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Most accurate hunting rifle (generally)


G-ManBart

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A buddy of mine at work just came back from his first vacation out west and he came back already planning his first hunting trip there. We were talking about his trip and he asked me what I thought was the most accurate hunting rifle available for $3K or less. I'm clearly not a world authority of long range hunting (far from it), but I suggested he take a look at GA Precision...that would probably take him right to the limit of $3K, but still be doable. He's not looking to go with a big magnum...maybe something like a .300 WSM. He's got a .300 Weatherby now (Win M70 if I recall), but doesn't want to deal with a Weatherby cartridge because it drives the cost of ammo up. Figure everything up to moose with elk the most likely hunt.

Anybody have other companys I should pass along for him to check out? He figures he's not going to be able to swing the trip for maybe two years, but wants to get the gun well in advance (with a little time to save up)...so it's not exactly a rush. R,

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Had to check that they are still in business (they are): http://www.jarrettrifles.com/index.html

Back in the 1990's while stationed in Charleston, my buddy & I drove to Jarrett's shop where the owner Kenny gave us a tour and a list of options for my friend to accurize his Ruger 77 in .308. What they settled on was to rechamber the original barrel to 300 Jarrett, free float it, and have Kenny work his magic on the bolt and action. Probably the 2nd-cheapest option on what was Kenny's third-favorite brand of rifle, so he bumped down his normal guarantee of 1" at 300 yards to something slightly less incredible. For some figure way under 1 grand.

Deal done, Ruger 77 left at his place (cleanest machine shop i've seen in my life) he continued on to show us the Masters Long Range Event bolt pistols he had in process for TGO and for Koenig, then a look at his land which is a very nice spread.

Some weeks later we pick up the finished rifle and shoot it. I stop after about 5 rounds, 300 Jarrett has some kick to it... Long story short, after seeing what load combo it really likes, using Kenny's dies and ammo recipes, the gun shot 5/8" at 300 yards, twice. I witnessed it.

I'd search around to make sure they still have the same reputation today and if they do, a very good choice. I think they've done bolt pistols for benos if I remember correctly.

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You can buy a hole lot of 300 Weatherby ammo for $3000,

The fact he allready has a heavy 30 caliber and your mention of Elk and Moose on the menu tells me to go with a 338 win mag, I have a Ruger 77 stainless steel model with laminated stock all it needed was a trigger job, Nosler balistic tip 200 gr bullets arnt overkill for deer and a premium 230 barnes X or Winchester failsafe will handle anything else. Stailess and synthetic is the way to go seems like it always rains. You can spend more money but thats all you'll have is more money spent.

Alot of the newer rounds are pretty much nothing but marketing hype, they dont do anything the older rounds can do cheaper and with less wear. Take the 300WSM and compare it to a 3006,

You have to reload to get the most out of a 3006 but it can do what the 300WSM can, they ooh and ah about the shortness of the round and the action but then stick it in a 26 inch barrel to do balistic data, checking a manual you'll find alot of 3006 data is based on a 22".

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G-Man - I've hunted the westfor more than 40 years Elk, Moose, Bear. I find the old 30-06 with 180gr Remington Corelock put dinner on the table, the 220gr does not work well. If some one says they killed a Moose with one shot they are either a liar or they shot a baby. Grizzley bear can go down with one shot but not if they are mad, if they are mad they take a lot of killing. I still have a few friends that hunt and they are now shooting TiKKa rifles and say they are accurate, I like my old Remington 521 & 700 dbl and would spend a little more money on a good optic. For lighter game a 270 does the job, but its not up to a Moose or Griz that has been made mad.

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Had to check that they are still in business (they are): http://www.jarrettrifles.com/index.html

Back in the 1990's while stationed in Charleston, my buddy & I drove to Jarrett's shop where the owner Kenny gave us a tour and a list of options for my friend to accurize his Ruger 77 in .308. What they settled on was to rechamber the original barrel to 300 Jarrett, free float it, and have Kenny work his magic on the bolt and action. Probably the 2nd-cheapest option on what was Kenny's third-favorite brand of rifle, so he bumped down his normal guarantee of 1" at 300 yards to something slightly less incredible. For some figure way under 1 grand.

Deal done, Ruger 77 left at his place (cleanest machine shop i've seen in my life) he continued on to show us the Masters Long Range Event bolt pistols he had in process for TGO and for Koenig, then a look at his land which is a very nice spread.

