Precision Rifle Build

[sprice]

I want to get more into long range shooting and I've decided I want to start out with something fairly cheap in .308.

I think I should buy a heavy contour remington 700 sps, savage, or a howa 1500 barreled action; then put on a bell and carlson stock and buy some nice glass. So which of those three will give me the best accuracy (and a good trigger)?

I also want to find out more about ffp and sfp scopes and mil/tmr/moa scopes and how to use them.

 

[sprice]

I've been reading a lot of the articles from demigodllc btw, they have helped a lot.

 

[esheato]

I was in your shoes a few years ago.

Spend some time over at Snipers Hide reading, listening and paying attention. They can be a bit abrasive to the new guys asking the same question every other new guy has asked.

 

[TonyAngel]

Take your pick. Manufacturing processes in use today have benefitted the shooter greatly. It really isn't unusual to get a MOA or better rifle right out of the box.

Remingtons are popular because of all of the accessories available for them. Many like the Savages because it is easy for the end user to replace the barrel themselves. I opted for the Remington because didn't plan on doing any barrel swapping and my personal opinion is that the Remington's bolt is stronger.

In reality, the difference in accuracy among the three is just academic. Odds are good that whichever you get, it will shoot more accurately than you are capable of.

Since you haven't even gotten the rifle yet and are already talking about replacing the stock, I'd say go with something along the lines of a Stevens 200. It's essentially a Savage without the accutrigger in a crappy stock.

I'll tell you this though. Sit down and consider what it is that you're going to do with/to the rifle, not including the cost of the optics. If the total cost gets over about $1K, you might want to consider hunting down a stripped receiver and having a semi-custom rifle built.

 

[USSR]

sprice,

Something else you might want to consider is, buying a used rifle, stripping it down and selling off all the parts except the action, buying the parts that you intend to use when the price is right, and having a good smith build it to your specifications. I did that with 2 of my rifles, and got EXACTLY what I wanted for a respectable price.

Don

 

[SentinelStrategic]

Spend some time over at Snipers Hide reading, listening and paying attention. They can be a bit abrasive to the new guys asking the same question every other new guy has asked.

This.
You will learn more about precision shooting in one week of reading stuff on SnipersHide.com than you will in a month on any other forum.
However, as stated, do not just start posting questions. Use the search functions and just read. A new guy asks the same generic questions every day on that sight, and most of them get flamed and the thread gets deleted after an angry post from a moderator reminding you to use the search function. There are some excellent stickies on there, and they cover the bases. Read the stickies in the optics and bolt action rifle forums before anything else.

 

[Sunray]

"...buying a used rifle..." That or buying a new M700 just for the action is your only option if you want a 700. Remington doesn't sell receivers or barreled actions. Don't think Howa or Weatherby(Howa makes the Vanguard) does either.
Savage on the other hand does sell Target receivers. Cheap they ain't though. MSRP is $595.00 for a standard bolt head action.

 

[TonyAngel]

You can get stripped Remington Receivers. Brownells has (had?) coated receivers with bolt and trigger for under $400. If you are interested in a Savage, check out the postings by opticsplanet at gunbroker.com. I don't know what the deal is, but they've had several stripped and barreled actions over there.

If you decided to try to source a Remington receiver, you may hunt around for an ADL model. I've seen these go pretty cheap, like around $300 on some occasions.

 

[USSR]

I have found when I buy a used rifle (Winchester M70) and sell all the parts except the action, I end up having $200 - $250 in the action.

Don

 

[Sooner1911]

Sprice,

Howa does offer barreled actions, but as far as I know they do not offer just the receiver. However, MSRP on the plain blued barreled action is $486. I would guess with some effort you could buy the entire rifle cheaper than that. You could sell the stock (some are Hogues) and barrel for some money ($50-$100 apiece?) and be well on your way to paying for a new barrel.

 

[joed]

Howa does offer barreled actions, but as far as I know they do not offer just the receiver. However, MSRP on the plain blued barreled action is $486. I would guess with some effort you could buy the entire rifle cheaper than that. You could sell the stock (some are Hogues) and barrel for some money ($50-$100 apiece?) and be well on your way to paying for a new barrel.

Went through the same thing with a Remington last year. You can buy a cheap model ready to shoot cheaper then a barreled action. I bought a 700 SPS VS Stainless for $480 and changed the stock and trigger.

 

[chrome_austex]

My SPS varmint had a cheap, terrible, non floated stock with a coarse quick fouling barrel. SPS is bottom of the barrel for remington. I couldn't get it to shoot better than 1.5moa off a rest. YMMV. I'd only consider going that route again if I had the budget to immediately replace the barrel and stock.

If you want something that shoots out of the box, a Remmy SPS is a gamble, IMHO. My next gun will be a Savage, I think.

 

[SentinelStrategic]

The best value right now for an off-the-rack rifle, IMO, is the Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD. It has a lot of great features. From all reports I've had, the only thing it needs is a better stock, and you have something that will basically do it all.

 

[dawico]

Look at the Savage Law Enforcement series. You can get an accurate rifle, excellent Accutrigger, and many styles of Accustock for pretty cheap compared to going custom.

 

[Zak Smith]

For cheaper entry level rifles, look at the Remington, Savage, and Tikka T3.

 

[Rob96]

If you want something that shoots out of the box, a Remmy SPS is a gamble, IMHO. My next gun will be a Savage, I think.

I had the exact opposite experience. My Remington ADL Varmint in 308 in factory configuration shoots under .70moa. I had a Savage in 308 and this thing would foul something fierce in about 20 rounds that would produce patterns rather than groups.

 

[TonyAngel]

Yeah, I really don't think that any blanket statements can be made about one brand being more accurate than another. I know lots of guys that have both Savages and Remingtons and most shoot very well. The reality of it is that they all produce a turd once in a while.