9 Best Hunting Rifles in 2025: I tested 60 rifles to find the best

It can be tough to watch all the individual reviews of rifles that I do on Youtube and get a sense for where each rifle stacks up on the “Jim Scale”, so in this post, I’ll give it to you straight. After reviewing and owning over 50 bolt-action hunting rifles, here are are the best of the best. The post is broken down into the best rifles at different price points, going from cheapest to most expensive.

If a close friend asked me what hunting rifle to buy at each price point, these would be my recommendations:

NOTE: These recommendations were updated by Jim on Dec 1, 2025

• Under $600 – CVA Cascade. What many people don’t know is that the CVA Cascade gets exactly the same barrels as are put on the more expensive Bergara rifles. CVA and Bergara are sister companies. Plus, cerakote, generally nice aesthetics, decent feeding, and more. I prefer it over the Ruger American Gen 2.
• Around $750 – Tikka T3x Superlite is an absolute no-brainer. Its action is legendary, and accuracy is phenomenal. Best of all, it’s a platform that will last you a lifetime because it’s easy to change barrels, stocks, or triggers down the line if you want to upgrade it. This is, by far, the rifle I recommend most often.
• Under $1,300 – Sako S20 Hunter – The Sako S20 offers great precision and reliability, plus an awesome thumbhole stock.
• Under $1,800 – Tikka Ace Game. This is the most accurate production rifle I’ve shot. It’s just a little heavy, but you could get a nice lightweight stock to put it in for hunting season and then use the metal chassis all year long for training on the range. Watch my review of this rifle.
• Over $2,000 – I generally recommend buyers in this price bracket spend their budget on putting together a custom build, but there are also some good factory options that I’ve detailed below, like the Sig Sawtooth, Horizon Villain, and Fierce Reaper H-Tac.

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 $600: Be Careful to Avoid the Junk!

Over the past three years, I’ve tested around 15 different rifles in the sub-$700 price range for this review. In this price bracket, manufacturers often cut corners with loose tolerances, cheap metals, and subpar quality control. However, there are a few diamonds in the rough that can serve you well on a hunt.

Let’s weed out a few rifles I DON’T recommend first.

1. Don’t get a Mossberg Patriot. I own two and the accuracy is embarrassingly bad on both. I showed this on my Youtube channel.
2. Don’t get a Savage Axis II. My friend took one on a hunt. The barrel was COVERED in rust after one night of rain, and the included scope filled up with water immediately and ruined his hunt. The bluing they do on their metal is simply not sufficient for durability.
3. Don’t get a Remington 783. I bought one that was horrific. Tolerances on the action were the worst I’ve ever seen, accuracy was bad, and build quality was awful. Rem Arms has now taken over the Remington brand, and I’ll wait a year or so before I dare try a Remington again.

So, if those ones should be avoided, what rifles SHOULD hunters consider? In my mind, there are only two good options in the $600 price point: (1) CVA Cascade (2) the Ruger American Gen 2.

CVA Cascade

The CVA Cascade is an exceptional rifle for the price. It uses the same barrel as the more expensive Bergara B14 rifles, because they are both owned by the same parent company and come out of the same factories in Spain.

The reason I like the CVA Cascade over the Ruger American is because it has a much more rigid stock, a better action, and it still comes with a quality barrel.

The sub-$500 version of the CVA Cascade comes with just blued steel. It’s decent, but if you can possibly squeeze another $100 into your budget to get a version with Cerakote, get the CRKT version as it’ll be more durable in the woods.

Ruger American Gen 2

The Ruger American rocked the shooting sports industry when it released the Gen 2 of its iconic “American” line in 2024. Even in the lowest price category, they were able to produce a rifle with Cerakote finish for better durability, spiral fluting on the barrel for lightness and looks, a rigid stock with a nice paint job, some adjustability, and reliable feeding.

Honestly, this gun must have put a lump in the throat of multiple other manufacturers when it was released. It feels like a $1,000 gun that simply got the wrong price tag on it. I’m still baffled that they can manufacture this level of quality for $600ish dollars.

However, there’s a problem with Ruger–quality control. While Ruger Americans generally achieve decent accuracy, they are terrible at feeding. For me, “if it don’t feed, it don’t hunt.” Ruger is quick to take new cartridges and have them immediately available, but they don’t do enough work to ensure proper feeding, and for me, that is the achilles heel of the Ruger American. Some cartridges like their 223 feed great in AICS mags, but my 6.5 Creedmoor and 7 PRC struggle to feed.

Hunting Rifles Under $900: Three great options, 3 okay options, one bad option

There are quality inexpensive rifles being made, but if you step up into the $500-$1,000 price range, almost every option will shoot accurately and have more consistent quality control.

