I am interested in purchasing a new rifle. It will be in .270 and I would like to spend about 700 including the scope. I was just wondering which is the most reliable and best shooting rifle between a Rem Model 700, Ruger MKII 77, Savage, or any other recommendations. Thanks

I would take a CZ or Win M70 as my first choice, then Ruger, then Sako, then Rem 700. The first three are CRF. I reckon the best of the push feeds is the Sako. The Sako will neally alway's outshoot the Ruger (staright out of the box).

Welcome to the forum Nathan!

I'm sure that you will get many varying opinions on this topic, as I do not think this is a "cut a dried" issue.

My personal opinion on the rifles is:
Ruger M77
Winchester "Classic"
Remington
Savage

Browning and CZ would be right behind Winchester....

If you get the Ruger and put a Leupold VX-1, 2-7X33 scope on it, you should come in at right around $700. Ruger supplies your scope rings, and the Ruger scope mount is one of the best.

I really like the stainless/laminated M77 with open sights. You might not ever need/use them, but I like having them there just in case.

Regards, Bill

Bill had a good point with the Ruger. Using your criteria, my preferences would be:

Ruger M-77
Rem 700
Winchester Model 70

If one of those really "feels" good to you, that's the one to pick. They're all good rifles.

Nathan - My 270 is a Winchester stainless with the composit stock. Shoots, feeds and handles super. Not a beautiful rifle with the black composit stock, but a lot of gun for the $. I'm happy with my choice.

And I'll be the Ruger dissenter here. Lousy triggers, soft ring screws, and the last few I've worked on have been poor shooters.

You DON"T need controlled round feed either. We aren't talking cape buffalo here, but probably deer. Remington 700's usually shoot well out of the box, if not are very easy to make shoot. They are strong and reliable with all sorts of aftermarket items (glass stocks,etc) available.

The Winchester M70's have an easily adjustable trigger, are controlled rd feed, and generally also very accurate.

Sako's are VERY nice but expensive.

I would buy either the M70 or Rem 700, then spend the rest of my money on a Leupold 3-9 and some ammo in order to familiarize myslef with the rifle.

FN in MT

Any of the rifles you listed will meet the criteria you need. Control round feed is a topic for arguments more so than performance!! So, don't worry about it. The last time I tried to shoot a deer while standing on my head from a telephone pole while riding a jackhammer still resulted in the gun feeding and firing.

The Savage is likely the least expensive of the rifles you mentioned and very accurate for the price. If you go with the Rem 700 ADL, you can likely buy it for around $400. The same is true of the Win 70 Ranger and Ruger. If you elect to go with a stainless model, you had better get used to iron sights since you won't have much money to buy a scope.

If you want a Sako, the same is true. Your $700 limit will restrict you too much on your scope.

If it was me, I would buy the Remington 700 ADL for $400 and keep $300 for a decent scope. My number two choice would be the Savage. Nothing wrong with the others, just my preference. However, in the end, you have just as much chance of getting a poor shooting rifle from any of the companies as you do the others. You will be well served having a rifle that is capable of having accuracy adjusted into the rifle. And, a good scope will be more important then the difference in rifles you have listed.

When comparing the rifles you mentioned, go with what you like! All will work well.

Nathan

These would be my choices in order

1 Sako - A little bit more expensive but worth every cent. www.sako.fi

2 Tikka - Very accurate straight out of the box & good quality at a reasonable price,I'm currently looking for one for target shooting.
www.tikka.fi

3 CZ - Good quality at a good price.

4 Browning - Accurate out of the box
www.browning.com
5 Remington - Generally good quality & accuracy.
www.remington.com
6 Winchester - On par with remington,controled round feed is good. www.winchester-guns.com

7 Ruger - good

8 Savage - dont like much

These are just my oppinions but over the years i've had no trouble with sako or tikkas,cant say that about the rest.
I've included some of their web sights for you,try & find out as much as you can before making your decission.
If I was bying a 270win i'de also check out the new 270 winchester short magnum & the 280rem

Good luck

Tumbo

Nathan;Go to a local gun show and look for an older used Rem.700 in 270 there are tons of them out there make sure its got a good bore and you cant go wrong around here they usually go for about$350.w/regards

I have had better luck with 700's than with 70's,77's or savages.

