Thread: Good Rifle Brands

Hi all, recently gotten my firearms license and was wanting to buy a .270 or .308 rifle. Was wondering what you guys would consider to be good brands. Asked family but have received biased answers. Looking to spend around 2k so something reliable but doesn't have to be flashy (was looking into getting a 2nd hand Sako but want to see else I could get).

Sako and Tikka stand out - Winchester are good- more so what to avoid Remingtons from 2000 onwoods but in saying that some shot well just a few duds in amonst them - Ruger have always been well made - Mauser are good - Steyr are good - Howa are very popular - Sauer seem to cop the odd complaint but again it wont be all of them - my choice get yourself a Sako or Tikka from seventies eighties and nintys and away you go - just make up your mind wood blued or synthetic - dont get sucked into the bulldust that wood blued have bedding problems myth more than reality - its just they are heavier- seventies eighties Remingtons are a good buy -for a newer Tikka Sako with a scope think $3000 at least -Kimber are a nice rifle - Mossberg and Savage worth a look they certainly get good accuracy reports especially Savage - if you buy on here price will be good and you are unlikely to get a dud

Haven't gotten approved for the buy and sell on here yet but worth a go. How true is it that Howas tend to rust? heard that from someone as well. I'll keep my options open and hopefully will find one that stands out to me.

Had a stainless Howa - the barrel was fine but the receiver would rust up pretty quick.
Own a tikka now and it’s a much better rifle - but you pay near twice as much for a tikka.
For your first rifle. - much better to get a Howa I think - you may not like the calibre you choose - or more importantly better to have some budget left for a good scope to hold onto for a while!

Hard to find a rifle that doesn’t shoot well these days unless it’s really cheap. Be wary of a lot of scopes on “combo deals” usually they’re junk.

Both 270 and 308 are good. If you think you’ll mostly be public land bush hunting - go the 308 with a shorter barrel -16 to 20 inch work well (I like 18” but I have a buddy with a 14”)
If you’re confident you’ll get invited to hunt on farms or areas with open fields - a longer barrel 270 will be a better choice 20-22”

Originally Posted by fourzerofouronyourdoor

Haven't gotten approved for the buy and sell on here yet but worth a go. How true is it that Howas tend to rust? heard that from someone as well. I'll keep my options open and hopefully will find one that stands out to me.

All rifles will tend to rust if not wiped down and oiled after being in the weather, some more so than others.

I think the big thing is people think stainless mean no maintenance, but really it is 'stains-less' and still really needs to same attention albeit to a lesser extent.

Cant go wrong with a Tikka or Sako, they arent my cup of tea (Ive got rugers and Brownings) but Howa are also awesome value for money with a good aftermarket to build what you want in future without breaking the bank.

Originally Posted by SpeightsDrinker

Had a stainless Howa - the barrel was fine but the receiver would rust up pretty quick.
Own a tikka now and it’s a much better rifle - but you pay near twice as much for a tikka.
For your first rifle. - much better to get a Howa I think - you may not like the calibre you choose - or more importantly better to have some budget left for a good scope to hold onto for a while!

Hard to find a rifle that doesn’t shoot well these days unless it’s really cheap. Be wary of a lot of scopes on “combo deals” usually they’re junk.

Both 270 and 308 are good. If you think you’ll mostly be public land bush hunting - go the 308 with a shorter barrel -16 to 20 inch work well (I like 18” but I have a buddy with a 14”)
If you’re confident you’ll get invited to hunt on farms or areas with open fields - a longer barrel 270 will be a better choice 20-22”

Stain-less remember iv had tikkas rusty out of the box and defiances that rust as bad as howas, it’s the surface more than the brand and or quality of steel. A polished ruger mk11 will probably never ever get surface rust anything with a blasted more porous surface will suffer second hand sako it the pinnacle

Sako or Tikka

Only buy a high quality (expensive) rifle if you are prepared to look after it properly.

They can deteriorate as quickly as a cheapie if neglected.

Originally Posted by SpeightsDrinker

Had a stainless Howa - the barrel was fine but the receiver would rust up pretty quick.
Own a tikka now and it’s a much better rifle - but you pay near twice as much for a tikka.
For your first rifle. - much better to get a Howa I think - you may not like the calibre you choose - or more importantly better to have some budget left for a good scope to hold onto for a while!

Hard to find a rifle that doesn’t shoot well these days unless it’s really cheap. Be wary of a lot of scopes on “combo deals” usually they’re junk.

Both 270 and 308 are good. If you think you’ll mostly be public land bush hunting - go the 308 with a shorter barrel -16 to 20 inch work well (I like 18” but I have a buddy with a 14”)
If you’re confident you’ll get invited to hunt on farms or areas with open fields - a longer barrel 270 will be a better choice 20-22”

What would your opinion be on this one? Although I hear Nikko Stirling scopes are a hit or miss but the mini .300 is good for bush hunting. I'm not too picky as long as it fits within my price range.

https://www.shooterready.co.nz/shop/...-mini-300-aac/

300 AAC is under powered.

Originally Posted by fourzerofouronyourdoor

What would your opinion be on this one? Although I hear Nikko Stirling scopes are a hit or miss but the mini .300 is good for bush hunting. I'm not too picky as long as it fits within my price range.

https://www.shooterready.co.nz/shop/...-mini-300-aac/

Not yet bit to specialized learn to shoot first 308/ 270 good

I’d buy a good second hand tikka t3 and then save a bit more and put a good second hand leupold vx3 or swaro z3 on it to get started. In five years re-evaluate….


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Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

Sako or Tikka

You won't get THAT for under $5000 will you ?

If you look at second hand, its better to get one that's all original, even if its done a few miles and a couple of thousand rounds.
Some beautiful pieces have swapped stocks, barrels, new triggers, modified magazines and so on.
They hang around for ages and no one will buy them.
There's no certainty they will perform as well as a factory unit.

Bergara seem pretty well thought of too. Mid range prices that compare to Tikka.
My opinion is that plastic stocked Tikka are just fine.
It will be interesting to hear how the Tikka plastic magazines are going after 10 or 15 years.

I've shot all (and hunted with most) of the rifles mentioned above . . . And many others that aren't in the list.

With any factory rifle, including the high cost ones such as Sako or Kimber, it's always possible you can get a dud, unlikely but possible. Even custom rifles are not immune. Testing I've done over the last couple of years highlights that many, many factory rifles of any brand can have "fussy" barrels that can be a lot of work to find ammo that works satisfactorily, for example 2 of the last 3 Tikkas have been fussy when tested properly.

The best protection you can have from the above is to build a good relationship with a retailer, the last thing I'd want to do in buying a new rifle that had my last $$ in is go with a retailer just for the discount.

Finally, all rifles require regular appropriate maintenance, stainless or otherwise. I would be the world's laziest rifle maintainer, but have rifles here that have been in the family since the 1950s and are still in nice condition. But look at a few rifles in a gunshop and I'll guarantee you can find one (stainless or blued) that has been put away with the supressor on a few times and consequently has a buggered barrel at the muzzle. It's all about a bit of learning.

Second hand is a good bet, you will get a lot better gear for the money but take someone knowledgeable.