Hey guys, here's my story. Check it out and see what you recommend.
I bought the following rifle from a mutual friend on the recommendation of (at that time) a Marine Sniper buddy:
Custom Remington 700 Varmint, .308 Win
24" Barrel - crowned and cryoed
Action blueprinted
Lugs Lapped
2lb trigger
HS precision stock with detachable mag, camo'ed
Leupold VariX III 4.5-14x40 with turrets added by Custom Shop
Supposedly, this rifle belonged to Chuck Taylor. I got it in the original walnut stock, it had been pillar bedded. I pulled it out of that stock and put it in the HS Precision.
This gun would shoot lights out, but I sold it in college to pay tuition. I only put about 150 rounds through it while I owned it. I tried tracking it down again, but hit a dead end. I did get the guy I sold it to (in 2003) to send me some pics. He moved to Colorado and got to stretch it's legs:
I always regretted selling this rifle, so about 4 years ago, I saved up some money and put this one together:
Rem 700 SPS Tac
Steel Bedded in HS LTR Stock
Nightforce 20 MOA Base
Nightforce Rings
Leupold LRT M3 3.5-10x40 Mil-Dot/308M cam
Badger Knob
Harris Bipod
Turner Sling
Added since pic - B.A.L.S. Stock Pack w/Sandbag - cool piece of kit, mobile sandbag!
Black Hills 175GR
100yds - 2 rnds @ top of Dot to confirm zero, 5 rnds @ bottom for zero (after adjustment, gotta love full MOA Elevation
)
600yds/2" Dot: First 3 shots at 600 just by dialing the cam and pulling the trigger.
I only put abut 50 rounds through it before I sold it. That's 50 rounds in 4 years of ownership. It really only went to the range one time and then I hunted with it a couple times.
I ended up trading it for my Daniel Defense MK18 SBR. I love the SBR and shoot it a lot more than I did the bolt gun.
Part of the problem is that the closest range to me that's 100yds + is 2 hrs away. Another part of the problem is the cost of match .308 ammo.
I tried playing with the precision AR thing, but I didn't really shoot it much either, even though ammo is cheaper.
So, I've resigned myself to the fact that if I have a precision rifle, it is going to sit in the safe most of the time. Even so, it bothers me not to have one. I do have a 1976 Ruger M77 in 30/06. It shoots pretty well at 100yds with factory ammo, but with the lightweight barrel, it's not really much of a precision gun. It heats up pretty quickly and starts stringing shots, but it's a nice hunting rifle and was a gift from my parents so selling it is out of the question:
So on to the question:
I have an AR that I have very little money in because part of it was given to me as "thanks" for some help from a buddy. I was thinking of trading it into a precision rifle setup. Value is about $750. I realize that doesn't get me all the way there and I could probably put another $300 or so into it come tax time.
What would you spend $1,000 on to have some long range precision capability?
After some looking and reading, I think I would enjoy something M40A1-ish. Not interested in being a purist about it. I just like the simplicity of it.
The plan would be to start with a 700 (obviously). Probably the Dicks special Varmint gun, or maybe an SPS TAC. In either case, I'd drop the factory stock for a B & C. That should put me at about $750-$800 in the rifle.
I'm looking at the 10x40 Bushnell Mil/Mil that Midway sells for $200. Then a base and some rings.
To give it that M40-ish vibe, I'd like to paint the stock with the same forest camo. Can you get stencils to make the pattern? Also, for the base, I wanted a 1 pc dual-dovetail, but I can't find where anybody makes one. So, go 2pc dual dovetail or 1 pc std?
Thanks for any help!
I bought the following rifle from a mutual friend on the recommendation of (at that time) a Marine Sniper buddy:
Custom Remington 700 Varmint, .308 Win
24" Barrel - crowned and cryoed
Action blueprinted
Lugs Lapped
2lb trigger
HS precision stock with detachable mag, camo'ed
Leupold VariX III 4.5-14x40 with turrets added by Custom Shop
Supposedly, this rifle belonged to Chuck Taylor. I got it in the original walnut stock, it had been pillar bedded. I pulled it out of that stock and put it in the HS Precision.
This gun would shoot lights out, but I sold it in college to pay tuition. I only put about 150 rounds through it while I owned it. I tried tracking it down again, but hit a dead end. I did get the guy I sold it to (in 2003) to send me some pics. He moved to Colorado and got to stretch it's legs:
I always regretted selling this rifle, so about 4 years ago, I saved up some money and put this one together:
Rem 700 SPS Tac
Steel Bedded in HS LTR Stock
Nightforce 20 MOA Base
Nightforce Rings
Leupold LRT M3 3.5-10x40 Mil-Dot/308M cam
Badger Knob
Harris Bipod
Turner Sling
Added since pic - B.A.L.S. Stock Pack w/Sandbag - cool piece of kit, mobile sandbag!
Black Hills 175GR
100yds - 2 rnds @ top of Dot to confirm zero, 5 rnds @ bottom for zero (after adjustment, gotta love full MOA Elevation
) 600yds/2" Dot: First 3 shots at 600 just by dialing the cam and pulling the trigger.
I only put abut 50 rounds through it before I sold it. That's 50 rounds in 4 years of ownership. It really only went to the range one time and then I hunted with it a couple times.
I ended up trading it for my Daniel Defense MK18 SBR. I love the SBR and shoot it a lot more than I did the bolt gun.
Part of the problem is that the closest range to me that's 100yds + is 2 hrs away. Another part of the problem is the cost of match .308 ammo.
I tried playing with the precision AR thing, but I didn't really shoot it much either, even though ammo is cheaper.
So, I've resigned myself to the fact that if I have a precision rifle, it is going to sit in the safe most of the time. Even so, it bothers me not to have one. I do have a 1976 Ruger M77 in 30/06. It shoots pretty well at 100yds with factory ammo, but with the lightweight barrel, it's not really much of a precision gun. It heats up pretty quickly and starts stringing shots, but it's a nice hunting rifle and was a gift from my parents so selling it is out of the question:
So on to the question:
I have an AR that I have very little money in because part of it was given to me as "thanks" for some help from a buddy. I was thinking of trading it into a precision rifle setup. Value is about $750. I realize that doesn't get me all the way there and I could probably put another $300 or so into it come tax time.
What would you spend $1,000 on to have some long range precision capability?
After some looking and reading, I think I would enjoy something M40A1-ish. Not interested in being a purist about it. I just like the simplicity of it.
The plan would be to start with a 700 (obviously). Probably the Dicks special Varmint gun, or maybe an SPS TAC. In either case, I'd drop the factory stock for a B & C. That should put me at about $750-$800 in the rifle.
I'm looking at the 10x40 Bushnell Mil/Mil that Midway sells for $200. Then a base and some rings.
To give it that M40-ish vibe, I'd like to paint the stock with the same forest camo. Can you get stencils to make the pattern? Also, for the base, I wanted a 1 pc dual-dovetail, but I can't find where anybody makes one. So, go 2pc dual dovetail or 1 pc std?
Thanks for any help!