My Ruger M77 MkII in 300 Win. Mag. will shoot 1 MOA. The rifle cost about $400 new, including scope rings, which will leave you about $300 to buy a decent scope. On a whim I got a trigger job done by a gunsmith for $25 and now have a crisp, 3 lbs. trigger. I used a bathroom scale to estimate the trigger pull before the trigger job at about 5 lbs. and honestly didn�t think it was that bad. Even the used rifles where I come from are not much less expensive than $400, so I don�t see how you could do much better. My advice, especially since you are looking for a rifle with a limited budget, is to get a Ruger. At least you already know what you want the rifle chambered for!

Ben

Hello;
I've owned them all, except the Ruger{never liked the look] and would have to say you can't beat the Sako. I have a M700 varmint and am happy with it, but the M 70s I've had never impressed me. Sighting in was always a multi sitting affair since the impact point seemed to wander all over the landscape as the barrel warmed up. Browning A-bolt, shot nice and light but too flimsy for this cowboy. Never could get over how easily you could squeeze barrel and foreend together. I've owned my Sako for years and would't trade it for two of the alternates. It's too bad that the poor Canadian dollar has made them so expensive.
Griz

I guess I see things a little different with rifles I am going to spend my money on these days.

1. Winchester model 70....hard to beat in a production gun for the money and what you get.

2. Ruger model 77....same reason as above and that is plenty of reason.

Both these makes of rifle are control fed and have the big claw extractors as well as 3 position safety. I feel they are better suited for dangerous game than other brands.

3. Weatherby

4. Remington

5. Savage

I like the Rem 700's.
Second choice would be ruger 77.

Take a look at the Tikka. Made by Sako, nice for the $$$. I have one in 7mm-08, very good shooter.

Everyone's choice is subjective...how it looks, how it feels, how it shoots, how much it costs and even brand loyalty. I personally have shot most of them and own quite a few of them. My choice?....pre64 CRF M70..everything else is fighting for #2 spot..but I'm not prejudiced, I just have an exceptionally well developed closed mind!

Thanks for the replies. I like the Remington Model 700, but hate the look of the ADL and have heard it rusts too easily. This is my first gun, beforehand I have always used a friends and I want it to be durable so that choice is out. The BDL has a better barrel and bolt and it is a beautiful gun, but here in Houston they cost 569.00 at most stores. Too much! Then I looked at Browning and Winchester. They are nice too, but even more than the BDL. My friend has a M77 that is synthetic with stainless barrel and a Leupold Vari X II scope in silver and it is gorgeous and shoots well. It is a 25-06 and I shot less than an inch group (3) at 100 yards with it easily. I like the stainless barrel and the bolt on this gun too. I have not looked at Tikka and Sako or CV, what are the features on those guns like? Thanks again, Nathan

NathanW-The 700 adl and bdl have the same bolt and barrel and rust no worse than any other blued action.

When I started out I had never heard of stainless steel. There were no stainless steel knives, guns etc. So we all learned to take care of a gun and this does take extra work but it's part of the pleasure of owning a gun to most.

When money is important, and it counts to most of us, you have to deal with what you have. I suggest a used rifle from a friend or relative that you can try out first. If your eyes are normal you don't even need a scope!

My first decent rifle was a Remington 722 and I got by and the 722's are worse than the ADL's trust me.

Guns can be sold easily. Just don't pay a lot to start. If only a new gun is available I would consider a "Walmart" gun. They go for about $350 with a scope and since the season is about over you might wait til after Xmass and look for a marked down rifle there.

For a cartridge select one that is adequate and sold in volume. The .308 Winchester comes to mind. Ammunition cost will be much lower. Of course if you get to the point that most of us are here you will be handloading oddball personal cartridges but that's in the future.

Don't pay a lot. Get a warrantee. Buy a popular item that you can sell.

The one thing I really dislike about Rugers is the square, chintzy looking front sling holding bracket. It means that you can't use a front stud to hold your sling or bipod without removing the bracket and putting on an after market stud.

I got to agree whole heartedly with Don Martin. Get a name brand item you can afford. After you use it for awhile you will know better what you like anyway.

Number 1 - get the gun that looks good and feels good in your hands. Basically they are all pretty good so go with what gives you a feeling of confidence.

Number 2 - all things being equal you are better off spending less on the gun and more on the scope. Get as good a scope as you can afford. You can't hit what you can't see and a top quality scope will let you see a lot more than an inexpensive one.

Number 3 - save a little money for a trigger job. Most American rifles have a terrible trigger pull due to liability concerns.

Hello Nathan,

I recommend the Winchester M70 Classic Featherweight. This rifle seems perfect to me for the .270 Winchester chambering.

Glad you joined us.

B

I also would take a Win M-70 Classic Fwt....

