My first bolt action rifle

Thanks for all the advice and reassurance. I will keep you all posted on my firing results. It will be a couple weeks before I can fire it as the scope is not yet mounted. I want to do this right so have ordered lapping/aligning tool.
 
Probably the best upgrade I made for my Remington 700 SPS Tactial was to add a "tactical" bolt handle made by Badger Ordinance. I didn't trust my local gunsmith so I mailed the Bolt directly to Badger Ordinance and they install it for me for a little over $100 with a less than a week turnaround.

What a night and day difference it made. My fingers were battered by the scope while trying to quickly cycle the standard Remington bolt handle (I have large hands). With that tactical bolt installed, I have the leverage to cycle the bolt quickly with a flick of the wrist and have no more bruised fingers. It is one tactical upgrade that makes a lot of sense for practical use. If you look at all the high end tactical rifles, they all seem to have large tactical bolt handles.

BTW, my 700 shoots 100 yard 0.5 MOA 5 shot groups on a good day if I do my part with Federal Gold 168 Match. I added an aftermarket drop in Timney trigger and replaced the flimsy Hogue stock with a drop in HS Precision stock.
 
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Flakbait,
I did mount the scope for a minute to check out the look. Noticed two things right away. One, access to feeding rounds was difficult due to my one piece mount. May need to go with a two piece. Two, as you mentioned, I hit my fingers on the scope just about every time I cycled the action. May have to look into that suggestion. Thanks.
 
I put solid, one piece Talley mounts on mine and my groups tightened considerably from when I used separate rail-mounts and rings. I was lucky that mine appears to be very well lined up with the bore... actually only took a couple of clicks at 100 yards.

Reason I mention that is because those mounts open up that area pretty well, for feeding and ejecting.

-SS-
 
As a base component you have bought the best out of the box rifle to customize in my opinion.

The reason I say that is the availability of parts. As for a blind magazine, I like them, but that's me. I bought my Remington 700 just for the barrel and action. The rest is going in the trash.

I wouldn't worry about it being a good one, or a piece of junk, as it can improved pretty easily. I consider mine a project gun while I hunt with a Ruger and carry an AR at work if I'm carrying a rifle. When I get done with it I have plans for it to be my primary big game rifle.

Good luck with your Remington and enjoy shooting it.

Biker
 
Thanks Biker. A McMillan stock has been ordered. I've made up my mind for a DBM. Just me, I guess. I will play with it a while and see if my mind changes though. I'm not that narrow minded. But close.
 
The first bolt action I ever fired was an old Marlin my uncle had. i don't even know what caliber it was. Probably pretty light since I was a kid. He then convinced my dad to get a .270 Ruger.

The first one I ever bought on my own was a Remington 700 chambered in .308. I slapped a bipod and a Leupold X-III 10x scope on it, and Still have it configured as so to this day. It has a beautiful Monte Carlo stock, and the scope's never even tried to bite me. When i bought it, I told the guy at the store I wanted a .308 Remington 700, and he handed me the Remington 700 Police sniper model. I told him I wasnt going to lug a 13lb rifle through the woods after a deer that was too dumb to die, and he begrudgingly handed me the lighter (cheaper... I didn't even ask how much the sniper rifle cost) model with the "flywhip" barrel. I bought it on the spot for $500, and it quickly became my favorite weapon in my collection. She doesn't have a name, but she doesn't need one. She's my tackdriver, and I'll probably never get rid of her.
 
As others have said you made a good choice. I have essentially the same gun, but in right hand and mine is a tack driver. Some actions don't feel as smooth as others that doesn't mean that it wont shoot small groups and that's what really counts. As for your scope mount I assume you have a one piece pica tinny mount? They make some that are for right hand guns, left hand and even some that are cut for either left or right (I believe the Talley bases are cut for either or) I have one on mine and I don't have a problem loading from the top.

Good Luck!!!
 
Update: Mounted a nice Weaver Scope. 4x20. Recently received the McMillan A-5 stock. My question is concerning bedding. I've never done this before but my neighbor is willing to willing to help. Should I bed or not?
 
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