Just ordered my Rem LTR!

C

Chessman

New member
Hello all. I've been lurking on this board for awhile, taking in all the info and trying to learn as much as I can. I'm a newbie when it comes to precision rifles and after much thought I decided to take the plunge and today I ordered a Remington 700 LTR in .308. It should be in my hands in about a week. The price was $719 plus tax, so I hope I got a fair deal.

Intended usage of the rifle is mainly paper-punching at the range and engaging in weekend warrior get-togethers with the gang at work where we set up friendly competitions in the desert. I plan on putting a Tasco SS 10x40 mildot scope on it (I know, it's a Tasco, but snipercountry.com has a very good review on this scope). I already have Leupold rings so I'll buy a Leupold base. Already have a Harris bipod which I'll put on it.

I'm looking for a little advice on this rifle that I hope some of the more experienced people on this board can help with:

1) For ammo I was thinking of starting with Federal 168g Gold Medal Match BTHP. Any other ammo suggestions for the 20" barrel?

2) I'll eventually roll my own ammo. What dies are best? I've used Lee in the past (but not for precision rifles) and they seem to get the job done. Should I pay more for something like Redding dies?

3) For cleaning I have a Dewey rod and a Stoney Point bore guide which is "generic" for 30 caliber rifles. Do I need to buy a better bore guide specifically made for the Rem 700? If so, what brand?

4) Any sling recommendations?

5) Any tweaks or words of wisdom anyone can give on this rifle?

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

------------------
Regards,
Jim, The Chessman
1. e4 c5! 0-1

[This message has been edited by Chessman (edited September 23, 2000).]
 
I have a friend who just bought an LTR and I'm dying to find out how it shoots. (He got it from Snipercountry.) The Federal 168 is the best. If the scope is any good you ought to shoot under 1 MOA. I've heard the Federal 175's are good, too. Actually any of the major brand 168 match ammo (Rem, Win, Hornady) ought to shoot well, it's just a matter of which will give you that extra 1/4 inch in your rifle. As far as dies, I shelled out the money for the Redding dies including the neck sizing die. I have come up with a couple of loads that have done as well as 1/4 MOA out of my Robar. It was worth it to me to see that 5 shot one hole group. The Dewey rod is fine, just make sure the bore guide keeps your cleaning rod centered in the bore. If it doesn't, get a new one. You can get a canvas M1 Garand sling from a gunshow for about $10 (maybe less) and they work great. The only tweak you might need is a trigger job, other than that you should be ready to go. Good luck! (Snipercountry has an article on how to adjust Remington 700 triggers. If you're not comfortable doing it, any decent gunsmith can do it for you.)
 
Good Morning Chessman

Glad to see you found an LTR as well. I ordered my LTR on Friday. < see post 'Finally Found an LTR>.

The price you paid is quite good. I rather hate to admit I dropped $950 for mine, <quit smirking!> but that's the nature of the game when a firearm gets hard to obtain.

I've had 2 different dealers tell me the Tasco scope is an outstanding value and a superior scope. I too am considering it. I know of someone using the SS 10X40M on a PSS in .300 Win Mag and he feels the scope is better than his Leupold LPS.

As far as reloading dies, I've been using Lee Collett dies for my .223 bolt gun. They are the best yet, I'm ordering another set in .308 for my new LTR.

Hope that helps.

Darryl
 
I'd second the endorsement of the Lee Collet (neck sizing) dies. Get the Stoney Point O.A.L. tool and bullet comparator and you'll be set. I'm loading some 168gr. A-Maxes for a friend of mine, who has the VS in .308. Great bullets; his VS'll shoot under .5" all day long.

Ditto on the trigger adjustments. If you really want to take advantage of the savings that you got on that great deal on your rifle, you might consider a Jewel trigger. It adjusts from 2oz. to 4#. I personally use a Timney $60 trigger, and have mine adjusted to just over 1#.

I use a crappy Tasco 8-32X44mm TS scope on my .223 VS. Maybe it's not so crappy. Last five-shot group that I measured went .246", center-to-center. Good friend of mine put seven shots in a space 3"X5" at 550 yds with my rifle. That's good enough for Gubment work.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies.

I'm fairly handy (at least I like to think so!), so I'll try the "do-it-yourself" route for adjusting the trigger, rather than buying a Jewel or Timney (at least yet).

DarkStar: I would never smirk at you! As I see it, we're going to buy ammo, cleaning supplies, accessories, more ammo, reloading dies, powder, primers, more ammo(!), etc. Hence, we'll end up spending a lot more than the original purchase price of the rifle. So the important thing is to get one of these dang things in our hands, while we still can, before Goreski gets elected and says we can't.

