I am looking to buy my first hunting rifle, I am only 16 so I am looking more toward the cheaper ones. The Marlin XL7 is only $10 cheaper so price would not be a deciding factor. Which ever one l get will be in the 270 caliber to use for deer hunting. l just wanted some opinions on these guns and which one you would recommend.

XL7

Marlin is known for making excellent lever guns.. They do not have a track record for bolt action rifles...

Stevens - made by Savage arms does.. Both are economy rifles -- Stick with the Stevens -- Savage has been doing it longer and has an excellent track record for making quality bolt action rifles...

http://savagearms.com/st_200long.htm

Marlin makes a great rifle, as does Stevens. Mossburg has a good one also, but l would recommend staying away from the bargain priced Remingtons, they're pretty much crap!

This Marlin is their 3rd attempt ( l believe) over the last 40 years of trying to introduce a bolt-action of this caliber range. The latest one allegedly is a good one. l know the price point is excellent & Marlin is somewhat like the Ruger of long-guns, always under-valued & always a good deal...Take a good long look a this thing before u buy it but consider this.

l just bought my son a .270 Savage 110 bolt with Simmons (probably 40-50 buck scope) for $404 WITH tax at Wally-Mart. Stay away from the Remington 770 cheapo deal, they still have not figured that one out..

This Remington 700 (not to be confused with the 770) is a good gun & it goes for 377 around the Atlanta area at Wally-Mart but u will need optics. The Weatherby Vanguard is about $440 with discount , need optics as well.

Bottom line, if u feel like u do not want to take the risk while saving money, opt for this Savage. It came with their Accu-Trigger, basic scope, .270 or 7mm available. It is a synthetic stock, blued finish. The blueing is very basic but l do not really care. For $404 out the door, it is tough to beat. It is also relatively light (best guess, 6.5lbs) with 22 inch barrel..not a bad pseudo-carbine rig. Light, quick to shoulder, easy point of aim, 3 position safety, pillar bedded, with scope AND accu-trigger???

Opt for this rig while u can get it that cheap..the others mentioned will put u slightly over $500 for the same set-up.