that. I'm planning on using subsonics.
I have a CVA optima elite in 45-70. Little bit heavier that CVA scout. Shoots like a dream.
I bought a Sauer 100 for $599 new in 308 at a small gun shop not far from where we hunt and its an impressive rifle never had any experience with one before id say its very underrated
Was it a used rifle? A new Sako 100 costs $1600 in Norway, today
I got a Sauer 100 cerakote version on sale through Buds Gun Shop earlier this year for about the same price. Loving it!
I bought a Howa 1500 new in 308 for less than $600 last weekend
Be careful with the bolt on the Sauer 100. You can lock it upside-down if you’re unlucky with the bolt insertion after cleaning. Not difficult to undo, but it could ruin your ‘flow’
I had the sauer 100XT in 9.3x62. Was an amazing accurate rifle in that big thumper. I’m an idiot for letting it go.
A too quick on the trigger story. I had a 7 RM AB3 and really liked it. But as with most things I wanted to “modify” it and found almost no aftermarket support. At that time the aftermarket couldn’t put out enough stuff for the T/C Compass so I switched. I put in a $10 trigger spring off of ebay, a oversized bolt handle, and a tuner brake. The T/C consistently shoots right at 1/2 MOA and now T/C as a company is gone😢 And of course now I see aftermarket support for the AB3! I just hope the T/C finish stands up!
I swear… you guys are my favorite podcast personalities. The Texas Predator Hunting podcast is right there too.
I have a Browning AB3 in 7mm-08 with a Vortex Iron Peak 4-12×44. I'm getting 1/4 " groups at 100 yrds with my reloads. Shoots as good as my X Bolt in 6.8 Western.
I had a TC venture .270 my dad got for $330 with 5R rifling, that thing was a tack driver with any ammo.
Very many years ago I bought my wife a Savage Axis 308 Win, with the Bushnell scope. It was probably the most accurate rifle we ever shot. At $350 CDN, it was a steal of a deal.
Man those TC Compass rifles were good guns. Threaded barrel, 3 position safety, shoot great
The venture was a great rifle to ..... Never gets any love tho.
My first rifle was a tc compass ii. Still a great shooter. Gonna pass it on to the grandchildren to start. Sad that tc got thrown to the side by Smith and Wesson.
I think there was some hate/dislike for the first generation Compass rifles, mostly the trigger. The Compass II solved that issue with an Accutrigger type trigger. Same trigger was used in the Venture II. I think the only drawback about the Venture was weight…7.5lbs bare is kind of heavy when you’re talking almost 9lbs ready to hunt.
I have a Cva cascade and it shoots half moa with 143grain hordady eldx
I’ve been hearing good things around my gun club from the owners about new Remingtons quality, both the 870s and the 700s. Hopefully Remington comes back full force, there a lot of American history in that company
Great info 💯💯💯 thanks again for the great show 👌👌👌👌👍👍👍💪👍
The Howa and the vanguards are the cream of the crop.
I own both and that smooth what I think is phosphate finish is nice, but will scratch up and rust pretty easy. Its a shame. I wanted stainless synthetic and they both have gotten rid of stainless steel. I prefer stainless steel over cerekote.
@@currituck so what, just trade em in, and get what you want.
🤠257 and 300
Still love my pre Remlin Marlin XS7's even put laminate wood stocks on them, very under rated guns in my opinion and I believe they were $350 back in the day!
My wife shoots a .250 Savage, model 110, custom wood stock (Her grandfather is a respected gunsmith) and for the icing on the cake... it's a left handed bolt gun. The thing is an absolute nail driver. You shoot a hole where ever you want and all follow-up shots land in the same hole. Clover-leaves all day.
I've always liked Savage rifles. My best squirrel gun, is a .22 Sears and Roebuck, that'll feed shorts from a 10 rd box mag. It's made by Savage.
I now own a Savage 110 in 6.5 cm. Amazing action, super accurate. Fit and finish on the rifle is top notch.
