Dual-use Precision/Hunting 308 Build: Action and stock selection

There are a lot of ways to skin this cat but a dual-use rig is doable, it's mostly a matter of throwing money at it. It most likely won't be real competitive in specific disciplines but will be totally capable for target/long range shooting on your own time. My go-to hunting rig these days is a 20" barrelled .308 in med palma contour (it was a 26" barrel years go when I shot tac in PRS) on a Rem 700 sitting in an MDT HNT26 folder with arca forend. 20 moa rail and a Vortex LHT 4.5-22ffp scope on top. Weighs about 10lbs, 11lbs with a lightweight double-pull Ckye-pod. I've shot it out to 1000yds plenty of times and the short barrel is great for the tighter woods around here. If I want to really push it out there, I have a 26" carbon 7saum barrel I can spin on. Makes a great dual-use rifle. I use it for NRL Hunter as well. I spin on a 24" 6.5 Creed barrel and it's good to go for open-light, for open-heavy I swap the LHT for a G3 Razor 6-36 and the lightweight double-pull for a triple-pull Ckye-pod. When the .308 barrel finally dies(it's pushing 6k rounds) it'll get rebarrelled as a 18" 6.5 Creed. Bit more nimble again but better ballistics and still plenty of energy for taking game at reasonable distances.
 
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I use a stock rem 700 police ltr for my dual use rig 20 inch barrel 308 leupold mark 4 3.5-10.
That being said I’m not a huge long range guy shoot to 500 metres as that’s all we have around here but it shoots almost anything I feed it into under an inch at 100 metres and for my hunting use I don’t shoot past 300 metres
 
If you can swing it I would check out the Bergara B-142 Crest. These are coming in right around $2500, good "huntable" weight with AICS mags in a carbon fiber stock, nice trigger, 700-footprint, and reviewing quite well. A 2020 Waypoint could also be a contender but they are a fair bit pricier. Scope to taste.
 
I have a tikka UPR with the 20” barrel in 6.5CM and a Leupold LRP 4.5-14x50 FFP scope, weighs in at 9lbs empty.

Haven’t hunted with it but it’s quite handy and light for being a precision gun so would definitely be doable for what you’re thinking I would say.

Looks like the Bergara would be about 1.7 lbs heavier than the tikka so something to consider for a carrying around rifle.

As mentioned the B-14 Crest would be a great choice with that light stock coming in a full pound lighter than the UPR
 
Bushbasher said:
I use a stock rem 700 police ltr for my dual use rig 20 inch barrel 308 leupold mark 4 3.5-10.
That being said I’m not a huge long range guy shoot to 500 metres as that’s all we have around here but it shoots almost anything I feed it into under an inch at 100 metres and for my hunting use I don’t shoot past 300 metres
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One of my shooting buddies has the same rifle, and that 20" barrel is accurate right out to 1K!
Cat
 
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This was an interesting read! I bought a Bergara B14 Ridge rifle chambered in .308 20" as my first bolt action (i have a bunch of .308 laying around) a couple weeks back. Pretty much the same goals as the OP, 80% target, 20% hunting deer and smaller game. Thankfully my current form of hunting is pretty mild compared to others, ill maybe carry a rifle 6km in a day, lots of hill shooting out to 350m. I normally carry 13lb red rifles for these tasks so a 10lb PRS rifles is an improvement for me lol. Im building the gun around a KRG X Ray chassis. Was going to go Tikka CTR, but decided id rather have the Bergara PLUS an extra few hundred dollars to spend of other parts of build.
 
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Murray 3-D said:
This was an interesting read! I bought a Bergara B14 Ridge rifle chambered in .308 20" as my first bolt action (i have a bunch of .308 laying around) a couple weeks back. Pretty much the same goals as the OP, 80% target, 20% hunting deer and smaller game. Thankfully my current form of hunting is pretty mild compared to others, ill maybe carry a rifle 6km in a day, lots of hill shooting out to 350m. I normally carry 13lb red rifles for these tasks so a 10lb PRS rifles is an improvement for me lol. Im building the gun around a KRG X Ray chassis. Was going to go Tikka CTR, but decided id rather have the Bergara PLUS an extra few hundred dollars to spend of other parts of build.
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now the interesting read will be about optic selection.
 
