Need help picking some details on my new rifle.

[d3lta58]

Hey all, this is my first post with you guys and I have a few questions that I was hoping you could help me with. I've recently saved up enough money to get myself my second rifle. My first being an older ruger 10/22 that was a gift from a family member. After shooting with that for a couple of years, i've decided that i'm about ready to move up. Before I tell you about the rifle that is on the top of my list, it might help if I would explain on what I might be using it for. I would mostly be punching paper at an outdoor range that has a pretty nice rifle range from 100- 600 yards. I want to be able to hunt game around the size of deer but it would mostly be used on the range. I've taking a good look at a huge selection of bolt action rifles and i've all but gone out and bought the r700 in .308. I was just thinking about going with the sps and maybe upgrading the stock when I can get some more cash, but the sps stock should be more then enough for me til I get it worn in.

To break it down, I want to punch paper from ranges of about 100-600 yards. What do you guys think of this layout?

R700 sps in .308
Leupold VX-II 3-9x40mm
Harris Bipod Model BR:6"-9"

I do not reload, but maybe nows the time to start.

Thanks for any input!

 

[bukijin]

Sounds like a good choice to me.

 

[d3lta58]

Anybody else have a comment?

 

[Bobarino]

good choice! i'm doing the same thing with the same rifle. picking up my new 700 SPS Varmint in .308 on Saturday. the weakest point of this gun is the stock. it's just a big chunk of flimsy plastic. i'm going to be putting mine into a Choate Ultimate Varmint Stock since this will be solely for benchrest/prone type shooting. it'll look something like this when it's done:

the barreled action is the exact same one as the 700P/PSS, they just scrimped on the stock to keep costs down. of course, since it's a Rem 700, the choices for aftermarket stock are endless and you can even find 700P take offs for less than $100 which is a great deal for an HS Precision stock.

i plan on topping mine with a Millett LRS1 6-25x56 mill dot/bar with .1mil clicks and either a Harris or Rock Mount bipod.

if you're planning on reaching out to 600 yards, you're probably going to want more magnification that 9x. i don't think i'd go less than 16 or 18x in that case.

i'll probably spend a couple extra bucks and have the action trued and the barrel recrowned. there's no reason that the gun shouldn't be capable of sub 1/2 moa accuracy when i'm done.

eventually, i'll get a .260 Rem barrel for it but that's years down the road.

keep up posted on your progress. i'd love to see your results.

Bobby

 

[Norinco982lover]

I think your choice is good. Keep in mind how expensive .308 will be compared to .22 LR.

Have fun! (it really does sound like you have your head on straight which is why you aren't getting a lot of comments--you should be good to go with whatever you decide).

~Norinco

 

[d3lta58]

Thanks for all the insight. When I finally get everything worked out, i'll be happy to post some pics.

 

[whatnickname]

What rifle???

Here is the issue with Remington, newer Winchester (USRA) & Browning: Spotty quality. I hate to say it. I was a very large Remington fan for years and currently have a number of model 70 rifles. I've worked on and shot number of Brownings. Its sad to say but I could write a book about what I've seen wrong with these rifles from short chambers (too short to chamber a round in believe it or not to bolt lugs that didn't bear on anything but the air and barreled actions that would never shoot well the way they were sitting in the stock. All were once top quality manufacturers but have fallen into disfavor by employing people that could care less about what they're making. I hope that the current owner of Winchester and Browning can turn it around. At least they seem serious about product quality and customer service. So to your question: What rifle? Here are my picks:

Sako... top quality but pricey
Tikka...Poor man's Sako. State of the art manufacturing processes but good quality and accuracy
CZ... Possibly the very best value for the money today. Hammer forged barrel and set triggers standard. Basically a square bridge, small ring Mauser...Enough said?
Savage... These folks have been through quite a few changes over the years and done a great job of turning things around. At one time I wouldn't have wasted my time by picking a Savage up off the floor. I have two heavy barreled varmint rifles (.22-250 and a .308) that will shoot one hole groups with a wide range of ammo...hard to argue with performance.

As to caliber, just about anything based on the .308 case shoots outstanding groups. Whatever turns you on. I like the .308 but also have a .243 and several 7mm-08. My personal pick is just about anything that shoots a 7MM bullet but then that's just my preference. I promise you that the deer and other stuff I've pointed my .308 and .243 at never knew the difference!