Everyone who knows me makes fun of me. "Thought you were a ruger guy" ....yeah I thought I was too.
Franchi and Benelli have the best sling mounting setup, especially from a noise standpoint. Too often I’ve had squeaky metal swivel stud/sling interaction.
That CVA is a great buy as is the Vanguard for that price range! You might be able to get a T3X base model for close to that. Those 3 are great guns I have owned many of each being a 60+ year collector!
The Ruger Go Wild series rifle for $625 is a bargain. Although I could not get the new 6.5 PRC to shoot sub MOA. My 6.5 creedmoor Go Wild is consistent sub MOA. Out of the 5 rugers 4 of them have been stellar for price. But the Bergara built CVA is on my list to try out.
I believe the B14 hunter is sub 700 also.
My 850 dollar Bergara 300WM. Outshoots my buddies $2400 Browning xbolt pro.
The Bergara B14’s have crept up. They went from blued barrels to cerakote. The new models have a product code followed by the letter C, if you’re looking at them online. They’re like $750ish now for a B14 Hunter.
Ruger’s QC seems to be slipping lately. I used to have Americans and got out of them, but ended up with an American Predator that a friend won at a raffle…he wanted a silly low amount for it because he wasn’t interested. I was with him when he won it, picked it up and sold it to me cheap. That rifle shot terribly…couldn’t put 4 rounds in the rotary mag, otherwise it would sort of swell and wouldn’t feed. Even with 3 in the mag, often the rounds would fail to ramp into the chamber. You’d almost have to hand-feed the cartridges in or adjust them with your fingers for the bolt to pick them up right. With good factory ammo it was shooting well over an inch, like 1.5-1.75” no matter what I did. Sent it back to Ruger and they sent it back saying they did some stuff to it and a new magazine…to the range, same issues as before…gun went bye bye. Haven’t owned one since and likely won’t again.
Best lower price point/ entry level price gun I ever shot was a Marlin xl7. This was long before $700 being budget. Not $700 but I grabbed a Winchester model 70 for $849 new on the shelf and have been extremely glad I did!
The X7’s are like cult status now…routinely going used for more than what they probably cost new!
Completely agree I got rid of my 30-06 in camo stock last year just bc it wasn’t really going to see much use. They were a great gun at that price
I had to pause the video and take a moment to recollect myself when Ryan said, “It’s a 10 minute talk that’s gone… at least 14 minutes” at the 61 minute mark lmao
😂😂😂
You can still get the mossberg patriot with a walnut stock and factory mounted vortex crossfire for $600 at academy
I just picked up a weatherby vanguard in walnut for $650 at academy, they had em on sale. Doesn't come with a scope tho.
Edit: nvm I just looked and they are back to regular price.
Picked up a new XPR 270 with included Vortex optic a few years ago and it has been great. Taken many deer at this point with it and never had an issue with the rifle, or optic. This package has provided amazing performance for an great price.
The Ruger American all day every day as a price leader and out of the box accuracy. It has the most rigid stock out of all of the injection molded plastic junk stocks put on rifles today. Ruger made all the right choices in terms of cost cuting design measures and modern machining to produce a rifle that is almost as light as a $3200 Wilson Combat NULA rifle, more accurate and easily had for $500 or less if you shop around!
10-minute talk is a funny title for a video that's almost an hour and a half long! Keep up the good work guys.
At first I was concerned whether this review would be helpful to me. But after eatching this in segments, I am impressed by the depth and specificity of your discussion. I recently obtained a How a, Japanese made, which probably would fit in with these examples. T hankyou for you information & opinions.
Finally some love for the locked bolt and release button on the XPR and AB3! If Franchi or CVA had this bolt feature along with the cerakote I'd buy one immediately.