Some weeks later we pick up the finished rifle and shoot it. I stop after about 5 rounds, 300 Jarrett has some kick to it... Long story short, after seeing what load combo it really likes, using Kenny's dies and ammo recipes, the gun shot 5/8" at 300 yards, twice. I witnessed it.

I'd search around to make sure they still have the same reputation today and if they do, a very good choice. I think they've done bolt pistols for benos if I remember correctly.

Jarrett rifles are more like $7K now!

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Most accurate Factory Hunting Rifles - according to field and stream.

# 1 Weatherby Vanguard Sub-MOA, .30/06

Best Group: .117"</FONT>

Average Group: .398"</FONT>

Vanguards are all tested for accuracy. The ones that shoot under an inch are pulled aside and given floor plates marked "Sub-MOA." Weatherby utilizes a reinforced fiberglass stock with an aluminum bedding girder, and the quality of the rifle is very high.

Here is a link to an article on it: http://www.rifleshoo...les/moa_101405/ You can get it at Walmart if they have it in stock. One for Sale: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=171281439

#2 Thompson/Center Icon, .308

Best Group: .488"</FONT>

Average Group: .533"</FONT>

Here is a link to an article on it: http://www.rifleshoo...les/moa_101405/ You can get it at Walmart if they have it in stock.

The Icon has a wood stock, but in that stock lurks an aluminum bedding girder that locks into the flat-bottomed receiver at three points. And since the barrel is free-floated, the whole rig is as stable as any synthetic stock. The trigger is one of the best. This is one of those rare rifles that shoot different makes of ammo and different bullet weights to the same point.</FONT>

Edited by CocoBolo
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Chris, there is no Georgia Precision rifle builder, you mean GA Precision, which stands for "Gnats Ass Precision". You'd barely get into one of their rifles at $3k.

To what level of accuracy is your friend looking for?

What weight rifle?

What caliber?

What kind of stock?

What barrel?

Does he want a factory rifle or a custom?

What distance does he plan to shoot?

I hunt with a 7WSM, not the same rifle I compete with, but same caliber. It's probably my favorite all around cartridge. I shoot a 168gr Berger HVLD at just over 3100fps which makes for a light recoiling rifle with very flat trajectory and plenty of kinetic energy. If I were going Elk or Moose hunting, I'd still probably take my .338LM. I don't have to worry about getting within less than 1000 yards with it. I've grown bored of seeing how close I can get to game, now I want to see how far away I can get from it.

It's not hard to put together a .5MOA rifle for less than $2500.00 with all the top of the line components.

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Just to be contrarian, a Savage, or one of the Sub-MOAs, (Heck, my Ruger Alaskan in 375 R shoots 1 MOA @100 w. factory loads), will be more than accurate enough for any ethical shot. I would think putting the money in glass would get more of a result in "hunting accuracy" than more in the rifle.

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Just to be contrarian, a Savage, or one of the Sub-MOAs, (Heck, my Ruger Alaskan in 375 R shoots 1 MOA @100 w. factory loads), will be more than accurate enough for any ethical shot. I would think putting the money in glass would get more of a result in "hunting accuracy" than more in the rifle.

AgLifter - Now you and I are on the same page.. I've not found anything my old 721 Remington 30-06 won't bring down. My first Elk in Colorado was 600 yards and 5 hours to get across the canyon to him.

Edited by CocoBolo
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I would rebarrel the M70. They are unequaled in the bolt gun market, and a little bit of truing and a quality barrel will make a better shooter than nearly any alternative, and certainly better than any mass-produced action.

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If you feel you really need a .30 I would look to a Tikka T3 lite in .300 WSM. A bunch of those rifles have been thur Triangle in the past several years in various caliabers and they all shot, most well under an inch. All they need is a turn on the trigger adjustment screw. My .270 Wsm is a 1/2 inch gun with 130 gr noslers. A Tikka T3 stainless in .300 with a good glass would weigh less than 8 lbs, easy to carry all day and cost less than half of most of the built rifles. You can spend a lot more money, you just wont have a lot more gun.--------Larry

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Take a look at the Browning A-Bolt. Picked up a Stainless Stalker a few years back in 300WSM and its a very nice and accurate lightweight package. Also, those that bad mouth the 300WSM are full of it. Light recoil and very efficient. I am recoil shy and find I shoot it about as well as a 308 and the lack of muzzleflash at night is almost scary, much less than 308 and 30-06 and of course any of the belted mags.

