Ok. So with the coming apocalypse, I'm scratching some gun itches. Already got my Henry and my stupid long-barreled .22 revolver. Still on the hunt for a magnum revolver, but I know which ones I'm looking for.

Some years back, I had a Remington 700 that I put in an AICS chassis. Was a cool gun, pretty neat to be able to do barrel rolls across my living room and pretend I was a super secret squirrel sniper. Traded it to some guy in Alaska after a while.

Well, I want my super secret squirrel sniper rifle back, but this time something less preposterous than a $400 rifle in an $800 stock with a $200 Redfield scope that I still couldn't hit fuckall with.

So, looking at compact-ish (16"-20") .308 bolt guns. Compact so I can put one of my suppressors on it and not have a mile-long gun. Savage 110, Remington 700, Ruger American, and the like. Something I can LARP with, but also something I could take into a deer season without looking like a complete tool. Gonna stay in .308, since I already have an AR10 and buttloads of .308 and 7.62 NATO.

I am clueless about what the good bolt guns or garbage bolt guns are any more. I liked my 700, but I get the impression that Remington has fallen out of favor as of late.

So, what are the garbage models nowadays? ARE there any garbage bolt guns? Does it even matter? Or am I overthinking it, and should I just pick whatever is available in the caliber and barrel length I'm interested in?

It's hard to beat a Remington 700 Tactical or the Savage 10's for the money.

https://www.colsontaskforce.org/best-bolt-action-rifle/

Savage is a good value. Kimber makes good bolt actions, but pricier. Unless you are looking for extreme accuracy or long-range use, most any modern bolt action will work just fine.

My vote would be the 700 SPS Tactical. Endlessly upgradeable and reasonably priced for what you get.
Here's a review from Sniper Central.

https://www.snipercentral.com/remington-sps-tactical/

I second this.

I decided to go with a Bergara b-14 hmr in 6.5 creedmoor. At $850 it provide you with a chassis that has integrated bottom metal for detachable mags, length of pull spacers and a cheek riser. The medium profile barrel is already threaded and it has and oversized bolt handle already. Adjustable trigger. Most of the things you’d want to upgrade and they’re already done.

Check out Bergara, I think you’ll be impressed.

The 700s are still relatively good afaik since they are on a different production and qc line, but the industry has kind of moved on and provided better value since.

It sounds like you want a "do everything" rifle split between precision shooting and hunting.

In the precision world Ruger has really taken the value catagory with their RPR offering a folding chassis stock 0.5 moa accuracy in a 10lb package for about $1200.

Savage also offers their model 10 in a precision chassis for about $1000 in a 9lb package.

The 700s are okay and they offer the greatest aftermarket for stocks, triggers, and barrels bout what you are mostly seeing is 700 clones but with better features like the Begara b14 series with the HMR offering Sub Moa and a bedded stock with adjustable comb for about $1000 where the equivalent from Remington would be about $1500. All the same stock and rail mounting accessories fit on the Begara that fit on the 700.

For pure hunting rifles most seem to go with a low budget light weight plastic gun that does 1.5-2moa like the Ruger American or Savage Axis, which is good enough for the 100-300m deer shoots and weights 6-7lbs.

On the higher end there is the kimber, but the Tikka T3X has really been the choice for their nice barrels and actions about on par with their parents Sako.

There has been a growing catagory of "Do everything rifles"

The Q Fix is probably the first of these offering a 6.3lb 16 inch chassis rifle for $3000 and does 3/4 moa.

The Sig Cross is a 6.5lb 16 inch folding stock chassis rifle for about $1500

And the Christiansen Arms MPR is a variable config rifle but with a 16inch barrel carbon wrapped will be about 7lbs and $2500 with sub moa guarantee.

There is also traditional stocked "everything rifles" coming out that look promising such as the Springfield Waypoint and the savage backcountry with carbon fiber wrapped barrels. Promising sub moa accuracy in a 7lb package.

The problem with these everything rifles is that a 16 inch 7lb gun unsurpressed isn't fun to shoot or is optimal for competition. In 308 you really want a 20 inch barrel and 6.5 creed wants a 26 inch to get everything out of it.

I've thought about it a lot and the problem is that the "ideal rifle" for the right price doesn't exist for me at this moment from the factory. I'd really want a 20 inch fluted barrel in a 700 action with an MDT LSS chassis in .308 and hopefully get it under 8lb empty and 9lbs scoped. But getting that all together for about less than 2k is a bit hard sourcing. The MPR is probably the closest but I really want a folding stock to avoid oversize baggage fees and for it to fit in a pelican 1700.

