i'm sure it is an excellent piece but my bolt gun experience is limited to my M48 Yugo-Mauser, that shoots better than i do...
Posted on 02/22/2012 6:49:19 PM PST by DTogo
In the market for a quality yet reasonably priced rifle to scope and use for target and hunting (mostly white tail) beyond 100m: considering the new Ruger American Rifle in .308. Yes, the ballistic performance is less than a .30-06, it's not a Springfield M1A or a Gunsite Scout, but .308 ammo is cheaper and compatible with other hardware in the event of an "in-the-field" switch.
FReeper input welcome!
Thoughts?
GunBlast did a review of said rifle, but chambered in ‘06. It will still have a lot of info.
http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-American.htm
It is not as ugly as I thought it would be. Good price too.
Still, my Yugo M48 in 8mm that I got for $200 shoots just as good as my Mossburg in 30-06.
Here’s my advice and remember its worth exactly what you paid for it.
Check out the Ruger, the Remington 700, and the Winchester Model 70. Pick the one that “feels” best to you. You can’t go wrong with any of them, really.
8mm ammo is a lot cheaper than 30-06. I have a Portuguese Mauser Verguiero and like it a lot. Nasty kick, though
Here’s my fav.
Watch the videos and absorb how every American gun should be made!
http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/icon.php
I’m sure any Ruger bolt action is going to be an excellent gun. Ditto for any Remington, Winchester or Savage. All make fine bolt action gunes. It really comes down to what feels comfortable for you. If you can’t shoot them one thing to do is test how redily it comes into postition. Look at a “target” and fix the location in your mind. Close your eyes, and pull the rifle (or pistol) to where you think you are aiming at it, they open your eyes. The closer you are, more natural it will be to shoulder and fire.
With a bolt action I alos think it’s important to work the bolt while the rifle is sholdered. Try it with you eyes open, then try it with them closed to see how much our point of aim changes.
AFAIK .308 (7.62mm NATO) is every bit as effective as .30-06.
I went with the Remington 700 .308.
I had a chance to use my FIL’s Kimber Montana this past season and it is an absolutely beautiful gun. Very, very, very light but it doesn’t feel in the least bit fragile. It was also dead on accurate and the recoil was so clean, you could get back on the target quickly.
Remington 770 in .308.
I tossed the stock scope, which is probably a fine scope, for Leupold MK IV.
My friends laugh when they see my setup. “You have more scope than you have gun”.
To which I reply “When I reach out and touch someone, I’d like it to be from as far away as possible”.
I need some of their rifles.
Funny you mention that...I’ve also noticed that 8mm (out of my 1941 K98k) has a more distinct kick than does .30-06. A lot of 8mm surplus has heavier bullets than comparable ‘06 (about 192 grains versus 150 grains) so I wonder if that’s the difference.
I had a browning bar 30-06 (hunting version) before the fishing accident. It has iron sights but I had to remove the rear one for the Leupold scope. I’m in the market for a bolt action and am trying to decide between 30-06 and .308.
hmmmmmm
I’m not familiar with the Ruger American Rifle. The last Ruger I bought was an M77 Hawkeye stainless in 300 WM, and it is an excellent rifle. The 308 doesn’t give up much to the .06, if anything, and I like the short actions.
Yup, out to about 400 yards. The 30-06 caries a bit further past that. Either will take down any N. American big game easily with good shot placement.
I have never shot the Tikka, but reviews are outstanding and I have heard great things by word of mouth. I am considering one for a bolt action in .308.
I am partial to my M1a Scout Squad, but that was a good bit more than $560. AR platforms in .308 have come down quite a bit also, for what it's worth (I am not a huge fan of ARs).
The AR-10 is a whole lot more fun :)
I’ve already got “dog collars” for that function, comrade! ;^)
Excellent review, thanks!
If it’s good eniugh for US Army and Marine snipers, it’s goid enough. I have twi: one in 30/06 and one in .300 win. mag. Got a AR-10t for 7.62 nato.
Remington 770... not bad, thanks!
Brit 303, ammo cost don ‘t matter once you sight it in, proven hit each and every time! No loft, just straight like an arrow.Reloading is your friend.
The .30-06 was developed at a time when a requirement for the standard infantry rifle was the ability to drop a cavalry mount. This was essentially the round used from WWI up to, and through Korea. By the mid-50's when the Army was looking to replace the Garand, advances in powder technology allowed for similar performance in a smaller case, with horse-killing ability no longer so much of a consideration. The 7.62 / .308 was designed to replicate the performance of the .30-06 with older powders. Certainly, with more modern powders, the .30-06 has a performance edge based solely on its larger case volume, but in actuality, the .308 gives up very little. What you gain with the .308, especially in a bolt action rifle, is a shorter bolt throw and a shorter overall action, which reduces the weight you'll be lugging around on those hunting trips.