Potashminer said:
Perhaps I will be grumpy - can not make "dual" purpose - will be half assed for either role - too many opposites between ideal for hunting rifle and ideal for target shooting rifle - priorities very different among the two disciplines - although you can "make do" with one in the other role. A very accurate 7 pound hunting rifle will not keep up with a 14 pound all out target rifle - and I would not want to be the one dragging the 14 pounder after a moose or deer. I suspect some amount of kidding oneself can convince you that there is a suitable "in between" type of rifle.
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After years of working on this idea I agree with you completely.Best i could come up with is my old Steyr SSG69, No bipod. Precision shooting style scopes are just too large/heavy for rough country hunting.:cheers:
 
As I said in another post, I have a weatherby 308 in a tacticle chassis. It came from the factory that way and would be a good base for a target rifle. As others like "potashminer" said, it is hard to have both rifles. This would suit the target end of you needs and from there I would buy a nice boyds or other stock and switch to the lighter setup for hunting. I may even have a boyds stock for this rifle left over. Contact me if you are interested and I can give you more details. It has not been fired.
 
big bear said:
After years of working on this idea I agree with you completely.Best i could come up with is my old Steyr SSG69, No bipod. Precision shooting style scopes are just too large/heavy for rough country hunting.:cheers:
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And that is why you opt for a chassis. My chassis is a magnesium/carbon combo and weighs next to nothing on its own. I had to go and look it up at 28 oz, full complete chassis, ready to mount a rifle.

When I want it only takes minutes to add 6-7 lbs of weights to it. All mlok fit to the chassis so they are quick and easy on and off. Gives you a light hunting rifle, and quickly a heavy bench rifle, with only weights to change up. Where there is a will there is a way!
 
Well I've finally got it put together, T3x CTR with an Ares 3-18. I waited for the big sales and EE deals to keep the budget reasonable.

Got it zeroed in and shooting mediocre groups at 300 yards but I'm happy so far.

Also ordered an XRS chassis but I'll wait for the warmer weather before mounting and testing it.

The setup with just the factory stock is heavy, so several of you guys were right to warn me about "dual use". I will embrace it for now, didn't get out hunting this season so I'll find out later.
 
mv2 said:
Well I've finally got it put together, T3x CTR with an Ares 3-18. I waited for the big sales and EE deals to keep the budget reasonable.

Got it zeroed in and shooting mediocre groups at 300 yards but I'm happy so far.

Also ordered an XRS chassis but I'll wait for the warmer weather before mounting and testing it.

The setup with just the factory stock is heavy, so several of you guys were right to warn me about "dual use". I will embrace it for now, didn't get out hunting this season so I'll find out later.
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I think to get what you truly want , a CFW barrel and a lighter scope is the way to go.
But it’ll be a budget killer ,for sure.

Or a switch barrel set up
 
Total weight with a Caldwell XLA 6-9" comes in just around 11 lbs on a not-so-accurate scale. The XRS may add a little more weight to that once it's swapped out.
 
mv2 said:
Total weight with a Caldwell XLA 6-9" comes in just around 11 lbs on a not-so-accurate scale. The XRS may add a little more weight to that once it's swapped out.
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Yeah they get heavy with dual use but unless your sheep or goat hunting I don’t think it will be to much of an issue. Just adds a few pounds to your squat ;).

I’m waiting on a GRAYBOE Phoenix 2 for my Tikka CTR Switchbarrel rifle and I expect it to be around 9 to 12lbs depending on the barrel I have on it.

B
 
mv2 said:
Total weight with a Caldwell XLA 6-9" comes in just around 11 lbs on a not-so-accurate scale. The XRS may add a little more weight to that once it's swapped out.
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Not terrible but still not light, the more you carry it the more you will get used to it though. The first rifle I hunted with weighed about 10lbs without ammo, after the first season I didn’t really notice the weight.
 
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