If you are not set on new, you can probably get a surplus 1903 that will shoot great and be inexpensive.

I wouldn't choose either. Probally both will work well but I believe one thing necessary to shooting well is shooting. I've found that I'm much more inclined to shoot a rifle that I like the feel of and I like to look at. I've looked at both those rifles and, in my opinion, they are ugly! Of course I also think the model's 600 and 788 Remingtons were nice looking and handled well. I like a lot of the Savages too and nobody is middle of the road on them.

Question you need to ask yourself is, how vain are you? I, obviously suffer from a bit of vanity as most of us do. Sometime's I think we'd be better off if we were blind! I'm guessing you've already looked at the rifles you mentioned and like the way they look. Blond, brunette or redhead,,,pick one!

Don you are right, neither one is a real looker. Ok... maybe they are even a little ugly but I'm not really concerned about looks for this gun. I'm more concerned with getting a cheapy that is accurate and functional.

My line of thinking for this gun is that if I save on the rifle I can put more towards a decent scope. What do you think, is this a good idea? I also figure that maybe I can upgrade to a nice wood stock at a later date.

does anyone have experience with either model? What are the triggers like?

While I'm at it does anyone have a scope suggestion?

Thanks for any info

I'm a fan of fixed power scopes, hard to find anymore. The reasoning is that the scopes usually sit lower and make the rifle handier. They are generally better at gathering light in early and late hours. And a 2 3/4 or 4 power will still give enough magnification to shoot farther than I'd want to.

Something like a 2-7 or a 3-9 on other than their lowest powers is not of much use just befor legal shooting ends. Also many people with 3-9's and 2-7's usually keep them on 4x or less when hunting and use the higher power only for sighting in. I assume your getting this as a hunting rifle?

Mossburg's barrels are thinner than most and although the ATR 100 is decent, I'd buy the $249.00 Stevens 200 over it because it has a strong Savage action and uses their older style conventional trigger system that a gunsmith can tune and cut the pull from 6 lbs to 2 3/4 to 3.

There are better alternatices out there and as others have suggested, I recommend you pay more for a higher quality product like a Remington 700 SPS or at least a Savage 110 / 111 with the Accutrigger.

P.S. and FYI:

For a gift to my son for earning his Eagle Scout Badge, we purchased the Remington 700 SPS that you can buy in the blued version for $398.00. We prefered the stainless at $469. (Note: Remington's 2005 Stainless version retails for $613 and has replaced the 2004 BDL's Stainless. The 2005 SPS in blue ($520 retail) has replaced the 2004 ADL line which was dropped. 2006 retail pricing is about 5% higher.)

We piller bedded the action / free floated the barrel, and adjusted the stock trigger to a crisp 2 3/4 lbs. So far, results have been 7/8" MOA with Federal's 180-gr. (Nosler) Solid Base ammo.

While Winchester Supreme 180-gr. Ballistic Silvertips are my favorite load for deer (front half of the bullet explodes like a grenade & rear half keeps on penetrating for a complete pass-through like a Nosler Partition), the 700 SPS with 24" barrel only shoots 1 1/4" groups - plenty enough for deer.

Thanks for the replies guys, lots of good info. I think I will take the advise and save up for a better model. Maybe the savage, I like the idea of the ajustable trigger without bringing it to a gunsmith. I may also take the advise from ChesterGolf and try an old surplus gun but I'm not sure it would have the groupings/accuracy I am looking for as it will be used as a hunting rifle.

I don't normally support Wal-Mart for gun purchases because I like to support local mom and pop gun shops. But if you are on a tight budget Wal-Mart does have good prices on there guns. They carry the Weatherby Vangard rifles at a good price. I believe they run between $400-$470, and for the money out of the box a great rifles. I have a friend who swears by a .300 win mag Vangard. It's worth looking at.

Don't let the age fool you. Those mil surplus can be real shooters. The 1903 and M1 Garand I have are both very accurate, in fact, my 303 lee enfields and swed mausers are as well.

Head to a local pawn or sporting goods store that sells used rifles. You can usually pick up a used remmington or savage with a scope for less than 350, some times dirt cheap, just check it out really well before buying. Concerning the other two brands, I've heard they both shoot well and in my opinion thats all that matters. I've had a couple very pretty rifles that shot like crap and they look ugly as dirt sitting in my cabinet now. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Hank