The best accuracy I ever got from a cheap rifle was a Savage 223 110. Tiny groups. I wanted a dedicated varmint rifle. It has delivered. My Brother bought an Axis II in 280AI. That gun is a heck of a shooter. He has gotten a bunch of hogs and several deer with it. I shot it and was getting .5" groups at 100yds. That was factory ammo as well. Savage really reduces the freebore. That helps make an accurate rifle with standard off the shelf ammo. Handloads only increase that accuracy.
I have a 243 xpr and its 1 of the finest rifles i have ever owned. Its a tack driver!! Love it.
Today at Academy Sports in Fredericksburg, VA I saw the blued Tikka compact for $679.00. Would have been a great addition to this line-up.
Keep em comin. Great topics and talks.
Its crazy how inflated prices have become. I miss the good ol days of getting awesome rifles at Wal Martin for under 500 bucks 😂
I’m not a huge Walmart fan but they still have some good deals occasionally. I saw a Ruger American in 450 bushmaster recently at a local Walmart for a little less than $400…I wasn’t in the market but it was pretty cheap.
It could be worse, you could be living in Australia. Whatever you guys are paying for guns, we'll be paying more. The Ruger American compact will set us back $862.95AUD. In Australia, a Tikka T3X Lite stainless will set you back about $1700-$2200AUD (About $1000-$1380USD at time of writing) and a lot of other stuff you guys have as a constitutional right is just prohibited. If you think rifles are bad, handgun prices over here would melt your brain.
@@mattrickard3716your spot on mate, we get taken for a ride on anything that's hunting or fishing related, would love the prices to be like our USA bros
I would love to see y’all go into, or just do a show about going into, a pawn shop or gun store with a budget for used deer rifle. Just talk about what could found on older discontinued rifles that were amazing shooters.
Maybe even the 3 of you have a set budget to purchase a rifle to go hunt with and compare them on a show.
you really need to add two things to follow this up: 1) add a couple of inexpensive sccopes on these - maybe a hunting scope and a target scope, and 2) shoot the rifles with these setups - you don't need to pick a winnner per say, but you should list the good and the bad - compared to higher priced setups. I am old, shoot exotic euro stuff with Razors on top, but this is really good for the younger generations
Surprised you didn’t mention the cascade barrel is made in Spain in the Bergara factory as Bergara owns CVA… have for a while! So yes first bolt action for CVA but honestly a “discount” Bergara to some extent… and honestly amazing rifle! I love mine!
The entire rifle is made in the Bergara factory. It’s a great rifle
I've got the Cascade in .308, the American in .308 and 300blk and the patriot in 6.5CM. All moa guns but best accuracy from my guns comes from the 308 American. Consistently getting 1/2 groups with that gun with 175gr Sierra MatchKings. My Cascade is SUPER picky with ammo and pretty much only shoots the federal Terminal accent round well. I don't shoot the patriot much but did take a nice buck with it last year. Really tough to beat the value of a Ruger American though.
I picked up my savage axis 2 in 6.5 creed last year on black Friday at Academy for $329.00, put a Vortex Crossfire with vortex rings and one piece rail. It did not come with the accutrigger but did a quick polish, set the over travel, shimmed the sides, shortened the spring a smidgen. I installed a longer bolt handle and a bolt lift kit. I trimmed the stock for 100% free-floating, and filled the stock in with casting resin for strength and weight. I'm all in less than $800. Sub MOA gun all day with good factory ammo, 3/4 MOA with Hornaday Precision Hunter shooting the ELDX 143s. I've shot many groups near 1/2 MOA with hand loads with 140g ELD Match.
Just ordered a CZ 600 Alpha in 6.5 Creedmoor for $499. There's a $100 rebate after that as well! All in with a vortex scope bought separately it's still under $700 total.
Really enjoyed this episode! It helped me see that the features of the CZ 600 rifle was meeting and surpassed most if not all the rifles in this episode. Feeling more confident in my purchase because of you guys! Thanks for all you do and keep it up!