Unless you're completely sold on a bolt, I'd recommend you at least take a look at the Browning BLR (lever gun). Of the others mentioned, the Marlin rifles will probably give you the best value for the money. As others have said here, try a few of them on for size and see what "feels" best.
Also, keep in mind that with a .308, you'll want to hang some decent optics on the rifle to fully take advantage of the cartridge, so take that into consideration when you're evaluating the balance, eye relief, stock comb etc.
Good luck and let us all know what you pick!
Note: Due to advances in computer driven milling machines, Remington and all the other major manufactures of rifles can now turn out a very high quality barrel at a cost that is far less than 40 years ago when adjusted for inflation. It is good stuff!
Same here but the .308 ammo is cheaper in bulk and will still do the job at a distance. And yep, if it's good enough for our snipers, excluding the multi-km experts, .308 is good enough for me.
Okay, time for the funniest reply I've ever read on a gun thread...
Dude, no, you misunderstand. After the first half-dozen posts, you are out of the discussion and your needs are no longer being discussed. It becomes all about the other posters and what they like and what their experiences have been. Soon it will deteriorate into a pissing contest about who has done the most hunting and has the biggest hardest gun. Then there will be insults, then some posters will sanctimoniously offer to pray for each other, then there will be accusations that the other guys are not real conservatives, probably liberal trolls, because they don’t like the same thing. Some lady or limp-wristed man will post that they don’t see why it’s necessary to kill the pretty animals because they have feelings too, and there will be a 100-post tangent on that. It’s great fun if it goes the right way. ~~ Freeper ottbmare 12-17-11~~
CDNN seems to have Ruger and FN bolt action rifles in 308.
I went with 30-06 in my last setup as I have plenty of 308’s.
Springfield 770. Bolt action sucks and that version was suppose to improve over the 700. I’m sending it to a world class gunsmith who will not only make it smooth and purdier.
Others feel their 770 is just fine.
I don’t mind spending a little extra money to improve it. I just got lucky on all my other guns out of the box.
Might even install a cheek weld.
Shoot’s .5” @ 100yrds and I ain’t that great. Probably does better if I could get the range more than 6 or 7 times a year but, that would make me a professional. LOL
Go for it.
i'm sure it is an excellent piece but my bolt gun experience is limited to my M48 Yugo-Mauser, that shoots better than i do...
For that reason alone, I like a good ol’ Savage 99E lever gun in .308
Easier to maintain sight picture while cycling multiple shots than any bolt action.
Lighter than any autoloader by a couple of pounds.
Stylish furniture, and can be had for under $500
Yes the foreigners make great rifles too, but unlike handguns they are not DOMINANT.
When I buy a rifle now days I buy Winchester, Browning, Marlin and Remington.
For assault weapons, Ruger, Colt and Bushmaster.
For pistols Sig, Beretta and HK.
Everyone makes a good shotgun:)
OK, now that online mag at CDNN is difficult to stop flipping through!
Pithy! :)
At the range cycling the bolt action is actually quite fun!
samco global arms has 7mm mausers rechambered to .308
purchased a 7mm mauser carbine and wwi ammo from them years ago very satisfied
The ballistics are really identical IMHO.
I prefer 308 because everyone I know has a 223/556 Mattel Warrior model. /s
I love using my long distance cordless drill against them as then can’t reach out as far as I can nor are they ever as accurate as I am @ $300yrds.
Same guys swear by 30/30 and I love 30-06 for the same reasons above.
I shoot side by side with them and they think I’m a better shooter. I don’t. I’m just using a round with superior trajectory.
Just competing ideas about shooting. They think their arms are superior for CQB and I remind them the M1A was used for CQB and Long Distance communication in a few wars.
Still, I do want a 308 AR and might get around to buying one later this summer.
all the guns i have ever owned long or short are autos(except my SS .22/.410 M6 Springfield Scout) so i picked up the Yugo for a change and have never regretted it like you said cycling the bolt was a pleasant surprise
and that 8mm big bass boom when it goes off turns heads...
If you're talking dollar-wise, that's the way it's supposed to work.
I know! LOL
I tell them the scope is more important if you want to shoot at long distance and low light.
They’re cheap and that’s okay. I like my toys. They are beautiful.
I'm quite enamored with my Armalite...nice compact little package:
Ouch! ;^)
I’m thinking DPMS. I’ll figure it out when I get closer.
I Like your rifle. Nice.
never heard of Samco Global before but will look at their catalog
Just messing with them. LOL
Undermines their confidence, even though they won’t admit their tool is the wrong tool for long distance.
Sometimes I tell them to warm their magazines and wait for a cloudy day to take advantage of possible attenuation in the atmosphere.
LOL Some get the joke and others don’t.
Dang, now I feel like going to the range this weekend.
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