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Practically Shooting

Favorite Bolt Action Rifle?


RLH70

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Remington 700's. The only centerfire rifles I own are Remington 700's and 1 600. They are all older models so I can't say much about the new stuff.

Both my Custom Shop 700's are extremly accurate. One is a safari grade 8mm mag, and the other is a 7mm STW. Sub MOA groups are the norm with both these guns.

My standard BDL 8mm mag is very accurate also. Not quite as pretty as the other 2, but groups just as good.

My 2 varmit rifles in .22-.250 and .223 are heavy barrel 700's. These are from the middle to late eighties. Good all around rifles with the right loads.

My oddball and my most favorite Remington is my 600 carbine in .350 Remington Mag. I think people now refer to this gun as a "guide gun". Shoots great, looks kind of weird with the raised vent rib and the tiger laminate stock and the 18" barrel, but boy it's sure easy to carry.

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I used to be a big Remington guy, in fact most of my rifles are Remington. I just came to dislike the flimsy extractors and the brazed on bolt handles.

Mauser 98, of course. Really bums me out that the "real deal" has never been made in a lefty!

Ruger makes a left hand M77 with the Mauser style claw extractor (CRF).

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Don't get me wrong Moe, I'm not trying to down Remington, in fact two of my best shooting rifles are Rem 700's.

I just happened to have a bolt handle break, granted I dropped the rifle directly on it, but it still leaves a bad taste in your mouth,and one extractor give me problems.

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The one thing I actually liked about the Ruger M77 was the external Mauser type extractor. It doesn't get any more positive than that. I just didn't like how the bolt head didn't totally enclose the case head.

On my production 700 varmit rifles, I had a friend of mine who built benchrest rifles take the bolts apart and actually true the bolt face. He removed so little material that it did not change the headspace to an excessive amount but really helped the accuracy.

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  • 4 weeks later...

This is a homemade Mauser rifle, a Mark X Whitworth Mauser action with Shilen short chambered, medium weight, barrel in a piece of northern California English walnut. That little knot hole in the right forend of the stock reduced its value from a $450 blank to a $125 blank, and that was in '92. It is chambered for the 6.5X55mm Swedish Mauser cartridge

The stock is finished with one coat of Birchwood Casey Stock Sealer and about ten coats of sprayed-on Tru-Oil, sanded with 600 W_D paper between coats, then 0000 steel wooled and finally rubbed out with Birchwood Casey Stock Sheen and Conditioner. This is its natural color as ambered by the Tru Oil. It is not stained. We also used a lot of pumice and rottenstone back then too. This is what us olpharts did with our time in the old days.

I'm not a gunsmith, just a hobbyist. I lived in the northern Sacramento Valley back then, which is walnut country, and there are a number of small stock making outfits that produced semi-inletted stocks, with strong emphasis on the "semi-inletted" part. So putting together your own particular poison was a favorite hobby of rifle guys in that neck of the woods back then. (And that shadow-line cheekpiece is a real sono[censored]un to finish out!)

My favorite all-time factory bolt gun was the Ruger Model 77 because it shouldered better than any rifle I ever shouldered and I loved its action. (It was a tough sono[censored]un to load for, however.) I prefer the Mauser 98 pattern action over all others, although I freely admit others are superior in some respects. I wouldn't use one for a serious target or bench rest gun any more, because newer actions would eat your lunch for you. I prefer the 7X57 Mauser cartridge over all others. Like I said, I'm an olphart, and if I can get otsix performance without otsix recoil, I'm your guy.

Ol' Arthur put an end to my riflemaking...I can't do the detail work any more. I built seven of these between '85 and '95 using various Mauser actions and commercial barrels. It was a really fun ride for me and some really good pals.

JP

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  • 1 month later...

The one thing I actually liked about the Ruger M77 was the external Mauser type extractor. It doesn't get any more positive than that. I just didn't like how the bolt head didn't totally enclose the case head.

No Mauser (or any other controlled feed) bolt will enclose the case head.

----Mauser 98------------------Ruger 77---------------Remington 700

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  • 8 months later...

Love my K77MKII in .338 Mag. Strong, accurate, reliable, and proven. Today I would probably buy a stainless controlled feed M70 instead, but they did not exist when I bought the Ruger. I have little interest in other low to medium cost production bolt actions. Of course a 98 that was stainless and worked with a scope would be great as well.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've had good success with a Winchester push feed Featherweight in .308 Win. Accurate with the right handloads and a good light weight rifle for all day carry. If I really want to reach out, I have a Weatherby Eurosport in 7mm Remington Mag. Again, accurate with handloads. It is a heavy gun with a scope attached but well balanced so I dont notice the weight too much.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I guess my favorite is the Winchester M70, but specifically in the form of the later "Classic", which I think is what FN is making now in SC.

The 1903 Springfield runs a close second.

My favorite bolt action rifle is my Steyr Scout, but that is a different animal. It's designed to save weight, so has a slightly smaller bolt diameter than typical, is fluted, etc. It also locks into a barrel extension (like an AR15) which I like because it allows the use of an alum alloy receiver.

It would be my first choice but I don't feel it is as rugged as some other actions.

Honorable mention goes to the Enfield. If I just had to go off to war with a bolt action rifle, that would be my choice. There is a saying that in WWI, the Americans had the best target rifle, the Germans had the best hunting rifle, and the British had the best battle rifle. I think that is about right.

The M1917/Pattern 14 Enfield isn't bad either.

No, I don't love all bolt actions. Not quite all of them anyway.

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  • 9 months later...

I really enjoy my Russian Mosin Nagant M91/30 PU Sniper rifles. As far as genuine military sniper rifles go, they are very inexpensive and still shoot quite well.

This is my 1944 Tula (RGuns import)...

Top is a 1944 Izhevsk (sold), bottom is a 1943 Izhevsk (not import marked). The '43 is my favorite as it has the best trigger and a great looking arsenal finish on the stock.

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  • 4 weeks later...
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  • 3 years later...

I bought a Thompson center dimension 7mm rem mag. This rifle shot moa out of the box and now that I've got a few hundred down the pipe it's sub moa. 

  Sunday I was shooting at 100 yards and groups of 3. Could cover them with a nickel. I had never heard of Thompson center until just over a month ago. 

   Now I can't stop taking about them. Fantastic rifle. Great recoil pad. Easier recoil then my k-31. Lighter projectiles though. 

   And inexpensive. And once you consider barrel swaps you get sub moa rifle for under 400 bucks. If you already have the correct bolt the barrel is a couple hundred. I love this rifle. Amazes me every day. 

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