I like the shape of the stock on the CZ hopefully other budget rifles follow suit.
CZ are a great rifle
I bought both of my sons each a Mossberg patriot 7mm-08 bantam youth rifle for their 1st rifle. Shoots pretty good for what they are as a budget rifle. The thing that made me pick the patriot was you can add to the stock as they get bigger to make it an adult length of pull.
On a side note I was HUGE nikon fan for scopes but they stopped making them. I switched over to Vortex and and completely blown away. You guys make great glass
But you talked about synthetic stocks but not specifically bedding. Do any have pillar or aluminum bedding or are they all just receiver on plastic.
I have a cva cascade and it consistently 1/2 moa at 100yds. Great gun.
I have an XPR and an American. They both shoot great, BUT I think the XPR is super underrated. When I picked it up at the store and tried the trigger I was instantly sold. Super cool guns. Good podcast guys.
Gotta agree with Jim and Ryan, on the fact more of the manufactures need to cerakote their guns. I have a Ruger American Ranch in 350 Legend that is cerakoted Barret brown and has a black stock and its probably my favorite "cheap" gun. That rifle with a set of Tally medium one piece ring/ bases and a 6x36 leupold is a deadly 200 yard gun.
I have 2 guns that the cerakote has cracked and flaked off in spots. Its just not as durable as they say. Id rather have stainless if i was super worried about corrosion
@@John_Redcorn_like any finish it’s all in the prep work, my 350L is holding up good with a few scratches but it’s a hunting rifle so it’s just part of it for me.
Any finish can fail. I have received several “stainless” barrel rifles on trade that needed som attention to the barrel/bolt. I just had an older Browning XBolt Stainless Stalker in 280 Rem that had rust on the barrel (minor) and a spot on the bolt. Some time and metal polish/rust remover and it looked pretty good. I use either Break Free CLP or Birchwood Casey Barricade on all of my rifles before and after a hunt. It’s just good practice. The best combination is a stainless receiver and barrel that is then cerakoted, because it’s stainless inside, which is far more overlooked than the exterior.
I have my XPR Sporter chambered in 270 Winchester (classic 270) and I absolutley love it! Put a Vortex Diamondback Tactical 4-12 on it. Did my max point blank range at 27 yards with factory and my handloads and im dead on all the way out to 325 yards (yes I do my DOPE cards.)
Its shoots every brand ive put thru it with sub MOA using factory and Sub Half MOA with some of my handloads using SST and Accubonds along with Factory Core Lokt and Norma ammo at 100yards.
thanks guys...really enjoy this series of vides.
I love my Savage. Now, mine is a Model 10 SBA, so it takes what worked with the axis and improved upon it. (Tactical oversized bolt handle, 20 inch bull barrel in .308, and a cheap blind magazine stock that is functional.) Not as refined as a remington or a tikka, but that rifle is definitely large and in charge.
Please do a cartridge talk on the 7MM STW!!!
TC Compass II .308, out of the box with factory synthetic stock (aluminum pillar bedding and separate recoil lug) shot .54 inches apart with 150 gr (did better later with 165 grain.)
I have 4 pieces by Mossberg, you might consider me a fan boy of them. I have the 590A1 SPX in 12 ga. The MVP LR 308 Thunder Ranch in Kuiu Camo with the medium bull barrel and composite stock, but it is out of this budget.
I have the Mossberg Patriot .308 and that was 525 with the Vortex Crossfire II 3-9X40 Dead Hold that Jimmy mentioned. I would later change that to a Diamondback Tactical and 6-24X50 FFP. And the accuracy was okay but not readily 1 MOA in my hands. I always liked chassis because of adjustable cheek riser. So, I migrated the Patriot .308 to an MDT LSS Gen 2 chassis, folding stock adapter and the SCS butt stock. One time, I thought of going back to the Patriot synthetic stock and as I was torquing down, I could hear a crack. I had cracked the mag well, which is removable and used as a shim. I noticed there was a gap in the rear action screw guide and I thought that I did that. So, I ordered a new stock in OD green. Same difference. In the chassis, it is a 1 MOA rifle, especially for hunting.
