pointingdogsrule
Well-known member
What this guy stated.... and spend the rest on some great optics
good luck to all
the dog
Best rifle for under $2000
- Thread starter Blackbart
- Start date
What this guy stated.... and spend the rest on some great optics
good luck to all
the dog
Yep! Kinda like boots. One make/model may fit me well and you not so well.
I was in the same mindset a few years back. Ended up getting a Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather and it shoots like crap! I bought it to replace a Weatherby Mark V that was an absolute tack driver but was stolen. After fighting with different loads and getting nowhere with the Winchester I signed up for a custom build. it won't be done until May so in the mean time I also bought a Ruger American for only $400 and it shoots as good or better than my Weatherby did and for pennies on the dollar. Long story short, you could end up spending some coin and not getting the results you want.
Go feel the gun at the shops, each one feels different and maybe that will help you narrow down your selection but don't get a Winchester
. Good luck!
MJE2083
Well-known member
Some shops are more reputable than others Bart, If I were you I wouldn't go into a shop and announce that your budget is $2,000 or that's all you are going to see is $2,000 rifles.
Legendary Arms Works Professional in any caliber you want with that Kind of budget. I really wanted one myself but got the Howa Alpine Mountain rifle for half the price, it has the same stock made by LAW and is a very nice rifle just not as expensive, I couldn't justify spending more for the LAW Professional but if you have the $$ or want a long action caliber that doesn't come in the Howa its a great option.
I also second that Sako Finnlight to be on the short list.
I also second that Sako Finnlight to be on the short list.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Handle the Finnlight last...
How many true customs can be had for 2K fellows?
How many true customs can be had for 2K fellows?
Steiny
Well-known member
$2,000 Opens things up to a whole lot of good rifles.
For a lower budget, I think it's hard to beat the good old Remington 700, high gloss wood, BDL rifles. Every one I've had my hands on shot well, the triggers are adjustable, and I like the fit and feel of the wood stocks.
For a lower budget, I think it's hard to beat the good old Remington 700, high gloss wood, BDL rifles. Every one I've had my hands on shot well, the triggers are adjustable, and I like the fit and feel of the wood stocks.
Define "custom"?
One could rebarrel a Kimber Montana and be well under $2K. Likewise, a Rem/Win/Tikka/Howa/etc could be bought, rebarreled, and restocked into a quality fiberglass stock for probably less than $2K. $650 for a rebarrel, plus $650 for a McMillan Edge stock leaves one $700 to buy a donor action. One could get into a "normal" factory action for well under that. Heck, one would only be a few hundred away from a custom action.
WapitiBob
Well-known member
Rem SPS $550
Greybull stock $400
Brux barrel $425
Action true/barrel chamber/crown $300
Jewell trigger $205
Devcon steel putty $40
1/2 MOA rifle $1,920
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Fair question...let's start with a true custom action, the rest is pick of the litter components and gunny magic.
i can only afford the one franken-model and most of them start at circa 2500 with you providing the actions.
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noharleyyet
Well-known member
I'm assuming very reasonable gunsmithing fees.
Recently looked into rebarrelling a RUM with Brux...barrel/true action, crown quoted 1100.
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sbhooper
Well-known member
I have three factory rifles-a Rem SPS, an older Savage 110CL and a Ruger American that are all three 1/2-moa rifles. Together, they were way under the $2000. I also have two re-barrels that combined are well under the $2000 mark.
Customs are great if you want to spend that money and get exactly what you want, but they are not necessary in order to get an accurate rifle.
Starting with a true 'custom' action would make it tough to meet the $2K price.
WapitiBob
Well-known member
I posted what I paid.
I bedded it myself, several times. Building a gun is "childs play" as they say. The barreled action is just a drop in. It took 10 minutes to swap the trigger. Practice bedding on the factory stock a few times then do the new stock. If you don't like it, 10 minutes with a dremmel and you're good to do it again. If you really want to do it all yourself you can buy some tools from Brownells to true the action components but that looks a bit sketchy.