If I was going precision rifle and not touching anything about it I'd go with the Ruger precision. If you want an everything gun the Christensen MPR seems closest to a balanced spec. A hunting oriented but with some precision bias I'd think about a T3X UPR with adjustable comb.

A 700 is great for aftermarket but what stops me is is likely after spending all the money on it, you probably ripped out literally everything of the original rifle including the action and could have gotten something like a Surgeon or something serious after all said and done.

Outstanding post bubblewhip!

Indeed, and I agree on all points, but I now see that I need to clarify one thing.

I'm not looking for a precision rifle, necessarily. Like, it isn't going to be a bench rest gun. Any rifle I buy nowadays will likely be more accurate than I am, particularly if it's a reputable brand. So, match triggers are a secondary consideration, as are heavy barrels. I don't know a ton about bolt guns, but I know that barrel manufacturing has improved to the point that you don't need a heavy profile barrel to get good consistency when you're just shooting a handful of rounds at a slow pace. I'd rather save the weight.

My big asks are a shorter, threaded barrel, so it's less cumbersome with a suppressor attached, and what some would call a tacticool stock, or some aftermarket options for such. The more "tactical" stocks have just been more comfortable for me. Lighter is better, but I'm not picky.

So from what I've gathered so far, the 700 is still a good option, but it's kind of hard to go wrong any more with the brands I fired off.

Any other input is appreciated, as is what's been offered so far.

I really think you should check out the Bergara b14 hmr. Hmr stands for hunting/match rifle IIRC. Not a heavy or light barrel, it’s a medium profile. Tacticool-ish stock. Threaded 22” barrel. Seeing it for $950 most places. Keep an eye on Cabelas for them to go on sale for $850 from time to time.

ETA- here it is in 308win. 20” barrel in stock for $950. https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gea ... /p/1440928

Sinus speaks truth.

It sounds like you should go with the Sig Cross. For $1500 there is a list of special features which makes it hard to beat.

16 inch barrel
60 degree bolt throw
Folding stock
Fully adjustable chassis
6.5lb weight
2 stage trigger
threaded barrel
AICS magazines
Sub MOA

The thing with barrel profiles is more about heat stringing. The concern is that with pencil profile barrels you generally only have a few shots before accuracy starts to degrade and you have to let it cool down again.

The only thing that would stop me with the Cross is that it's relatively new and it's a proprietary platform including the barrel so aftermarket on it right now is questionable. There is a lot of noise on the internet too about how it is a Q Fix ripoff and that it's plasticy but I don't know how much of that is fanboying or real. Other than the grip which is an AR15 pattern, you better like everything on the gun because you can't change anything about it.

What would stop me about the Begara B14 HMR is that 9lbs is quite heavy for a hunting gun if you are entertaining the idea of it being a deer rifle. But since it's built on a 700 action, you can swap out any of the parts pretty easily if you aren't happy with some particular part of it, and the action and barrel are pretty good.

You can split the difference and go with a Christensen Arms MPR, it's also a 700 based footprint, but will weigh 8.4lbs in steel 20inch for $1700 and 7lbs in 16 inch carbon fiber for $2200.

All the posts so far are sage advice, no doubt. I'll point in a slightly different direction and let you decide if it works for you. Check into the "Scout Rifle" concept. It was promoted heavily by Jeff Cooper years back. It is basically a more compact rifle, sometimes carbine length, often times with an extended eye relief, forward mounted scope. Light weight, quick handling, compact. Could handle a can and still be very manageable. I had a Steyr Scout in .308 that would hit the Ace of Hearts dead center every time at 100 yards, probably a .75 MOA gun off the shelf. It made a lot of venison too. Wish I still had it.

The "scout" concept isn't everybody's cup of tea, and has kind of gone by the wayside since many makers now offer compact versions of their models, but it might be woty a peek

Funny you should say that. A Steyr Scout isn't, I think, on my bucket list, but it's certainly been on my mind off and on for a number of years now, and that and a Savage 110 Scout are two rifles I've found that fit the bill. The Savage looks like it might be hard to get a scope mounted in a normal position, though, unless there's a piece of rail hidden under the rear sight.

I'm a picky bitch, if you can't tell.

My vote is on Tikka t3x.