A few Diamondback Tacticals until the Venom came out. Now, all of my rifles have Venoms on them.
And I got the Mossberg Patriot Predator 7 mm PRC in cerakote. Never shot it in the factory stock. I put it in an Oryx chassis, like I eventually did with the TC Compass II. Anyway, hunting group of 2 to 3 shots, .41 inches. So, I would still call that one a 1 MOA gun.
I have mentioned this twice to Mossberg about the rear action screw guide. They are not interested in changing that.
Sounds like a great spread🙌
Definitely excited to listen to this one. I used to own tons of sub $400 rifles and I never really enjoyed shooting any of them. I have since sold all of them and have purchased Weatherby Vanguards and Browning AB3's.
Not having to fight what seems to be a 15lb bolt throw or hear a zipper noise in the action is worth the extra $300.
I lol-ed on the zipper comment. It’s totally true and I tend to agree. I’d rather pay a couple hundred more and get a pretty big jump in quality and fit and finish. I’m not a Vanguard or Browning fan, I generally stick with Tikkas. I’ve heard the CVAs are close in quality to the next step in price point.
@@phild9813I have a buddy who's enamored with Tikkas too and they're definitely great rifles.
It sounds so snobby, but I HATE the "zipper" noise. My number 1 complaint with the Ruger American (besides feeding issues with everyone I've owned) is the dang zipper.
I actually have an American. I’ve heard the “zipper” goes away. Mine so far has not. I wanted something inexpensive with a compact stock to get the kids going on shooting bigger calibers. It even has a threaded barrel. Annoyingly hard to beat.
Of the guns that I own, my CVA products are among my most accurate. I just picked up a Cascade in 30-06, threw a scope on it, and with 4 shots I was same holing my shots at 100 yards.
It's handy having cheap options for testing out new calibers so you can get the high end version later if you like it
Tikka 3x compact ?
You know we love our Tikka's and we would love to add it to the list, but they're coming in at $750-800 from dealers.
I remember it took me a few days to figure out how to put a new scope on my AXIS .270 I eventually found a rail that would fit well enough and we slapped a vortex on there 💪
I am shooting a Savage Axis XP II chambered in 6.5 CM that came with a Vortex Crossfire 3-9x40 scope on it. I paid $600 all in 2 years ago. Rifle is just plain impressive. I bought it as a spare to lend to others. I find may myself wanting to carry it. I have never had an issue with it loading, have never touched the trigger and is always crisp, no binding of the bolt, and the gun is super accurate. Been wanting to put a different scope on it but it shoots do well I can’t bring myself to do so. All I have done is put a Boyd’s hardwood stock on it for appearance more than anything. Rifle just shoots!
I have an Axis 6.5 CM I put in a Oryx chassis and topped it off with an Arken scope. Very accurate, and right at $1300 overall in it.
I run the Franchi in .300 WM with Diamondback glass and a Boyd's On-One stock. One thing I didn't hear mentioned that Franchi is a subsidiary of Benelli.
Great Episode! CHOOT EM' - Let's discuss accuracy (cheap is great, but not if it's not accurate). Jimmy mentioned Euro style rifles and Ryan brought some shorties several episodes back. Let's do a deep dive into which cartridges excel with those short barrels and discuss what is currently available. I'm all in on shorties with suppressors for hunting!
I have 3 of these guns, Savage,Ruger,XPR. Of those 3 the XPR is my favorite. Trigger, stock,bolt smoothness, recoil pad are all better in my opinion. I also have a Weatherby Vanguard and it is another step up from the XPR, except for the XPR has a 70 degree bolt throw instead of the 90 on the Weatherby.
