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Advice please

Hood886

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 15, 2012
3
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So i've decided on getting me a bolt action and need some opinions on what I should go with. I've got about 1000-1200 to spend on a rifle. The main distance i'll be shooting at is 500yrds but hope to shoot out to 1000 on rare occasions (1000yrd range is 6 hour drive). I was thinking about getting a Remington 700 sps aac and then changing out the stock and maybe getting a new trigger. Does anyone have a better suggestion? Thanks
 
Are you intending to hunt w/the rifle and carry on long stalks or just use as a prone shooter...W/ 10-12 Hundred, i would probably go w/your initial suggestion and shoot it until you get a sense of what you like and don't like about it. As for alternatives to the SPS, you can look into a Tikka T3, Savage FP10 or Howa (not sure how the Howa is priced relative to the other two but shouldn't too far out of your budget, if at all).

Also, consider what bullet (or bullets) you want to run. This could mean anything from rounds in the 140-150 grain range to 190's and heavier...Twist rate will be crucial for heavier loads so ensure you plan for that (10 twist is great for .308)...The first thing I would do, modification-wise, is the trigger. I use a Rifle Basix in my .308 bolt gun and it works great...Depending on the rifle you buy, you can also have a gun smith adjust the trigger for you as well (usually around $50-$75 for a trigger job). I think i paid around $125 for the Rifle Basix about 4 years ago.
 
With my location if I do decide to hunt with it weight will not be an issue(no stalking) and shots normally will never be over 100 yrds (north GA mountains) so mainly prone shooting. Thanks for the suggestions!
 
Your plan is a good start as the Remington 700 is the rifle others are measured by, and a solid starting platform. For caliber .308 is a standard starting caliber that will reach 1000 yards, last a long time, and allow you to learn a lot of the intricacies of LR shooting.

Enjoy your journey.
 
I would go with a savage 10 fcp hs precision if you dont want to do anything to it. Or if you don't mind a little work pick up a cheap used model 10 order a shillen barrel, stock of your choice and do a trigger job and bed it and you should have one hell of a tack driver.