In bestowing the honor on the Model 783 American Hunter (May 2014) said: “Here’s a case where top-tier performance comes at a bargain price…a big-game rifle showcasing accuracy, dependability and a retail price of only $451.”
Having carried two Model 783s (a .30-06 in fall 2012 and a .270 last season) countless miles in mountains and woods, I can attest to the dependability and especially the accuracy of this no-frills but hard-working rifle. I noted how surprisingly fine my Model 783 in .30-06 shot in this review I wrote a year ago…and I had even better accuracy results with the .270 I used last year.
I sighted-in the .270 Model 783 (topped w/the fine Trijicon Accupoint 3X-9X scope) on a cold, snowy bench in Saskatchwewan last November. The temperature was minus 5 and there was some wind. My first 130-grain Remington Bronze Point cut the target about an inch high. My second shot (I just watched the TV footage and have close-up proof) clipped the first hole. I stopped right there, having shot a 100-yard group of like .1 in brutal outside conditions.
As outstanding as that accuracy was, I decided to use my second rifle, a Remington Model 700 in .30-06, on that hunt. I wanted the added power of a 150-grain bullet for those heavy, gnarly Canadian bucks.
But I did use the sweet-shooting Model 783 in.270 on several hunts later in the season, and shot a couple of great bucks with the 130-grain Bronze Point, including the North Texas Panhandle beauty pictured above. You can watch the action on BIG DEER TV later this summer and fall.
If you are in the market for a deer rifle you should check out the NRA’s Rifle of the Year. The Model 783 is available in .308, .270, .30-06 or 7mm Rem. Mag, so there’s the right caliber whether you hunt whitetails, mule deer, elk or a combo of the animals.
