Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: HunterofWA on December 30, 2021, 12:30:36 PM
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Hey all,
I'm turning 20 here soon and my Dad is gifting me a rifle. I'm looking for one that will last a long time but is around the $500-$1,000 range. Any tips you can share would be appreciated!
The game I want to be able to hunt with it primarily includes deer (mainly blacktails, but I'm game for others in the future) as well as elk. Thinking a .270 is the caliber I'm shooting for (sorry for the puns :))
Any scope rifle combos you know of? Does anyone have opinions on these rifles?
Weatherby Vanguard MeatEater Edition Tungsten Cerakote Bolt Action Rifle – 270 Winchester
https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/rifles/weatherby-vanguard-meateater-edition-tungsten-cerakote-bolt-action-rifle-270-winchester/p/1683542
Bergara B-14 Timber Bolt Action Rifle
https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/rifles/bergara-b-14-timber-bolt-action-rifle/p/p42885
Savage Arms Axis XP Camo With Weaver Scope Black Bolt Action Rifle - 270 Winchester
https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/rifles/savage-arms-axis-xp-camo-with-weaver-scope-black-bolt-action-rifle-270-winchester/p/1541431
110 APEX STORM XP
https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=product_summary&s=57340
Thanks in advance!
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Those all look like great choices, and there are others as well. The 270 Winchester is a tried and true caliber. I would suggest visiting a store and handling as many as possible, to see which feels best in your hands.
PS - get ready for ten pages of posts telling you why you need something else. :chuckle:
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Those all look like great choices, and there are others as well. The 270 Winchester is a tried and true caliber. I would suggest visiting a store and handling as many as possible, to see which feels best in your hands.
PS - get ready for ten pages of posts telling you why you need something else. :chuckle:
True statement. Get your hands on a bunch until you find one right for you.
Hunting in Washington; rain, snow etc. I’d recommend a synthetic stock and stainless action.
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We went with the Savage Arms Axis XP Camo With Weaver Scope Black Bolt Action Rifle, but in 7mm-08 for my 16-year-old grandson. Great rifle for the money.
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Those all look like great choices, and there are others as well. The 270 Winchester is a tried and true caliber. I would suggest visiting a store and handling as many as possible, to see which feels best in your hands.
PS - get ready for ten pages of posts telling you why you need something else. :chuckle:
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Haha, I figured some would suggest a different caliber. I'm open to considering others. The 6.5 Creedmoor caught my attention today (because it was in stock! lol) but I'd be interested to hear more about that one too.
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Those all look like great choices, and there are others as well. The 270 Winchester is a tried and true caliber. I would suggest visiting a store and handling as many as possible, to see which feels best in your hands.
PS - get ready for ten pages of posts telling you why you need something else. :chuckle:
True statement. Get your hands on a bunch until you find one right for you.
Hunting in Washington; rain, snow etc. I’d recommend a synthetic stock and stainless action.
Absolutely agree with the stainless and synthetic!
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Haha, I figured some would suggest a different caliber. I'm open to considering others. The 6.5 Creedmoor caught my attention today (because it was in stock! lol) but I'd be interested to hear more about that one too.
The .270 Win is a great caliber.......I own two rifles in that caliber. My grandson was just not fond of the recoil while shooting one of mine, so we went with the 7mm-08.
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Do you have money for a scope?
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Those all look like great choices, and there are others as well. The 270 Winchester is a tried and true caliber. I would suggest visiting a store and handling as many as possible, to see which feels best in your hands.
PS - get ready for ten pages of posts telling you why you need something else. :chuckle:
Ha ha, laugh all you want but my 6.5 creedmoor took this Idaho buck at 574 yards this yr. It was bang & flop. .I shot my first 19 blacktail with a .270 however. I like them too.
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Lots to love about the .270. Good enough for anything in this state, flat shooting and not a ton of recoil. In normal times, ammo is very affordable as well.
I’ve handled a few bergaras, they all felt like very solid guns with slick actions. Same goes for howa. If I was looking into a savage I would stick with the 10/110 series or one of those variants. Why? The axis have always felt sort of cheap to me. That said, lots of guys seem to like them.
