My Favorite Factory Rifles of 2025

[Eric Mayer]

1) CVA Cascade SoftTouch Veil Wideland Bolt Action Rifle – 204 Ruger – 20in. During last spring's varmint season, this rifle was the jewel of the new rifles we were using this past year. A bunch of us shot it and all had the same thoughts. Accurate, great fit, looks great and easy to suppress. It performed VERY well.



2) Howa 1500 Super Deluxe Mini-Action in .22 ARC. Besides being a beautiful rifle, this little Howa really did well at the range and in the field. I took a lot of varmints with it this year, including rockchucks, prairie dogs and ground squirrels. Farthest shot was 427 yards on a rockchuck.



3) Winchester XPert 17WSM. This rimfire rifle surprised the heck out of me. At first, it did not shoot well. After passing the 100 round mark, the groups shrank and MOA results were the standard. I took it out to Wyoming for Prairie Dog and it performed very well. Even on longer shots. The 17WSM cartridge is definitely NOT dead. Especially with these new, affordable rifles, now being available.



What new rifles did you pick-up this year? Anything worth a mention, post it below!

 

[Ingwe]

Picked up a Tikka " Hanrahan"...dont know how they came up with that name because its basically their Battue model. At any rate its is my favorite amongst the .223s I've owned, which has been more than I care to admit!

 

[hotshot]

I would have to say my favorite factory rifle is my only factory rifle. CZ457 17HMR. Only had it a couple months so it's still all stock. Shoots one hole groups at 50 yards with Hornady 17vmax ammo.

 

[Ingwe]

I would have to say my favorite factory rifle is my only factory rifle. CZ457 17HMR. Only had it a couple months so it's still all stock. Shoots one hole groups at 50 yards with Hornady 17vmax ammo.

I bought a CZ 457 Premium in .22LR and liked it so much I bought another CZ457 in .22 Mag...swapped the stocks and love shooting them both!

 

[Bullseye69]

I got a lever gun for a bear hunting I went on last Sept. I got a Rossi R95 stainless steel in 454 Casull.
Didn't get to try it on a bear but will get to use it this season on deer.

 

[Ingwe]

Another favorite I acquired recently was a CZ600 LUX in .223, an excellent rifle that has already seen a good bit of use.

 

[Kenbro]

My favourite rifle for ‘25 is my Bergara (CVA?) BA13 in .222 Rem. calibre.
It’s a single shot break barrel and designed (Unlike the Thompson Contender) with a water table like a shotgun. I prefer this design but there not a great choice of chamberings on offer, so, this rifle could do with a STUBBING kit?
Just needs someone to step up and make them.
My Tripple 2 is reasonably accurate too.
Here’s a picture taken a couple weeks ago after the Picatinny rail came loose. I removed the Zulus 5-20 V2 NV sight, tightened the rail, fired one shot (High and left) then moved the reticle to the bullet hole and fired my last 3 rounds into this hole at 100 yards. Pretty good as I’m not a great shot, but the 222 is a great round.
Thanks, Ken.
Ps. Had to crop the picture down to this as it said the File is too big and I don’t know how to shrink it on my iPhone.

 

[Bullseye69]

My favourite rifle for ‘25 is my Bergara (CVA?) BA13 in .222 Rem. calibre.
It’s a single shot break barrel and designed (Unlike the Thompson Contender) with a water table like a shotgun. I prefer this design but there not a great choice of chamberings on offer, so, this rifle could do with a STUBBING kit?
Just needs someone to step up and make them.
My Tripple 2 is reasonably accurate too.
Here’s a picture taken a couple weeks ago after the Picatinny rail came loose. I removed the Zulus 5-20 V2 NV sight, tightened the rail, fired one shot (High and left) then moved the reticle to the bullet hole and fired my last 3 rounds into this hole at 100 yards. Pretty good as I’m not a great shot, but the 222 is a great round.
Thanks, Ken.
Ps. Had to crop the picture down to this as it said the File is too big and I don’t know how to shrink it on my iPhone.

Don't know if it's the same on iPhone but when you edit a Pic you can resize the Pic without cropping it. That's how I've been doing it.
You can save a copy of the smaller one and keep the original.

 

[TheCZKid]

New 2025 rifle I got was a CZ 600 Lux in .223, which was purchased because I really like CZ's quality and accuracy, plus it was at a sale price I couldn't pass up. The bore came hand lapped, and I'm still working on a load to get the most out of it. Nice looking rifle, light in weight too.

 

[Eric M]

Is that a 600+, or a 600?

 

[TheCZKid]

Is that a 600+, or a 600?

It says 600 ST1 actually. Based on what I can find, it appears it's a 600+ model, has steel receiver, threaded for Rem 700 scope mounts. "The CZ 600+ LUX features a steel receiver equipped with a Remington 700-style interface for secure and reliable mounting of optics."

 

[Ingwe]

New 2025 rifle I got was a CZ 600 Lux in .223, which was purchased because I really like CZ's quality and accuracy, plus it was at a sale price I couldn't pass up. The bore came hand lapped, and I'm still working on a load to get the most out of it. Nice looking rifle, light in weight too.

View attachment 150

I bought one of those over a year ago. Fantastic rifle!

 

[Ingwe]

New 2025 rifle I got was a CZ 600 Lux in .223, which was purchased because I really like CZ's quality and accuracy, plus it was at a sale price I couldn't pass up. The bore came hand lapped, and I'm still working on a load to get the most out of it. Nice looking rifle, light in weight too.

View attachment 150

Mine was easy to find a load for, the rifle seems to "like" almost everything. Heres a group or two with 40 gr NBT and 55 Gr Hornady SP (The Hornadys were the first shots and groups fired out of the rifle...)

 

[Old Hickory]

My Savage A17 Sporter .17 WSM was until I had to ship it to Savage recently so they can fix it so the shroud can be removed. I cannot clean it until the shroud will release. My Savage BMAG .17 WSM will have to fill the gap until my A17 is returned.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Old Hickory, so it's now a proven fact.....the 17WSM does indeed cause brain damage in wabbits!

Hope your A17 comes back home healthy and ready for action once again.

 

[TheCZKid]

My Savage A17 Sporter .17 WSM was until I had to ship it to Savage recently so they can fix it so the shroud can be removed. I cannot clean it until the shroud will release. My Savage BMAG .17 WSM will have to fill the gap until my A17 is returned.

I have an A17, and the design on the shroud is a PIA to remove and reassemble for me. They could have come up with a better design, for sure. And the 17WSM causes medical issues in sage rats too!

 

[Old Hickory]

I have an A17, and the design on the shroud is a PIA to remove and reassemble for me. They could have come up with a better design, for sure. And the 17WSM causes medical issues in sage rats too!

You are certainly spot on about that, CZ! Savage uses FedX for shipping and I had to drive 35 miles to a FedX shipping center. We have two places here in town connected with the shipper, but they won't ship guns. At least shipping and the fix are free.