It's build time. But I need some insight on the topic.

C

chriss

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So here we go. I finally decided that it's time for me to try my hand at building a solid mid to long range rifle.

I don't have any real experience shooting past 200yd so it's going to be a bit of a learning curve for me. Having said that - I just struck a deal with a hay farmer who's only 20 min away and now have 2000+ yd of shooting area. It's time I learned how to handle a gun!

Here's what I have so far.

Action:
I have 2 actions that are both ready to go.
#1 is a Savage 10 in .308 with the nice tactical bolt handle, accu-trigger and the side mount bolt release.
#2 is a Remington 700 from a basic SPS again in .308. This one has only about 25-30 rounds through it. Other than that- its as basic as a Remington 700 gets.

Barrel:
I have 3 different Barrels to use.
#1 24" factory Remington 700 heavy varmint barrel (no idea what the twist ratio is)
#2 and #3 are both E. R. Shaw #5 contour (1.25" bull) that are 24" long with a 1 in 10 twist. These are brand new blanks.

Stock/Chassis
#1 is the factory Remington SPS Tupperware - basically just junk from what I hear. And feel...
#2 is a Hogue rubberized stock that was original to an older (2012-2013) SPS Tactical.
#3 is an MDT TAC-21 chassis and a Magpul PRS (both in FDE) and I really hate the color, but I'll take a wild guess and say that this is by far the best quality piece I have.

Scope/Optics
#1 Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40mm great scope but useless for anything long range.
#2 Millett LRS 6-25x56mm It looks cool, but I keep reading horrible reviews on this thing. Kinda kills the mood. I can say that anything over 20 x and it is really hard to get a good clear view through it.

I'll be saving money for a proper scope once the rifle is built, but I'm thinking a used Bushnell Elite 6500 4.5-30x50mm or a Vortex Viper HS LR 6-24x50mm
Always open to sugestions, but I'll go more into that when I have the cash in hand.


Unfortunately I don't have a stock for the Savage. This leads me to one of the big questions for the night...

What is the better action to build?

Savage 10?
Remington 700?
Both are .308 Winchester.

Lets hear the input for the noobie!
 
I just put a Savage 10 FCP in a MDT LSS chassis and so far, so good. The fit of the chassis was great and was as easy as pie to install. I topped mine with a Sightron 4-20 x 50 STAC with a MOA reticle. It is a .223 so this scope is more than enough. So far my hand loads are averaging 1/2 MOA but hopefully they will get a bit tighter with more development and if I can do my part.

I picked the Savage because I can build it myself, swap barrels in the future, etc. I went with .223 as reloading components are readily available and I can learn the basics and get more trigger time at a lower cost. The accu trigger is nice but a bit on the heavy side for a bench setup. A spring swap/mod is in my future.

If you are serious about getting in to the precision long range game, hand loading is almost a must unless you want to spend 3$ a pull and not have optimum accuracy.
 
So the Savage seems to be getting all the love. That's interesting. I do like it, but that means I am going to have to find a chassis. I haven't seen many used MDT stocks for a savage action up for sale on EE, so I might have to buy a new one. Damn... I wanted to pinch a few pennies there.
 
Both good options and both will likely shoot just as good with a good barrel fitted properly. Like another member said the savage can be done quite easily while the Remington will have to be sent to a smith to be chambered and fitted and cost a bit more in the long run.
 
The Savage is a good option. I myself have built up a match rig that has served be well over the past few years. However, be careful with the upgrades, as it can get out of hand fairly quick.

If I were to do it again, a custom action is the only thing that I would've changed.

The Savage will be plenty accurate for your needs. Depending on the barrel, you probably will never be able to outshoot the rifle.

Cheers, and good luck!

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I would go with the mdt chassis option for whatever action it will fit. If it fits both I would go with the savage and one of the new barrel blanks. Top it will the millet until you want to upgrade the glass.
 
As mentioned, custom actions are usually already trued and some come with the rail or have built in - if you rethinking of a 700 action, then truing, and add a base, you may was to compare the two $$ wise - they won't be that far apart.
 
Ok, well, I have decided to go for the Savage action that I have.
So far this is what I have:
Savage 10 action
MDT LSS-XL chassis
Magpul PRS buttstock
Millett LRS 6-24x 56 scope

Stuff that I still need:
Rail to mount the scope to the action
Barrel - it's in the mail
Bipod
Money for a decent scope.

I'd love to get a custom action. But I'm a student - so eventually I will play around with the action I have and see what can be done to improve it, but I can't splurge on a new one just yet.
Good quality glass is my next goal. The old Millett isn't bad... But it's not good either.
 
I've heard that the Millet glass is OKAY, but be careful about the turrets tracking. Test the tracking yourself of the millet. If it tracks, you'll be good until you have the $$ for a good one.

The savage action is all good to your needs, and you will be able to upgrade to a custom one in the future! You will learn a lot, and this custom made of a savage action will be more than enough. You should have a 1/2MOA rig with this setup, which is very good. Then you will be experienced enough to upgrade and take advantage of the improvements.
Have fun!
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