Overall, I think the best three rifles under $1,000 are the Tikka T3X Lite, the Bergara B-14 Ridge, and the Weatherby Vanguard. So how do you choose between them? I personally prefer the Bergara B-14 Ridge, but they are all good options.

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 responded “Tikka T3x Superlite and don’t even consider anything else.” Enough said?

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. However, there are upgraded recoil pads for Tikka rifles that fix this issue.

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 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

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 stock 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.

Best Bolt-Action Hunting Rifles Under $1,600

One might think that in this price range, you’d have a multitude of choices, but in my opinion, there are really only three hunting rifles I’d consider. (1) The Springfield 2020 Waypoint with a steel barrel, (2) You could wait a few months for the new Bergara B14 Squared Crest to come out, or (3) Get a Sig Cross.

Sako S20	Bergara B14 Squared Crest	Sig Sauer Cross
Around $1,399	Around $1,699	Around $1,599
7.2 lbs	6.8 lbs	6.8 lbs
One of the most accurate rifles I’ve ever reviewed. Better than half-minute accuracy is achievable in 6.5 PRC.	Reliable 1 MOA accuracy	Excellent. I’m able to achieve an average of 0.6 MOA groups with my handloads.
Available in most or all of the most popular cartridges EXCEPT 7 PRC.	Available in most or all of the popular cartridges.	Available in: 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win, 277 Sig Fury.
Stock: Thumbhole composite stock with an aluminum chassis underneath the polymer for accuracy and rigidity.	Stock: A carbon version of Bergara’s excellent HMR stock. Looks great.	An innovative modern design with folding buttstock, pistol grip. I’m in love.
What I love: The thumbole stock, the extremely good accuracy, and the ultra-smooth action.	What I love: The carbon fiber stock is rare in this price point, and I love the ergonomics.	What I love: The folding stock and adjustability make this a great gun for families that hunt (with supervision).
See my review on Youtube	See my review on Youtube	See my review on Youtube

Why I Picked These Three Rifles Over the Competition

• Tikka T3x Veil Wideland – I love Tikka, but I wish they would improve their feature lineup. The standard Tikka T3x would win my recommendation in the $850 price point if they’d just thread the muzzle. In this pricier $1,200 configuration, it still has no carbon fiber, no real upgrade to the stock. It just gets a paint job, threaded muzzle, and cerakote. It’s not quite competitive in this price point. For just $300 more, the three I recommended above would be a HUGE improvement in rifle.
• Bergara B14 Wilderness Ridge Carbon – This is a compelling offering and definitely one to consider, but I don’t think the stock design can compete with the Cross or Waypoint that only costs a little more.
• Savage 110 Ultralite – I gave this rifle high marks when I reviewed it on Youtube. Just getting a Proof Research barrel is a major selling point. However, the action doesn’t feed 100% reliably, the stock feels like cheap plastic, and the mag and magwell are too flimsy. I think since this rifle was released, better options have come out.
• Browning XBolt Speed SR – Oh, Browning. They make great actions. They make good barrels. Their guns look cool. The manufacturing quality is great. However, they use proprietary scope rings to annoy customers. They refuse to thread the muzzle on rifles in a standard 5/8 x 24 (except for this SR version). They put heavy lawyer triggers in their rifles. There are just a few things that drive me nuts about Brownings. Many gunsmiths can’t even work on them because of the weird metric threading. I feel like Browning could easily dominate this price point if they’d listen to their customers. The “Speed SR” version of the XBolt is the only one I’d consider, and it’s fantastic, but doesn’t give me any compelling reason to choose it over the other options.

Overall, I think the best rifle around $1,600 is the Sako S20, but the Sig Cross is right there with it. Nothing else comes close to competing with it, in my opinion. The accuracy and feeding is among the best I have ever used, and the manufacturing quality is reliable. Just know that it’ll be a little bit heavier. It’s worth it.

The Sig Cross: Amazing design

The Sig Cross is the rifle that I have consistently used more than any other hunting rifle in my gun vault. It’s short, compact, lightweight, sinfully accurate with my handloads, feeds 100%, and adjustable so it fits me perfectly.

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.

Best Premium Bolt-Action Hunting Rifles (Over $2,000)

The real question in this price point is if you actually want a factory rifle, or if you want to instead do a custom. For me, I’d actually prefer a custom build to most of the factory offerings. Here’s an example of what I’d do.

