Help me spend my money ;-)

[22/17 SHOOTER]

Gentleman.

Slowly but surely I’m drifting into the direction of good bolt action rifle in .308 caliber. Or something equal to it. I’m not a very big fan of magnums, 30-06 is also a little much.
I doubt I’ll be shooting the rifle at the targets further than 300-500 yards away and I’m not a hunter so we are talking target / tactical /varmint style rifle, fired from the bench. .308 seems to be the best candidate. I don’t reload yet, but I’m definitely thinking about it.

So lets the hunt begin. I have $1000.00 to play with, please help me spend it well.

Should I buy new or used one ?

When buying used one, what are the most obvious signs of troubles to avoid ?

When getting new one should I buy complete gun or just action and spend the rest of the money for custom barrel and stock ? Will my budget be sufficient for the second option ?
What are the best ( for the price ) aftermarket barrels and will the seller / maker fit it in the receiver ?

And where can I buy action only ? Will it be just stripped receiver or will it come with trigger and bolt ?

Should I go for laminate or synthetic stock ?

I don’t care for factory triggers. The gun will end up with aftermarket one for sure.

I don’t think I’ll have enough money to pay for the gun and good scope. I my have to go with lesser quality optics. So what are your recommendations for the glass suitable for rifle I’m thinking about ?

I don’t have favorite brand name. I own Remington 700 in .223 and I love it. Dime size 3 shoot groups at 100 yards, out of the box, zero modifications, PMC Bronze ammo.
I had Savage in 22-250 and I wasn’t trilled with it. I never had Winchester or Marlin center fire rifles so it’s mystery for me.

I don’t think I can afford the one of the big names but hey, $1000.00 cash is sitting on my coffee table waiting to be spent.

Let me know what would You do. I’ll take notes and try to use them as best as I can.
Thanks.
Cezar.

 

[Rmiller31]

I've been wanting one of the Remington 700's with the M24 barrel and 5R rifling. That would probably be my choice at the moment. Second would be the Remington 700 tactical aac-sd that has the heavy barrel and a 1/10 twist, it seems to get great reviews for accuracy. I'm kinda a fan of the 700 action so those are my choices.

As for optics do you have any you could pull from other rifles while you wait?
The 700 tactical will run you around 600$ (there are 2 versions make sure you get the one with 1/10 twist) which would leave you with a decent amount for optics. The 700 milspec is going to use up all your funds at around 1,000$

 

[wombat13]

The nice thing about Savage/stevens is that they use a barrel nut that would allow you to replace the barrel yourself as long as you buy a threaded barrel (like the E.R. Shaw kits). Well, here's a quick budget for building your own rifle:

Stevens 200 donor rifle: $320
E.R. Shaw replacement barrel: $200
Sharp shooter trigger: $100
Boyd's stock: $100

That leaves $300 for the scope and rings. An alternative is keep the barrel it comes with and put that money toward a more expensive stock, better glass, or more ammo. You can always replace the barrel later. A Krieger, Shilen, or Hart barrel is going to run about $400 and you have to check whether they would already be threaded.

Here are the links for the prices above:
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=stevens+.308&x=0&y=0
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=23300/Product/SAVAGE_110_REPLACEMENT_BARREL_KIT
http://www.sharpshootersupply.com/
http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/Classic-Replacement-Stocks-Savage-Stevens-s/35.htm

 

[Tikka Lover]

My buddy bought a nice heavy barrel 308 from Cabelas for $650 and put a Vortex Viper scope on it. Shoots 1/2 MOA all day with handloads. That still left him money for dies and what not.

 

[Flatbush Harry]

FWIW, I saw a nice .308 Rem 700 SPS Varmint (26" bbl) at Bass Pro Shop today for $549. Remington is offering a $75 rebate so the net is $479. Hard to beat. My Rems are both <1 MOA shooters (.308 and .25-06).

 

[Ole Humpback]

Model 70 Winchester Ultimate Shadow:

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/detail.asp?family=001C&mid=535114

 

[jpwilly]

My buddy bought a nice heavy barrel 308 from Cabelas for $650 and put a Vortex Viper scope on it. Shoots 1/2 MOA all day with handloads. That still left him money for dies and what not.

I did the same thing purchased the Savage 10 combo they sell with the Choate "Tactical" stock put a EGW 1 piece base and Vortex scope on it with 6-9" pivot bipod. Shoots very well but not 1/2 MOA all day it's good for 5/8" to 7/8" regularly though. Good enough for me for now. I'm going to shoot the snot out of it and then install a new barrel from a top maker down the road. I love shooting this rifle.

 

[ifit]

so many to choose from nowadays, my friends keep tellin me get a remington get a savage, and to be honest wanted something different so here she is fn tsr xp .308 my first bolt gun in this caliber

my best so far at 100 yards, though have tried heavier bullets and all less than 1" at 100 yards