I picked up a Ruger American on clearance at a big box retail store for $169 at the time the Ruger American was fairly new to the market. I bought it for my twins and they wanted nothing to do with it. It is in 243 Win. My oldest son decided he would love to own it and now does. Out of all of the rifles he owns he will flat out tell you he would never sell that rifle or part with it. It is light weight, handles and packs well and shots like a laser. As some one that worked in automotive engineering I could spot the brilliance of the design from both a cost savings design point and a design that could be produced and machined easily with precision on modern tooling. There is a smart way to reduce cost on a consumer good and a foolish way and Ruger made the right calls on this product. They could have taken a bit more money out of the design but chose not to and I think they made the right call!
Man. Never thought I would fall asleep in 5 mins talking about guns. Gezzz.
I have a Mossberg patriot 30-06 with a Vortex 4-12 Its a work horse i love it
Completely off topic, but can you possibly show us the view of say a 5-25x50 magnification scope ( any of your ffp ) at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 starting at 200 - 800 yards as an example?
No one has anything even remotely close online.
my first gun I have bought new 6 years ago, XPR in .308. Bought for my family to shoot the year after was AXIS 6.5 Creedmoor. Both shoot very well!
But today picked up my X-Bolt speed in 28 Nosler 😁
Remington 783 is back Ryan. I love my compass 7mm rem mag. I'd add one more with the Mossberg MVP line both the full size varmint, the Patrol and the Scout. I have the patrol and for $525, it's a great 16.25" barreled bolt that is very accurate, can fire with a suppressor easily and with my Can on it's only the length of those you have on the table except the compact ruger. Fluting on bolts help keeps the bolt from freezing in place. I have the Patriot .375 Ruger too and if you want a .375, it's about the only game in town under 1k. Final edit. The new ATA Turqua is tempting me. With adjustable cheek piece, 18" threaded barrel, full length pic rail etc for only $540. I do have one more sorry. Last winter, I decided I wanted to get a 6.5 Grendel Bolt and almost jumped on the Ruger American Predator. Then I found a barreled Howa 6.5 Grendel mini-action for $456 and put a Boyd's At-One Thumbhole stock on it and an EGW 20 moa Pic rail and it came in under $700 for all that. ;) If you want a Howa action, but don't like their tupperware stock, you can add an after market and be in this range also. There are also some newer much better Patrior rifles like the ceracoted, camo'd, threaded barrel predator or the longrange hunter.
If you like the Turqua check out the new Stevens 334 (Savage). Looks like they struck a deal with the Turkish maker and are importing the same rifle for less than what Four Peaks is selling them for…better support too, being from Savage. We’re taking like $350 for synthetic and like $450 for wood.
I own 3 of these rifles. Weatherby vanguard in 300 wby mag, ruger american in 308, and winchester xpr in 6.8 western. All shoot moa or better, the ruger is a exceptionally good shooter. Got it a few years back for under $500. Put it in a magpul hunter stock and is it ever fun to shoot. The xpr is the most recent purchase and it is the best rifle I own for the price point. Trigger breaks like glass, short bolt throw and feeds perfectly. I read stories about 6.8w not feeding well in certain rifles and I'm super impressed with it. Will be getting more rifles in this model.
The cva is the nicest gun on that table in my opinion
I’d agree, though I haven’t messed with a Franchi.
Agreed. I'd like to see the XT in 7mm PRC
@@phild9813i have a franchi and honestly its not as good as the cascade
Barrel by Bergara.
Cost is always subjective based on manufactures marketing. My mid 1980's Winchester Model-70 Classic Featherweight (Control-Feed) in 308 stacks bullets in the same hole at 100 yards. It cost me at the time $385 out the door. I put a used Leupold VX2 2.5 x 10 power scope on S&K rings/bases for $243 total. So total of $628 and will pretty much do it all. There are a lot of great rifles to be had for minimal investment. One need not spend multi thousands of dollars on a rifle. The animal you shoot will never know, nor appreciate the difference.
