while I own other rifles, I was considering picking up a basic 308 bolt gun as a stash rifle. it needs to be rugged, reliable and accurate.
Any thoughts of what is currently available?
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while I own other rifles, I was considering picking up a basic 308 bolt gun as a stash rifle. it needs to be rugged, reliable and accurate.
Any thoughts of what is currently available?
Remington 700s are pretty popular for various reasons.
Or a Savage. Their price is good. They won't win too many beauty contests,
but the hole in the pipe is very accurate, and they're as reliable as anything else.
If you're options/preferances aren't limited to a .308 or bolt action-
I gently used lever action .30-30 has almost the horsepower of a .308.
They're easy to find, cost effective, certainly fit the bill for rugged & reliable, and their accuracy ain't bad.
Another one ya don't hear much about that could be a good choice is a lever action in .44Mag. or .45 Colt.
They're sort of like a short range .45-70, and not too expensive to feed.
Tikka T3 is good enough for the Canadian Rangers
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id have a hard time picking something besides savage for cheap and accurate
I don't like the feel of the 700s I prefer the m70s. At any rate I was thinking of something along the lines of getting a Ruger scout awhile back because of the shorter length seems pretty rugged too
Savage offers a scout rifle that might suit your needs .
Thompson Center Compass
Cheap....and it will shoot very well.
Well...i'd say i'm good on leverguns..as ive picked up a few the last few years, mostly 30-30, but a few other calibers too.
But I'd be lying..if i see a 30-30 thats at a decent price i will snag it. The 30-30 is a great round.
The 308 is my favorite rifle round, as I have a couple of 308's, and load for them. They are FAL rifles, so since I already load for them I though it would be a good idea to have 1-2 bolts in 308 in various alternate sites, like I do with other guns.
The savage in 308 or 3006 was on my mind, because I have heard good things, and a relative has one and it seems like a great rifle for the price.
I'll look into the Compass as well. If I can find a good used Remington OR Winchester..OR a mosberg in the right caliber at the right price, i'll probably snap it up.
sadly, we are approaching a time on history that ANY solid rifle, with squared away logistics is going to be a valuable asset.
TC Compass best choice. Wait for next rebate and you can buy it for around $275.00.
I asked a similar question last Fall. Here are the results, if you want to take the time to look:Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine1
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...308-Win-Please
While I have not yet found the .308 I want, I am always looking. Seems that since I want iron sights, I will have to likely go with a used/older one. Scoped ones, or ones that are for scope only, seem to be all over, new & used.
{ I may even try to find a "barrel band" front sight for one of the ones set up for a scope, & then see what I can do for a rear sight too, but I am looking for the whole iron sight package at the moment...}
Anyway, G'Luck! in your search!
:)
+1 for savage.
Several people around here have bought the Ruger American Rifles in various calibers. They do a little accurizing on them, like bedding the actions, and are very happy with the accuracy and feel of the rifles. Most people here put low end Leupold or Simmons or Bushnell scope on them and are very pleased with the outcome, especially for the price. They use them mainly for truck guns so their good guns don't get beat up.
For a **** rifle do not go cheap on the scope. Missing a deer is frustrating but will not get you killed. BTW, missed a deer with a Nikon scope that I had dropped...using Vortex scopes now. The scope on my hunting rifle is twice the price of the rifle....
looking harder at the savage line, and liking what I am hearing.
Don't let me be the reason you don't buy whatever you want because it's fun.....
That said - honestly, what is the **** scenario you are planning for? Most of the stuff I have read about people getting stuck in wars was that guns weren't as useful as a stuff like a case of iodine tablets, a jug of betadine, a big case of gauze, tape, and medical stuff, a factory sealed case of disposable lighters, or home distillation equipment.
That said.....
If I am going to hide a rifle + a small stash of ammo up somewhere.... Cheap is near the top of my list.... I know they aren't cheap anymore - but when they were - my choice would have been a Russian Mosin Nagant and a spam can of ammo. Fill the bore and action with axle grease, pack it in a waterproof box, and bury it somewhere you will remember...
You are right, in my neck of the woods, tire chains on a plow truck and a good generator are better in they types of "emergencies" we get.
But, contingencies are good to have in place. Don't like to have all my eggs in one basket.
Look at the Mossberg MVP. i know this is an OLD post, but i have a mossberg MVP Patriot and it takes M1A mags and Ar-10 mags, and it has ironsighs, so the best of everything and it shoots 1 MOA
rugged reliable and accurate? I'll just take my Mauser
This!Quote:
Originally Posted by Hick
I don't understand the idea that your **** rifle needs to be cheap. I want the best, most solid, long term reliable rig I can get my hands on. Injection molded plastic and PM parts can make an inexpensive rifle that may shoot very well, but I don't see them holding up to any extended hard use in rough conditions. I have Mausers that are approaching or are over the century mark and will still be working long after many of these modern marvels of cheapness are long gone.
Finding a 98 in 308 or having one built will give you something worth having. There are plenty of good Czech and Yugo actions out there to build one on.