 

[d3lta58]

It does look like the remington fan base is begging to shrink lately, but I still do not have a whole lot of money to spend on just the rifle. Let's just say my budget is around $1,000- $1,100 (because it is) . I still want to have some money left over after buying the rifle to the scope, bipod, ammo, ect. If I put down 800 of so for one of the rifles from a company listed above, that leaves me with not a lot of cash for some glass, or anything else I would need. I find that the r700 sps is not only a good gun, it feels like if I went in any other direction I would either be wasting cash on a cheep gun or over shoot my budget.

 

[whatnickname]

Budget concerns

You could buy any of the last three in my list of picks and stay well withing your budget and still have money left over for some fairly good glass. Do yourself a favor and look at the Tikka, CZ and Savage before you make a decision!

 

[Bobarino]

one plus about the Remington, especially the SPS Varmint, is not only are you starting with a solid foundation, but aftermarket upgrades are the easiest to come by and the most plentiful. any aftermarket company that makes anything regarding accurate rifles makes it for the Rem 700 action. for value, you really can't beat the SPS-V. i like Savages with the accu-trigger too, but aftermarket support isn't as good and the entry cost is higher. None of them are going to be 1/4 MOA guns out of the box, but it'll cost the least and be the easiest to make it so with the R700.

Bobby

 

[Tirod]

I'm going to suggest that the .308 is a nice curio, but not the best choice. In the M14 platform, it can't even place in the top ten at national matches. The AR in 5.56 or 6.5 Grendel out shoots it hands down.

Range shooting out to 600 and deer hunting are just about on the opposite ends of the specturm. Most deer are shot in woodlands under 200 yards - usually 75. Hiking into the backwoods with a 10 pound .308 sniper rifle is work, and a misapplication of the weapon. Unless you have bean fields, power lines, clear views, and ingress close to the stand, I don't see it working out in the long run. Like as not you could jump a deer on the trail in - trying to get a scope picture on it at 3 power with no iron sights.

It's why I quit using a .30-06 700 with 3x9. I kept all the deer I shot with iron sights, and lost them with a bolt scoped gun. Just too close.

.308 bolt sniper guns had a heyday in the '80's. Despite the current "desire" to have them in Afghanistan ( due to commanders making poor decisions on the mission ) I don't see them as actually useful in the day to day world - except as a target gun. Having access to a 600 meter range makes a world of difference - most don't have that option without a long drive.

But it doesn't make a .308 the best choice. Look into a AR in 6.5 Grendel and see if it isn't less. It will be more accurate for the dollar spent, and more durable.

 

[TXHORNS]

First of all 308 rifles are super popular right now. Every company has a tactical 308 including Sako and Tikka. 308 is a great round that can do anything you are looking for and then some at an affordable price.

And I'm sorry but an AR is not more durable than a Remington 700. Accuracy would be close.

My Rem 700 tactical w/20" barrel and hogue stock in 308 is a 1/2moa rifle. Weighs 7.5lbs without scope or bipod. Take the bipod off if I hunt with it and its only 1/2lb heavier than you average deer rifle. Its good to 600 yards if the shooter is. I would suggest more glass, possibly get a Nikon or Bushnell with more magnification for the same price. If you can tell the difference between Leopold and Nikon/Bushnell you have better eyes than my 20-20. Try the mil-dot reticle, you may or may not like it but it has advantages at 600 yards. I chose the Nikon Monarch 4-16x42, didn't have mil-dot option when I bought mine but I am considering sending it to Nikon to add it.

I wanted exactly what you wanted, a 600 yard target rifle that I can hunt with from time to time for about $1000. If I wanted a 1000 yard rifle I would have gotten a longer barrel but the 20 inch length makes up for the added weight with the better handling. Could not be happier with my setup...well I could but not for anywhere close to what I spent.

 

[d3lta58]

I was thinking of the R700 tactical 20in instead of the R700 sps 26in, but I was taught, that the longer the barrel is, the more velocity the bullet is going have, which in turn equals more distance. I know the tactical is a 1/10 twist so it'll handle heaver bullets better, but it would still seem that the sps would be better for longer shots.

 

[bpl]

I would get the .308 in a heavy barreled or medium weight barreled tactical/varmint/precision type configuration, shoot the sh*t out of it at the range while you save for a lighter hunting rifle for next year. .308 would be a great choice for the hunting rifle as well, unless you'd rather get another chambering for that. The positive attributes of a highly accurate, high volume shooting bench gun are the exact opposite of a good hunting rifle.

 

[rangerruck]

If 223 ammo can be used in your state for deer hunting, i would go with that first. Otherwise, any factory or milsurp ammo, in 308, and 30.06 is reasonably priced, and should give fine accuracy- fine enough for hunting and plinking anyway.