Which comes first, rifle or scope

[Wrencoforge]

Hi all, currently shooting a pretty crappy Savage Mkii g with a Nikon 3-9 rim fire scope..
My plan is to move up to a Tikka for the rifle and one of the 6-24ish ffp scopes in the $500 range.. haven’t picked one yet.
My budget doesn’t allow me to buy rifle and scope at the same time, will be anywhere between 6-12 months between purchases.
Which to upgrade first? The scope or the rifle? I can think of a number of advantages to each but I’m curious to hear what others have to say.
Mostly I just shoot for fun, but have also considered nrl22 or other local matches..
Thanks for your input, Justin

 

[C4N4DIAN]

If you buy a top shelf item, I would always buy rifle first as it it easier to sell but it really depends on use case. Rifle first for bench shooting and probably scope first for hunting.

 

[CodeMonkey]

I almost always pick up the rifle, then select a scope. No real reason I do it that way, it's just my pattern. There's a lot of interesting things happening in the scope world right now in that budget range. If I was going to get one then the other, I'd probably start with the rifle and spend time watching the scope forum to see what happens with the mid-tier players (Athlon, Vortex, Tract, Arken, Swampfox - there's a lot of new players showing up). You can always keep shooting with your Nikon until you're ready to upgrade the scope.

 

[Kisssofdeath]

For me it would be Rifle always. Can't shoot a scope. Buy the Tikka and put the Nikon on it for now.

 

[W54/XM-388]

As said above, in a pinch, get a good rifle, put your junky scope on it and practice while you save up for a decent scope.
Some trigger time is better than no trigger time.

 

[G-Dog]

While some trigger time is better than none, I tend to pick up items if I find a screaming deal, even if it is scope first. The last few months have had some scopes pop up at insane prices. Don’t be afraid of high quality used. Good luck!

 

[Ahogue]

Eh i picked up a scope 3 months ago because i got a good deal on it....i knew id have abother rifle at some point

 

[Nodak]

I have three scopes just waiting for rifles. It's a chicken before the egg story.

 

[Gee Kay]

For me it was the scope. I got a great deal on my s&b pmii knowing it would go on whatever rifle I bought. Saying that, I was holding off for Lithgow to release their long awaited la105 which I got in 6.5 a couple of months after picking up the scope. Have had them now for at least 4 months and have only found time to put 20 rounds down range while zeroing the scope.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Get the rifle first..... Many things may change between now and the time you take the weapon home.

Hobo

 

[Wrencoforge]

Thanks for the replies, it is much appreciated.
personally, my first instinct is get the gun first, because if nothing else a new gun is more fun than a new scope. At same time I’ve wondered if a better, more precise scope would help with fine shots that I can’t see too well with my current scope. Guess it doesn’t matter if you can see it clearly if you can’t hit it though.
Thanks for the advice, Justin

 

[ROCKKREEK]

Get the rifle and start shooting,have fun and enjoy the tikka

 

[DaveM]

This is my Tikka T1x ($480) in a KRG Bravo ($395) with a Vortex Viper PST gen1 ffp scope ($500 new old stock @ Europtic). It’s silly accurate with Eley Club ($6.25).

You don’t have to break the bank to have fun.

 

[Tcoddington]

If you have a little time, I would be checking to see if you can catch a deal on the Hide marketplace. I have bought several scopes here for a great deal and I have been lucky enough to find some great glass for a great price. So, you could put that money in a safe place and see if anything catches your eye. Worse case you buy the complete package new!!!

 

[SanginSpecial]

. At same time I’ve wondered if a better, more precise scope would help with fine shots that I can’t see too well with my current scope.

My personal experience testifies to this. I was a consistent 6th through 10th place finisher at my local PRS style match with what I thought was a great optic. I upgraded it and immediately placed 3rd. For the next 16 straight matches I placed no lower than 5th. Maybe it was just psychological and not due to any real optical differences. Either way, it worked for me. ☺

Since you already have a rifle to shoot, I'd upgrade the optic first.

 

[chopit]

When you say crappy is that because it doesnt shoot or just cause wood stock iron sights? If you can put it in a lead sled or bag it up real good shoot some sk, lapua, eley, rws thru it and see if it groups not worrying about where it hits. If it groups good at 50 i would go scope, a good scope. Good magnification and parallax down to 10 or 25. No bdc bullshit , go mil/mil, moa/moa. There is a guy i shoot with at nrl22 matches who has one of those crappy savages and he places top 3 every month beating tikkas and cz's but he has a good optic and usable reticle.

 

[Wrencoforge]

Biggest problem I’ve had with rifle is the stock. Soft wood and not much material where the action beds. I made a new bottom metal, since original bent, but wood still compresses badly when action screws are tightened.
thought of a new stock but Boyd’s is the cheapest I could find and at 150 on a 200 rifle didn’t make sense to me.
I have a couple ideas to get everything a bit more solid, maybe I’ll try that first..
Thanks to everyone for their great advice