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11/111 LONG RANGE HUNTER w/ACCUSTOCK ™

• .300 WSM • 4 capacity • 26 " fluted barrel • Matte finish • Ideal for hunting in wide open spaces • Features fluted barrel, AccuStock ™ with positive cut checkering, dual-pillar bedding, adjustable muzzlebrake, Karsten adjustable comb, & hinged floorplate • Free-floating, button-rifled barrel • Hinged floorplate • Accutrigger ™

$825.99 available on line

post-13561-127510016452_thumb.png

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Chris, there is no Georgia Precision rifle builder, you mean GA Precision, which stands for "Gnats Ass Precision". You'd barely get into one of their rifles at $3k.

To what level of accuracy is your friend looking for?

What weight rifle?

What caliber?

What kind of stock?

What barrel?

Does he want a factory rifle or a custom?

What distance does he plan to shoot?

I hunt with a 7WSM, not the same rifle I compete with, but same caliber. It's probably my favorite all around cartridge. I shoot a 168gr Berger HVLD at just over 3100fps which makes for a light recoiling rifle with very flat trajectory and plenty of kinetic energy. If I were going Elk or Moose hunting, I'd still probably take my .338LM. I don't have to worry about getting within less than 1000 yards with it. I've grown bored of seeing how close I can get to game, now I want to see how far away I can get from it.

It's not hard to put together a .5MOA rifle for less than $2500.00 with all the top of the line components.

These are all the questions, I thought of reading the topic. Heck I see on alot of these hunting shows, people using ar's since there is so many calibers to choose from.

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A buddy of mine at work just came back from his first vacation out west and he came back already planning his first hunting trip there. We were talking about his trip and he asked me what I thought was the most accurate hunting rifle available for $3K or less. I'm clearly not a world authority of long range hunting (far from it), but I suggested he take a look at Georgia Precision...that would probably take him right to the limit of $3K, but still be doable. He's not looking to go with a big magnum...maybe something like a .300 WSM. He's got a .300 Weatherby now (Win M70 if I recall), but doesn't want to deal with a Weatherby cartridge because it drives the cost of ammo up. Figure everything up to moose with elk the most likely hunt.

Anybody have other companys I should pass along for him to check out? He figures he's not going to be able to swing the trip for maybe two years, but wants to get the gun well in advance (with a little time to save up)...so it's not exactly a rush. R,

I hunt exclusively with a Blaser (pronounced Bla-zer) R-93 professional in 300 WBY mag. You can find them used over on BlaserPro.net. Not cheep but worth every penny. They are not common but you talk to the guys who use them, I mean really use them, after Billy and Big Horn, nothing is better. You can find them used in the 3 K price range with the mag bolt face and 300 WBY or Win barrel. I prefer the 300 WBY with 180 gr barnes X. That combo just sucks the life out of any animal. Mine has Zeiss glass and sits in the Blaser 1 Pc mount. Their engineering is really amazing. Cannot say enough about it. The straight pull bolt is great especially for running shots if your first shot did not hit home like you expected.

They are not cheep, but they are German, built with fantastic engineering and they have the best factory trigger out there, period.

Have a look, if you need more info, send me an IM.

http://www.blaser.de/R-93-Bolt-action-rifles.96.0.html?&L=1

Edited by cold
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A buddy of mine at work just came back from his first vacation out west and he came back already planning his first hunting trip there. We were talking about his trip and he asked me what I thought was the most accurate hunting rifle available for $3K or less. I'm clearly not a world authority of long range hunting (far from it), but I suggested he take a look at Georgia Precision...that would probably take him right to the limit of $3K, but still be doable. He's not looking to go with a big magnum...maybe something like a .300 WSM. He's got a .300 Weatherby now (Win M70 if I recall), but doesn't want to deal with a Weatherby cartridge because it drives the cost of ammo up. Figure everything up to moose with elk the most likely hunt.

