Hey y'all! One of the niches I have let myself go without for too long in my gun collection is an all-purpose, mid-level 308 hunting rifle. The reasons for going 308 are numerous, but in the end I'm simply wanting to go with that caliber over niche rounds because it's more readily available and tends to be a reliable round for hunting, precision rifle shooting, and range shooting fun in equal parts. I want to hunt with it, possibly compete in some sort of shooting matches with it, and just have fun with it at the range. So it's somewhere between hunting and modern tactical/sporting that I'm looking for, and I acknowledge going into this that going for such a generalist mindset is going to make it not necessarily a master of anything it can do.
That said, I'm currently trying to decide between three different rifles that are available in my local gun stores: a Savage Model 10 FCP-SR, a Weatherby Vanguard Sporter, and a Bergara B-14 Hunter. All three fit the following criteria:
-sub-MOA accuracy guarantee (with premium ammo and/or good handloads, the latter of these being my intention)
-$600-$700 price range (Savage is $619, Weatherby is $660, and the Bergara is $699)
-excellent trigger
-lightweight enough to carry on hunting trips (moderate weight)
-heavy enough to maintain accuracy and not be horrific on recoil (moderate weight)
-medium profile barrel that will hold accuracy reasonably well during range shooting sessions (within reason)
-24" barrel length
-consistently good reviews among friends and online reviewers
I started out just wanting the Weatherby because it's classy, and I like the wood stock that it comes with. It was the first rifle I learned of that had the sub-MOA guarantee. The Savage was recommended to me by RedneckFur. The Bergara is one I just saw the other day at a gun store and saw that it also had the sub-MOA guarantee. The Savage has the benefit of coming suppressor-ready, which in my opinion is awesome and extremely convenient, given I wanted to have that done anyway. The Bergara is a relatively new model from what I understand, and I don't want to ax it as a possibility unless I hear folks saying it's bad.
Right now I'm of the opinion that I'd enjoy any of the three. So I'm asking y'all. Which of the three would you pick? Have you already picked one of these? What do you think of them?
That said, I'm currently trying to decide between three different rifles that are available in my local gun stores: a Savage Model 10 FCP-SR, a Weatherby Vanguard Sporter, and a Bergara B-14 Hunter. All three fit the following criteria:
-sub-MOA accuracy guarantee (with premium ammo and/or good handloads, the latter of these being my intention)
-$600-$700 price range (Savage is $619, Weatherby is $660, and the Bergara is $699)
-excellent trigger
-lightweight enough to carry on hunting trips (moderate weight)
-heavy enough to maintain accuracy and not be horrific on recoil (moderate weight)
-medium profile barrel that will hold accuracy reasonably well during range shooting sessions (within reason)
-24" barrel length
-consistently good reviews among friends and online reviewers
I started out just wanting the Weatherby because it's classy, and I like the wood stock that it comes with. It was the first rifle I learned of that had the sub-MOA guarantee. The Savage was recommended to me by RedneckFur. The Bergara is one I just saw the other day at a gun store and saw that it also had the sub-MOA guarantee. The Savage has the benefit of coming suppressor-ready, which in my opinion is awesome and extremely convenient, given I wanted to have that done anyway. The Bergara is a relatively new model from what I understand, and I don't want to ax it as a possibility unless I hear folks saying it's bad.
Right now I'm of the opinion that I'd enjoy any of the three. So I'm asking y'all. Which of the three would you pick? Have you already picked one of these? What do you think of them?
