Remington 783, Marlin X7, T/C Venture

I'm looking for a budget rifle for one of my kids. I want something that functions well with decent accuracy, but won't break the bank if it gets damaged, etc.

 

I've heard good things about T/C Venture, with their MOA out of the box guarantee. I also remembered reading some really good reviews on the Remington 783 when it first came out.

 

Anybody have an opinion on any of the above, or something else?

 

I do not want another Savage Axis like he has now.

 

Cabela's has a scoped Remington 783 for sale right now (full size or compact model) at $339 and Remington has a $40 mail in rebate bringing that total to $299, which is hard to pass up even if I put a different scope on it.

If your looking for the best deal I would go with the Remington. IMO, the Thompson Center is probably the best gun of the three, but I imagine you are going to pay a lot more for it. The T/C has an adjustable trigger and most calibers are offered in 22 and 24" barrels. Most of Remington's offerings are strictly 22" barrels I believe.

All things equal, I'd go with the TC. I have one in .270. Like it. Don't hunt with it much because I have others but it's dead nuts on at 200. On the lead sled, I can cut the same hole at 200 with the Hornadys I shoot out of it.

I like that I can get the Venture in 7mm-08, which isn't available in the Remmy and it comes in a compact version.

 

I'm glad you posted @spindoc I was hoping somebody who owned one or the other would check in.

 

You can throw Ruger American in this group too, I guess.

I like that I can get the Venture in 7mm-08, which isn't available in the Remmy and it comes in a compact version.

 

I'm glad you posted @spindoc I was hoping somebody who owned one or the other would check in.

 

You can throw Ruger American in this group too, I guess.

I'll add this, I like the action of the TC better than I thought I would. It's not a SAKO or something of that ilk, but it's very smooth.

 

And when he graduates suck it up and buy the boy a Cooper in 25-06. He's earned it.

He's only in the 7th grade :lol2:

 

 

A Cooper? :eek::scared:

I like that I can get the Venture in 7mm-08, which isn't available in the Remmy and it comes in a compact version.

 

I'm glad you posted @spindoc I was hoping somebody who owned one or the other would check in.

 

You can throw Ruger American in this group too, I guess.

 

Are you sure you can't get the Remington in the 7mm-08? I think they developed that casing, so I would imagine they would offer it in this rifle.

 

Either way, I like @spindoc's idea of going with the Thompson Center. I'm more familiar with their muzzleloaders but they make a quality product.

He's only in the 7th grade :lol2:

 

 

A Cooper? :eek::scared:

He's gonna graduate soon, you should start saving now.:clap:

I should have updated this thread sooner.

 

After a lot of deliberation, I ended up changing my plan for this purchase. Instead of a budget rifle, we went with a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .308. The idea here is he has a nice rifle that he can keep for a lifetime. The ammo for .308 is so widely available and relatively cheap that he can shoot it all he wants.

 

The M70 is a proven rifle, accurate and dependable. It just has a classic look and feel to it that takes you back to the days gone by. This really is your grandfathers deer rifle, with some modern upgrades. I really like the action and the trigger. Plus it has a pre-64 controlled feed / claw extractor that is rock solid. We put a Leupold VX2 that we already had on top of it and it is a tack driver. He loves it and is really comfortable shooting it, which is worth the weight in gold IMO.

 

All in all, I am so glad we went this route. It was a bit more investment than I had planned, but in the long run I think it was the right move.

I should have updated this thread sooner.

 

After a lot of deliberation, I ended up changing my plan for this purchase. Instead of a budget rifle, we went with a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .308. The idea here is he has a nice rifle that he can keep for a lifetime. The ammo for .308 is so widely available and relatively cheap that he can shoot it all he wants.

