Rifle question

As i have been looking for a Garand for years without finding one in shooting state, next hunting season i'll buy a bolt action (to see if a Garand appears when i spend my money ).

I doubt between a Remington 710 in 30-06 with a Bushnell 3-9x40 scope (around 900 euros) or a Mauser Kar98 (with "original" german markings go around 600 euros) if a friend can find me an original 9x scope.

Comments on both rifles? Precision at long range?
Maximum rage to hit and bring down deer or boar?

 

im not sure about the remington but the 98k would be a nice gun to hunt with. i dont hunt much with rifle and if i do its with a .22 and im not sure what the performance of a 7.92 round will do, but i assure u, u will kill something easliy at 400 yards or more

 

what caliber

which round is the kar98 chambered for? i'll assume the 8mm for now. the two rounds are almost equal for all intents. to me it would boil down to condition and which one i liked better. either one can take any normal sized game out further that most hunters can shoot with accuracy. here in the states there are a lot more loadings for the 06 that the 8 but the situtation may be reversed where you are. either gun should group under 2 and a half inches at 100 yds with loads the gun likes. you may have to pay a gunsmith to mount a scope on the kar so thats money you woun't spend on the 06. the stock scopes were mounted offset to the left and were not all that good anyway. as they stand the 06 is a better package if both are in good condition. can you shoot them or take them to a smith for a checkup? either one is more that enought gun for deer or boar and any compent marksman should be able to go to 300 yds. beyond that is iffy with any gun for most hunters. 06s have been used for sniping out to 1000yds but they were specialized guns and trained shooters but it does show what the cartridge can do. i'm unware of any like performences by the 8 but 700 yds shots would not suprise me.

buy the one in the best condition or whichever one you like better if condition is equal. beware however of the kar being shot out or otherwise worn beyond safety. have either one checked out by a good smith.

 

Not a big fan of the Remington 710. A buddy bought one a few years ago and they are just too cheesy. Not a good feel and only fairly accurate. For the same money, you can get a Savage. I have several of them and they are some of the most accurate factory made rifles.

Check out www.savageshooters.com for more Savage info. Excuse me for being biased but I'm a staff member there.

I also have a Mauser like you speak of. While not accurate compared to the Remington or Savage, it should be much less expensive and will eventually have collector value (if that's important). The 8mm Mauser cartridge is plenty powerful enough to hunt with.

When you say long range, how are you speaking of?

For killing power on deer and boar, I use bullets in the 160gr to 190gr weight range. I like soft points (lead tip) but many also like the ballistic tip (poly tip).

 

I was thinking on 300 to 400 meters at the base shooting range. For hunting you can't never know beforehand, but in mountains you can end up making shots at deer at longer ranges.

I don't like the stock of the 710, but i can always buy another one for it. You can't find a Savage around here. No importers that i know.

Mausers are getting more expensive every year. A long side rail and an austrian 9x scope would be very nice (already have a gunsmith for it), but it's much heavier for hunting.

 

The .30-06 would be a great cartridge for what you want to do especially at those distances. Try to stay away from lightweight bullets though. The 180 grain will give really good performance. The .30-06 is one my favorites. I also like the .308 for deer and boar hunting.

Something else to look at are the CZ rifles. They are very good quality and since they are made in Europe, they are probably affordable. They are better than the Remington 710 in most every way. CZ is now who the former BRNO in Czechoslavakia. Their rifles are made on modernized Mauser actions.

There is also Blaser, Sako, Tikka, Sig, Steyr, and probably a few others.

Does the EU thing allow you to buy rifles from other European countries? If so, I know a fella who has a gun shop in Germany.

If I may ask, how price difference is there between US and Euro rifles? Here, the retail price of the Remington 710 ia around $300 to $350. The CZ that I mentioned above is around $400 to $500.