I appreciate your input but that same rifle today is far more expensive…like $1165 at most retailers. A Leupold of similar quality, whether it be a $300 VX Freedom or a $450 VX3HD, plus scope mounts will put you into the $1600-1700 neighborhood. A lot has changed since the 1980’s.
@@scotteger6271 Agreed, My cost then illustrates that price point change. I really like the CVA rifle, very cool.
That new Remington 700 ADL is going to be a great gun with a Timney trigger and R5 rifling. I have seen one and they should make a great hunting rifle!
My only concern about that particular Timney is, what did they do to reduce the cost? Hopefully it’ll still have the same quality fit/finish/feel and reliability of known Timneys. Good on RemArms though for souring out a trigger manufacturer, if it helps them streamline production and make a good product overall.
The CVA is the superior rifle on the table in my opinion. It’s built like it doesn’t even belong in that price category, but it is.
One rifle I would have added to this list, that no one ever considers in these comparisons, is the Ruger M77 Hawkeye. It’s a fine rifle in this same price range.
I agree in the cva, bergera barrels.
The winner of the budget rifle was the TC Compass. During fall of 2018 you could buy a 300wm compass with the cheap scope and a gun bag from Buds for $275 shipped to your ffl.
But there accuracy is terrible
Maybe on price point, but I wouldn’t and didn’t buy one. Used ones I’ve seen have generally been in terrible condition as far as finishes go. The threading on the barrel was probably a bit ahead of its time.
I just ripped 1200yard shots on a 10" plate with my Tikka T3 .308 with a Vortex Diamondback Tactical. Rifle is under $700. The whole setup is sub $1000. Highly recommend!
Seeing that CVA is made by Bergara I would expect no less than an excellent rifle. Can’t beat it for the price.
Bergara barrel with a 700 action not made by big green is hard to beat
@@buckshott00 The Bergara B14 is a 700 clone. I have 2 of them (HMR and Ridge) and you will be hard pressed to find a better rifle for the money. Extremely smooth actions and both of mine are absolute tac drivers!
@@buckshott00its not a 700 action. Its a 70 degree tri-lug bolt
A word of caution…two local gun shops and a major sporting goods store have told me they’ve seen some customers coming back in with Cascades that had issues with the stock finishes peeling. The customers were directed to CVA, who made it right, but could be an inconvenience someone doesn’t want to deal with. Not bashing the rifle, I had one in 350 Legend for a while…I’m from Pennsylvania and didn’t really need it here, so a friend from Illinois now has that rifle and with the CVA single shot magazine he meets their centerfire requirements for this deer season.
@@scotteger6271if a peeling stock finish is the biggest issue they've had then they're golden.
I couldn't care less what my rifle looks like aesthetically, all I care about are form and function, and though I don't intentionally beat and abuse my guns I am also not gentle with them.
Lets talk about the A bolts ! I have a mint 270 medallion and love it
Have the A Bolt varmint heavy barrel with the BOSS in 22/250. Most accurate rifle I’ve ever shot with hand loads or factory ammo. Absolute stud
The Howa Super Lite...wood stocked. Crazy value.
Remington 700. My first rifle I bought myself brand new, 2006, was a Remington 700 30'06 for $350. It was very accurate. As accurate as my new now Ruger American 308.
You also might want to consider Swampfox optics. I'm running a 2 to 12 on my 5.56 DMR. First focal plane with a great reticle and nicely priced. Athlon is another "budget" option. Got a 6-24 on my big 6.5 CM AR10. Also a nice 1st FP reticle. Both under $500
I picked up my Ruger Predator 308 and cant wait to get it out!
I have 2 patriot rifles 270 and 30-06 as well as a axis in 243. I have nothing to complain about. 😁
I can't recall what calibers I tested that on but I have several Rugers. Set aside bolt length, etc; they made the lugs different thicknesses. There was idiot proofing that put in place.
