What precision rifle would you pick for 308 win?

P

proxemus

Member
Rating - 90%
9   1   0
Location
Winnipeg
Looking into a new rifle, I currently have a Savage 10BA (I have a Schmidt and bender pmii 5x25x56 on it so I think I got the good optic figured out before someone suggests that lol ). Kind of looking for something that's better. Smoother bolt for follow up shots and accuracy is the biggest thing im looking for. I usually shoot around 400ish yard and going to start shooting further. The rifles I have in mind. Reminder im shooting 308 and kinda want to stick with it. And I love the look of the tactical style rifles. And really don't want a modified rem700.
1 PGW coyote
2 Cadex
3 Barrett mRad
4 Accuracy international
5 Tikka T3x a1 tac
6 sako trg-22
7 Custom (state what it is)
 
Here are my two cents:

1) Why go with .308? Even if you have reloading gear for .308, it’s not that expensive to buy some for 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5x47L etc. You will get better odds of hitting your target (there is an excellent article on precision rifle blog) and you will have lower recoil allowing you to spot your misses more easily making corrections for hits much easier. All that means that the money you spend on bullets and powder will get you more hits. If you are worried about 6.5 barrel life, there are now plenty of pre-fits and other barrel options out there. As well, 1500-2000 rounds of barrel life is several years for even an enthusiastic shooter.

2) Try as many of the rifles on your list as possible and find the one that fits you best. OR, find an action that you like but a rifle with plenty of aftermarket support so you can buy a stock that you like.

3) Decide what kind of shooting you want to do.

Personally, I’ve gone down a long road of many rifles. I started with T3s (Lite then Tactical then Custom then Sporter) then switched to a TRG (best trigger I’ve ever used) then went back to a Tikka in an XLR stock then went to a Cadex and now I’m back to a Tikka in a KRG Bravo stock. I started off shooting FTR then gradually went to PRS now only shoot PRS. For expensive guns, the TRG was beautiful and accurate but the stock didn’t fit me, didn’t have many options to customize amd has very limited aftermarket support. The Cadex was also beautiful and accurate but I found it a touch heavy and has lots of sharp angles on it which I found got in the way for PRS when shooting off barricades. Tikkas are great value / $ and I’m happy with my much less expensive Tikka / KRG setup and will be getting either a 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5x47 barrel over the winter. Hopefully I will be done with that but you never know, tastes change and new products come out.
 
The trg 22 is hard to beat , or a CTR with the custom stock of your choice ( or factory stock )

My ctr shoots just as good as my trg but the trg is much more rifle ( hard to explain you have to handle ) especially with the sako bipod
 
I am someday going to build a precision rifle out of a Model 70. But it will be .300 winmag. That's right, screw your criteria!

But if I'm being helpful, I have heard great things about AI rifles.
 
If you are set on the 308, then run with it and learn from there. Swapping barrels later on is easy if you decide to go with one of the 6.5 offerings. I think the Tikka is gonna be hard to beat for a turn key/ no wait time rig. While the aftermarket support may not be like what is available for the Rem's, it is pretty close and growing every year. I went from full blown custom builds in 260Rem to a Desert Tech in 260Rem to a Cadex Sheepdog in 6.5CM and back to a Tikka Tac A1 in 6.5CM and couldn't be happier. The Tikka's will run with the best of them.
 
.308 really is a good learning tool. That’s what I’m shooting right now (sold my Cadex in 6.5CM). Was at the range the other day with a .308 for the first time in over a year and I had compelltely forgotten how much more recoil it has and how much more it is deflected by the wind. I don’t think I’ve ever held more than left or right edge of a target with a 6.5CM and now all of the sudden I’m missinng by .5-1MIL at 4/5/600m. Maybe I was just sucking but I’m convinced the .308 is much less forgiving. The biggest frustration was not always being able to see where I misses ended up because of the extra recoil. With the 6.5CM I could almost always see splash and adjust accordingly.
 
I would go custom really. If you want to buy off the shelf Tikka T3X or a Howa/Weatherby Vanguard if you are opposed to a Remington 700. 308 is a great way to go, but I will be switching to 6.5x47 Lapua next year. I always say 308 is great if your not reloading. 6.5 Creedmoor is alot easier to find now, but not to the same level 308 is.
 
There’s nothing wrong with 308 at up to 800 yards it should keep up fairly close to 6.5 cm. Wind will be more of an issue but the 175 smk should be fine. Easy to get match components, easy to reload and recoil isn’t bad even without a brake.

Cadex is awesome and in 308 I preferred the chassis over the pgw. So I opted for the Cadex. Beautiful rifle. But heavy. It’s top notch and seems geared for military/professional use. Not inexpensive but I doubt you will be disappointed.

I looked at the Barrett and was underwhelmed. But worth checking out.

AI. I really wanted one. Checked out the original. I don’t like thumbhole grips. Checked out the next one with pistol grip. Really didn’t like it even though I thought it would be perfect. I think the pistol grip felt small and off to me. Anyways I passed. I haven’t tried or seen the latest krg looking AI chassis. Maybe that’s the one that will be perfect?

Sako TRG. Have always wanted one. Price is high for an older rifle. Accessory prices are plain ridiculous. I passed although aI still come back to it.

Which brings us to the Tikka. The Tikka is a level below those others. It competes with the Remington 5R milspec, done up savage and the Ruger RPR. On a side note I haven’t shot a 308 5R milspec that won’t shoot sub .5 moa. I’ve shot a few of them. The stock on the Tikka is the weak point. I actually detest it. So avoided the Tikka until now. I have a cadex andmultiple 5R Remingtons. So it tikka had to up their game before I would consider it.