 

Don't know about the CZ (seen some used ones by 500 euros), buying to another european country from Spain is almost as much trouble as buying from the US, and slightly less than buying from Ucraine or Russia. Anyway, you end up forced to go through monop... er, importers. :angry:

The Remington 710 goes between 700 to 900 euros. At least it comes with the Bushnell scope and mounts (fairly expensive here). :-?
I thought of buying a Remington 700, but price is from 900euros up, depends on version. But always without scope, and often without mounts.
In this aspect the Mauser has more points.

 

The scope that comes on the 710 is a decent scope for a beginner but they are not of high quality. Retail value of them is about $30.

If you like Mausers, Zastava (Yugoslavia) makes a nice commercial Mauser hunting rifle that comes with walnut stock and drilled for scope. Not sure if you can get one there but they are marketed here by Charles Daly/KBI.

Have you looked for any of the .308/7.62mm chambered Spanish Mausers?

I sure wish I could send you a good rifle. I looked into exporting to Germany and the paperwork is stupidly rediculous. The permits are expensive too. I was looking at $600 for the permit, some sort of customs duty, then shipping, then the cost of the gun.

 

Yes i know about the expenses...
Here for 30$ or € you can't find a screw for a scope. This bushnell goes from 60 to 90 euros at most gunsmiths i know.
By the way, how much are ART scopes? Are they easy to find? I heard good things about them but prices are HUGE around here.

The spanish "Oviedo" (very short "mosqueton" mauser type rifles) used by the Guardia Civil (a militarised nationwide police force), already in .308 and chromed bore and bolt, but barrel is too short. A big lot came recently ¡from the USA!

I'll have to keep looking for bolt actions and suitable scopes. Yugoslav mausers (better the Oberndorf-made portuguese ones) are a good and inexpensive option if i don't find anything more to my liking.

 

The ART scopes are not very common here either and therefore are a bit pricey.

I don't know if there are any real restrictions on exporting hunting scopes to friends (non-commercial sale). I could probably get you a decent scope here once you figure out what you need. I can get them at dealer prices.

 

That would be very good.

For what's been said before, the Remington 710 it's not a good option then?

 

It's a good starter rifle. In .30-06 it will be good for anything you plan to hunt. I was just trying to offer some opinions on what would be better alternatives. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything better for the price.

 

Not around here.
Wednesday i'll visit a gunsith that sometimes has used rifles. Maybe i can find something

 

That could be a very good idea.

Here's an article I wrote concerning buying used rifles:
http://www.savageshooters.com/Articles/BuyersGuide.html

Let me know if you need to get a scope.

 

Went to a couple gunsmiths yesterday.
Not many things to choose from.
A very expensive 1917 Gehwer 98, straight bolt handle (780€, when they are found for only 300) and some Carl Gustavs.
Remington 710 at almost 800€, the 700 at more than 800€ ("tactical" versions over 1000, of course), and Winchester 70 around 750€.

Will have wait till next hunting season to see if there is movement.

 

Man, that's a good price on the Winchester if it's new. What caliber is it?

I'd buy a Winchester Model 70 rather than a Remington anytime if the price is that close!

 

I thought the same, but with summer holydays started (this country in july gets slow, in august stops completely) it won't be available until september. Hunting season begins in october, so i'll wait a little longer before ordering it.
Maybe something appears at the second hand market before

What version would be best? I wan mostly accuracy, scope compatibility, and would go for a .308 caliber. Weight is not an issue.

 

If weight isn't an issue, I would go for a rifle in .308Win. Go with a fairly heavy barrel of about 20" in length. This is short enough to easily carry and the heavy barrel will be better for shooting targets. It will be for target use out to 500m.

A Remington like this is the Model 700 LTR. They are fairly expensive though. Savage has a Model 10FP that's less expensive. CZ, Sako, Steyr, FN and Blaser also have similar rifles and could possibly be easier to get since they're European made rifles.

 

Not easier to get, no. Here guns are almost taboo, and some european brands are considered "luxury guns" (even if they aren't).

Thanks for your help.

 

You are very welcome. E-mail me if you wish to.