Budget 308 slayer

S

silverarrowamg

Inactive
So I may have made a small bet with a friend. I bet a buddy I could build a gun for under 500 that could shoot 1000yrds accurately and better than his 308. So of course two guns are at the top of my list the Axis II and the Ruger American Preditor in 6.5 CM. Originally I had my mind set on the Ruger because of the barrel but today I found at field and stream an Axis II with a heavy barrel. Which gun is better or does it not matter just go with the best deal I can get. I currently have a Savage Mark 2 which I love just not sure if the savage is on par with the Ruger
 
Bought a Savage model12 in .308 back around Christmas. Shoots .5 MOA with Federal Match ammo. Mine was about $700 for rifle, scope and rings, all Cabellas sale items. Currently working on a handload to see if I can improve on accuracy but I am pleased with the out of box performance.
 
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You MIGHT do this but not with new parts and not in a short time frame.
Years ago, I was always looking for parts--barrels, stocks, actions, or triggers. When I accumulated enough(the barrel was usually hardest to find at a bargain price), I put the package together.
I have 2 or 3 very accurate mongrels that cost under $500(at a time when you could buy a factory HB Savage for $350) although it might have taken a year to find those parts cheap.
Last summer, I took a .308 HB rifle in to have the barrel set back one thread to snug up the headspace. The gunsmith(?) made a mistake and ruined the barrel but offered to fix his boo-boo with a new barrel. The new barrel from a well known maker cost more than I had in the entire rifle including scope. I came out smelling like a rose. Unfortunately, the new barrel(for all it's reputation) has not yet shown to be as accurate as the old barrel that got boogered.
This shows 2 things:
1:New, reputation parts MAY not get you where you want to be.
2: The cost of higher end equipment has increased exponentially.
 
The Ruger Predator in 308 comes with an 18" barrel. I have one, it is extremely accurate and I like it. But 18" might give up too much speed for shooting 1000 yards. I'd stick to my original plan and get the Predator in 6.5 for your uses.
 
An Axis II with a heavy barrel is still an entry level hunting rifle that uses an entry level barrel. A heavy barrel guarantees nothing except you'll be tired at the end of the day. A BNIB Axis HB comes with no sights.
Gander Mountain has 'em on sale at $349.99(no 6.5's) with a $50 rebate available. There are other shops who say they have 'em in stock, but you're still buying an entry level hunting rifle. Some of 'em come with a scope, but it's a special order.
Match ammo is the key for 1,000 yard shooting. If you're not reloading you'll have to try a box of as many brands as you can, at roughly $30 per box, to find the ammo that particular rifle will shoot best.
 
For the base I would get the Save 12FV from Cablella's. $420 or so and better on sale.

It has a 26 inch varmint contour barrel. Acu trigger (at 1000 yds you want a good trigger)

Replace stock with whatever suits you.

Rings, base, and some left over for a scope.

I have a Cabella 12x that was made in Japan that is as good glass as the Leuopolds. Don't get anyting that is not made in Japan though.
 
The Savage 12FV is on sale for 350 right now, and I think it might still be eligible for the $100 mail in rebate from Savage.
 
The Savage 12 FV is definitely gonna be your best bet. It is a bargain at that price too.

As far as a build, I don't see it happening unless you happen to be a gunsmith or already have a Savage action and aren't counting it's value toward the $500.
 
I bet a buddy I could build a gun for under 500 that could shoot 1000yrds accurately and better than his 308.
Click to expand...

Well, now...
The outcome of this "bet" depends on how you define "accurately" and how well he- and his rifle- shoot.

Lots of valid points. Ammunition and a QUALITY scope are key here. If you think you can put this together with an optic, for the $500 (you lost me when you said "build"- this isn't a "build", at all) you're fooling yourself.

