What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Can anyone suggest a good high powered rifle? What usually comes to my mind is a Ruger M77 or a Remington 700, but I'm wondering if there is anything better out there as far as functionality, price, quality, and etc. My first choice is a Springfield Armory M1A, but that's a bit too pricey for me. Dang it. I currently own a Mosin Nagant 91/30 and the M44 carbine, but those are more for fun and collecting. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

It all depends what you are going to use it for:

Hunting? See this page - "The Hunting Rifle Battery" - Chuck Hawks

"Social purposes"? - "Rifles for Home Defense" - Chuck Hawks

As you can tell, I'm a fan of Mr. Hawks's - straight advice, no BS.

Here's the "Rifle" home page: "Guns and Shooting Online - Rifle Information"

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Great links, Raymond.

Poor Question, Publius.

The current answer stands as "D: Not enough information".

According to your question you are interested in something along the lines of 7mm caliber bolt action which would be great for hunting and terrible for defense. Then you exhibit interest in the M1A, a repeating battle rifle, and state that you own some Mosin's which are bolt action battle rifles.

Despite your eyes being all over the map I'd say either an SKS or a Ruger Mini-30 (both 7.62X39) fit that melange.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

What do you want do to with it?

My recommendations:

Mid to long range multi-purpose portable battle rifle = AR15 in .223

Ultra long range low capacity hunting/sniper rifle = Rem 700 in 300 Win Mag/.338 Lapua

Short to med range SHTF defense rifle = AK47 in 7.62x39

Long range hi capacity = SASS (DPMS 308/AR10) in .308

Anti-materiel = Barrett M89 in .50 BMG

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Poor, very broad question.

Get an SKS if price is an issue. They shoot the same stuff as Saigas and AK's, 7.62x39 for a third the cost.

They are semi-automatic and CAN be used for hunting, though this is not their main purposes and can be used for "social situations" such as self defense or combat. They are upgradable from a 10 round fixed box mag feed with stripper clips, or detatachable 20 or 30 round box mags.

There is nothing wrong with a mosin nagat, unless you dont like bolt actions. They are fine guns at good prices.

Asking "Whats a good rifle?" is like asking "Whats good for dinner."

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

I have not read here on this forum about Savage rifles,

I have a Model 12vbss in .223 that is a tack driver!
Trigger mod, the pull is less than 3 oz.(before the accutrigger came out)

8 x 32 scope and on a egg bust shootout, took me 13 shots to kill 1 dozen eggs at 300 yards.

Not too shabby if I do say myself.:biggrin:

Savage makes some of the best single shot, out of the box rifles today and at a good price..IMO :biggrin:

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

A .308, you choose what style.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

I'm a big fan of the M1 Garand....30.06 is popular and very powerful.....rifle price is still reasonable as compared to M1A......the M1 gives up little ground to the M1A - in fact I prefer the M1 (own several M1...and one M1A). Accuracy is outsranding - can be nearly as good as any bolt action gun - and this is just trivial as they are accurate enough to kill man sized targets with open sights out to 600 yards - if you do your part.....

All rilfes are plenty good.....does not even matter the task or the gun.....you dont want anyone plinking at you with even a bolt action hunting rifle if you are inside 500 yards....yes, semiautos have greater firepower....but even a simple bolt gun can get off a lot of shots in a short time....just ask JFK.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

I, for one, do not consider .223 to be high powered. To me, high powered means it goes through shit till it stops. .223 does not meet this description in the least.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Me either and neither do I consider ak or sks hi power. Hunting, 300 winchester mag, tactical 308 IMO.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Point taken. My version of high power involves turning concrete to rubble and killing with one shot. 7.62X39 accomplishes this.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

I just use the rifle I own..(.223 to me is a good cheap vamet round)


The Savage model 12 is one of the most accurate out of the box rifles you can buy.

These calibers I do consider Hi-Power.
22-250 Rem .308 Win 270 WSM 300 WSM are offered also.
Finding brass for reload is not a problem.
Thinking to get another barrel for my gun, thinking 300 WSM, it is easy to change out barrels and head space on this gun.

These rifles can shoot. 1/2 MOA and better out of the box.

