Has there been any development in the last few years in the traditional hunting rifle segment, that is widely available?
I've gotten very interesting in hunting and reloading over the past few years, and love seeing what rifles are capable of. I love soaking up information and trying out new equipment including optics etc. but I only seem to see manufacturers pushing the cheaper products as of late. Ruger American, Savage Axis, Winchester XPR, etc. While there is no denying that these rifles can be incredibly accurate for the money, they simply aren't on the same playing field as some of the more premium lines of rifles.
I'm talking about rifles that are equally at home hunting Whitetail in Michigan or Elk in Montana.
I have a Winchested Model 70 Extreme Weather MB in .308, and to me this is a fantastic rifle. My problem is that I like experimenting and trying new things! Other than the Browning X-bolt (didn't impress me much on feel,) and Tikka T3X rifles, what else is out there in the $700-$1600 price range?
I know there are many "small" name premium rifle manufacturers in the $2000+ range, but what about Ruger, Remington, Winchester, etc? I've even wanted to look at all of the other Model 70's Winchester is advertising, but they aren't available anywhere, for the past 2+ years..
Where are the rifles? Is every manufacturer going to Sig Cross / Q Fix type rifles for hunting to appease the millennial/Gen Z Call of Duty crowd?