If you’ve been on Shield Republic before, or followed any of the articles, you may have noticed that every single one of the people involved with the company are extreme advocates of the second amendment.
That means, when we get a new stimulus check we look at the list of priorities for our personal and family lives. We then look at our current financial situation and decide the best way to use the stimulus money.
It also means that personal protection and provision for the family is very high on our list.
This last bit can be covered by that second amendment two fold. If you get yourself a good, reliable firearm then you can protect yourself and your family as well as potentially hunt game to provide food and warmth for your family if need be.
I just pray, and ask others to pray with me, that America realizes the best course of action for everyone and both sides of politics (although there are more than just two sides, we only get the extremes showing up on the news) quit reacting so terribly.
The best way to do this is to educate everyone on both sides and teach them to think critically. This can be done in the home, in the classroom, and simply when talking to friends. You just have to remember to not be hostile. Don’t judge someone for having a different opinion than you. At the end of the day, we’re all just trying our best to be the best humans we can.
But it’s also important to be prepared for anything.
That being said, I did some research again, just like I did for CCW pistols and shotguns, to find what are the best rifle options for under $600.
Even a bad or cheap firearm is better than being unarmed, so instead of saying a multi-thousand dollar firearm is too expensive, I went the cheap route to make sure everyone is simply armed.
I will continue to preach firearm safety till the day I die. Always treat firearms as though they are loaded. Keep the barrel pointed down range or at the ground. NEVER point a gun at anything you don’t intend to shoot.
Lastly, remember the biggest enemies of firearms are rust and politicians.
Without further adieu, here are my top 5 best rifles you can get under $600.
Savage Axis II XP
Crazily, they figured out a way to do that, and they still kept the cost down.
The Savage Axis II XP is the second iteration of the Axis. The XP portion of the title means that it comes with a scope. It has a Bushnell Banner 3-9×40 scope stock. This helps keep that accuracy up right out of the box.
It still has the amazing features of the Savage Axis, such as an adjustable AccuTrigger, synthetic stock, button-rifled barrel, detachable box magazine, and a variety of different caliber options. The major improvements lie in the ergonomics.
The whole thing can be had for a whopping $429.99.
Ruger American Rifle
That’s the case with the Ruger American Rifle.
The Ruger American Rifle is the rifle variation of the popular American series of firearms.
The American rifle’s biggest drawback is that it doesn’t come with a scope. That’s okay, though. It has the rails for a scope, and usually the scopes that come with rifles out of the box are pretty poor. I mean, they get the job done until you can get a better one at least.
Just like the Axis has an adjustable trigger pull, the Ruger American rifle has the Marksman Adjustable Trigger.
It also has a rotary magazine, sling studs, and a lightweight composite stock to make for an accurate out of the box rifle. It serves as an amazing firearm to build up and improve upon.
It’s an amazing firearm that can be found for $419.99, leaving some extra cash from that stimulus check to get a scope that will hold you over until you get the next check to get a dope scope!
Mossberg Patriot
The Mossberg Patriot has the patented LBA adjustable trigger. This makes the trigger adjustable from 2 to 7 pound trigger pull.
Mossberg offers a few different variations. There’s the option for a composite stock as well as a walnut stock as well as a few options that come with a Vortex Crossfire II 3-9×40 optic.
This scope, like the Bushnell offered with the Savage Axis II XP, isn’t the best scope out there; however, it does get the job done well enough until you get a bigger badder option. It’s definitely quality enough to get you started on the way to learn to shoot.
The most important thing with any firearm is that it goes boom when you pull the trigger. After that, it’s about learning the gun and figuring out how to work with it.
The Mossberg Patriot with a walnut stock (which is a bit heavier to reduce recoil some) can be found brand new for $399.99, which means you have extra cash from the stimulus check to get yourself a new scope.
Remington 783
Remington is a very trusted name in the firearm industry. The popular 700 is one of the most popular and highest renowned rifles in the industry. Remington has taken this popular model and made it affordable for just about anyone by producing the 783.
The biggest way they were able to cut the cost is by making all the most important parts out of steel, but where they could, Remington used composite and plastic. This makes the firearm a little cheaper and lighter. That means it’s not quite as durable and will be bringing more recoil for you to deal with. Luckily, Remington added a SuperCell recoil pad to help out with this.
The best thing about the Remington 783 is that the parts being plastic and composite don’t make it perform any worse. It also gives an excellent beginning to building it up and making a full on hunting rifle.
The absolute base version of the Remington 783 comes brand new as low as $399.99, but you can easily find beefed up versions for higher prices on the second hand market.
Winchester XPR
The Winchester XPR is a perfect budget option for a learning rifle. Just like all the rest of this list, it fills the most important goal of a firearm: you pull the trigger and it goes boom. The reliability of the Winchester XPR can’t be ignored. There are plenty of options for this rifle. You can get the base model for a very affordable price. It’s just like a lot of the other options on this list where it can come with nothing, or you can fork over a little extra cash and get a scope and upgraded features added on.
Regardless of which level you decided to get, you will be getting a solid steel receiver, a free floating barrel for improved accuracy, the M.O.A. trigger system to adjust the trigger pull needed, and most importantly, the 2-position thumb safety.
This is one of the pricier options on the list where the base model comes in at $479.99, but it can also get even better if you throw in some extra money for the upgrades.