:biggrin:

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

To the OP you are going to have to give a little more info on what you want it to do.

Then some good recomendations can come.

Personally I think you already own 2 good high powered rifles with the Nagant and the 44

Some basic questions for you to answer.

What are you looking for it to do?

What type of action do youy like (bolt, semi, lever)?

How important is common/easy to find on the field ammo?

What range do you want out of it with what style of accuracy?
example "I want to hit a 12" target at 500 yards"

How much money are you willing to spend?

Do you plan on using optics and is that included in your buget above?

What enviroment is the weapon going to be typicaly used in?
Urban, rural, humid, arid, etc.
(For instance I live in a wet very dense forested area. I could never get over 100 yards with out hitting somthing so a rifle that is designed to make 2" groups at 800yards is pretty pointless.)



If you can answer those questions the folks around here can give you much better recomendations.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Would you want to be standing behind a normal apartment or house wall and have someone on the other side firing an AR with 5.56 or .223 ammo in your direction? This stuff still penetrates, even body armor. I know I wouldn't want to be a couple rooms over from someone firing M855 ammo in my direction.


Sure a 30.06 or a .308 will be more powerful, but our military wouldn't be using M-16s if they sucked at penetration.


Really though I will concede to you that a 5.56/.223 round is more a mid power/ high power round.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

You have no appreciation of what motivates the Satanic forces operating the MIC.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

50 BMG
338 Lapua

Carry on.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Its not about penetration, its about Logistics. More importantly about Logistical Override.

A dead soldier requires no services till the battle is over, a wounded soldier requires at least 1 or 2 other soldiers to stop fighting and carry him to help, then it requires at least a nurse and a doctor, or at worst a Corpsman(medic) to patch him up. Thats a lot of fighters NOT fighting to take care of ONE soldier. :wink:

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Savage .308 if you don't know what to get and want something that can do everything.

.300 Winchester Mag if you don't care about recoil and would rather take 1000 yard shots....Recoil shouldn't be a problem, afterall, you're a Moisin Nagant Owner?

At the very least, tell us how many rounds you're looking to fire beforce reloading.
And whether you want 100-500 yards, or 500-1200 yards in range.

Me?

http://www.chuckhawks.com/win94_copy.jpg
http://goldismoney.info/forums/pictu...&pictureid=702

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

How about a Tikka Varmint .308?

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Another vote for a Savage .308. Excellent value, IMO.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Mentioning the Ruger M77 and Remington 700 in your post, I'm assuming you are looking for a decent, accurate bolt-action gun chambered in a reasonably long-range cartridge. This is an area of interest that I have a lot of experience in, from both a target shooting as well as a hunting viewpoint, so I think I can be of some assistance with your selection.

First off, with regard to the brand, I'm of the personal opinion that of all the bolt guns currently available, you should restrict your shopping to one of 3 brands: Tikka, Browning, and Savage. I've owned rifles from just about every major manufacturer (with the exception of Weatherby, who I will not comment on). I personally think that Tikka is currently the best value of the 3 - for several reasons I'll get into later. In any case, any of those 3 manufacturers will make an excellent choice for you - depending on what you want. Savage is probably the lowest quality (fit/finish) of the 3 - but in my experience Savage rifles are very reliable and stunningly accurate. The browning models are probably creeping more toward the "high end", very well made and probably some of the MOST accurate rifles you will find (especially models equipped with the BOSS system). The Tikka T3 models are in the middle of the two, with VERY good fit/finish and probably the highest level of accuracy (from my personal experience) of the 3 brands. Many people do not like the plastic bolt shroud and magazines of the Tikka, but I assure you - they are AMAZINGLY reliable and robust - I've NEVER had a problem of ANY kind with a Tikka - even under some of the harsh conditions I've put my guns through.

One more option - if you have a LOT of money to spend, I'm of the opinion that the Sako 85 is probably the best mass-production bolt gun on the planet - and probably the most accurate as well. Be prepared for $1,500+ for one of those though - I lucked into a $900 Sako in .260 Rem. several years ago, and it's still my favorite rifle of all rifles I've ever owned.

