Opinions and elbows... thoughts on buying a used rifle.

smalls

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I'll lay the ground work on this topic as I am ignorant when it comes to rifles/firearms. I'm not a "gun nut" by any means although I own a few firearms. I've started to get the itch to add a little bit stouter round to my arsenal and I've basically settled on buying a .300 Win, .300 WSM or a .338 Win. (with a leaning towards the WSM...today). It's not a pressing issue but I tend to look around at used gun shops and through the classifieds for good deals.

That brings me to yesterday when I found a pair of 338 Winnies for sale, one in an A-Bolt and the other a M-70. Both in seemingly good condition and reasonably priced (around $450). Both wood stocked, blued barrelled.

If I decided to go back today, what would you buy?

When buying a used rifle, what should a guy be looking for (warning signs, signs of wear, etc)?

One more thing... why don't you ever see anyone build custom rifles based on A-bolt actions? It seems whenever you see someone building their Macmillan/B&C/HSP with a super tube and 4 oz trigger they are using a 700, Sako, or M-70 action. Is this a testament to an inferior design?
 
If the Winchester M-70 is a “claw feed’ type action, I would get it, otherwise, pass on both.
Browning makes lots of fine guns, but the A-bolt isn’t on my list.
According to many (who know more than me), the action has some weak spots. Some cheap (possibly plastic) parts inside that tend to fail over time. That’s why you almost never see expensive custom guns made out of A-bolts.

“Claw feed M-70”
All pre 1964 M-70s , and a lot of the newer M-70s have a big steel “claw” for extracting spent cases, and holding live rounds as they fed into the chamber. It holds the case so well, you can actually work the action up side down and the live round will not fall out. Not all M-70s have this, make sure before you buy it.

What to look for ?
Besides the exterior of the gun, look down the bore for rust, pitting and excessive wear. Cycle the action and make sure the safety works. Look for tiny hair line cracks in the stock. Look at the action screw heads for rounded slots indicating the gun has been taken apart by someone who didn't know what they were doing.
 
I'd take the M70 ($450 is a pretty good price) over the Abolt. IIRC the Abolts have a lot of pot metal internal parts and a very complicated trigger mechanism. Plus, I don't like how they look. Of those three that you mention, I have a 338 Win Mag and have had nothing but great service from it, but any shot I've made with it could have just as well been made with the other two cartridges.

If your looking at a rifle through a private sale, I'd ask if you could shoot it a few times to check function/accuracy. I'm not sure they'd let you, but it'd be worth asking.
 
Don't you already have a 7-08?

With good bullets, it will handle anything in the lower 48.

Or is it you just want a bigger rifle? If so, nothing wrong with satisfying a want.

My 223 is a Browning. I wouldn't buy another. Complex. Trigger assembly is absurd. Very sensitive to dirt, grime, etc.

With the Winchester, a push feed 70 wouldn't bother me in the least. 338 win is a great round.

After shooting magnums for a few years, I keep coming back to the lowly 30-06 and 270 win. They simply work.
 
“Claw feed M-70”
All pre 1964 M-70s , and a lot of the newer M-70s have a big steel “claw” for extracting spent cases, and holding live rounds as they fed into the chamber. It holds the case so well, you can actually work the action up side down and the live round will not fall out. Not all M-70s have this, make sure before you buy it.

.

How often do you cycle the gun while you are hanging upside down? That seems like a dubious "benefit". And the "claw extractor" is not even a Winchester invention, There was a guy about 110 years ago that invented it.

Pushfeed post-64 Model 70's are pretty reliable in their own, have good accuracy. Nothing wrong with them, no reason to ignore 30 years of some good rifles...
 
Thanks for the insight guys. I doubt they'll let me shoot it as it's at a store.

Yes T, actually I have two of the 7-08's although one got gifted to my dad as he liked shooting it so much (and I "borrowed" the 257 Bob... a fair trade in my eyes). I'd just like to have a .30 cal plus in my safe, and I'd actually buy a 30-06 if the right deal came around to satisfy this. It's not so much about a specific round but filling a "niche".
 
FWIW, a 140gr from a 7-08, a 165gr from a 30-06, and a 210gr from a 338 Win have VERY similar trajectories. That way you can hold with the 338 like you would for the same shot with your 7-08, it just hits a bit harder... ;)
 
I had a M70 .338 Win back in my younger days. I used it to hunt the bigger game in AZ. Took a 500# , 21 5/16" B&C black bear with it along the way. (state record in '86)

I wound up selling it. Just got tired of that damn THUMP everytime i squeezed the trigger ! I went back to my 7mm Rem for a 4-5 years, and ultimatly wound up retiring it as well. Just found I didn't 'need' all that Boom to drop whatever I was shooting at.

Settled on a Rem 600 .308 and toted it for over a decade. Alot of game fell to that carbine using 180gr Nosler BT's. Then I got the itch again.

Now I wander my Happy Hunting Grounds with a Ruger 77 SE in a 7mm/08. Sometimes use 150 gr Nosler BT's, sometimes 120gr Barnes TSX's (if I'm trying to reach out there). 5 whitetails and 5 piggies, 7 yds to 325yds+, later it's still a 100% one shot killer.

Don't see me changing rifles anytime soon. (But I may grab the .308 this fall, just for old times sake !!)
 
How often do you cycle the gun while you are hanging upside down? That seems like a dubious "benefit". And the "claw extractor" is not even a Winchester invention, There was a guy about 110 years ago that invented it.

Pushfeed post-64 Model 70's are pretty reliable in their own, have good accuracy. Nothing wrong with them, no reason to ignore 30 years of some good rifles...

So what you’re saying is almost every major gunsmith and respected DG hunter in the world is wrong ?
Hmmm ? I’ll take you’re opinion in consideration.
By the way, I have a large ring 98 in my safe, nice gun. If you have a pre 64 M 70 lg bolt face in decent shape, I’ll trade ya !
 
The push feed versus CRF gets beat to death. The Rem 700 certainly has been around long enough to prove it works. ;) Yeah, maybe if I was after cape buffalo in the bush, I might prefer a CRF, but for deer, elk and most US hunting - the push feed works just fine.

I would go with the Model 70 of whichever variety. My brother is a gunsmith and he dislikes the A-bolts due to the large nunmber of small parts and cheap materials used in the action and trigger. As stated above, overly complex and thus less reliable.
 
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