While stainless guns are great for our weather, there’s nothing wrong with walnut and blued steel. Just requires a bit more attention to maintenance. I do a lot of hunting with my lever actions in the rain with no trouble, but I always give them a good wipe down with an oily cloth afterwards and let them dry out somewhere with good airflow (NEVER in a case!). My most recent purchase was a model 70 extreme weather in 30-06 though, because upkeep time cuts into my time in the woods these days, with 2 little kids at home.
For a scope, I recommend budgeting as much as you can afford. My preference for blacktail hunting(ok, most of my hunting) is for something with low magnification on the bottom end, like 1.5-2.5X. That gives a wide field of view that’s great if you need to take a shot at a running animal. I’m a fan of the Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36.
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Those all look like great choices, and there are others as well. The 270 Winchester is a tried and true caliber. I would suggest visiting a store and handling as many as possible, to see which feels best in your hands.
PS - get ready for ten pages of posts telling you why you need something else. :chuckle:
Ha ha, laugh all you want but my 6.5 creedmoor took this Idaho buck at 574 yards this yr. It was bang & flop.
:tup:
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Do you have money for a scope?
Yeah, I'll buy the scope if it's outside the allotted amount.
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I'd take my chances with a Tikka in 270 Win over any of the other off the shelf factory guns.
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Do you have money for a scope?
Yeah, I'll buy the scope if it's outside the allotted amount.
I would go with the Bergara then, been looking at buying one myself. That said, I've never shot one.
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You gotta get what YOU want. I opened this thread partly to see what a young man might want ( lever action?, semi-auto?, black rifle? etc.) and am pleasantly surprised at the choices you mention, both in caliber and bolt rifles, eminently practical for the game you mention. Bravo.
But you asked…
Mega dittos to synthetic stock and stainless metal IF you are hunting western WA. Many practical reasons. Some night when you come in exhausted after a day in the rain you will be glad your rifle does not DEMAND as much immediate maintenance. As to looks, do you want to gaze at it or hunt with it?
Caliber: The all time wizard guru of the .270, Jack O’Connor, who made the .270 as popular as it is, near the end of his life advised his gun writer replacement, Jim Carmichael, to get a custom rifle he was building in .280 rather than in .270. IF you handload, there are many more options for bullets in 7mm/.280 than there are in .270. Basically the same brass cartridge, almost identical ballistics.
If you really really want a .270, get that and go forth and kill stuff. Don’t spend all your days with this rifle wishing you’d gotten it in .270 but got talked into something else no matter how good the reasons.
Re brand: I’d consider a Tikka in that good list. Butter smooth, excellent rifle. I had a Savage in a cheap model that shot bullets into tiny groups. Two of my grandsons have Begara’s and like them, and we have six SS Tikka lites in my family. All good.
I drive a Leupold 2.5-8x36 on my main big game rifle and have a 2-7x33 on my predator calling and sometimes big game rifle. Went to a 50 mm and to higher magnifications and returned to the 2-8 categories as FAR more practical for my hunting style. YMMV
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All of the guns you listed are solid... but as previously said.... look at a Tikka also. I bought T3s for my kids and they are great rifles!
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Thanks all for the input! And yes, I will ultimately buy what I like best...
That said, I particularly like that you brought up the stainless barrel - that makes a ton of sense. The rifle I have been using is my brother's a 30.06 Remington 700 and the blueing around the chamber needs redoing due to the weather wear. It was already on the gun before my brother bought it though.
To summarize what I've heard:
- Synthetic stock (I hear ya, but I like the look of wood too. I'll figure this one out.)
- Stainless steel barrel
- .270 is a good caliber (my research proved correct!)
- Handle some guns (sounds good! Hopefully, stores have some in stock :P)
I'll keep looking but I like what this looks like. Only 3 rounds is a drawback though. Not because I need that extra round in the animal, but just in case I miss.