I personally would avoid Remington altogether, and only buy a Ruger if you have the option to return it if it's not accurate. I've owned Rugers that are wonderful tack drivers, and others that no amount of tinkering could get them to shoot. I personally LOVE their .22LR rifles, especially the 77/22, but their centerfire model 77's seem to be hit and miss - probably depending on the dates of manufacture from what I've gathered researching the phenomenon. In any case, the BEST accuracy I've ever been able to achieve with a Ruger 77 was about 1/2"-3/4" groups - using handloads I worked up - while any of the Tikka's I've owned have been able to do sub-1/2" groups, often with factory ammo. I recommend against Remington (even though I've owned more of them than probably any other brand) due to several factors. While Rem. 700's are unquestionably accurate (I've owned several that would print ragged "holes" at 100 yards with the right loads) there are drawbacks. The Remington 700 "press-in" extractor is a poor design, and I've had more than 1 fail on me. Some of the older Remington 700's had a problem with the safety switch causing the gun to go off when switching off the safety, a problem I've PERSONALLY experienced with a .308 Win. gun that nearly killed me as a result - my head was about 5" away from the bullet path at the time. I've also heard MANY, MANY anecdotal reports of Remington bolt gun quality control slipping in the last few years - more reports than I'm willing to dismiss as "flukes".

OK - now on to cartridge selection.

First off, the stuff about the .223 not penetrating is BS - with the right bullet style and (especially) in a bolt gun, the .223 does JUST FINE. I know people who regularly hunt deer with bolt-action .223's, and custom handloads - they always bring home the meat. While I would not chose the .223 for 1,000 yard shooting (or deer hunting, for that matter), it is capable of 800 yds. with the right handloads. How do I know? I've dinged a 10" steel plate at 800 yards with BORING regularity using a heavy-barreled .223 Tikka and 69-85 grain match bullets on my own handloads.

Would I choose the .223 for my "all-around" gun? Definitely NOT. Would I go for an overbore magnum like the 7mm Rem. Magnum or .300 Win. Magnum? Definitely NOT. Magnum-mania is a phenomenon I never understood - I've owned plenty of magnums (and subsequently sold them) and I guess I'm just not that much of a masochist. In my opinion, magnum rifle cartridges offer "diminishing returns" where you are trading TONS more recoil and cartridge expense for very marginal improvements in trajectory and delivered energy.

.270 Win., .30-06 Sprn. or .308 Win. are getting closer to being ideal "all-around" cartridges... depending on what you envisioned "all-around" as meaning. Those three cartridges will kill everything in the lower-48 without problem, and have reasonably flat trajectories that are good out to 1,000 yds. no problem. You will not have a problem finding ammo for any of the three - they are super popular. However, I've never personally cared for the .270 Win - I just never ended up with a gun in that cartridge that was very accurate. .308 Win., on the otherhand, is one of those cartridges where it's almost impossible to NOT get an accurate gun chambered for it!

7mm options are even better - if you handload. I'm a HUGE fan of the 7mm-08, 7x57, .280 Rem. and .284 Win. cartridges. However, ammo availability is somewhat spotty - again, it's a handloading proposition for the most part. 6.5mm cartridges are probably my all-time favorites - the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser and .260 Remington are SUPERB long-range cartridges. While it's true the bullet weights are not as heavy, they WILL kill anything in the lower-48 with proper shot placement. Plus, you get .300 Win. Mag. trajectory with 1/4 of the recoil! Nothing NOT to love there! The 6.5x55 Swede is probably the most ballistically "balanced" cartridge ever invented... ask any swede enthusiast and he'll tell you ALL about it! Again, the real drawback is that ammo availability is spotty, and a handloading proposition.

Whatever your choice, be sure to do your research THOROUGHLY before making such an expensive decision. Remember - you're not only buying the gun and optics, but (if you're smart) at least twice as much again in ammo and/or reloading components. Without ammo, it's just an expensive (and not very effective) bludgeoning instrument.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

The Savages with the Accu-trigger are fantastic.....I can't think of a better high production rifle. Savage is great - I'd rather own one than a Remington 700 these days.