I own a Ruger American Predator in 22-250 and it just flat out shoots. Sure, the stock is lacking and the bolt isn't the smoothest but it's a hammer. I luckily got one that feeds well out of the magazine, too. Vortex Crossfire 4-12x50 BDC and I can ring 8" steel at 430 yards with Hornady Varmint Xpress 55 gr VMAX. It's a coyote slaying machine!
Love love y’all stuff! So much fun
When do you plan on shooting these and giving a review? Would be great if you had a Howa to compare.
Hopefully someday soon my friend, and we will see what we can do on the Howa.
I'm not an hour and a half video guy. But,, I enjoyed every minute of this!
i think perhaps we have a terminology issue: is it actually a collet? as a visual for those who have used dremel type multi tools, the collet is the 4 way split thing that clamps around the bit when you tighten the nut. i've always heard the thing that tightens and locks the barrel and receiver at the correct headspace as the "barrel nut" and that seems to me to be what it is. a locknut of sorts, not a collet with split sections.
I have heard Ryan refer to it in other podcasts as a Collet type barrel nut
That Ruger American is hard to beat. The stock sucks, but only as far as cheek weld goes, and the bolt doesn't lock on safe. These are the only 2 complaints I have with mine. I put a $15 midway cheek rest/ammo pouch combo which fixed the cheek height situation. The bolt always comes partially open when carrying it slung, but I always unload when I get in the stand, and reload when I get in, so it's not a huge issue for me. If you're spot and stalk hunting, it could be a problem, honestly. As far as accuracy goes, I broke my 6.5creed in with some berger match ammo (which it hated), then tried some Barnes 127 lrx vor-tx, which shot 3 shots into 3/8". Obviously that's what I've continued to shoot. I keep this gun in the back seat of my truck at all times for a backup or coyote/pig opportunities, and it's perfect for this role, but I have hunted with it and harvested a couple deer.
🙌🙌
I’ve had two American predators in the 6.5 CM and they were amazingly accurate. My two howa heavy barrel rifles are honestly the only two rifles that outshoot those two rugers. But test the cheek weld on the American is terrible, and the rifle feels awful in general, but they do shoot!
@andrewcleveland That's the model of mine, the predator. A simple cheek pad fixes the cheek weld, but yeah, the action could be smoother, but I paid $375 for mine, and for that money I don't think you'll do any better. I put an old ebay bushnell elite 5-15x50 on mine (a gem of old Japanese glass) and its just a great combo that I have just over $600 in.
I just bought a Savage 110 VSX Hunter XP in .243. It was $850 with a 4-12X40 Diamondback scope from the factory.
The Ruger American rifles are great budget rifles.. especially with the Magpul furniture and stock
I convinced my uncle to get a ruger American in his favorite caliber 762x39mm he thought it’s accuracy would be junk but was very happy to be wrong loves it very much shoots 1MOA with surplus ammo no problems.
I'd love to see a left-handed version of this episode. Hard to find an affordable left-handed bolt rifle, and even harder to find a decent selection of calibers.
I’m not a lefty but Savage might be your friend on that one…Tikka as well. Savage probably trumps Tikka though for lefty support.
Savage and Ruger are lefty. Not sure about the rest but Google will help you out here. Ruger predator has a noisy safety but is my only complaint.
I got my savage axis in 30-06 for 400.00. No deer has ever gone more than ten yards after the shot. Everywhere from 20 yards to 225 yards.
How about Bergara Rifles? I got 2 of them, HMR for target shooting, ridge for hunting, and cant be more happy.
I have the Momentum in .308. Good ergonomics, really smooth action and sub-MOA performance. Great rifle, near unbeatable for the money.
🙌🙌
To this day my favorite Vortex video is the one where they top a Ruger American with a Vortex and ring steel at a 1000. Talk about debunking FOMO. This is your real superpower. You've never been gun snobs. Keep up the great wor, and I'll keep buying Vortex...