REVIEWING BEST HUNTING RIFLES FOR TODAY’S MARKET

Reviewing Best 25 Hunting Rifle head-to-head in 2022

Reviewing best hunting rifles from a personal perspective. If a close friend asked me what hunting rifle to buy at each price point, these would be my recommendations:

• Under $500 – Ruger American Predator (Order it online at Sportsman’s Warehouse) – I picked the Ruger American because it has reliable build quality and a decent feature set. My Ruger American averages 0.8″ groups at 100 yards.
• Under $600 – CVA Cascade (Order it online at Sportsman’s Warehouse) – This version of the CVA Cascade offers a cerakoted barrel, super smooth action, and a better stock than a Ruger American. It feels like a big step up for just another $100.
• Under $800 – Bergara B-14 Ridge (Order it online at Sportsman’s Warehouse) – This rifle is starting to hit a sweet spot where everything more expensive will begin having diminishing returns. It feeds perfectly, has an extremely rigid stock, has a black cerakoted barrel, and it looks great. Oh, and yes, it’s accurate. Very accurate. I think it beats out the Tikka T3x for the top spot.
• Under $1,600 – Sig Cross (Order it online at Sportsman’s Warehouse) The Sig Cross is a revolutionary platform with a folding stock, requires no bedding, and is lightweight. Watch my Sig Cross review here.

If you don’t want to read this entire post, jump to the section for rifles in your budget.

• Click here to jump to the section bolt-action rifles over $1,500

You have my general answer, but below I’ll provide more detail and reasoning for those selections, as well as some rifles not to pick.

Hunting Rifles Under $500: Be Careful to Avoid the Junk!

It’s really hard to review rifles in the under $500 category. In this price range, manufacturers use very loose tolerances and have very poor quality control. This means some copies of a rifle can come out working perfectly, and others perform very poorly.

I get a lot of negative comments on my reviews of rifles in the inexpensive price range because I sometimes harp on a rifle that is inaccurate, and many commenters point out that theirs shoots well. So keep in mind as you read my review of these guns that I can only comment on what I have personally experienced with each brand.

I have spent hundreds of hours testing rifles in the under $500 price range. In the end, there are really only two rifles under $500 that I personally think you should consider: The Ruger American and the Savage Axis II.

Tikka T3X Lite

I’ve been a little coy about recommending one specific rifle in this price range because it’s a tight race. However, I’ll simply leave this anecdote. A friend texted me last week and said he had a $750 budget for a first hunting rifle and asked me what he should buy. I stewed over it for a minute but he made me answer, and I said to go with the Tikka T3x Lite.

The Tikka T3X Lite comes with an absolutely fantastic action. The Tikka action is by far the best in this price point because it cycles ammo perfectly, has a silky smooth bolt slide and is manufactured to a high tolerance so every last one I pick up feels just as good as the one next to it. The action quality, as well as the barrel, produces a very accurate rifle.

There is one drawback to the Tikka T3x Lite. It doesn’t handle recoil well because of the stock design. In our testing, we had all of the guns chambered alike, but as soon as any of the reviewers shot the Tikka after shooting the other rifles, they all commented that the recoil felt heavier. The stock is not very rigid, the butt pad is too stiff, and the stock geometry is only acceptable.

So in general, pick the Tikka T3X Lite if you want a lightweight rifle with a fantastic action, and you’re going to be shooting cartridges lighter than a 7mm Rem Mag or .30-06.

Bergara B-14 Hunter

Bergara B-14 Ridge

There really isn’t much to complain about on a Bergara B-14. The rifles are accurate, reliable, and built well. However, they really don’t get enough attention from hunters–mostly because they make few attempts to really stand out from the other rifles on the shelf.

They look standard, don’t include fluting on the (rather beefy) bolt or the (rather beefy) barrel, the action and barrel are just blued, the trigger is fine but not outstanding, the action is quite smooth but not as smooth as a Tikka.

Don’t get me wrong. I like the Bergara B-14 ridge. Actually, I like it a lot. It’s one of the best 3 out of 8 rifles we tested in this price range. It’s just tough to get excited about because it has no single stand-out feature. It just does everything reasonably well. It’s like the girl you almost dated because you were such good friends and got along with great, but just never could fall in love with.