SUPER VALUE.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

http://www.thecmp.org/m1garand.htm

M1 Garand, turning cover into concealment for over 65 years.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

I'll go along with that. I own one Sako and one Tikka and they are the highest quality bolt actions I have.

Gregg

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

SKSs are really no cheaper than a Saiga anymore. 7.62x39 Saigas are going for $350 now, and you can do a full AK style conversion for <$100 if you were so inclined.

I would recommend the Saiga .308 It's probably the best semiauto .308 for the money, and are more accurate than such an innexpensive gun has any business being. There is someone on GB selling them in 16" and 22" flavors for $400 right now. Compare that to $1100 for a DSA FAL, and $1500 for a Springfield M1A...

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Remington 700 Alaskan Titanium Rifle in 30.06 might be worth a look.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

I'm going to go counter trend here, and recommend the 8mm German Mauser.

Has as much kick of a 30-06 but with a heavier projectile, there's even reports that German infantry man were sometimes able to hit targets 1000 yards out with open sights.

8mm is one hell of a round to shoot, and is extremely powerful for a rifle round.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Gentlemen, Gentlemen,

The OP gave you the answer, even though he didn't know it.

A) He has two bolt action rifles
B) He WANTS a semi-auto rifle but feels it may cost too much (a valid statement for some semi-auto rifles at this time)
C) He should stick with a cartridge he already has, as the 7mm has no good semi-autos I'm aware of, that leaves but one choice

A Romanian Dragunov style rifle - The PSL (or Romak-3)

1) He already owns the 7.62x52R cartridge (has great knock down power)
2) They are acurrate out to 1000 meters (better than 1/2 mile)
4) They cost less than $1000 - average is around $800 (Centerfire Systems) though Classic Arms is currently selling them for $720 - that price INCLUDES two mags, OPTICS and a carry case (Classic Arms)

http://www.centerfiresystems.com/DRA-GUN.aspx

http://www.classicarms.us/

And the ammo is cheap at this point in time - he SHOULD pick this rifle up and then lay in at least 3 cases of ammo - 5 would be better - 440 round tins for $100 - it would cost him around $1000 to lay in 4400 rounds (while the price of ammo is slowly dropping, a CASE of either .308 or .223 is going to run him above $400 PER CASE (most AMERICAN ammo is above $500 per 1k case)

Regarding the Rem 700 - this is THE PLATFORM OF CHOICE for both all LEO's and the US MILITARY

Granted they are massaged by their armorers to address any deficencies. Mainly these two groups shoot either .308 or .300 Win Mag - though SOME will pick .338 Lapua.

My Rem 700 BDL Heavy Barrel is 28 years old. In gunsmithing school, I blueprinted the receiver to the barrel, replaced the Rem front lug with a thicker one, hand lapped the bolt to the receiver and bedded the rifle barrel and receiver to the stock. I lightened the trigger pull to 5 lbs and smoothed it to break like glass. It shoots sub-MOA all day long. It shoots better than I can see.

But again, mine is an old one that I MASSAGED the way they should be and IS reliable all day long. I've had NO parts fail and no other issues AT ALL.

So, while some of the other posters do not like the Rem 700, there are those of us out here that do. My caliber is .308 Winchester.

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

Another vote for the M1 garand. Either in 30-06 or .308, with an adjustable gas plug. USGI of course! http://www.thecmp.org/m1garand.htm

Re: What's a good high powered rifle?
 

ismith,
USGI's mean a wait of 3 - 6 months. Or you can buy a 'Springfield Special' and wait at least 6 months and pay $1000.

OR just cough up $2000 or more and get one right away as a NM designation.

I stand by what I said.

WAY better rifle, with optics and mags (and a carrying case if you use Classic Arms) for LESS than $1000 shipped.

And it's in a caliber the OP already has.

All the other suggestions here means one more caliber to his armory and then he has to go out and get it. And neither the .30-06, .308 or the .223 are CHEAP right now.

1000 round cases of AMERICAN made ammo start at $500 and just go up. Most are MUCH higher than that as a stating figure.

7.62x54R starts at $200 per 880 round case plus shipping (two spam cans of 440).