 

The M70 is a proven rifle, accurate and dependable. It just has a classic look and feel to it that takes you back to the days gone by. This really is your grandfathers deer rifle, with some modern upgrades. I really like the action and the trigger. Plus it has a pre-64 controlled feed / claw extractor that is rock solid. We put a Leupold VX2 that we already had on top of it and it is a tack driver. He loves it and is really comfortable shooting it, which is worth the weight in gold IMO.

 

All in all, I am so glad we went this route. It was a bit more investment than I had planned, but in the long run I think it was the right move.

.308 is a an awesome and versatile round. Plenty big for bigger animals like whitetail but also works fine for predator hunts. Can't go wrong with the M70 either. I've looked at a few of those on the used rack in the past. Great guns.

The only bolt-actions I've really had a chance to put enough rounds through enough to have an educated opinion are the Ruger American, Remington 700, and Browning A-Bolt. Aside from those three, I've fired the Remington 710, Remington 783, some useless hunk of scrap made by Savage, and various pre-1980 rifles that you're not going to readily find.

 

Of the ones you mentioned, I can tell you that the trigger on the 783 is pretty amazing. The guide on my elk hunt had one, and he had me dry-fire it to get a sense on how nice it is. He said he has two different 700s that he'd hunted with for years, and then a friend let him try out the 783 and he ended up buying one for himself a week later, and he hasn't picked the 700s back up since. I was definitely a fan of the trigger, and the bolt was plenty smooth. If those were any indicators of how the gun shoots overall, I think I'd have a hard time not heading out to buy a 783.

 

I don't think you could go wrong with a Ruger American either. I've shot it in 30-06, .308, .270 and .243 and they were all great as deer rifles.

 

I don't know a thing about the Marlin X7. As for the T/C, I've never shot it, but I've been told they're as reliable as they come.

I should have updated this thread sooner.

 

After a lot of deliberation, I ended up changing my plan for this purchase. Instead of a budget rifle, we went with a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .308. The idea here is he has a nice rifle that he can keep for a lifetime. The ammo for .308 is so widely available and relatively cheap that he can shoot it all he wants.

 

The M70 is a proven rifle, accurate and dependable. It just has a classic look and feel to it that takes you back to the days gone by. This really is your grandfathers deer rifle, with some modern upgrades. I really like the action and the trigger. Plus it has a pre-64 controlled feed / claw extractor that is rock solid. We put a Leupold VX2 that we already had on top of it and it is a tack driver. He loves it and is really comfortable shooting it, which is worth the weight in gold IMO.

 

All in all, I am so glad we went this route. It was a bit more investment than I had planned, but in the long run I think it was the right move.

 

My brother was just had his father-in-law give him his old 60s-era Winchester 670 about six months ago. I believe it's the predecessor to the M70. I haven't even seen it, but my brother took it out after about 30 years of sitting in a cabinet, and he said he could just about shoot bullets through the same hole in the paper. Sounds like you made a great purchase.

 

I would have definitely gone with the .308 as well. That's what my 700 is chambered for, and I bought it that way for the same reason you did.

I've adjusted all the triggers on my 700s. It's really easy. Out of the box they have too much travel and the tension sucks. I have mine around 3.5lbs with less travel. I put a timney in the .270 I built. Not sure I like it much better than the ones I simply adjusted. The Rem action is clunky. It's not like the Sako or the Cooper. But for the price, and if you have terrific optics, you can't beat them.

FYI, Cabela's has their Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 rifles right now at an incredible discount. Normally $549, on sale now for $329. Bud's cash price is $492.

 

Looks like they only have .270 and .223 available and stock is limited but they do free ship to store.

 

This rifle gets really nice reviews and was my son's 2nd choice when he was shopping. It is kind of hefty for a synthetic rifle, but I find that to be a plus. The S2 I looked at had a nice adjustable trigger that was crisp with no creeping. The finish is a matte finish, and is not nice like the Deluxe or even Sporter model, but the best thing about this one is the accuracy, and the reviews bear this out. And for that price, this would be one hell of a field gun.

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Weatherby-Vanguard-Series-Rifle/1370484.uts