Europe vs USA

manco

Member
Hi All, I am new to stalking and am just applying for fac, I know that if I started a "what rifle" thread I would get loads of replies saying "get one like mine its a ..." so I thought I'd ask; are european rifles better than the american ones in general, or is ist too hard to make that distinction?

I am talking of value for money here not top end, say for a certain price which would have the better choice, the eropean market or the american.

cheers:)
 
Is a Ford better than say a Peugot? How do you compare? And is that new or secondhand? Is it general overall quality or on features like "controlled feed" or "push feed"? Plastic stock or wood stock?

Are US rifles "bad" because they usually have 22" barrels whereas most European rifles have 24" barrels?

You might be best served by maybe narrowing the question down to who makes the best value bolt action 270 new with a plastic stock or something like that.

If you asked who makes the better optics I think there would only be one decisive answer!
 
I was a big American rifle fan...had a bunch of Ruger and Remys...until I got my Mannlicher. Obviously I can't say all European rifles are better the all US rifles, they're not, but I shoot better now than I did then!
 
Get yourself to a Game Fair if you can, there will be more rifles than you'll know what to do with, you will get to handle, fondle, feel, touch every make and model on the market, you might find that the cheepest rifle going, feels just right to you, I'd be very surprised with todays technology that any rifle would not shoot MOA from the box, I'm sure there will be the occasional one that will shoot a shotgun group, but you'll find that with just about every mass produced item.

I was going to buy a A Bolt, £600, the only thing that stopped me was he ordered a Wood/Blue not the Stainless/Synthetic. It felt 'nice'. Unfortunatley I ended up with another T3 Lite in it's place.

What suits one, won't suit another,

Good Luck

TJ
 
Most European rifles seem to be finished more expensive than US rifles and frequently more complicated by design. This has his price. Interchangable barrels, complicated safety systems, etc....Is it better ? The R93 is probably the exception in a way of simplicity, but still has the interchangable barrels.
About 25 years ago the Steyr L,M and S had a very good reputation. Far exceeding US rifles and rifles like Tikka or Sako. Modern Steyrs are more complicated, are they better ?
I have always liked the Steyr Scout, but am scared to buy it.
US rifles like Browning, Remington,Howa,Winchester,... are simple in design. They have a fast, easy safety wich is easy to operate. Most US rifles are cheaper than a spare barrel of an European rifle. Belgian gunsmiths say that the A-bolt is close or as good as the R93 in accuracy. Are they biased? Probably. One thing can be said: most US rifles shoot extremly well for little money. An A-bolt is light,accurate,easy to operate(safety) and cheap. What can you wish more? Recently, for the first time, I had a Howa in my hands. The model Ranchland. Nice little ,light rifle and a great easy to operate and SILENT safety. Back again cheap.
 
I started deer stalking with a second hand .270 Ruger M77. It wa ideal. Not expensive, and it shot well for around 1000 rounds with me. I took roe, red, and sika with it with no problems. I've now got a rifle from east of the Atlantic - a Sako 85 stainless synthetic. Essentially they both did/ do the same job. If budget is on the mind I'd not rule out any second hand, well looked after rifle there are some real bargains out there.

I wouldn't be able to say categorically that the US rifles are or are not better than a European one. You'l probably be able to let me know one day. I for one certainly do like my Sako, but wouldn't have swapped the Ruger when I had it! Choices choises....
 
Hi All, I am new to stalking and am just applying for fac, I know that if I started a "what rifle" thread I would get loads of replies saying "get one like mine its a ..." so I thought I'd ask; are european rifles better than the american ones in general, or is ist too hard to make that distinction?

I am talking of value for money here not top end, say for a certain price which would have the better choice, the eropean market or the american.

cheers:)


If it was me, I would buy a Browning Xbolt or even an A Bolt, nothing wrong with European rifles its just value for money with the first two. I wouldnt buy a Tikka T3 anyway but if you can find a decent Tikka 595 then snap it up.
 
Manco, as you are new to stalking, do you really need a rifle straight away? May sound like a daft question but personally, I would get a bit of stalking under your belt, do a DSC1 course with the BDS or BASC, get some decent binos (if you don't have them already) and then, once you have had a chance to see other peoples kit and form your own opinion, buy the best rifle for your needs. You can still apply for your FAC at this stage if you want. Don't rush into things is what I am saying.

Best wishes, JC

(by the way, when you do get a rifle, buy a Sako! - Just thought that I would add that in case anyone was worried that I was becoming less opinionated in my old age!)
 
I have always thought that American rifles are built more for function than appearance, this could hark back to the days of the Wild West where they were treated as a tool.
European rifles seem to have developed not only as a useable weapon but also as something to have a degree of pleasure owning, possibly going back to when only the rich could use a rifle for sport. There are some very nice European rifles about that would leave many US counterparts lagging behind in the "chuffed to bits to own it" category.
 
I am delighted with my A-Bolt which was the first new gun I've had. It cost a few quid more to be stamped 'Browning', As standard it is called 'Miroku'

and made in Japan.

Brianm
 
thanks for the replies, I am not rushing in to buying anything, just trying to get a "feel" for whats out there. I have a few friends who shoot, one a profesional stalker, I'll be going out with them to try their rifles.
 
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