$2000 build, just for something to look forward to

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Mammoth

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Alrighty, when I turn 18 and get my RPAL and all that good stuff, I think I'll skip the crap and start off with an at least decent precision rifle. The criteria would probably be around $2000 with optics, should have a thumbhole stock, (I find them most comfortable) and accuracy is obviously the name of the game. Stopping power is extraneous, this will be for target shooting only. Beyond that I'm open to almost anything.

Seeing as I won't be buying anything for at least two years, don't think too hard on this one. :D All I'm looking to get out of this is something to look forward to.
 
It's good & healthy to dream.... especially when you're dreaming of your next gun... I do it all the time.

If you're looking for a precision rig, start thinking about a heavy barrel, bolt action .308, or maybe a .223 cheaper on ammo.
 
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Mammoth said:
I'd do .223, the only reason I'm not gonna consider .22LR for this one is the limited range.
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If you don't reload, I'd go with .308. A heavy barrel .308 doesn't have much recoil and you can find match grade ammo off the shelf fairly easily.
 
I agree. between .223 and .308.

I did a similar thing as you actually.. almost exactly.

My first rifle when I got my PAL was to buy a 700LTR in .308 with good rings and bases and a good scope. In total it was right around 1600$ (got the LTR when it was still 950$ hahaha)

Sigh :redface: Here it is the day it arrived almost 4 years ago:
LTR2.jpg


then a couple years later
P9100010-1.jpg



I wanted a .308 because I could still take game with it if I wanted, which I have taken it hunting numerous times, but not to stalk with. It is a treestand/hide rifle.

223 would be good if all you want to do is target shoot since the ammo is cheaper and the recoil less. though the recoil in a heavy barrel .308 is negligable at best.

I do all my own reloading in .308 so I don't know why you would argue that it would be better to buy factory .308.

I would argue the other side. Since .223 ammo is cheaper you can buy more factory stuff, the real savings in reloading would be with the .308 because factory ammo is more expensive.

both rounds are readily available in the stores.

Check out the 700 5R milspec. They are growing in popularity around here. I just bought one in .308 but haven't shot it yet, but the reviews are astounding.

The 700 LTR and P are also great rifles..

I'm a 700 fan myself obviously but for good reason. I have never been dissapointed and they are the most versatile actions as well for aftermarket parts, stocks, etc.
 
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mammoth, here is my recommendation for a beginner rifle that you can transform as money permits into anything you want. thebest thing is that the .308 and the .223 SPS varmit are the same price.... so the build below would work with either caliber.

start with a remington SPS varmit in .223 OR .308 $720 from Frontier Taxidermy, add to that Leupold PRW Rings (High Height) $80, Luepold 1 piece Base (without windage adjusments) $50, and for a scope the falcon menace 4.5-18x56mm at $440.

Add to that a Harris BR Bipod $120, a nice soft case $100 and some butler creek flip up scope covers $30 and if you want a shilen or jewell trigger add another $200.

total price $1540, add the trigger and its $1740 add 5% GST makes it $1617 and $1827

so there you go, complete package for under $2k....

the remington sps varmit is a 1/12 twist barrel and loves the 45gr winchester 40rnd white box bulk stuff.... so $0.50 a shot. cheap to shoot and fun to boot ;) ...... the 308 on the other hand is approx $1 per round up to $1.75-$2 a round for match grade Gold Medal or Lapua
 
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Westicle said:
mammoth, here is my recommendation for a beginner rifle that you can transform as money permits into anything you want. thebest thing is that the .308 and the .223 SPS varmit are the same price.... so the build below would work with either caliber.

start with a remington SPS varmit in .223 OR .308 $720 from Frontier Taxidermy, add to that Leupold PRW Rings (High Height) $80, Luepold 1 piece Base (without windage adjusments) $50, and for a scope the falcon menace 4.5-18x56mm at $440.