It's one thing to put an inexpensive optic on a rifle to shoot at shorter ranges. All it needs to do, is hold the setting you've made.
At 1K, accurate and repeatable adjustments are mandatory- and that's not going to happen with a $150 scope. This is where the less expensive scopes get left in the dust. You dial up, down and sideways- yet your point of impact never is where you intended. Was it the wind, or the scope? Testing the tracking is critical to know if it's you- or the scope:

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2014/08/13/tactical-scopes-mechanical-performance-part-1/

As said, a heavy contour barrel doesn't guarantee better accuracy- but in a target application it will take longer to heat up and be less likely to string shots.

At 1K, it's more about the shooter than the hardware. It requires a lot of time behind the trigger, much more so if you don't shoot on a "windless" day. How much experience do both of you have at that range?
 
And we need a better definition of build, but that would be a great start.

As noted, the optic is then the limiting mechanical factor, my guess is something in the $1000+ range for one that can do the job.

On the other hand you can easily replace the barrel with a Lija etc and get a top notch target gun for a reasonable price.

Good would be Shilen, McGowen, Krieger etc. Shilen has two quality levels, match and super I think, once is air gauged a bit better.

Number of other ones, X caliber which is new and about to see how good.
 
Thanks for all the replies and opinions I will try and clear things up.

First by build I do mean scope and gun not buying and action and barrel sorry I am not that good.

The idea of the 12fv is great but I kinda have my heart set on a 6.5 cm which it appears it does not come in not to mention compare to the axis ii all I am loosing is 4 inches of barrel.

On the topic of optics it is a concern but I have a few ideas of using my Bushnell 4-12x if I cannot find something in budget for now then maybe getting an swfa down the road.

I am aware this is not a simple task and definetly pushing the limits of budget and what technology has progressed but thats kinda the point. The other thing I have going for me is the buddy has not shot much long range and never really had to learn reading the wind or anything. Meanwhile my past time is shooting 22s at 200yards so I have a slightly better understanding of having a bullet drop 3 feet and drift several inches on a calm day.

This is just a friendly bet to see what can be done for low money.

PS I believe I found a good deal on an axis ii heavy barrel and may pick it up tonight depending on work
 
OP, there is a lot of relevant information you are leaving out.

- What kind of 308 does your friend have? If he has a custom rifle with a 32 inch heavy contour barrel, a NightForce Competition scope shooting 200 grain bergers at 2750 fps then I can say with 100% certainty that you would not be able to get a more accurate 1000 yard rifle with a budget of $500 for both rifle and scope.

- Do you handload your ammunition? Does your friend handload his ammunition? If he does and you do not, then no, you will not be able to get a more accurate 1000 yard rifle with a budget of $500. Conversely, if you handload and he does not, then you would have a huge edge against him at 1000 yard almost independent of rifle.

- How would the accuracy at 1000 be determined? Shooting for groups? Shooting for score? Hitting steel? If you are shooting for groups or score you will be severely limited with what you can achieve with a budget of $500, primarily due to barrel lengths and barrel quality of rifles in the price class. Unless of course your friend has a $500 rifle as well in which case you would be equally matched.
 
308 would need at least the 26 inch barrel (30 better)

6.5 I have to look up. 4 inches is 100 fps, out at 1000 yds that's important.

6.5 Lapua?
 
First response to two new replies

Overthere
He has a savage model 11 hog hunter with a new glass bedded stock
He does handload I do not
Haven't gotten that far and after yesterday never will keep reading.

RC20
6.5 Creedmoor
I did pick up an axis ii with a 22" HB I do not have a chronograph but that should mean 50fps loss over 24 in most balistic tables use. Using Prime Ammos match ammo that means I am still over 1300fps at 100yrds meaning I should be fine.

Okay now that replies are over I got the new rifle an axis 2 HB with the crappy weaver scope. To baseline I grabbed some hornady and winchester match and we headed to 100yrd range. In short he could not get his 308 under an inch with hunting ammo( yes I know thats not his handloads) Meanwhile I was under an inch with both laods. Mind you I had not touched this gun I unboxed it took it to the range bore sighted and shot away oh and we had wind gust over 20mph. I have some prime ammo on the way and plan to shoot some five shot groups and do more experimenting and hopefully stretch her legs a bit next week. That being said 100yrds is appearing more and more possible.

PS gun was 400 at F&S
 
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