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I would put in a vote for the Tikka T3. I have it in 30-06 and have hunted deer, bear, and elk with it have never regretted the purchase. As for the price, I would recommend buying the best gun you can afford. Even though you are just starting out, I've spent a lot of extra money upgrading over the years from cheaper guns and optics and would have been better served buying the higher quality stuff early on. I'm not saying go overboard but definitely don't go cheap either just for price sake.
efw
Active member
Nothing at all wrong with this at all as long as you remember that absolutely no amount of technology or precision in a rifle will replace practice, practice, and more practice.
This is where cheap can be a newbies friend... a Ruger American in 223 Rem w/ a decent scope could get you a lot closer to knowing what you want than reading the opinions of everyone on every Internet forum.
Not saying you're guilty of this at all, but the long range craze and the gear that you see in all the internet videos has convinced a lot of people that certain things are true about shooting that just aren't so.
Popping caps at distance can put to rest a great number of illusions about hunting rifles, and uncover an awful lot of truths too. An inexpensive rifle that's fun, easy, and inexpensive to shoot goes a long way toward getting caps popped in very high numbers.
Good luck!
MJE2083
Well-known member
I agree to a point. No amount of money spent on a rifle will substitute for lack of practice. But on the other hand, no amount of practice will make a poor rifle shoot well. IMO truely poor commercial rifles are few and far between these days.
Dan O
Well-known member
Instead of spending 2K on the rifle spend some serious money on the scope and mounts. Without quality optics the chance of getting the most from your rifle is diminished. Plan on a VX3 or VX6. Leupold is a sponser and they are a great product. Just my $.02 worth. Good luck in your search.
Dan
Dan
Read all the information on forums magazines tv shows etc. to get some ideas. Starting as an adult gives you some financial options young kids don't have. Most 16 year olds wouldn't benefit from a Vette as a first car. You get start there with your first rifle if you want.
In 1977 as a teenager I spent $180 for a shiny new Remington 700 in a 7mm Remington Magnum, it wouldn't extract fired rounds reliably so I returned it and got a Ruger model 77 in the same caliber. It was manufactured 40 years ago and has killed a boatload of deer and elk and still shoots tiny little groups wth NBT or 150 grain Barnes TTSX. I have more rifles now but honestly they aren't necessary for the hunting that I do every year. Like a lot of old gals she has had some work done, glass bedded, a trigger job and a custom muzzle brake that improved the original accuracy. To choose the caliber I copied the most knowledgeable hunter I knew who could afford any rifle and loved the 7 for pigs, sheep, and elk at long ranges back then. I got kind of lucky with the old Ruger some in that era shot poorly, today you would be unlucky to find a rifle that doesn't shoot well.
So get your hands on every rifle model in easy driving distance and talk to some hunters whose opinion you respect and who don't have a profit motive. Then get ready to go through the same process for good glass. I'd start with VX3 and VX6 from Leupold then the Zeiss HD5, Swarovski Z3, Meopta, SS HD if you plan to dial but the same advice applies about deciding what you want to hunt and whose opinion you value.
In 1977 as a teenager I spent $180 for a shiny new Remington 700 in a 7mm Remington Magnum, it wouldn't extract fired rounds reliably so I returned it and got a Ruger model 77 in the same caliber. It was manufactured 40 years ago and has killed a boatload of deer and elk and still shoots tiny little groups wth NBT or 150 grain Barnes TTSX. I have more rifles now but honestly they aren't necessary for the hunting that I do every year. Like a lot of old gals she has had some work done, glass bedded, a trigger job and a custom muzzle brake that improved the original accuracy. To choose the caliber I copied the most knowledgeable hunter I knew who could afford any rifle and loved the 7 for pigs, sheep, and elk at long ranges back then. I got kind of lucky with the old Ruger some in that era shot poorly, today you would be unlucky to find a rifle that doesn't shoot well.
So get your hands on every rifle model in easy driving distance and talk to some hunters whose opinion you respect and who don't have a profit motive. Then get ready to go through the same process for good glass. I'd start with VX3 and VX6 from Leupold then the Zeiss HD5, Swarovski Z3, Meopta, SS HD if you plan to dial but the same advice applies about deciding what you want to hunt and whose opinion you value.