Nathan before you buy just have a look at a cz "American in .270" also have a look for J.Belks review of the CZ rifles. His endorsement is good enough for me. I think you will be pleasantly suprised. I think the American model comes with mounts, can't be sure on this though.

For the amount of money you're intending to spend you'll be hard pressed. You could get a Remington 700 ADL (our price is $379), around $40 for rings and bases, Tax, $5 for PICS, which would leave you around $200 for a scope. You could get a Leupold V-1, or a Burris Fullfield II (a little more) or a Bushnell 3200. They're nice rifles but loading and unloading is through the top. We also sell Savage 111 combo's with a Simmons scope (not their better one) for around $379.
Savage usually has good barrels, but poor triggers so you'll spend money getting that taken care of.

Bob257

Nathan,
In this order Browning A Bolt II Stainless Stalker
Savage 116,not as good but bets are it will shoot.
After those 2 then it's anybodys guess as quality control is hit or miss.
Now if you get a good one Win. Model 70 would be my first choice,but the last one I bought wasn't my idea of quality so down the road it went.
Weatherby seems to be pretty good rifles and I would be willing to take a chance on one.

"Better rifle" is pretty subjective but my selection would be the Ruger in walnut and blued steel with a Leupold 2-7x or 3-9x. This would be close to your budget and would be a lifetime investment.

I'd get a .280 Remington rather than .270. The two cartriges are near ballistic twins but .270 is an oddball caliber while the .280 is a true 7mm. The .280 would have slightly larger bore and a better bullet selection.

Good luck, let us know what you choose

Howa 1500 or Weatherby Vanguard. Same rifle, pick whichever name strikes your fancy. Just about one of the most underrated hunting rifles in the market today.

It's almost a crime to spend all that money on a sako, weatherby,etc. when you know that 300.00+ savage will outshoot all of them. it just don't seem fair to buy such a handsome rifle, just to have the "ugly" gun best it out.
I'll admit that I do own 1 of them ugly guns though, just 1.
Trigger

I'd think about buying a used .270 if that's what you're after. With all the new WSM's and other rifles that are being marketed now. I've seen several good deals on the old 270 in each of the brands you are talking about.

I saw a nice Rem700 270 at the last gun show I went to. Like new very pretty wood for under $400.

If time is not a problem I'd have fun looking. A nice 270 shouldn't be too hard to find.

Nathan, I would highly recommend the CZ 550 American. The rifle is well made, well finished, and is an astonishingly good shooter. You get a Turkish Walnut stock, a 23.6 inch barrel, scope rings, and a rifle that is fast building a huge reputation in the good ole US of A. As far as getting one, go to GunBroker.com and then type in CZ 550 American in the search window. You will get about 50 CZs on the page. They are all being sold by Phil. He is a good, honest man to deal with. I have purchased four rifles from him and can vouch 100 percent for his integrity. Now, his prices gor the CZ 550 American, brand new, in the box, .270s range from $435 to $419. Each rifle comes with the scope rings. Phil charges $18 for shipping to anywhere in the United States. You will have to find someone with an FFL in Houston, which more than likely would be a gunsmith or someone like that. With Phil's shipping charges you are looking at a bottom end of $437 plus the FFL holder transfer charges (for me, here in Grants, N.M., it is mostly for free but I certainly wouldn't pay any more than $15 for this service). Add $15 to the equation and you have $452 invested so far in this rifle. Next, go back to the internet and under the search box type in SWFA.com and that will get you a Texas outfit that sells scopes for about the best prices I have been able to find. I have bought several times from this outfit. I would recommend going to Leupold, then go to the VariX-1 and to the 3x9 scope. It has a lifetime guarantee for $199.95. You would be looking at about $10 shipping and handling and because you live in Texas, they will add Texas taxes to the bill. Here again, you are looking at a total of about $224 for the scope, including shipping and taxes. The total you have invested in this is $676, enough to go to your local gunshop and buy a box of breakin ammo. With my CZ 550, I handload for the caliber (7x57mm)and I have worked up a very accurate load using Hornady 162 gr. SST bullets and H414 powder. I get five-shot groups from a sandbag rest that go less than .5 inch at 100 yards. Granted, I glassbedded the action and free-floated the barrel. If you do order from Phil, tell him you want a CZ made in the year 2000 or 2001. These have the steel floor plates (not aluminum). If you do get one with a plastic floor-plate you can contact CZ -USA in Kansas City, Kan., and they will change it out for a steel one at no additional charge. Hope all this helps...Tom Purdom

Nathan,
Buy a Win 70 or a CZ 550!!!!!!!!
You won't be sorry!