Weatherby Vanguard in Badlands Camo

Weatherby Vanguard

People harp on me for recommending the Weatherby Vanguard because it’s essentially the same thing as a Howa 1500, but costs more money. Sure, it’s the same action and barrel, but it’s dressed up completely differently, and I think it changes the gun significantly.

The Weatherby Vanguard comes in several different editions. The one I tested was in Badlands camo, and is probably the most common edition I see on store shelves. The stock feels like it is created of a very tough polymer. It feels almost as rigid as concrete, and that’s a good thing.

The also Cerakote the barrel which lowers the need for oiling the metals on your gun, and protects it in rainy or otherwise wet conditions.

In our testing, the Weatherby Vanguard shot the most accurately, although the difference between it, the Bergara and the Tikka was so small that I doubt we could call it statistically significant.

The Vanguard does come in quite a few cartridges, but retail stores will only give them so many spots on the shelves, and since Weatherby is always pushing its own cartridges, it’s common to not find the chambering you’re looking for without special ordering it.

Other Options Under $1,000

If the Tikka, Bergara, and Weatherby offerings still aren’t meeting your needs, there are other choices for you to consider.

CVA Cascade – I love the CVA Cascade. It packs in some really nice features for the money. I would generally prefer the Bergara Wilderness Ridge, but for a little less money, the CVA Cascade is great.

Savage 110 Switchback – The Savage 110 comes in many different models, but the Switchback that we tested did not convert us to Savage in this price point. It was very inaccurate and poorly designed.

Howa Hogue – Picture the Weatherby Vanguard. Remove the Cerakote and the cool paint job. Now remove the well-constructed and rigid stock. Replace that stock with a giant high bouncy ball (shaped like a rifle stock). You now have a Howa Hogue. The stock is not at all rigid, which is likely what caused our accuracy issues. It also looks and feels really cheap. There are Hogue rifles built with other stocks, but the one we tested doesn’t get Backfire’s recommendation.

Kimber Hunter – The Kimber comes with a controlled-round feed which is rare to see in this price point. It’s a good action as long as you aren’t too ginger with the bolt as you cycle rounds. It’s also an accurate gun and extremely lightweight. However, I hate the stock design. It’s an old-school sporter stock in a very light rifle, so it’s tough to shoot accurately in a typical hunting situation.

The Rifle to Avoid: The Remington 700

The Rem 700 has been the de facto standard hunting rifle for many decades. Most all other hunting rifles are patterned after the Remington 700. Remington (now Rem Arms) has made a lot of noise about how they are going to clean up the reputation and start producing quality products, but I’ve heard that for years. I’ll believe it when I see it.

If Remington starts producing a better rifle than the other options on the gun shelf, I’ll be thrilled to buy one and recommend it. But until then, do not buy a Remington 700 unless you’re planning to do significant work to the gun and use it as a platform for a custom build.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Yao7mYsrio?feature=oembed Best Bolt-Action Hunting Rifles Under $1,500

There are several manufacturers producing rifles in the $1,000 to $1,500 price range, but the options are more limited than in some of the cheaper price ranges.

In my opinion, the best options around $1,200 are the Browning X-Bolt Hell’s Canyon Speed, the Savage 110 Ultralight, the Bergara HMR, and the Sig Sauer Cross.

First, let’s discuss the Bergara HMR. It’s an excellent rifle for long-range shooting, but it’s just too heavy in my opinion for most backcountry hunting situations. In fact, that goes with most of the offerings from Bergara. They make a great rifle, but except for their Mountain 2.0 rifle (around $2,000), they just don’t seem to be creating light enough rifles to suit today’s shooter.

Sig Cross – Great rifle, but some people get a lemon

The Sig Cross: Amazing design after some early quality control issues

The copy of the Sig Cross that I received was excellent in almost every way. It shot nice little groups, the build quality was excellent, and the folding stock made for a supremely portable rifle.

However, too many other reviewers have received lemon copies of the Sig Cross. There was the NutnFancy review of the Cross early on showing an extremely dangerous instant-recall-inducing trigger malfunction. Then the Military Arms channel did a review showing another dangerous condition with a safety that didn’t quite get into position when selected. My safety eventually developed that same issue.

However, as I’ve owned the Sig Cross for almost a year now, I’m surprised by how frequently it’s the gun I reach for in the safe. In fact, I frequently find myself out shooting with a Sig Cross even when I have much more expensive guns that I could be choosing. It has become one of my favorite guns.