Tikka T3 Lite Stainless Bolt Action Rifle .270 Win 22.5" Barrel 3 Rounds Black Synthetic Stock Stainless Steel Barrel
https://bucksandjakes.com/products/tikka-t3-lite-stainless-bolt-action-rifle-.270-win-22.5%22-barrel-3-rounds-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-barrel
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I have Meateater rifles in .257 wby and 6.5-.300 wby. I think they are beautiful rifles and handle/shoot really nice for me.
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I just bought a Tikka in .270. Has a muzzle break and the recoil is very tolerable and I love the factory trigger. Trigger was the first thing I wanted to see about changing but after a range day I won't be changing the trigger. There's a Tikka model that I think retails around $800 that has stainless with synthetic camo stock. Good luck!
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" Only 3 rounds is a drawback though. Not because I need that extra round in the animal, but just in case I miss."
I wouldn't worry about a 3 round magazine. Hunt with one in the chamber and that's four rounds. I figure if I haven't killed the animal in two or three shots what makes me believe the next one or two will be better. If you really want, buy an extra magazine. I think you can even buy extended magazines for the Tikka.
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For starters I’m 6’0 155# athletic build to help with comparison. I run the savage xp hunter 30-06, with the intention to hunt deer and elk with one caliber. I got the sig BDX scope and while zeroing in and testing inaccuracies in a warm/hot barrel maybe 10 rounds at a time my shoulder would start getting sore. It has a stainless bolt but I noticed some surface rust from hunting in the rain on eastside closer. Just because it’s touted stainless doesn’t mean anything. Has everything to do with how much nickel is in the steel so keep that in mind. Just got a franchi magnum elite in 6.5 creedmoor, to my surprise franchi is made by benelli. It’s ceracoted with synthetic stock. Durability is to be determined on the paint but I’d imagine quite good. Haven’t even shot it yet so I guess I can’t be apart of the “brace yourself” joke can only tell you why I went the route I went.
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I'd Google savage axis misfires before considering one, then scratch it off your list. Recently snagged one in .243 for a nock around coyote gun and its pretty bad. I know of a few guys now that have had same issues.
Bergara hmr really impressed me. B14.....not so much.
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I'd Google savage axis misfires before considering one, then scratch it off your list. Recently snagged one in .243 for a nock around coyote gun and its pretty bad. I know of a few guys now that have had same issues.
Bergara hmr really impressed me. B14.....not so much.
I had this issue with my axis 30 06 several times when it was new. I had chalked it up to being a bad box of core lokt. I cleaned/oiled, bought new bullets and haven't had an issue since but its always been on my mind.
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I have a tikka t3 lite in .270 stainless barrel and a stainless Leopold scope. I spent a little $$ to get a bigger scope (50mm) and it makes a big difference in the golden hours. It had pretty decent kick but put on a bipod and limbsaver and now it’s real smooth and super consistent with pretty much any bullet. I use Winchester power point 135
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My daughter has an Axis, my so borrows it and my nephew has one as well. I think I know at least 3 others that have one. Never had a misfire or heard of one. For $3-400, they all have shot sub moa out of the box with factory ammo once the trigger is lightened a bit. It isn't the finest machine ever made, but they make holes close together for not much money.
Looks like many of the reports are with the Axis II. Not sure what the difference is. All the ones I have seen are 4-5 years old and the original model.
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Well its definitely a reoccurring issue. This will be my one and only. Luckily savage didn't bat an eye and acknowledged its a common issue. Its back in their hands now. Hopefully I see it back in a timely fashion.
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Glad you posted that, I and several others around here regularly recommend them for people looking for a budget rifle. I had no idea, only the experiences I mentioned. Hopefully they get it straightened out, it's a great rifle for the money when they work.
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i would add a Tikka to your list. My son and I both shoot Tikka .270
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I have several Tikkas and they are a great rifle ! With that being said upgrade the stock as they’re nothing to talk about for sure but you can do that at a later time buy good optics and you will have a rifle for generations to come
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Well its definitely a reoccurring issue. This will be my one and only. Luckily savage didn't bat an eye and acknowledged its a common issue. Its back in their hands now. Hopefully I see it back in a timely fashion.
That sucks.
