Choice of bolt rifle, scope, & caliber (long)

H

hdm25

New member
OK. All of these topics have been hammered on before, I'm sure, but I want a thread of my very own to look at when I ask for advice...

I have extensive experience with handguns and have, after owning most of them and trying them out and practicing and training and schooling and all, gotten to the point where I feel that I've reached a good level of expertise. Although I can become more skilled, it would take a higher level of constant training than I have time for, so I am satisfied with where I am. I need another weapons-related skill to spend time and money on and I have decided that the precision rifle will be that skill.

Before any of the advice in the following paragraph is given, I must say that I understand it already and don't want to go that route...

My best course at this point would be to get a Remington 700 VS or PSS (or maybe a Savage), buy Badger Ordnance (or equivalent) rings, a one-piece mount with some elevation, and a decent-quality scope (some might suggest the Tasco Super Sniper or a Leupold of some sort) and then spend money on practice, upgrading only if I max out my skill with that equipment. OK, that is understood, but I am a freak about having things exactly how I want them from the start and would like some advice and discussion of it from those more knowledgeable than myself.

I am considering a .308 Winchester or .30-'06 as the caliber. The action will be a Remington 700 just because that seems to be the most common and it is also the action that I've always used in hunting rifles. Beyond that, what would be good? I'm not talking $4,000+ rifles or anything, but I am willing to spend a couple of thousand or a little more if I really like the rifle or builder. Under consideration are the following (for now)...I would appreciate comments on them and their rifles (for negative ones, please e-mail me so we're not slandering anyone on the board...criticism may only be warranted in the eyes of the individual and not be justified, after all):

George Gardner at GA Precision in Kansas City
Tac-Ord in Idaho
Penrod Precision in Indiana
HS Precision
Brown Precision
Arnold Arms

There are a couple of others that aren't very well known but I'm holding them under consideration in comparison to what I find out about all of the above from responders to this thread and other research.

Again, I understand that the combination that I listed above would do everything that I might need it to do but I want a little more. Call me a "wannabe" if you wish, but I normally buy some of the best equipment that I can from the start, whether it's something that I need or not, and then go from there. If I never use it or don't like it, then someone on down the line gets a good deal on little-used equipment and I can say for sure that I don't like and/or need it.

Also, please don't go into the REALLY high-end rifles (like I said, $4,000 and up and probably $3,000 and up) as I've already determined that the difference between them and those that are priced a little lower is DEFINITELY past the point of diminishing returns. It seems like anything past the $1,500 or $2,000 mark is past the point of diminishing returns. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Any advice, positive or negative, would be appreciated.
 
I want the rifle to be a 1/2 MOA performer with factory match ammunition (assuming I do my part). I want to go out to (at the very most) 800 yards (although I have never yet shot that far in hunting, I am going into it as a hobby and want to test the rifle and myself...mostly the latter) and still be able to hit a torso-sized target (I believe 18" is the standard for an upper torso size?). I want it to be reasonably rugged (rifle, mount, rings, and scope all together) and weather-resistant. I don't want it to be TOO heavy to carry in the field if I have a desire for it to double as a hunting rifle (a reasonable amount of weight is fine, as I am a big, strong guy with stamina, but there is no reason to carry more than you absolutely must). I want a mil-dot reticle for range-finding (I know that there are easier ways (I use a Shepherd scope on a hunting rifle a lot) but part of the hobby aspect is to learn ranging with the mil-dot). The math involved doesn't bother me (BS in an engineering field and I have a lot of surveying experience and am already an excellent judge of distance and size) and I'm really sort of looking forward to it.

To make it easier, let me spell out what I'm thinking of and someone with more knowledge can critique it:

Remington 700 short action, BDL
24" barrel, non-fluted, stainless
.308 Winchester
factory Remington trigger lightened
Keep the regular Remington extractor
Get a "speed" type enlarged bolt knob
McMillan M40A1 stock (fixed length of pull and cheek height)
Heavy recoil lug
Badger Ordnance trigger guard
Badger Ordnance inclined scope mount
Badger Ordnance heavy rings
Drill and tap the action for heavier screws
Leupold Vari-X III M3 Long Range scope (with the BDC)
(Probably get a favored commercial ammo type and then blank turret knobs from Leupold and mark it for that particular type)


Any comments? Suggestions? Pros? Cons?
 
It might be worth shopping used to see what you can find. Something like a Remington 700 PSS/Varmint ought to be a .5-.75 MOA rifle out of the box. Put a decent mil-dot scope on it (Tasco might be fine, but I believe the stock at SWFA is getting low -- also saw an IOR the other day that had decent optics, though you might want a shade for it) and sling/bipod, and you ought to be ready for any class you'd care to attend. Do a search and see what you think of ctdonath's report of his course -- and he was doing it with a Steyr Scout!

I'd say get a decent rifle that you can learn with. A thousand rounds from now you're likely to have developed your own likes/dislikes, which would render most of the opinions here moot, anyway.

Good luck with your decision. I think any of the .308 Remington, Savage, Winchester, Sako, Steyr, Etc. bolt actions will be more than suffucient.

If price were no object though, there's something to be said for the Steyr SSG rifles. Really really really sexy.
 
I am looking into the same thing and want to ask about the FN police rifle. Any input?

Basically I would like input and comparisons against one another for out of the box proformance on the following:

Savage

Remington

FN


Thanx in advance
 
No matter how much $$ you put into a Remington, you've still got a Remington.

Look at Benchrest.Com, and look up a gunsmith named Billy Stevens (you're welcome to use my name in vain). He can put together a rifle, with benchrest tolerances, that'll likely run you around $2,000, and will retain its value.

What I'd do: I'd go with a Nesika Bay, Hall or Stolle Kodiak action (about $1,000), drop another $500 on a stock and trigger, and about another $500 on a match-grade barrel and chambering job and misc crap. A Remington action will cost you around $350 or so, plus another couple of hundred to true it up - and for only a few hundred over that, you can have a true custom...

You may also want to check out Bill Shehane (D&B Supply) - He makes 1,000 yard competition rifles... These guys won't steer you wrong, and you should be able to get away for $2,000 or thereabouts.
 
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