I like the Sig Cross because it’s lightweight, easily adjustable to fit me or my kids, very accurate, and the short barrel and folding stock make it easily packable for hunts. I’ve fallen in love. Highly recommended.

Tikka Wilderness

Tikka T3X Lite Veil Wideland

I really like the Tikka Veil Wideland chambered in 6.5 PRC. It comes with a popular veil camo pattern on the stock (though I wish they had made the grips to match the camo), a Cerakoted barrel, fluting on the bolt and barrel, and a threaded barrel.

However, I do feel like it’s missing some things in this price point. No carbon fiber barrel or stock, the stock doesn’t have a high enough comb for a good cheek weld, and the butt pad is far too stiff to be effective. Also, the trigger comes in at 4 lbs, 7 oz which is about twice as heavy as most serious shooters prefer.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TKURL4G_-ys?feature=oembed Savage 110 Ultralight

I love this gun. It comes with a very plasticy, but well-designed stock, and has adjustable length-of-pull and comb height to make it fit well. The standout feature of this gun, though, is certainly the Proof Research barrel. That’s a $900 barrel on a gun you can buy for $1,200. Very impressive.

The only things I don’t like about the Savage 110 Ultralight is the very plasticy magazine and mag well. It did affect feeding, and putting in the mag is a chore. I wouldn’t call the feeding unreliable, but it’s not as reliable as the X-Bolt or the Tikka. Also, the stock is well-designed, but it does still feel like cheap plastic.

Someone described this gun to me the other day as “a $500 gun with a $900 barrel.” That’s not far off the mark. Still, they look good, function well, are incredibly accurate, and Savage rarely has quality control issues.The browning X-Bolt is a great gun, but plan to take out the trigger and put in a Timney.

Browning X-Bolt Hell’s Canyon Speed

The Browning X-Bolt in Hell’s Canyon Camo has been so popular that Browning now makes the rifle in about two dozen different configurations. They all use essentially the same barreled action and stock material, though. So I’ll review the X-Bolt as if it’s one gun, and you can decide what configuration is best for you.

The Browning X-Bolt has a tremendous action. It feeds extremely reliably. I also am a fan of Browning’s 4-screw-per-ring system for attaching a scope ring. Also, the styling of the Browning is by far the best in this price range.

There really is only one thing that I don’t like about the Browning X-Bolt. The trigger! Don’t get me wrong. It’s a premium quality trigger (hello, the blade is gold!), but the trigger is simply too heavy for accurate shooting in my opinion. The copies I’ve tested had a trigger pull weight of about 4 pounds, 5 ounces.  

So should you buy a Browning X-Bolt? Yes! Just plan to pay an additional $175 on a Timney trigger that you can easily add into the rifle with no gunsmithing skill necessary. It’s easy. My 10-year-old did it for me (not kidding).

Jim, You Gotta Come Up with a Winner for the Best Rifle Under $1,500

Argh. It’s so hard to decide between a Savage 110 Ultralight, a Browning X-Bolt Hell’s Canyon Speed, and the Sig Cross.

Browning X-Bolt HC

• Poor stock adjustability
• Good accuracy
• Better stock
• Poor trigger
• Excellent feeding
• Pick this one if you want your gun to look good, have a great action, be reliable, and shoot well.

Savage 110 Ultralight

• Good stock adjustability
• Best accuracy
• Good stock
• Good trigger
• Good feeding
• Pick this one if you want 3/4 MOA groups, light weight, and can look past a cheesy stock.

Sig Sauer Cross

• Best stock adjustability
• Better accuracy
• Best stock
• Best trigger
• Excellent feeding
• Pick this one if you value something adjustable, packable, light, accurate, and fun to shoot.

I. Just. Can’t. Decide! These are three great options. If I could only pick one, though, it’d be the Sig Cross. Over the last year I’ve just found myself choosing it so often that it has to be my pick.

Best Bolt-Action Hunting Rifles Over $1,500

This is probably the easiest section of this post to write. If you’re buying a rifle between $1,500 and $2,500, I can sum up my recommendation in just 5 words: get the Springfield 2020 Waypoint. Period.

However, if you’re spending more and want to get into the <$3,000 price point, then the Fierce Reaper just can’t be beaten. It looks like it was designed for a video game, it’s light, has all the creature comforts of a fine precision rifle, and shoots like a dream.

