Which Way to start

Whats your opinion

  • $$$$ rifle $$ scope

    Votes: 9 16.4%

  • $$ rifle $$$$ scope

    Votes: 38 69.1%

  • Neither

    Votes: 8 14.5%
  • Total voters
    55
J

Jayph

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Had an interesting conversation at the range today and I am curious to here people's opinion's. Whats a better way to start out?

Option 1
AI AT rifle (or equivalent) with Vortex PST (or equivalent)

Option 2
Rem 700 P (or equivalent) with Schmidt and Bender (or equivalent)

Option 3
Neither

EDIT: I am not asking based on buying the above combo's, I have my set up the question is basically where do you put your money starting out. I used the examples above as a baseline for price points.
 
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AI AT and S&B.

Kidding but not.

There is lots of good glass out there that doesnt run into the S&B price. I am partial to Bushnell myself but I also like others.

Also, I will buy a Tikka before I get another Remington.
 
I already have my set up this isn't a shopping thread that's why I put or equivalent beside each option. I picked those items to give an idea of price point for the poll. I tend to lean towards big money glass first was just curious of others opinions.
 
I basically asked myself the same question this spring. I already have my 700 VSSF II so I am buying a Vortex Razor scope to put on it (cheaper gun, expensive scope). But as I wait for my scope, I'm starting to think I should shell out the money for a custom Surgeon build and then I'll have the expensive scope on an expensive gun.
 
Jayph said:
Had an interesting conversation at the range today and I am curious to here people's opinion's. Whats a better way to start out?

Option 1
AI AT rifle (or equivalent) with Vortex PST (or equivalent)

Option 2
Rem 700 P (or equivalent) with Schmidt and Bender (or equivalent)

Option 3
Neither
Click to expand...

This all depends on what you are planning on doing with it.....
 
I change out my scopes often. Still haven't found exactly what I am looking for. So I spent more a rifle because I know exactly what I wanted and got a smith to tune it up the way I wanted it. Less money doesn't always mean junk. Im off to the races but until I have NF money, I wont spend over 1k for a scope. Just my personal opinion on it. We are all different with our exact uses and needs.
 
I would vote go big $ on glass first as the logical choice, but I did it the other way around. I always wanted a TRG and when one came up for a great price I jumped on it. Now I'm saving for better glass. Still shoots like a laser with my $600 optic for now though ;)
 
I agree that the glass is probably a smarter buy.

You can actually get lucky and get a .5moa rifle out of the box with an SPS or 5R (or Savage, Tikka etc). The gun has more "consumability" (I did make that word up). The barrel will be an item that will be replaced at some time during its lifetime, know matter what rifle you buy. The scope on the other hand, can last you a lifetime (without warranty replacement) if you go for something like a S&B. So don't cheap out on optics.

Ideally, get the best rifle too. Budget may prevent you from getting both at this time, so a gambling man gets the good scope and hopes for an accurate rifle (it's also easier to make an owned rifle better with a good smith, but nothing can really improve your scope). Getting an AI that allows for easy user barrel changing seems like a good option, but is very pricey. Most 700s can match and surpass the precision of an AI with some gunsmithing, and at a far less cost (including labour).

I elected getting a 5R with a S&B PMII in an AIAX chassis with the intention of quickly changing the barrel and blueprinting it. I was so pleasantly surprised by the out of the box precision of MY 5R with factory match ammo that I left the action/barrel as is. When I shoot out the barrel, it'll probably get converted to a 260 rem.
 
Ideally save for both.

The gun and glass purchase is the cheaper of purchases you'll make to get into this sport. Don't skimp out here. Reloading gear, shooting gear, and ultimately what you feed it will far out cost the equipment in a short while. If not, you can spend countless 100's chasing the results you get every time with a proper set-up.

I've learnt that from doing the rounds. This isn't the response most people want to hear, but how I would do it if I were to do it again. It is a VERY expensive form of shooting.

My set-up, just rifle, bi-pod, and glass is around 11G. I could probably think of about 2500-3500 of unneeded purchases going the opposite route. That's not including time. (buy/use guns and scopes, bi-pods, countless rounds down range, gas, depreciation on vehicle, etc). I've learnt a lot in that time, but also have to consider the cost of NOT learning things by equipment used, trying different things, different loads, etc. While all of it was an ok learning experience, there was no doubt considerable money spent that could have been saved.

That being said, would I have got into this shooting form if I knew I had to invest 12-13K to start? Probably not.
 
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You can bring a factory Remington action up to equal playing field of custom or highend factory actions like the AI AT TRG etc but you can't bring a Vortex or equivalent lower tier optic to the level of S&B, NF, USO, Hensoldt etc. Also the scope can be moved around to other guns as needed where it can be pretty hard to flex a rifle around for different applications its easy to move a good quality scope from your match rifle to a long range hunting rifle its kinda difficult to take your match rifle and flex it into a hunting role without some penalty. I found this out first hand a while back when I thought I could use my .300 WM TRG42 in pretty much any application I had a very rude awakening humping it up and down the Rockies in Montana and Colorado looking for elk.
 
ALWAYS spend money on glass before anything else.

Being a photographer as well...camera bodies break, wear out, get updated, but good lenses will outlast all of that.

Nobody puts a $50 lens on a $5k camera and expects amazing outcomes.
 
Good question. Barring other options, I'd go for the glass first. And by glass, I mean a good scope with really, really good repeatability on the knobs. I'm a super-noob distance shooter, and I know the uncertainties in my hunting scope, especially dialling the knobs up and down, are making me more anxious than anything with the rifle.
 
Can only shoot what you see, also glass can be taken off the rifle and put onto a better one if you so choose to do that.

I doubt you will, the remy 700 police is one hell of a rifle. My Remington SPS tac is the most accurate factory rifle ive owned. (that is in the line up with RPR, MANY savages, Tikka and weatherby)

If anything, you will just drop the 700 into a chassis system if you do get bord or with to increase ergonomics/customize/tacticool it.
 
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