Have a couple Mauser carbines, they are my favorites - handy, tough and powerful.
Savage for cheap and accurate.
Second the Compass. Tough as nails, accurate, and cheap. Doesn’t get much better than that.Quote:
Originally Posted by dverna
Personally I would want something made of stainless steel and metallurgy/springs that are not 100 plus years old with readily available parts.
I'd go for the Ruger Ranch. I have one in 7.62x39 and one in .308 would be use full too
jmho surplus FR8 if you can find one at a reasonable price - plus the bayonet is a useful versatile accessory -
Quote: stash rifle. it needs to be rugged, reliable and accurate.
A stash rifle to me says iron sights, and having some basic spare parts.
Put in a cache with a care package of accessories (spare parts, cleaning gear, SLING) and ammo.
If I were to buy a bolt gun now, it would be a Sako. This is the one I’m thinking of, but I’ve just ordered a muzzle loader from Pedersoli, so I’ll have to wait a bit.
https://www.sako.fi/rifles/sako-85/85-bavarian-carbine
What exactly a stash rifle and what is it used for? I own a Winchester model 70 carbine in 308, is that a stash rifle? - would it be used for something other than hunting? confusing thread...
I say it depends upon each individuals' definition of "stash" and what one is prepping for.Quote:
Originally Posted by gc45
For me, I don't "cache" any firearms. Hence, my 'stash' includes firearms that get 'regular' use and must be dependable in good and bad times.
So my choice for this situation is my Ruger GSR in .308. Definitely not "cheap" but definitely dependable, durable and reliable and is my favorite deer hunting rifle and will be the first one I grab in many SHTF situations.
Now if I were to pick a .308 to actually cache, esp underground, "cheap" would come into play in case of loss whether found by somebody else or damaged due to environmental factors. In this case, I too would look at an open sighted surplus rifle or Savage. I wouldn't consider a scope at all for this situation.
YMWV, good luck!
My Ruger American Predator chambered in .308 topped with a Vortex Crossfire 2 will shoot 1” at 200 yards with Federal Fusion 180gr ammo. My father in law with with me when I shot that group, he was highly impressed that a $400 gun with a $150 scope could do that well out of the box with factory ammo.
I need to get that guy out and start dialing in cast boolit loads with it.
I would worry less about "what is available" and more about a long term strategy. Tikka and anything else similar may be the boutique craze of the day, but any local gunsmith will have Remington 700 ejectors, extractors or similar parts for Ruger or Winchester rifles. Think about common failure items and finding those in a SHTF scenario. The same reason you want to go with .308 (commonly produced and widely available) instead of a fad-craze caliber that you won't find ammo for when the shuttered shops are filled with zombies.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine1
Rugged and reliable implies a stainless synthetic rifle purpose built for rough use. Looking at what is available newly manufactured, the Tikka T3x looks like a good choice. On the used market I would look for an Interarms Mark X, which was built on a stout commercial Mauser action. For the latter, I would budget enough to have the metal Cerakoted. Replace the wood stock with a McMillan or have the original full length epoxy bedded. The wood stock can be stripped then refinished with low viscosity epoxy topped coated with spar varnish. The stock refinish is an easy do it yourself job. I have a Mark X with the wood stock set up this way that has done yeoman’s service for many years. Neither option will be cheap, but I gave up on cheap equipment for rough use long ago. I was poor when I bought the Mark X and just ate cheap until I could pay for it.
IMO an honest older used rifle (after a thorough checkup) is more reliable than any new one, because it's been broken in & hasn't failed so far; I have no idea /what/ might break on any new-manufacture rifle these days.
Whatever you already own. If your gun isn't reliable enough for hunting then sort it out.
If you want to buy stuff that has proven reliable - look at Enfields, Mausers, and Mosin Nagants, The UK, Germany, and The Soviet Union all jettisoned their jam prone automatics early in WWII and went back to their proven bolt action war horses. Sure, 80 years later, their automatics are more or less reliable, but those aren't available on the surplus markets.
For me... I'm good. I'll hoard matches, alcohol, and coleman stove gas.
Truck John has hit the nail right on the head, for a SHTF rifle it will need to be dead reliable. Something that Savages are not, my friends tried to sell me on Savages they liked the ability to change barrels at home on the kitchen table. The first day at the range both lost the little steel ball in the extractor and they were shooting and knocking the empties out with a cleaning rod. If I didn't want to go mil-surp a mini Mauser action in 7.62-39 or the bigger one in 308 win if you feel the need for that kind of power. CZ I think or Howa.
I just bought exactly what you're looking for. It's a Howa with a synthetic stock, Vortex scope, threaded muzzle, and magazine fed. The funny thing is the package deal was cheaper than the bare rifle. After being a gunsmith for 20 years, I have decided the only moderate priced rifles I would buy are Howa and Tikka. Older CZ are nice as well but they're not making those any more and I don't like the modern ones.
You already own FALs. What more could you want in a proven bad case scenario rifle?
Like looking for a wife when you're already married to your best friend.
for rugged dependability + accuracy try the surplus Mausers, the FR8 is one of the good ones -