I just thought of another question:

For the scope base, should I get the 1 or 2-piece base from Leupold? Seems like the 1-piece base would be easier to get everything aligned properly, but I see lots of shooters with 2-piece bases. Is there an advantage of either type, or is this just a personal preference?

Thanks again for the help!


------------------
Regards,
Jim, The Chessman
1. e4 c5! 0-1
 
Morning, Chessman

For the Remington trigger adjustment procedure, try www.snipercountry.com, great how-to that helped me adjust my VSSF .223 to a very sweet pull. Note, Remington has taken to nearly covering the adjustment screws with nailpolish/goo... comes right off with rubbing alcohol.

I've been using the Leupold 2 piece bases. I'm going to try the dual dovetail on my LTR. I don't know if there is advantage in either a 1 or 2 piece base, I just like the looks of the rifle when it's done.

Also, do a search in Art of the Rifle. I remember someone <WalterGAII?> posting a very nice trigger adjustment technique. I'll see if I can find it.
 
Just a small technique thing I found out on a friend's PSS DBM in .308: If you're using the Stoney Point Comparator and OAL tool, Remington has been a bit bad about long throats in their PSS and LTR rifles of late (ostensibly to keep pressures down), and it's quite feasable that if you seat the 168gr MatchKing and A-Max bullets to just off the lands, you may not be able to use the box magazine, especially if it's the detachable model, due to excessive OAL. I got to the point where I stopped worrying about it, my PSS in .308 is long-throated, too, but not a DBM. I seat the 168gr MatchKings to the max allowed by my other .308 (M14NM), and it has produced 1/4 MOA groups. I'll have to try some Berger LTB's and see what they do, next.
 
I use the Leupold 2 piece dual dovetails on my .223 LTR. I like the sleek profile of the DD and the fact that all 4 mounting holes are used. With a Leupold one piece bace, only 3 are used.

While not a fan of the STD base with windages screws, they are OK if locktighted. After zeroing the windage with the screws, I use red locktight on the left side, and blue on the right. They will stay put. (for my .308 PSS, I used Badger Ordnance maximized rings and bases.)

While a big fan of the Tasco SS10X42, I used the Leupold Vari-X II 3-9X40 Tactical mil-dot on the LTR. The Tasco and the 30mm tube overwhelmed it. I recently saw a Tasco SS10X42 with the hideous white Tasco logo on the objective bell. Glad mine was plain black. I was going to get a second one, but not with the logo. I have always despised that garish huge logo on the Tasco line of scopes. ;)
 
Congratulations on your purchase of the LTR. Let us know how it performs for you. I'm thinking of getting one myself. It so happens I have a spare Leupold laying about.
 
I use the two piece bases and lap my rings in. Sinclair has a really good kit for this and it does make a difference.

Gary - I have a sling for a PSS or LTR. And some ammo (one box of Fed 168s). Means a new rifle huh? :D

Giz
 
Good luck with the LTR. If you are looking for a good place to get ammo try www.ammoman.com

I just ordered 800 rnds. of 308 Federal GM Match from them at $15 per box, shipped! I hunted high and low and could find noone even close to this price. I had some rather specific shipping instructions and they were very accomodating. (Ammo is going straight to Thunder Ranch for an upcoming class) When I placed my order over the net there was a minor price descrepency. Individual box charge is $16 per box and that was what I was charged for the extra 15 boxes I ordered in addition to the case. I emailed Eric at ammoman.com and he replyed immediately and corrected the pricing error. I had my UPS tracking # the same day. These guys have great prices and are a pleasure to deal with. I am not affiliated with them in any way. Just a satisfied customer.
I'll second the kudos for the Lee Collet dies. I use them for 308, 303 Brit and 22 Hornet. They are top quality dies and they reload some very accurate ammo!
 
Again, thanks everyone for the replies.

Regarding those Lee Collet dies, if I understand it correctly, they only resize the neck & shoulder and don't resize the case, right? The idea being the case is now "formed" to the exact size of your chamber, correct? Does this mean rounds are harder to chamber, being that it is now a tight fit? How many firings should I expect to get out of my brass?

I agree about the Sinclair lapping kit. I've got one for 30mm rings so it will get some good use (next week!).

Right now my biggest problem is the safe is full! I'm gonna have to sell something off (or buy another safe).


------------------
Regards,
Jim, The Chessman
1. e4 c5! 0-1
 
They resize the neck only. As long as the cases are being used in the same rifle there should not be a problem with tightness.
Case life depends on your load, type of cases being used and your sizing method. The collet die will increase case life because you are not working the brass as much.
 
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