I bought Savage Axis for 4 of my kids, and have been completely satisfied.
I HATE when a firearm malfunctions. It's hard to regain faith in one once you lose it.
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I have a very nice Browning BBR in 270 Win. Built in 1982 with a blued barrel and wood stock with exotic wood forend tip. Wears a 4X Leopoldo. A tack driver with factory ammo. It’s available!!!
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I’d never had a browning until a couple years ago. I purchased an x-bolt hells canyon speed which would be at the upper end of your budget. It’s been a great rifle, shoots extremely well and is pretty light so it’s easy to pack.
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Good to hear all this. Running to Sportsmans this evening to handle a Tikka and whatever else they've got.
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I have an original Tikka T3 that I picked up about 14 years ago. It's topped with a Vortex 5-20 and it's a sub 1 MOA gun at less than 200 yards and a 1 MOA gun out to 500. Haven't shot further than that but it's a great rifle. I keep the barrel clean during the off season and hunt with the barrel fouled and it's extremely accurate. Affordable and accurate, you can't go wrong. It does have quite the recoil, but one can lessen the recoil with a limbsaver recoil pad.
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Well its definitely a reoccurring issue. This will be my one and only. Luckily savage didn't bat an eye and acknowledged its a common issue. Its back in their hands now. Hopefully I see it back in a timely fashion.
That sucks.
I bought Savage Axis for 4 of my kids, and have been completely satisfied.
I HATE when a firearm malfunctions. It's hard to regain faith in one once you lose it.
Lost confidence doesn't usually return! That's exactly how I felt about the Savage Axis (2) that I had. After a LOT of polishing and spring replacement, I got it to fire 100/100 primers (imagine those days, popping primers just for that?!)
I offloaded them for $150 a piece and warned the buyer.
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We went with the Savage Arms Axis XP Camo With Weaver Scope Black Bolt Action Rifle, but in 7mm-08 for my 16-year-old grandson. Great rifle for the money.
Very Good Caliber choice! Can't beat it! A Browning X Bolt with a 3x9 luepold scope.
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https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,267334.msg3628126.html#msg3628126
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T3 Tikka in 30'06. You won't ever regret that. The 270 is good but for elk and moose, the 30 can hurl more energy at range. My son uses a 270 and we use some heavy 145 ELDx to gain more energy at a distance, all hands loads... with the 30 it's easy to buy commercially loaded heavier loads.
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I shoot a much rarer cartridge, in .280 Remmington It's a FLAT long range bullet.
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Whatever you choose it would be wise to pick a caliber you can get ammo for or reload. 30.06 ammo used to be on every shelf of every store and killed all sizes of animals.
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One can still get .280 in 180g off the shelf... :hello:
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270?...absolutely (I have shot 90% of my rifle animals with this caliber)
Savage?...no way
Bergara?...maybe
Tikka?...Yes
I prefer a browning to most any other rifle out there but it is out of your price range unless you buy an A bolt or x bolt used (good option). Dont discount the Kimber Hunter...Not a fan of the stock but a good gun for the money in my opinion.
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I've heard more than one Axis story firing when the bolt is lifted to unload...blows up in the users hand. I've also heard of the misfires. My son has a youth axis in .243 we bought a few years back. Its been a good rifle, and he's killed a few Pennsylvania bucks with it. My daughter used it this year in PA, she never had a shot at a buck. Towards the end of the day my son shot a buck with a different rifle. It was not quite dead yet when we found him, so he used the axis .243 to make it quick for the buck. "click" Second attempt it went off, and buck went to sleep very ethically. BUT!!...Man! If my daughter had a buck in front of her that day, the "click" may have costed her a deer. With the stories about them blowing up and misfiring, that rifle is on the short list to be gone. Kinda sad as my boy got his first buck with it a few years back, and we may end up keeping it for that reason. I'd advise to pick something else. Either a different model of Savage or go with a Howa, Hawkeye/M77, or Browning A bolt
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Tikka t3x super light in 6.5 or 30-06.
