Semi budget F/TR rifle?

T

TrxR

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I am having a blast shooting Benchrest .22LR with my 40x and am wanting to get into shooting F/TR with a .308. I was thinking of building off a Barnard S action but the budget is not going to allow that for a long while.

So I was thinking of picking up either a cheap used Rem 700 or a bare 700 Action converting it to single shot. Putting on a 1 in 11 Twist 30" barrel, a Jewell or Timney trigger. Not sure on a stock.

My other option was a cheap stevens 200 action.

I was thinking it would be a cheaper way of getting into it and have some fun. Do you think a combo like this would be competitive enough? I know I will have alot of learning to do.

Thanks
 
What about something like the savage model 12 BR ? The savage team is shooting these off the shelf guns and winning so they must be pretty decent . I'm not sure on the wait time to get one though . And down the road , plenty easy to spin on a new barrel
 
Nothing wrong with what you suggest (my first target rifle was built this way, using a long action Winchester M70 Ranger in .30-06 I bought from Canadian Tire. I still have it and if you come out to an RNBRA match you can shoot it - for example this Sunday at St. Antoine). I'll shoot quite well and it should be able to take you to the very top, or darn near. It might not save you much money over building it with a Barnard action - everything you buy other than the action itself will be the same price, regardless of which action you put it on. The stock. The barrel. The chambering job. The sights. The ammo. Etc.

A Barnard S with trigger is indicated at $1300 on the Hirsch Precision website. I don't know what one can find a bare 700 action for these days ($400? $500?). To this you'll add a trigger ($150? $300? I'm dated, I don't really know). "Converting to single shot" could be as simple as just not using the magazine, so this could be as little as $0. A Rem 700 *might* (then again might not) need to be accurized - perhaps a bit of lathe work on the action face, maybe the lug abutments, maybe the bolt lugs. Maybe lap the lugs. (call the accurizing somewhere from $0 to $200).

Using an off the shelf factory action will be cheaper than a good custom action such as the Barnard. It's just that you should be aware of *how much* the difference is, so you can decide where/if/how you can best save on your costs.

Another thing you can do is to buy an older-generation target rifle and build on that; something like a Musgrave or perhaps a Paramount or RPA. I'd avoid a Swing (pretty fussy and parts can be hard to find) and a Sportco (they can be made to shoot great, but they really are "cheap" and you might feel like you've over-scrimped). Don't get a Lee Enfield (they're too floppy for modern high performance target ammo).

The going rate for a decent used target rifle is on the order of $1000. This would include a good action, a medium or maybe good trigger, a good stock, a bedding job of unknown quality, a good barrel but realistically speaking assume it is shot out and needs to be replaced. Usually you can make a used-looking but good-as-new rifle by simply re-bedding it and installing a new barrel.
 
As I've recently learned, an accurate rifle doesn't help much if I can't accurately read and compensate for the wind and conditions that change between each shot, they still hit all over the place :(
I think putting together an economical rifle with a good barrel, even some factory rifles like the savage, could keep most new long range shooters like myself busy for some time before seeing a real difference from spending more $$.
 
F/tr rifle



Here is a picture of what you are wishing for and yes it isn't cheap to put together. I shoot F/ class with guys with out of the box Savage (had a hard time saying that word ) firearms and they do shoot. Savage has done a lot to get people started in F/CLASS at a reasonable cost. Someone who is good at reading conditions will do well shooting a Savage.

Cheers Bill
 
SND said:
As I've recently learned, an accurate rifle doesn't help much if I can't accurately read and compensate for the wind and conditions that change between each shot, they still hit all over the place :(
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True, but there is a "but...." to this.

When you were shooting an accurate rifle, and not making terribly good wind calls, the bullets on the target were telling you quite accurately what your mistakes were. From this, you can learn to be a better shooter.

If you were shooting a substantially less accurate rifle, you'd probably have noticed little or no difference in your score. But, the bullets on the target would not quite as accurately be telling you your mistakes. This can make learning to be a better shooter *much* slower, and will artificially stop your learning as a shooter at a plateau that is short of your actual potential.
I think putting together an economical rifle with a good barrel, even some factory rifles like the savage, could keep most new long range shooters like myself busy for some time before seeing a real difference from spending more $$.
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It doesn't matter if you have a cheap or expensive rifle, or whether it is a joy to look at, operate and shoot or if it's a miserable clunker.... so long as it is adequately accurate for the job (different levels of accuracy are needed for iron sights vs. F-Class shooting). It *IS* very important to make sure your rifle is accurate _enough_ for the kind of shooting you are doing, so that it helps you learn to be a better shooter instead of standing in your way.
 