Add to that a Harris BR Bipod $120, a nice soft case $100 and some butler creek flip up scope covers $30 and if you want a shilen or jewell trigger add another $200.

total price $1540, add the trigger and its $1740 add 5% GST makes it $1617 and $1827

so there you go, complete package for under $2k....

the remington sps varmit is a 1/12 twist barrel and loves the 45gr winchester 40rnd white box bulk stuff.... so $0.50 a shot. cheap to shoot and fun to boot ;) ...... the 308 on the other hand is approx $1 per round up to $1.75-$2 a round for match grade Gold Medal or Lapua
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Not a bad setup actually

sad thing is the rifles I mentioned used to cost sub 1000$ now i see the LTR and the 5R both cost in the 13-1500$ range which after tax would pretty much blow your budget.

secondly, when I was rifle shopping all there was was the SPS and SPS DM, now you have the SPS tactical, varmint, this that.

The only thing really you are paying more for with the LTR,etc is the HS precision stock that you could swap out later if you want.

Wes recommends a pretty good setup actually, the only difference I had was the base. I also use Leupold PRW rings and they hold up great.

The only other costs you would need would be to get the trigger done as the factory pull on remingtons is really high.

Thats all I did with the LTR, took it down to 2lb and the thing shoots awesome as do most heavy barrel rifles.
 
the new sps varmits come with the mark X trigger and they can be tuned a lot... I am just not sure how they hold the setting.

and with cerikson I am humming and hawwing on the base I recommended as well... Nightforce makes a great 1 piece as does NEAR Mfg and Ken Farrell, but at a cost .. starting at $150 and up to about $250. I have 20 MOA ken farrell on my custom 308 and my 2 other "hunting" rifles both wear talley Lightweights.

I like the Leupold QR 2 piece base paired with the PRW rings for a cost effective soloution.... rings AND bases should not exceed $150, you can always upgrade later if you want. BUT frankly I would upgrade the glass before anything, and get a nice AICS stock if you like them.
 
If you don't mind changing the stock go for a rem 700 varmint, same action and barrel has the 700P, but much cheaper because of the cheap stock. You could get a thumb hole stock afther that.

Honestly that What I am douing I have the remm 70 varmint, bipod, and a elite 3200 tactical on it. use the rest of the 2000$ to buy ammo :)
 
Lots of good advice. If you are going to shoot a lot, I would recommend getting into reloading. Once you have brass, you can reload match grade ammo for .223 at about $0.30 per round.
 
223 is an excellent target rifle. The 80 gr VLD bullets work well to 1000 yards. Wind drift is slightly less than a 155 Palma bullet out of a 308.

$2,000 wont buy much of a new target rifle. An action is over $2,000. A barrel is $500 installed. A stck is $400 and up. Target sigfhts, front and back run about $500.

But you can buy a used target rifle for $1,000 to $1,500 with lots of life left in the barrel.

Are you a cadet, or ex-cadet? The cadet target rifles probably cost $4,000 or more.

I have some excellent 308 target rifles I won't ever use again, but no 223s.
 
Westicle said:
mammoth, here is my recommendation for a beginner rifle that you can transform as money permits into anything you want. thebest thing is that the .308 and the .223 SPS varmit are the same price.... so the build below would work with either caliber.

start with a remington SPS varmit in .223 OR .308 $720 from Frontier Taxidermy, add to that Leupold PRW Rings (High Height) $80, Luepold 1 piece Base (without windage adjusments) $50, and for a scope the falcon menace 4.5-18x56mm at $440.

Add to that a Harris BR Bipod $120, a nice soft case $100 and some butler creek flip up scope covers $30 and if you want a shilen or jewell trigger add another $200.

total price $1540, add the trigger and its $1740 add 5% GST makes it $1617 and $1827

so there you go, complete package for under $2k....

the remington sps varmit is a 1/12 twist barrel and loves the 45gr winchester 40rnd white box bulk stuff.... so $0.50 a shot. cheap to shoot and fun to boot ;) ...... the 308 on the other hand is approx $1 per round up to $1.75-$2 a round for match grade Gold Medal or Lapua
Click to expand...

I just bought an SPS Varmint and if I had it to do over I would have bought a VS, or and SPS Tactical at least. The stock on the SPS varmint is pretty flimsy and I ended up replacing it with a HS precision stock.
 