Anybody have other companys I should pass along for him to check out? He figures he's not going to be able to swing the trip for maybe two years, but wants to get the gun well in advance (with a little time to save up)...so it's not exactly a rush. R,

I hunt exclusively with a Blaser (pronounced Bla-zer) R-93 professional in 300 WBY mag. You can find them used over on BlaserPro.net. Not cheep but worth every penny. They are not common but you talk to the guys who use them, I mean really use them, after Billy and Big Horn, nothing is better. You can find them used in the 3 K price range with the mag bolt face and 300 WBY or Win barrel. I prefer the 300 WBY with 180 gr barnes X. That combo just sucks the life out of any animal. Mine has uses Zeiss glass and sits in the Blaser 1 Pc mount. Their engineering is really amazing. Cannot say enough about it. The straight pull bolt is great especially for running shots if your first shot did not hit home like you expected.

They are not cheep, but they are German, built with fantastic engineering and they have the best factory trigger out there, period.

Have a look, if you need more info, send me an IM.

http://www.blaser.de/R-93-Bolt-action-rifles.96.0.html?&L=1

yeah those are wonderful guns. blah-zer, I get to play with those all the time, they are definately worth their weight in gold.

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Chris, there is no Georgia Precision rifle builder, you mean GA Precision, which stands for "Gnats Ass Precision". You'd barely get into one of their rifles at $3k.

To what level of accuracy is your friend looking for?

What weight rifle?

What caliber?

What kind of stock?

What barrel?

Does he want a factory rifle or a custom?

What distance does he plan to shoot?

I hunt with a 7WSM, not the same rifle I compete with, but same caliber. It's probably my favorite all around cartridge. I shoot a 168gr Berger HVLD at just over 3100fps which makes for a light recoiling rifle with very flat trajectory and plenty of kinetic energy. If I were going Elk or Moose hunting, I'd still probably take my .338LM. I don't have to worry about getting within less than 1000 yards with it. I've grown bored of seeing how close I can get to game, now I want to see how far away I can get from it.

It's not hard to put together a .5MOA rifle for less than $2500.00 with all the top of the line components.

Doh, I was talking and typing and I always think "Georgia Precision" when I see GA Precision, even though I know they're in MO....LOL.

He's looking for a solid, repeatable 1/2MOA or better gun. No decision on big name brand, custom or semi-custom.

He hasn't decided on which cartridge, but did mention both 7 WSM and 300 WSM as being interesting, but he hasn't ruled out going bigger.

Weight in the ballpark of 8lbs or so, but he's a weight lifter who could bench press two of me, so I doubt a little weight either way will sway him.

No decision on the exact stock, but synthetic.

He said he was thinking 24-26" on the barrel.

Custom or semi-custom would be nice, but not absolutely necessary. He's the sort of guy that will save and spend a bit more to get what he wants, the way he wants it.

I don't think he's settled on an actual distance limit, but he said something like "it sure would be nice to know you could make that 600yd shot". He's the guy that would put the time in to actually be able to take advantage of it. For example, he's a big time bow hunter. He said he shoots out to 65yds for practice in order to make perfect 35yd shots time after time.

The GA Precision Non Typical was what I told him to take a look at, if only for reference....it's right at his $3K limit, but seemed to fit right into the wheelhouse of what he's looking for.

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I would rebarrel the M70. They are unequaled in the bolt gun market, and a little bit of truing and a quality barrel will make a better shooter than nearly any alternative, and certainly better than any mass-produced action.

Yeah, that's what reading a lot of magazine articles would suggest. The M70 is famous and popular, just not the best action for a super accurate rifle. It would be the rare expert who would suggest the M70 action is the equal, much less better than, a M700 action for the basis of a precision rifle.

Since I have a gorgeous 1940 M70 Supergrade in .300 H&H Magnum (it actually just says ".300 Magnum" because their was only one at the time) I'm certainly not biased against them. In fact, most of my valuable long guns are vintage Winchesters. Love 'em, but that doesn't change reality. R,

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Not sure of the details of his trip but a lot of Western hunts involve a tons of walking. Weight of the rifle will come into play if that's the case. He may want to include that on his list of requirements.

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I know that GA Precision makes one heck of a world class tactical rifle. I dont hunt but wouldn't that type of rifle be too heavy to be lugging around outdoors all day? I'm just thinking it would not be very practical.

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I'll also throw a plug out there for Cooper. I don't know if they make a repeater w/synthetic stock but gotta love the wood and shoot straight out of the box. I think they are guaranteed .5moa and the ones I have seen do much better. If you are only going to have something to take on a trip every few years, it is nice to have something that you can fondle in the meantime.

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Christensen Arms make some nice light weight rifles. They have different levels of "custom" but even the entry level rifle looks nice. One in 300RUM would be hard to beat.

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