where do i start for a precision .308 set up?

noneck180 said:
With optics is another story,, but you could go with a Barnard,Stiller action pic a stock,, barrel,, trigger bottom metal, its not hard to get a gun with a custom action for $3000,, you might have to shop around or get to know the right people,,, but if it would cost me $6000 to get my wife to go hunting with me I would pay it LOL
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first off sorry to hijack this thread. Second I have owned a Barnard and priced out stillers from many dealers. And I have bought different bottom metals. I couldn't do it for less than 4000 using the components I wanted and I thought I shopped around and got some things on sale.

To the OP if you are sold on Remington over savage your two best options are

SPS Tactical / Varmint and get better optics
or
700 P / R5 and get optics to get by and upgrade later

If you don't require or wan't stainless I would get the
SPS Tactical (on sale for 699 some places but might be out of stock) 800
Weaver Bases 15
Burris Rings 45
Falcon Menace scope used 400 ish
gunsmith worked on trigger 40

That leaves you 200 for stock upgrade the HS take off stocks pop up in the EE quite often for 350-375 ATR has some usually too for 375 so you only need to save up 150 to upgrade the stock and you would have one nice rifle and a tactical look. Upgrade rings and bases as you have money. If you can find one on sale for 699 you might even be able to get the stock right off the bat with your budget.

Best of luck
 
I guess you don't know the right people $4000 for a Custom Barnard the actions a $1000???? What else are you using??
 
Look for a used 700 varmint gun in 308. Bed it properly, adjust the trigger. A used gun quite often comes with bases and or rings, if not keep an eye out in the optics forum, you can find inexpensive opportunities there. Same with the scope. Shouldn't be that hard to get what you need for $1500, and as you develop your skills and focus on what particular type of shooting your prefer, you can modify your equipment further down the road. - dan
 
Price
precision
tactical look cool factor

Pick any two. You won't get a guarantee of all three in a factory rifle for $1500.

5R is an excellent platform
10FP is good too
LTR or 700P another really good platform

To take it to the next level precision-wise, you'll want to upgrade the barrel, but the gun as it sits will be good enough for your purposes.

Precision shooting NEEDS precision sights.
 
Thanks Jayph, could be an HS. For my build and shooting it fits very well and performs far better than I anticipated. I've never heard of Falcon Menace scopes, who is the distributor?
 
I like what Ice-Pick and Dan Belisle are suggesting. Don't kill off the piggy bank (yet) until your game progresses. Obtunded is right, all of the suggestions he made are sensible platforms to build on way down the road, when desire, money, needs, availability, EE forum opportunities all change.

Buy a good platform and work within it's (and your budget) parameters. That's how I've had (and still do) to do it. :D

One can find attractively priced SPS M700 Rem Tactical rifles for sale well under $ 1K. Leaving you around $ 500ish for Falcon Menace (that's all I use, but I'm not that great anyways) optics. Shoot that until your experience and comfort level increases. Read lots about Precision boomsticks here from many, many years of experience around this great forum. Learn from them. I know I have.

Get into the game by joining and supporting your local PRA (Prov Rifle Assoc). Network with the experts who are happy to help you along the learning curve. I know many fine people in the ORA who are always happy to coach you along the way (within reason). Get out and shoot the matches, spend what you can on practice ammo. Quit drinking... that's your annual budget for bullets / powder/ primers/ entry fees. Better yet, quit smoking and use that money to travel to matches and clinics. :eek:

Yes, it is painful (in the short term) to leave these vices, but you are trading for other crazy habits like Precision Shooting. :D

And finally, which platform do you want to fondle when you watch, "Shooter" with Mark Wahlberg. (read: our famous super moderator Longshot's M700 shooting blanks)???? Sorry, you CGNutters know that I could not resist! :evil:

:cheers:

Barney
 
Some good advice on this thread. I agree with Jayph's recommendations.

That LTR though would be tempting for that price since it comes with a light HS stock.

Everytime I've looked at buying the SPS tactical I come back to the same conclusion. It's not worth it. Once you change out the stock, you're at almost the same price point as the 5R. Only now you have a parkarized (easy to scratch) 20" barreled action, instead of a bead blasted stainless one with a 24" barrel and 5R (polygonal type rifling). Also I prefer the 1:11.25 twist rate of the 5R. Works great for 168 and 175 ammo.

A couple of other things I'd like to point out. The 5R rifles I've shot have been under .5 moa shooters. Mine has given me sub .4 moa right out of the box with Federal gold 168 ammo 5 shot groups at 100 yards. Also sub .5 moa at 200 yards.

Get good glass for this rifle. I recommend Leupold PRW rings rather than a single rail (see debates over this) and right now I'd say the Sightron SIII 6.5-24x 50mm scope. About 1000 for this scope. I have Zeiss Conquest on mine, however with the price increases on these scopes and the cost of the Sightron, I'd give the nod to the Sightrons. The Elite 3200 will work, as will the 4200 (would want to go to the 4200 personally over the 3200). With a rifle like this I'd go with 20x magnification or slightly more.
 
Kind of blows the $1500 budget out the window though. I agree, those are good components, but to start cheap, I think you're best starting with a used HB 700, used quality scope, good (not the "best", or the "tacticoolest", just something reliable and solid) bases and rings, and modifying a little to make that equipment work as well as it can for you. That approach gets you in the game at a lower price point, and after you've worked your skill level up to it (and saved some more money), you can modify accordingly. I've watched a great many people shoot at various matches and contests over the years, and excepting competing against CGN personnel of course, you don't need a $5000 rifle to win most contests. FWIW - dan
 
$1500 won't be enough. You'll have to buy a whole Rem 700 to get a receiver. Even a used 700 will eat half your budget.
Shooter's Choice, in Waterloo, is listing a used 700 VSSF in .308 for $1295. Heavy, fluted, 26" barrel, SS.
 
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