Daniel: Where the old Musgraves drilled and tapped for scope mounts? Or would that have to be done? I am kinda partial to good old Iron as I am shooting a 1959 Rem 40x .22lr off the bench. I have also shot a locals Musgrave TR rifle.

Thanks
 
TrxR said:
Daniel: Where the old Musgraves drilled and tapped for scope mounts? Or would that have to be done? I am kinda partial to good old Iron as I am shooting a 1959 Rem 40x .22lr off the bench. I have also shot a locals Musgrave TR rifle.
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From the factory, Musgraves were not drilled and tapped for scope mounts, so you might need to get this done if the previous owner didn't do it. Find yourself a buddy with a milling machine and it's a piece of cake to do it. Or buy a case of beer and drive to Fredericton and we can do it for "free".
 
Got several article on my website in the Tech section that can help you on your way.

I have been shooting Savage rifles in F class for about 7 yrs. They have worked very well for me and I continue to shoot them. As long as you can add a good trigger, most any action can be made to work. Some cost more then others to set up.

Alot of time is spent debating this and that action. They all work (modern front locking actions). Where the real money is spent is in Barrels, and bullets. These two items do more to determine your performance possibilities then most every other part of a rifle.

They are all important of course and a match rifle optimises everything. But if the barrel and bullets are off, there is nothing you can do to make it better.

Jerry
 
TrxR said:
Daniel: Is there any triggers out there for the Musgrave's?
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Not sure what's currently available.

I have a "Davies" trigger on mine; quite happy with it but I don't know if they're still made or not.

There is an excellent trigger called a "CG", which has adapters for a great many actions. If it has an adapter for a Musgrave, that's what I'd be inclined to try nowadays.
 
I have an RPA trigger on my Musgrave. And I have the actual CG trigger that was designed for the HHE Millennium action on my Millennium rifle. The CG trigger takes some dicking around to set up but once it is there, you will love it. Older RPA triggers are known to lighten up, so you need to keep checking them if you need to make a trigger weight limit.
 
Maynard: Do you happen to have any pics of the Musgrave? Also this may sound stupid but are these actions as safe as say a Rem 700 or similar. What style locking system do they use. The only reason I ask is I am a left handed shooter that likes to shoot right bolted rifles but dont realy want a bolt in the face.

Thanks
 
rnbra-shooter said:
Not sure what's currently available.

I have a "Davies" trigger on mine; quite happy with it but I don't know if they're still made or not.

There is an excellent trigger called a "CG", which has adapters for a great many actions. If it has an adapter for a Musgrave, that's what I'd be inclined to try nowadays.
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Davies is still making triggers and ship to Canada with no problems. Adam is a great guy to deal with. I had to order one last year when a blown primer destroyed the trigger on my Neilsen. They run about $100 cheaper than a CG, and I like mine just as much as the CG I have on another action. Having said that Peter Dobson (Canadian CG distributor) and Tom Myers (CG manufacturer) are also great people to deal with as well for a CG.
 
TrxR said:
Maynard: Do you happen to have any pics of the Musgrave? Also this may sound stupid but are these actions as safe as say a Rem 700 or similar. What style locking system do they use. The only reason I ask is I am a left handed shooter that likes to shoot right bolted rifles but dont realy want a bolt in the face.

Thanks
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Musgraves are purpose built, single shot, Mauser actions and are very strong. I just returned from the West Indies Fullbore Championships in Barbados, lots of Musgrave rifles being used down there. I would say 70% of the shooters from Barbados are using Musgraves.
 
If I were to do it again I would buy a used savage ftr in 308. I had an interest in F-Class but the logistics of it are just not working out. Closest competition to me is 4.5 hours away. Sometimes you go and they cancel it at the last minute, so I end up driving 9 hours without firing a shot.

So I ended up with an expensive custom plinker that I can not get my money out of. If you go with a used savage ftr and F-class is not your bag, you will only be out the shipping.
 
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