Mammoth said:
Alrighty, when I turn 18 and get my RPAL and all that good stuff, I think I'll skip the crap and start off with an at least decent precision rifle. The criteria would probably be around $2000 with optics, should have a thumbhole stock, (I find them most comfortable) and accuracy is obviously the name of the game. Stopping power is extraneous, this will be for target shooting only. Beyond that I'm open to almost anything.

Seeing as I won't be buying anything for at least two years, don't think too hard on this one. :D All I'm looking to get out of this is something to look forward to.
Click to expand...

When you're 18 you'll have 2 grand for a rifle??! Damn, what kinda after school job you got?
 
Fenix.NZ said:
lol its not that hard is it .. i bought my own house at 20 .. just gotta be dedicated to your saving
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Umm.. yeah that won't be happening for me. I've sunk most of my money into my camera equipment. Canon 1D II and a 200mm f/2.8L II. Expensive stuff, it'll do me good though. Guns come later, my dad won't buy me an airgun (Diana 21 I bet) until he knows I won't lose interest.
 
outta curiosity, how would these rifle suggestions compare with a tikka t3 super varmint in .308

I understand that you can obtain this tikka for less than 2 grand with a fine scope
 
gravyboat said:
I just bought an SPS Varmint and if I had it to do over I would have bought a VS, or and SPS Tactical at least. The stock on the SPS varmint is pretty flimsy and I ended up replacing it with a HS precision stock.
Click to expand...

stock is easy to upgrade later.... for about the same cost difference as it would take to get the upgraded rifle, but either way it would drive the price up over the $2k mark after taxes.


outta curiosity, how would these rifle suggestions compare with a tikka t3 super varmint in .308

I understand that you can obtain this tikka for less than 2 grand with a fine scope
Click to expand...

a "fine" scope ??..... an acceptable scope starts at $1k MINIMUM.... and a T3 varmit is $1340 at elwood epps,T3 Tactical $1670 and the T3 super varmit going for $1700

add to that minimum $200 for rings and base.... another $140 for bipod and your well over the $2k limit set even before taxes, with GST that works out to so that $1340 = $1407, and that $1700 = $1785 and thats just for the bare rifle, not much room for anything else after shipping is concerned ;)

although if you wanted to go cheap on the scope a nice bushnell 3200 10x would be the way to go for under $300.... or the falcon menace 4.5-18x56mm at $440, that would allow you to buy a better rifle to start with, upgrade the glass when you can afford it.
 
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wow, i admit, i had only found one quote on a price for a super varmint, put it around $700 cheaper than the tic tac.

will a tikka shoot better than a modified rifle for the same money?
 
Stevens 200 used 300$
Burris Signature Rings 70$
Farrel Bases = 100$
SWFA Super Sniper Scope= 500$
PacNor, Shilen, LW etc Prefit bbl in .223 = 500$
B and C Medalist Stock = 300$

Total 1770$

Sell old bbl and stock - 140$

1630$

Extras - SSS target trigger add 200$
Blueprint action...oh wait its a Savage, no need to.

Will out shoot any Remington in the same price range and well beyond.

Don't believe it when people tell you that you need to spend 1000$+ on a scope. There are lots of scopes that will do the job for 500$ish
 
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Check out a Tikka rifle in person. For target/varmint rifles I'm not a huge fan. For hunting I think the T3 light models are excellent. I just don't like the stock for the varmint/tactical models. It seems cheap. Also in terms of accuracy I wouldn't put them as anymore accurate than a Remington.

Another option are the CZ Kevlar models. I have a 527 Kevlar in .223. detachable mag, HS stock, nice action. I like it better than the Tikka and in terms of value for options it's tough to beat. Less than the Tikka and Remington. But you will have to spend the $40 on a trigger job to really make it excel. I should add that it also has a set trigger which is very good. The regular trigger needs the extra work. After a gunsmith has worked on it, the trigger is excellent.

At $950 the CZ Kevlar is tough to beat.
 
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