Another Beginner looking for a rifle.

Cool Looks

Accurate results

Reasonable price.



Pick any two.

But seriously.... the very fact that you are asking such a question means that you would be doing yourself a tremendous favour by spending less time here and more time hanging out at the range or the gun club. Simply buying a cool looking and/or expensive rifle does not translate into precision. It takes both an accurate firearm AND accurate ammunition in the hands of a good shooter, and honestly, there are very few factory guns - regardless of their price tag - that achieve a high degree or precision.

I would go cheap, learn for yourself what you want and need and then invest the money where you want it to go after you can answer these questions on your own.
 
Im super new to this, I own a shotgun, and its fun to shoot, and I borrowed my buddys 10/22 for a day at the range and had alot of fun shooting with a scope off the bench.. as I said I fired the AR also and well standing up shooting with a red dot sight just isnt my thing. So ive been looking at the Remington 700 because it can be changed and upgraded, and seems to be pretty popular.

I dont have a chance to go hangout at a range just now to talk to people or try anything so im pretty sure I want a precision rifle.

I dont know anything about good setups. The 700 looks good but there are so many setups right out of the box. Just wondering if this one looks like a good deal.

Is the scope good? Can I make adjustments with the knobs or do I need a flat head screwdriver. Also caliber 308 or 223? Im under the impression the 308 will be more powerful so range would be better.
 
you dont HAVE to have a red dot on an ar, in fact when you buy an ar they usually come with iron sights.
rem 700 is fun, 308 i'd say takes better advantage of the 700's reputation to be a long range rifle. recoil is fun ;)
you can get the rifle chambered in either 223 or 308 but your deal that you have hotlinked is in 308.

the scope looks nice and i think it has target turrets underneath the caps (finger adjustable)
the bipod is good and reliable (pretty much everyone has one)
 
Well, it's kinda like going to the pistol range. You'll see lots of different guns for different purposes.
Go visit some of the F-Class/Target Rifle matches and you'll see what folks use and what works.
.308 is great cartridge, but normally you see 30" custom barrels and chambers to reach out to 1000yds.
.223 is great too, but also seen with custom tubes in 8" twist or now 7".
6.5x55, 6 Norma BR are also amazing calibers for precision shooting. I'd look into those as well very hard.
If you could find a factory varmint Tikka T3 in 6.5x55 it would be a great start too. Savage rifles are also an option for this.

That box stock Remington you have posted will get you started, but don't expect it meet all the requirements for a Precision Rifle. If your just interested in plinking and not competing some day, then have some fun with it. Recoil will be fun with a light gun in .308. ;)
Better off with a .223 in that package for plinking.
 
Often, new shooters who are led into buying the "ultimate" rifle without the depth of shooting exerience to live up to the expectations walk away from the range in dissapointment, never to come back.

For a newbie, a stock heavy barrel Remington 700 or Savage in .223 with a fast twist (1-9, or faster) is a great place to start at short to intermediate distances. Get the action bedded by a gunsmith and a good reliable brand of scope with target knobs in about 10x magnification, a Harris "S" bipod and you are ready to go.

With this setup, you can learn a lot about firing the perfect shot, watching wind, observing swirl & fall of shot, care & cleaning as well as handloading match quality ammo. Then upgrade with confidence when you are ready to be competitive.

.308 is OK too and will take you further, sooner, but the extra recoil (even if you don't mind the pain) may teach you bad habits, when you are still learning to shoot and it is more expensive ammo to buy or load for.
 
the sps is a decent gun but the stock is stright up terrable, the hougue rubber stock is all kinds of flexable and twisty, my buddy has an sps, resting on a bipod, we could twist the stock 10-15* befor the bipod would lift a left... other then thats, its a nice gun
 
Wufdog said:
I dont know anything about good setups. The 700 looks good but there are so many setups right out of the box. Just wondering if this one looks like a good deal.

Is the scope good? Can I make adjustments with the knobs or do I need a flat head screwdriver. Also caliber 308 or 223? Im under the impression the 308 will be more powerful so range would be better.
Click to expand...

Dont sell rimfires short. To learn how to shoot, a quality rimfire will teach you lots. In fact, some competitors in LR shooting use the rimfire to simulate the process at "short" distance. And the cost of operation is way less.

If you decide centerfire is for you, consider the 223 in a fast twist HB. It will do anything a 308 will do and more then capable of shooting WELL beyond 1000yds.

It is available in a huge range of rifles. Do consider reloading as that will min costs and greatly improve performance.

Best value will be a Savage. Best out of the box will be a Tikka. There are also lots of used rifles in the EE

6mmBR.com has a section call guns of the week. There are over 100 top tier rigs that cover all possible forms of precision shooting. Might give you some inspiration on the direction you would like to head.

There are also forums and blogs dedicated to every form of shooting out there. Might help you decide what you like to do.

For scope, the 'target' variety will have hand adjustable turrets with vernier scale so you will know where you are in your adjustments. Lots and lots of options and pricing to match.

Visit product websites to see what options are available. Even youtube can be helpful in showing what different types of disciplines look like.

Although I don't shoot it, the run and gun videos are my fave.

Once you can narrow down what it is you want to achieve, there is plenty of info to help you get set up.

Enjoy the journey. Do try and visit the open house days. you will see and learn so much and get to handle lots of good rifles.

Jerry
 
Woah My brain feels like scrambled eggs right now! Thank you all for the great advice.
 
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