With limbsaver and omega 300, it kicks a little more than .223
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My tikka t3x came with a muzzle break, ceracoat, and camo synthetic stock. and I could shoot it all day long and not feel anything as far as recoil. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220214/5cd06db3a1c15041a143717dcf72ac3f.jpg)
7mm Remington mag. Vortex 4-16x44 scope. Flawless
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I just bought my son the Savage XP combo with scope...I haven't given it to him yet...birthday is next month. I am not a rifle guy but talked with many people and it seemed like a versatile entry into the long gun game. $399.00 was hard to beat for a kid that is not even sure if he wants to go big game. If not we have a fun rifle to use for other stuff. Good luck and enjoy whatever you get...a new gun is always awesome :tup:
Plenty of knowledgeable shooters on here but H2O was very helpful in the process...he is local to me and a solid dude...and has a lot of experience with long guns and successful hunting of big animals. Might want to reach out to him. I will post a rookie review of the 270 once we get a few down the pipe.
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In your price range it's a Tikka hands down IMO. Nothing else close to it for under 1k.
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Have you looked at the Howa 1500? I haven't seen the model here but in Wyoming there was a Howa 1500 that came with a muzzle brake and aftermarket stock. The rifle was incredibly light weight and had a good feel to it. My nephew and brother in law both shoot the standard with benchmark installed muzzle brakes, rails and decent scopes of course in the 6.5cm and both are extremely accurate. All in price including the rifle, threading of the barrel, miller brake, rail, mounts and sig whiskey 3 (4-12) scopes with slings and bipods were 1100. .35 moa at 100 with Hornady factory ELDX 143 grain. Both killed deer in Wyoming last year at 500 and none of the deer took a step. I would also do a 7mm over the 270 just for availability of bullets if you intend to reload. Its a very forgiving round with handloading and the powder ranges are pretty broad. Ballistics seemed to of skipped the odd number calibers. Just something to think about.
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https://www.howausa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022_LSI_Howa_Catalog_LQ.pdf
Broad range of selections but the one I was referring to was the HS precision model.
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Ruger American for the price is unbeatable. If you have a little extra cash you can get the cerakoted go-wild model with a muzzle brake. Hard to beat for the money.
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So what did you end up getting?
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Hey guys! Been a while... Sorry for not being responsive - I put the rifle idea on the shelf for a couple of months because I thought I might stick with archery this year.
I changed my mind and decided to just do archery for elk, but hunt with a rifle for deer and bear. After handling several rifles, I settled on the Tikka T3x .308 Win. I also mounted a NightForce SHV 4-14x56 scope on it. Super stoked to get out and shoot it!
Pics aren't posting... even though I've reduced their file size to under 200 kb. The site must not be able to handle it just yet - I'll try again later.
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I've had luck changing the file type from .jpg to .jpeg for some reason.
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Nice
Good luck :tup:
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Nice set up. :tup:
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You made a wise choice you won’t be disappointed
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Hey all,
I'm turning 20 here soon and my Dad is gifting me a rifle. I'm looking for one that will last a long time but is around the $500-$1,000 range. Any tips you can share would be appreciated!
The game I want to be able to hunt with it primarily includes deer (mainly blacktails, but I'm game for others in the future) as well as elk. Thinking a .270 is the caliber I'm shooting for (sorry for the puns :))
Any scope rifle combos you know of? Does anyone have opinions on these rifles?
Weatherby Vanguard MeatEater Edition Tungsten Cerakote Bolt Action Rifle – 270 Winchester
https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/rifles/weatherby-vanguard-meateater-edition-tungsten-cerakote-bolt-action-rifle-270-winchester/p/1683542
Bergara B-14 Timber Bolt Action Rifle
https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/rifles/bergara-b-14-timber-bolt-action-rifle/p/p42885
Savage Arms Axis XP Camo With Weaver Scope Black Bolt Action Rifle - 270 Winchester
https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/rifles/savage-arms-axis-xp-camo-with-weaver-scope-black-bolt-action-rifle-270-winchester/p/1541431
110 APEX STORM XP
https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=product_summary&s=57340
Thanks in advance!
I suggest add the Tikka .270 win to that list.