Jim’s list for buying a Tikka and upgrading it

• Start with a Tikka T3x Supervarmint since it has a little thicker barrel profile which improves accuracy and make it more tolerant to heating up. ($1,200)
• Upgrade the trigger with a Timney ($250)
• Put it in a nice lightweight chassis like the MDT HNT 26 (insanely expensive) or the XLR Element (around $1,100).

All in, you’re around $2400 if you didn’t start with a rifle you’re upgrading. If you already had a Tikka to begin with, it’d be around half that much, and you’d have an extremely fine rifle. In my opinion, better than the factory offerings.

But now let’s suppose you already have a Tikka T3x Superlite. It comes with a really thin barrel, so you could upgrade that to a top-shelf barrel for even better accuracy, and make the other same upgrades.

Jim’s list for upgrading your existing Tikka

• Tikka T3x Superlite you were smart to buy as your first rifle. Take the thin barrel off (easy to do in your garage with a home vice and a breaker bar)
• Put on a new steel barrel from Bartlein or Proof and you’ll have an extremely accurate rifle. My preference is for non-carbon-fiber-wrapped barrels. Steel barrels handle heat better and just plain shoot better in most cases, but if you want carbon, choose Proof Research as they tend to do the best job. You don’t need a gunsmith. With some basic tools and 20 minutes in your garage, you can spin the barrel on without too much trouble.
• Upgrade the trigger with a Timney ($250)
• Put it in a nice lightweight chassis like the MDT HNT 26 (insanely expensive) or the XLR Element (around $1,100).

Since you started with a Tikka action, you don’t have to do all these upgrades at once. You could do them a little at a time, but the total upgrade will be under $2,000 and you’ll have the most accurate rifle you’ve ever shot. Those premium barrels make a massive difference.

BUT, for those who don’t want to upgrade a rifle, you can look at factory premium rifles and there are certainly some good ones. Here are several that I like. I wouldn’t say there’s just one winner in this category because they’re all good at different things.

• Sig Cross Sawtooth – $2600 – This is the upgraded version of the Sig Cross. It comes with a carbon fiber Proof barrel and all the adjustability of a folding adjustable stock. Annoyingly, upgrading to the Sawtooth is the only way to get the Sig Cross in some of the more popular cartridges. Some say it’s a little too heavy, but they shoot extremely well.
• Horizon Villain – $2499 – This is one of my favorite rifles, but it only comes in 22 Creedmoor. If you’re looking for a lightweight rifle for whitetail, antelope, hogs, and coyotes, this is the ultimate rifle. Short barrel but still fast velocity, great cartridge for lighter animals, and almost no recoil. The stock design is pretty traditional, but it’s still very shootable. Great gun.
• Fierce Reaper H-Tac – I’ve used a Reaper on more hunts than I can count. It’s lightweight, has all the modern adjustability and packability of a folding stock, and looks cool. Fierce rifles are generally very accurate, but I have seen some variance in quality control at times. One of my favorite hunting rifles of all time.

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 MPR or Ridgeline – I just can’t recommend a Christensen rifle. I’ve reviewed a couple and found them to be lacking in accuracy, feeding, and the paint job. Until I can be convinced that they’ve drastically improved their quality control, I’d steer clear.

Browning X-Bolt Mountain Pro – I like the X-Bolt line of rifles, but I do feel like they are falling behind. Budget for a trigger upgrade as the Browning triggers are just too heavy, and I’ve found the accuracy to be good but not to the exceptional standard of a Fierce, Sako, Horizon, Sig, or Weatherby. Browning rifles generally feed well, and the quality control is good, so I don’t hear much about lemons, but just 5 years ago I saw Browning X-Bolt Hell’s Canyon Speed rifles absolutely FLOODING the market, and now I’ll usually only see a few Browning rifles on the shelves of my local stores.

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. I unfortunately have limited experience their premium Mark V, so I you’d have to check elsewhere for a thorough review. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Weatherby, though.

Sako 90 – I own the Sako 90 Quest and it’s one of the finest rifles I own. In 300 Win Mag, it produces half MOA groups with Sako Powerhead Blade ammo, and the stock is a work of art with meticulous carbon fiber build quality and stock lines that reduce recoil well. It’s exceptional in every way, but I do think the price is a bit inflated.

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 good but requires a manly stroke at the action when sometimes I need to feed slow and quietly in a hunting situation, and it won’t handle single feeding. Also, the very aged sporter stock design doesn’t lend itself well to shooting long range–especially in such a light rifle. On top of that, the pencil-thin barrel heats up so quickly that even shots 4 and 5 can fly off the mark. Some argue three shots is more than needed for hunting, but I’d point out that it’s going to be a long and painful summer at the range training if you only get three shots before you have to let it sit and cool for 10 minutes. It’s not for me. Watch my review here.

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.