And nothing caught my eye. I'm kind of looking for another bolt gun but the racks are full of plastic stocked no iron sights stuff. Despite the plethora of good basic quality bolt guns it seems like there is not much out there.
And nothing caught my eye. I'm kind of looking for another bolt gun but the racks are full of plastic stocked no iron sights stuff. Despite the plethora of good basic quality bolt guns it seems like there is not much out there.
Application?
Those who have them, keep them. Plus I think they don't stay on the shelves long.
New or used?
Like Blackhawk said, they don't hang around long. I lucked out a month ago at a local gun shop. They had a rifle advertised as a Browning BBR in .243. These were a rather clubby affair made for Browning at Miroku in Japan. Priced at $399 with good steel rings and mounts and Bausch and Lomb 3-9x scope. I looked at the bolt profile and it screamed Sako intermediate length action. I bought it, no haggling(the scope is excellent and worth $150 by itself. Turns out it is a Browning Safari Grade made in 1965 at Liege, Belgium(FN). They sold these for pretty stiff prices back then and as FN didn't make a short action all the metal came from Sako, Finland and the Belgians stocked it in pretty California Claro walnut. Bore is mint and these were called "pencil Brownings" due to the tiny barrel diameter. Weighs around 6.5 lbs bare and swings like a bird gun. Can't wait to try it at the range as I have been told accuracy is great as long as you let her cool down between shots. The rifle just went on the shelf the morning I saw it and wouldn't last for sure. Actually was offered $1200 last week and declined.
Mike,
You lucked out. Found a Safari grade .222 for $600 a few years ago and didn't even think about maybe.
Get on Browning's website and look at their section on how to tell if your stock is salt cured. It is indexed to the prefix on the S/N.
Thanks but that is the first thing I checked at the gun shop. The salesman really wasn't fussy about me pulling the action out of the wood but I told him it was no sale otherwise. I have seen a few especially the .22 T bolts(older model) that were absolutely wrecked below the woodline from rust.
"...plastic stocked no iron sights..." All the rage with the marketing MBA's these days. Manufacturers rarely put irons on any more either. They know the thing will very likely be scoped and the irons removed. What irons there are are low end things that aren't worth beans anyway.
Wood, nice wood suitable for a rifle stock, is horrendously expensive these days. A black walnut stock blank starts at about $750USD. They can go to a grand or more. And that's just for a seasoned plank. You can pay nearly 2 grand for what amounts to a 2.75" slab of tree.
"...another bolt gun..." Any particular brand, calibre, purpose(Varmint/Deer/?) in mind?
Spelling and grammar count!
Looking for a target bolt gun in .223/5.56. Double as a varmit gun. The CZ's would fit the bill nicely I think but I never see them in a store. The best in this type is likely the Sauer STR. Alas, not available in the USA and pricey.