Springfield 2020 Waypoint

The only problem with a Springfield 2020 Waypoint is they don’t offer it in enough chamberings. If they sold one in 7mm SAUM using a long action and long enough magazine to give me full freedom to reload, I’d buy one so fast it’d scare the neighbors.

I don’t say that lightly. I’m well aware that there is stiff competition in the “semi-custom rifle” category. The Bergara Mountain 2.0, Kimber Mountain Ascent, Bergara Premier, Browning X-Bolt Pro, Seekins Havac, Weatherby Mark V, Fierce Edge, Christensen Ridgeline, and others are all rifles I’m familiar with. Still, it’s the 2020 Waypoint in my opinion

Having said that, in this price range, a lot of the decision is matching the rifle to your unique circumstances and preferences. So, here are my quick thoughts on some of the competition for the best premium factory rifle under $2,500.

Christensen Ridgeline – So many people have asked me to review one, and I just can’t justify spending $2,000 on one because I’ve heard so many reports of inconsistent manufacturing quality. Some people get a good one, others get a lemon. So if I review it and love my copy, I’d be convincing people to buy one and they very likely may not have the same experience. Christensen needs to improve its quality control in my opinion. Plus, it uses an old-school sporter stock that just isn’t what today’s long-range shooter is looking for.

Christensen MPR – I came so close to buying an MPR a couple weeks ago. Of all of the guns Christensen produces, the MPR is by far the best in my opinion. The thing that keeps me from buying is that when I watch reviews, it’s the same story. They are just sending too high of a percentage of lemons out the door. But boy that MPR looks good.

Browning X-Bolt Pro – I like the X-Bolt Pro. I owned one in .28 Nosler and it was a very poor choice for that heavy-recoiling of a cartridge. It’s a good option for light cartridges, but the light weight and stock design don’t make for a good match on heavy cartridges. Also, I think the X-Bolt Pro just isn’t bringing enough to the table for doubling the price over a regular X-Bolt. In today’s market, it needs a more modern stock design, carbon barrel, and premium trigger to be worth the price they are asking.  

Kimber Mountain Ascent Subalpine – I just don’t like the Kimber Mountain Ascent. I owned one and sold it. The controlled-round feed action is great. People say it’s the most consistent action, but I only sort of agree. I think in theory controlled feed is better, but they also generally don’t feed well (or at all) if you try to feed by dropping one in, rather than mag feeding. Also, it works great if you quickly manhandle the action. If you go slow while trying to be quiet in a hunting situation, it may not feed right. Also, the very aged sporter stock design doesn’t lend itself well to shooting long range–especially in such a light rifle. It’s not for me. .

Fierce Rival – I really like my Fierce Rival chambered in 6.5 PRC. Of all the rifles I own, if you just said “Grab a rifle and go hunting” without any more specifics of where I’d be hunting or what I’d be hunting, I’d grab that rifle. Fierce rifles are accurate, built well, look great, come with good triggers, and feed perfectly. There are only two critiques I have of the Rival: (1) The front of the stock blocks “slide-on” Picatinny attachments such as the MDT Ckyepod or the Hatch bipod, and (2) I do wish the cheek piece went higher like on the AG Composites Alpine Hunter stock. 

 Fierce Reaper – I just love it so much. I seriously am not sure how you can improve on it. Excellent in every way… but it’s expensive.

Weatherby Mark V – Weatherby makes a fantastic rifle. Every Weatherby I’ve ever shot has been exceptionally accurate and well-built. I rarely hear manufacturing quality concerns about Weatherby rifles. Really, the only thing that keeps me from owning more of them is that I can rarely find them in the chamberings I want. Their ammo is INSANELY expensive, so I wouldn’t invest in a Weatherby chambering. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a Weatherby if you find one in a cartridge you like, or if you don’t mind shooting Weatherby’s overbore cartridges.

There are so many other options to consider, but hopefully, that gives you a solid starting place if you’re looking for a premium hunting rifle.

I’m holding my breath for the comments section on this post. I know there will be a lot of hate because I’ve been very frank about my opinions, but I test so many rifles that I just wanted one single post that I keep up to date where I can just say it how I see it without any politically correct crap.

Jim Harmer

Jim Harmer is a host of the Backfire Youtube channel. He has managed multiple gun ranges, and has hunted around the world. He is a well-known entrepreneur, having started many successful online brands, and lives in St George, Utah.