The t3x A1 changes things. It’s competition for the Ruger RPR. A decent looking chassis system with most of the features you would want. The only real feature missing is the stock folding to the left and not the right. It won’t capture the bolt like the cadex and effectively makes it thicker when folded if the bolt is in. Also it’s not as tank like construction as the Cadex. But it’s currently on sale. I found one for $2377 plus free shipping. For a good quality rifle in a chassis that’s hard to beat. Keep in mind a chassis is heavier in most cases. I opted for 308 with 24” barrel. The weight and brake helps mitigate the recoil.

Now... but you should have gone for the 6.5 CM!! I like 308 and there are still advantages. 2-3 times barrel life for example. For shorter sub 800 distances it’s not that big of a ballistics disadvantage. But yes I want a 6.5 CM as well.

A recent change with Tikka is the KRG Bravo Chassis. Trg like with full aluminum block. Price is reasonable! Looks great too. So I ordered one and will wait for a Tikka CTR 24” 6.5 CM to come on sale. It uses The same mags as my Cadex so no issues there and the ctr mag gets used by the A1 chassis rifle. This will be lighter than the chassis system but less recoil with 6.5 cm. So shouldn’t be an issue. That krg chassis/stock really gives the Tikka a new life. Without that and the A1 model I would have continued to give the Tikka a pass. Things have changed...


One the op didn’t mention is the Sig ssg 3000. Hard to get but we’re a smoking deal at $1700 with the so so Sig stock. In a McMillan stock this rifle is a step up from the tikka. It’s in the upper class. A good option for 308! In the McMillan stock it’s more competition for the trg. The only negatives are getting barrels here even though it has a quick change barrel system and the only chassis available is ridiculously priced (bolthorn). Also not much support in aftermarket stocks. But another top notch option to consider.
 
I have owned several TRG 22's in .308 and they are excellent shooters and ( for me ) very comfortable. Accessories are expensive but that is overblown as it is an expensive sport anyway and the cost of the rifle is moderate - well, relatively so. Resale is very good.

I have owned ( and still own ) several PGW rifles - they are excellent quality and I've never even heard of one that wasn't a superb shooter and the service from PGW is also first-class. Made in Canada. Resale is excellent.


I own several customs - you will likely pay more than you will for a TRG or PGW but it will be exactly as you want. I recommend Insite and Chou Bros as my two favorite places but there are, of course, other options. Depending on where you go you can expect bench-rest accuracy out of a build. Having said that, a TRG and PGW will likely shoot better than most of us can drive. Most of my customs are Surgeon 591 Hawk Hills M40 and McM A5 or Manners T4 Elite.

While others like Cadex and AI are popular and, in the case of AI, world-renowned I don't own them so wont comment.
 
In the interest of clarification you don’t want a Rem700 manufactured by Remington and then remachined to be square and true or you don’t want a rem700 footprint action or custom action based on a 700? My rifle is a savage action and custom barrel/chassis, if I was going to go to a different action I would be looking hard at the popular rem700 footprint custom actions. Something like the Ultimatum Deadline has the floating bolt head (interchangeable too) and the barrel nut of the savage but the chassis and trigger fitment of the 700. Or some of the other ones out there use the shouldered barrel but are machined to tolerances that you can just order a barrel without needing custom fitment.

I shied away from an actual Remington 700 action because, while the aftermarket is superb, you have to have a gunsmith remanufacture it and then things like the bolt handle are not ideal to change. I think by the time you do all that you’d be better off with a custom action and the extra options and features that come with it.
 
So many options. One not on your list is the MilCun TS1. Keith builds nice rifles and is renowned in the industry and in the military. I offer this suggestion because he makes a rifle to fit the shooter. I spent ten grand rebuilding my rifle 3 different times to get it to fit the way I wanted. I ended up with a rifle very similar to a factory HS Precision STR. You might want to look that up too. It's a bargain for a factory produced rifle. Best of luck.
 
And no one has mentioned the H-S Precision HTR 2000.
I own a PGW Coyote, an Insite Arms custom, and the above mentioned H-S Precision.
And I know others with that rifle, and they are exceedingly accurate and not highly priced.

HTR.jpg
 

Attachments

  • htrfinal.jpg
    htrfinal.jpg
    14.3 KB · Views: 566
  • HTR.jpg
    HTR.jpg
    10.7 KB · Views: 568
The simple idea is to run with a Remmy 308, then re-barrel with a custom Wild Cat or MCRS stock. You'ld be looking at$1600 to $1800 for a custom tack driver.

We shoot 308 in F Class out to 900 meters,,, some times we drop into the 168 gr bullets and take on the bellow sub sonic 1100 meter shoots.

There are lots of different calibers to chose from, find something that suits your fancy,,, that's what really counts.

Don from Western Canada
 
One of the nicest and most precise rifles I had in the last years started out as a shot out T3 25-06. Re-barrelled with a 308 3 groove Lilja 22" 1/13 barrel that was not used because the FTR boys went fast twist. She would easily stabilize 168 amax, bthp's. Fitted to an E-Tac3 monocoque carbon stock with Atlasworx AI typ MDT mags. In the pic I had just knocked Sika hind and calf at 260m in the valley.

8l9vNvU.jpg


edi
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom