Ain't that the truth but anything we lugged in the service with all the gear mounted, sturdy stock and a heavy barrel usually came to anywhere between 14-16 Lbs. not exactly a light rig.
- Thread starter CommieFornia
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Be nice, fellas. @CommieFornia joined yesterday.
I seriously doubt you could go wrong with the rifle @Lowlight posted. If you’re a build-it-yourself guy, a Howa 1500 heavy varmint barreled action (Brownell’s) and an MDT w/ vertical grip ACC (mdttac.com) will run you $1582.99.
The support from APO is almost certainly worth more than the price difference.
And either one leaves you a good budget for a scope and excellent mount. If you went Razor AMG/Spuhr mount with the Howa, you’d still have room in your budget for a Timney trigger upgrade, but with the APO, you’d get a Trigger Tech, which would put me in the APO side if I didn’t get a kick out of the building part.
I seriously doubt you could go wrong with the rifle @Lowlight posted. If you’re a build-it-yourself guy, a Howa 1500 heavy varmint barreled action (Brownell’s) and an MDT w/ vertical grip ACC (mdttac.com) will run you $1582.99.
The support from APO is almost certainly worth more than the price difference.
And either one leaves you a good budget for a scope and excellent mount. If you went Razor AMG/Spuhr mount with the Howa, you’d still have room in your budget for a Timney trigger upgrade, but with the APO, you’d get a Trigger Tech, which would put me in the APO side if I didn’t get a kick out of the building part.
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You should start with a gun that doesn't have crazy recoil. 6.5 CM or 308 aren't barrel burners and the ammo can be had at Wal Mart if need be
I would check out Frank's new offering or buy a slightly used barreled action off the PX and put it in the chassis of your choice... especially since you're just getting started.. those 5k guns turn into $3500 guns once the new model comes out. So if you decide you don't like it why have all that money ey wrapped up in it?
I would check out Frank's new offering or buy a slightly used barreled action off the PX and put it in the chassis of your choice... especially since you're just getting started.. those 5k guns turn into $3500 guns once the new model comes out. So if you decide you don't like it why have all that money ey wrapped up in it?
typical cost of a rebarrel is about 1K.. $350 barrel, - 350 chambering, 150 muzzle threads, 150-200 if Cerakoted.
Barrels are consumables and many will go through 2-3 every years some guys a lot more.. A nice Chasis or Stock ends up around 1K+
Just very hard hard not to be over 2k with the nice stuff...
+ You still need an action and nice trigger
Makes the APO seem like a steel... especially if you are after a certain type of "look".
CommieFornia you may not want to hear this, but calibers smaller than a 308, tear-up the 1K targets and dominate PR Positional shooting. I've seen many people hell bent on having a big caliber for, IDK, cause it is bad-ass only to become some of the very worst shooters I've seen. Light weight in large calibers, used often and early almost always end up producing f' trigger control, inability to self-spot and turn shooters with good potential into finch monsters.
To shoot well, you need solid fundamentals and rounds down range, the only shortcut is high quality instruction and mentoring, oh and more shooting and wind reading. Some of the sexy calibers "bigger than a 308" and some smaller burn barrels.
It is cool that you seem to catch on fast.. so you are obviously smart, I would be honest with yourself (not that you aren't), decide if you want to collect or be a accomplished long range precision shooter.. they are often very different roads..
Edited to add: there are several guys on here from Southern CA and several from Northern CA.. There are a ton of long range shooting possibilities. You might want to let people know what general area you are and see if you can't get on a range with one of them.
Barrels are consumables and many will go through 2-3 every years some guys a lot more.. A nice Chasis or Stock ends up around 1K+
Just very hard hard not to be over 2k with the nice stuff...
+ You still need an action and nice trigger
Makes the APO seem like a steel... especially if you are after a certain type of "look".
CommieFornia you may not want to hear this, but calibers smaller than a 308, tear-up the 1K targets and dominate PR Positional shooting. I've seen many people hell bent on having a big caliber for, IDK, cause it is bad-ass only to become some of the very worst shooters I've seen. Light weight in large calibers, used often and early almost always end up producing f' trigger control, inability to self-spot and turn shooters with good potential into finch monsters.
To shoot well, you need solid fundamentals and rounds down range, the only shortcut is high quality instruction and mentoring, oh and more shooting and wind reading. Some of the sexy calibers "bigger than a 308" and some smaller burn barrels.
It is cool that you seem to catch on fast.. so you are obviously smart, I would be honest with yourself (not that you aren't), decide if you want to collect or be a accomplished long range precision shooter.. they are often very different roads..
Edited to add: there are several guys on here from Southern CA and several from Northern CA.. There are a ton of long range shooting possibilities. You might want to let people know what general area you are and see if you can't get on a range with one of them.
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No doubt this is good advice. I would love to be able to burn through a few barrels a year but with ammo cost and time that will not be an issue. I am sure that smaller calibers are still good target plinkers but I also want something that will still hit heavy not just look good for competition.
No doubt this is good advice. I would love to be able to burn through a few barrels a year but with ammo cost and time that will not be an issue. I am sure that smaller calibers are still good target plinkers but I also want something that will still hit heavy not just look good for target shooting. Diver160651 do you have any knowledge of the 300 prc round? seems to be a happy medium, I'm not sure about ammo cost though. I also will be practicing but I can use my LWRC if I want to get more familiar with long-range shooting without breaking the bank or my barrel. That said I will likely take some classes with whatever BA rifle I purchase. Not specifically interested in a huge caliber, I guess a 300 PRC is technically smaller.
What I really want mean by saying "bigger" than 308 is a better long-range characteristics. Sorry for the confusion!
Makes the APO seem like a steel... especially if you are after a certain type of "look".
Yes how is the APO only 2k? Is it going to be reliable/ durable. Is the company reputable and do they stand behind their product? From the features I would say it is definitely a steal!
Yes how is the APO only 2k? Is it going to be reliable/ durable. Is the company reputable and do they stand behind their product? From the features I would say it is definitely a steal!
I would reach out to @Lowlight it is his branded rifle.. This is his site.. Their reputation and space they play in, is not your typical Ruger distribution channel. APO is a division of the Ashbury International Group Inc. who is contractor to government agencies.
I have no idea how they are able to compete in this space. The Chasis RSA-A3 MOD-0 is $1,500
As far as the 300PRC, I have not owned one.. But a lot of other magnums 7s, 300s and 338s. I would not make the mistake that somehow this cartridge is easy to shoot. It seems to be coming in around 100fps faster (harder to shoot) than your typical 300wm.
You are going to pay about $2.45 a round for good ammo in California. If you want to hunt - it will be tough to find ammo off the shelf.. Even for may magnums if I don't reload - I am paying that much.. If peak barrel accuracy lasted you 1500 rounds, the cost with barrel wear of shooting these mags, run about $3.10 a shot for factory ammo..
Running a gas gun, isn't the same as running a bolt.. on the other hand, if you think a 6.5 is too week I've seen that little cartridge do some real damage in some relatively long range hunting recently.
You can see the tone of everyone on here, really trying to steer you away from the magnum cartridges. I don't think it is for any reason other than a lot of us made the mistake your going to make..
Edited to add the 308win, 300WSM, 300WM, 300PRC and 300NM all are the same caliber, all can shoot the same 308 bullet
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Remington 700 Magpul Enhanced rifle.
Rise Armament 1121XR in 6.5 Creedmoor.
Ruger Precision Rimfire.
Sabatti Urban Sniper.
Savage Model 10 GRS.
Savage Model 110 Tactical With AccuFit.
Savage MSR 15 Recon Long Range Precision.
Savage MSR 15 Valkyrie.
Rise Armament 1121XR in 6.5 Creedmoor.
Ruger Precision Rimfire.
Sabatti Urban Sniper.
Savage Model 10 GRS.
Savage Model 110 Tactical With AccuFit.
Savage MSR 15 Recon Long Range Precision.
Savage MSR 15 Valkyrie.
I'm assuming you mean "tactical" and not "precision." There is a difference. I have a Savage 110 Tactical with the Accufit stock system as mentioned above. It has the 24" barrel with a muzzle break and Nikon FX1000. It's the "truck gun" I keep handy. I've had it almost a year now, and it dispatches long range coyotes and hogs (often 500 yds+) about twice a week with no problems. It bounces around in my truck in a soft case, and the sights haven't moved since I shot it in. Mine is a Win 308, but you can get it in .338 or either Creedmore calibers. Price-wise, I've got under 2k invested in mine. Though, with the fluted heavy barrel, I don't know if it will meet your "lightweight" spec.
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I worked with APO over the past few months, part of this is doing me a favor to support my efforts and the members of this site.
Part of it is volume, Ashbury already provides a lower cost version of this rifle to Cabelas, I am just taking it up a level, so if they can support Cabelas with the product they can support us, and you.
They have a great Team at APO, they have a custom shop and a host of gunsmiths there, it's not a small operation, as noted they are a government contractor, so they understand logistics on top of manufacturing. Understand you have to be realistic, it's not a custom rifle, but a semi-production rifle or in this case barreled action that is hand selected and worked to ensure accuracy standards are met. Does that mean someone won't treat it like they are buying a custom rifle and demand 1/4 MOA accuracy with factory ammo, probably not, I am sure we'll have that one or two guys who cry foul? But in this case, it's a good deal for someone looking to jump into a Solid Rifle with a Modular Stock that gives them the ability to grow or even spec it out better than what I have done.
It is a Steal, I leveraged my reputation to put it together and because of my reputation, they agreed to offer SH members a smoking deal.
Part of it is volume, Ashbury already provides a lower cost version of this rifle to Cabelas, I am just taking it up a level, so if they can support Cabelas with the product they can support us, and you.
They have a great Team at APO, they have a custom shop and a host of gunsmiths there, it's not a small operation, as noted they are a government contractor, so they understand logistics on top of manufacturing. Understand you have to be realistic, it's not a custom rifle, but a semi-production rifle or in this case barreled action that is hand selected and worked to ensure accuracy standards are met. Does that mean someone won't treat it like they are buying a custom rifle and demand 1/4 MOA accuracy with factory ammo, probably not, I am sure we'll have that one or two guys who cry foul? But in this case, it's a good deal for someone looking to jump into a Solid Rifle with a Modular Stock that gives them the ability to grow or even spec it out better than what I have done.
It is a Steal, I leveraged my reputation to put it together and because of my reputation, they agreed to offer SH members a smoking deal.
If you just want better "long" range ballistics (I'm assuming you probably mean somewhere in the up to 1000 to 1400 yards) than the .308 that 6.5CM option in the APO rifle that Lowlight helped put together & he linked to would be an excellent rifle to get started with at that cost point.
Then you could spend the rest of your budget on a really good scope & mount & a good bipod, a couple good bags and be all set.
W54/XM-388
This is some of the best advice here yet, if Commiefornia is interested in better ballistics then Lowlight's APO Special Edition is one of the best offers out there, the 6.5 Creedmoor not only fulfills that bill to the T but it is also the Service sniper rifle caliber of the future. In addition having extra money left over for either a Vortex Razor, or a NightForce ATACR scope, and maybe an Atlas bipod will truly make this an exceptional rig that many of us would wish their first bolt action had been like.
@CommieFornia , I’d listen to the advice here. Anything in 6.5 (.260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmor) will fit the bill that you want, which is LR/ELR accuracy and hitting power.
As mentioned above, US SOCOM (that’s the individuals who actually use “sniper” rifles) are shifting to a 6.5 this year.
This is your first bolt action, so it is important to do the following:
1. Get a rifle that fits your needs AND
2. Is a rifle that will help you to get better
You can buy a .338, and I can pretty much guarantee you will never hit 1000yds consistently. Why? Because it will reinforce bad habits, and because you will be shooting $3+ downrange every time you pull the trigger. This cost will lead to less time at the range, less practice, and a poorer outcome.
As mentioned above, US SOCOM (that’s the individuals who actually use “sniper” rifles) are shifting to a 6.5 this year.
This is your first bolt action, so it is important to do the following:
1. Get a rifle that fits your needs AND
2. Is a rifle that will help you to get better
You can buy a .338, and I can pretty much guarantee you will never hit 1000yds consistently. Why? Because it will reinforce bad habits, and because you will be shooting $3+ downrange every time you pull the trigger. This cost will lead to less time at the range, less practice, and a poorer outcome.
I'd beg to differ on the first part of that.
On a big heavy .338LM rifle like the AI models, with a decent brake, if you have a solid top shelf scope and mount, a really good bipod and a couple decent bags, it's easy to hit 1000 yards constantly with match ammunition.
However you may find that about 10 to 20 shots is pretty much all you'll shoot that day at the range because it may tire you out quickly.
The being chambered in $5 bills is what's going to keep you from shooting it a lot unless you reload.
When I go to the range, I'll usually bring another smaller caliber rifle with me in addition to the .338LM and shoot both, but I usually won't go over 20 rounds with the .338LM[/USER][/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]
Did you say big heavy gun.. but that was not the premise of the ops goal.
Either way, I've never seen anyone learn wind, mirage, sun reflection or manage recoil well - when they aren't shooting a lot... I think is also the same point you're also making..
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Wow, so the .338 was your first bolt action rifle and you had all the money in the world to buy an AI, decent brake, solid top shelf scope and mount, a really good bipod, decent bags and match grade .338 Lapua ammo and you easily hit 1,000 yard targets right off with the first shot without any previous instruction in reading wind, elevation compensation for distance, ... You're a natural! We're trying to give this newcomer a shot at being successful too.
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Agreed, except the OP asked about a lightweight rifle, and also the lack of practice due to cost is what led me to make the statement about a poor potential outcome at 1000yrds.
Basically, a light, magnum caliber rifle sucks to learn on, and the expense further hinders trigger time, which is the foundation of any skill base.
Remington
You can order an aftermarket, as noted several times it's a Remington Barreled Action that APO hand selects, and cleans up before they get installed in the chassis
You can order an aftermarket, as noted several times it's a Remington Barreled Action that APO hand selects, and cleans up before they get installed in the chassis
Yes if lightweight is a requirement and it's going to be range / target usage then it pretty much rules out anything over the 6.5CM / .308 / .243 / 6cm type rounds.
I guess the other question would be what weight does the user consider to be "lightweight", are we talking PRS type 20 pound rifles, traditional hunting style rifles in the 13 pound range, or something like the Barrett Fieldcraft where you might be in the 7 pounds range.
I'd add that we need to be someone responsible when we talk weight and talk about the system. Some people, especially occasional hunters love quoting their guns base weight with no regard to the real weight. BR guys with limits and most positional shooters, tend to talk about the weight of their entire system.
For example, your typical light weight hunting rifle has a 6lbs+ ish base weight for offerings like the Tikka superlite and T3, along with a bunch of other guns. Some specialty hunters are at 5lbs mark with many generics being 8ish. The fieldcraft is fairly standard as far as a traditional hunting rifle base weight.
Now if you want a modern suntensioned scope with with turrets, a comfortable sling, caps, rail rings and a bipod you add 3+lbs to all those weights. So most of the light hunters people talk about, once fully outfitted, are not nearly as light as people describe and end up in the 8-11lbs range. I have a mag set up as described, starting as a 6lbs rifle, at just about 9lbs fully kitted and it is stupid to shoot more than a couple of rounds. Move up to a varmint barrel and you'll add a couple of pounds if not 3 now we are in that 12-15lbs
I have one PRS gun with a proof that is 12lbs, another two that are around 17-18lbs fully outfitted. Ya, some guys are up over 20 and a few really over the top.
All I can say, to me anything in a "bigger than 308" ie magnums are horrible to shoot "all day" or as a primary target gun until they up over that 15lbs+ range - then they are not lightweight guns anymore. Field guns sure, but not light.
For example, your typical light weight hunting rifle has a 6lbs+ ish base weight for offerings like the Tikka superlite and T3, along with a bunch of other guns. Some specialty hunters are at 5lbs mark with many generics being 8ish. The fieldcraft is fairly standard as far as a traditional hunting rifle base weight.
Now if you want a modern suntensioned scope with with turrets, a comfortable sling, caps, rail rings and a bipod you add 3+lbs to all those weights. So most of the light hunters people talk about, once fully outfitted, are not nearly as light as people describe and end up in the 8-11lbs range. I have a mag set up as described, starting as a 6lbs rifle, at just about 9lbs fully kitted and it is stupid to shoot more than a couple of rounds. Move up to a varmint barrel and you'll add a couple of pounds if not 3 now we are in that 12-15lbs
I have one PRS gun with a proof that is 12lbs, another two that are around 17-18lbs fully outfitted. Ya, some guys are up over 20 and a few really over the top.
All I can say, to me anything in a "bigger than 308" ie magnums are horrible to shoot "all day" or as a primary target gun until they up over that 15lbs+ range - then they are not lightweight guns anymore. Field guns sure, but not light.
Attachments
Ya, and that is with a short gas gun... I am running a couple 6.5's with 123 (2 barrels last me a bit longer than 3 did in my 6) at 3030FPS in a 24" barrel. 6.6mils at 1K in 25inHg and i can easily self-spot on any barricade -- except maybe a rope or swing as could the OP with a bit of practice..
you can load spear 140's run them at 2400fps and get 223 like wind drift for practice...
The op is misinformed if he doesn't think a 6.5 is a huge steep up in a longer barreled properly setup bolt gun over his 308 gasser. But I 100% get wanting a big bad ass caliber.. Again, it comes down to that collector or shooter mentality and were he is in his skill set.
I have been shooting all my life and most of it learning by buy buying the wrong stuff.. having to unlearn bad habits.. I was fairly competent as a kid, I shot a 22 in my back yard as a kid and fairly young I learned on my Granfather 30-06 -- it had modern 308 velocities.. As soon as I was 16ish (not sure of may age) I bought my first very own rifle.. I wanted something that had more power... I bought a light weight 300WM, I went for a two eye, good trigger puller with natural instincts - to a horrible flinch monster.. The flinching didn't start right away, but the more I spent time on the gun the more it snuck up on me.. It took years to fix. That is why I am taking so much time in this thread... why this site is better that AR15 or Calguns.. where ego run the keybords... You have some guys on here that have done real things, offer good advice..The Hide still has a higher signal to noise ratio than most forums.
If I could start out today -- that APO in 6.5 and a decent FFP 5-25 would save me so much money, time..
Over the Tikka and RPR you get a chassis that can be repurposed anywhere and a action that will fit just about anything.. same with the trigger upgrade... that's why it is really something to consider.. nothing ever has to get tossed out
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We offer our NYX rifle in many calibers. Very ergonomic, lightweight, and an Atlas Tactical action with a Krieger barrel mounted on it for $3300. We also offer a long action version in .338 Lapua or .300 Norma for $3900. We even have options for those that want a NV clip on rail up front. Check us out at www.kelbly.com or call for all the options 330-683-4674
Thank you!
Ian Kelbly
Thank you!
Ian Kelbly
Ashbury Precision Ordnance has been one of the finest rifle manufacturers out there since 1995. I remember seeing some very fine rifles that came out of their shop over the years from the $6,000 to $12,000 range. If they and Lowlight stake their reputation on this rifle, you better believe it is going to be durable and reliable and will be the pride and joy of anyone who gets to carry it to the range.
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I have a few Remington 700's but one of my rifles is a box stock Remington 700 SPS tactical, with a Swarovski Habicht fixed 10X scope. Out of the box this thing was shooting around .75MOA - .85MOA. A partner of mine also has one with a Leupold Mk4 4.5-14 and was similarly getting the same out of box MOA results. He put on a McMillan and bedded it and instantly dropped to .5MOA with several groups in the .4x area, the smallest I calipered was .38MOA.
Now my issued work rifle is a suppressed Tactical Operations Tango51 (Remington 700 based) with a .25MOA guarantee shooting 168gr FGMM ammo. This rifle does meet the .25 MOA if the shooter is up to it. Price around $7K.
The point being is for very little (comparatively) you can get into a rifle that will outshoot 90% of shooters, however you have a platform that you can literally upgrade into the Ferrari of precision rifles as you progress. I am not saying that for most people the extra coin for another .25MOA or better is worth it, but that is up to the user. At some point the extra bit of precision you can wring out of a rifle gets extremely costly for little extra gain.
Now my issued work rifle is a suppressed Tactical Operations Tango51 (Remington 700 based) with a .25MOA guarantee shooting 168gr FGMM ammo. This rifle does meet the .25 MOA if the shooter is up to it. Price around $7K.
The point being is for very little (comparatively) you can get into a rifle that will outshoot 90% of shooters, however you have a platform that you can literally upgrade into the Ferrari of precision rifles as you progress. I am not saying that for most people the extra coin for another .25MOA or better is worth it, but that is up to the user. At some point the extra bit of precision you can wring out of a rifle gets extremely costly for little extra gain.
Cabelas has the Ashbury Precision (6.5 Creed and 308) on sale right now for $999.88.
link to sale
Its a great deal! $700 off
That has a different stock but you can upgrade it to the same stock I am recommending
The video I posted is actually the Cabelas model that I upgraded
This is the Cabelas model and we changed the trigger to a Trigger Tech
The video I posted is actually the Cabelas model that I upgraded
This is the Cabelas model and we changed the trigger to a Trigger Tech
The TASS folding Stock is worth the extra $700 . The Magpul 700 Pro stock or a Masterpiece Arms folder would you cost you more than that. The TriggerTech would add about another $150 on top of that.
A partner of mine also has one with a Leupold Mk4 4.5-14 and was similarly getting the same out of box MOA results. He put on a McMillan and bedded it and instantly dropped to .5MOA with several groups in the .4x area, the smallest I calipered was .38MOA.
Excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by "bedded" to his rifle. As in permanently fixed the sight? Thanks for the great response!
Excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by "bedded" to his rifle. As in permanently fixed the sight? Thanks for the great response!
Thank you!
Ian Kelbly[/QUOTE]
Nice name, I am Ian also! Thanks for the suggestion as well!
Ian Kelbly[/QUOTE]
Nice name, I am Ian also! Thanks for the suggestion as well!
Really good points, OK so also what I am factoring in is that I have a bit of a collection going on. I really like to purchase high-quality firearms that will hold value and can be passed on for generations to come.
However, with whats been said what would be a good "practice"/ training caliber and rifle to learn on?
Interesting, I would like a good mix of rugged/ durable and also as accurate as possible, just to clarify. But that sounds fun! Where do you live?
When I go to the range, I'll usually bring another smaller caliber rifle with me in addition to the .338LM and shoot both, but I usually won't go over 20 rounds with the .338LM[/USER][/QUOTE][/QUOTE]
What rounds/caliber would you recommend as a practice long range rifle? Keep in mind I have a LWRC REPR .308 win with a 16" barrel, Don't know about 1000yds but I could probably reach some distance...
What rounds/caliber would you recommend as a practice long range rifle? Keep in mind I have a LWRC REPR .308 win with a 16" barrel, Don't know about 1000yds but I could probably reach some distance...
a good "practice"/ training caliber and rifle to learn on?
Get one of these and splurge on a good scope NF, S&B, TT. https://www.eurooptic.com/Tikka-T3x-TAC-A1-65-Creedmoor-24-.aspx
https://www.eurooptic.com/Tikka-T3x-CTR-65-Creedmoor-Stainless.aspx
Get one of these and splurge on a good scope NF, S&B, TT. https://www.eurooptic.com/Tikka-T3x-TAC-A1-65-Creedmoor-24-.aspx
https://www.eurooptic.com/Tikka-T3x-CTR-65-Creedmoor-Stainless.aspx
Shit Im so jealous hahaha
Do you think learning long-range/ precision shooting is possible with my LWRC REPR 16" .308 win? Maybe I could practice with that and jump up to a larger/ higher velocity round such as .338 lapua or .300 PCR?
How far can you hit accurately with your current rig?
A decent long barreled .308 will hit 1000 easy if there is not much wind, a bit more work if there is wind.
A 6.5 CM would also be another good option that would be a bit easier at 1000 yards than the .308
Bedding, or glasbedding refers to stabilizing the action in the stock by filling the gaps behind the recoil lug and under the action with epoxy, or Marinetex. The epoxy, or Marinetex is applied and the action, which is treated so it won't be permanently glued to the stock, inserted into the stock until the material is dried. This procedure is not necessary for aluminum, or other v-bedded chassis. A good bedding job can improve accuracy greatly, a lousy bedding job can ruin a rifle, or at least the stock permanently if done incorrectly. This is just an off the cuff description. Glue and I don't mix so I'm also not an epoxy, or Marinetex wizard and leave the bedding jobs to guys who are better with sticky stuff than I like my friend with his own gunsmith's workshop. I hope this gave you an idea. Bolt actions might not have all the lego puzzle sex appeal, but there are plenty of ways to tinker with them to increase accuracy.
I havent tried it out very far. From what I hear it hold 1 moa out to about 4-500 yards so it should be capable if I get some good glass!
Good glass, a decent glass etched reticle, I tend to like illuminated reticles for the option of low light shots, first focal plane would be nice, 50+ MOAs of elevation, and you want to put it on a 20MOA Picatinny rail with decent quality rings. Most people here have their preferences; I prefer either the Talley Tactical Series rings, or a quality set of NightForce rings on the responding Talley, or NightForce 20MOA Picatinny rail, keep steel on steel, and aluminum on aluminum. Make sure your base and rings are rock solid but don't over-tighten the scope.
I am in the middle of building one for myself right now and wanted bigger and longer shooting than the .308. I chose 7mm Rem Mag.
Breakdown of the costs so far.
Bartlein barrel from bugholes.com $365
MPA Chassis( Off the PX here) $780...waiting on arrival due to snow and paralyzing weather in midwest
Remington700SS Action buds gun shop $380
Badger Recoil Lug $30
APA Little Bastard Brake Gen II $160
Triggertech Special Trigger $180
Local Gun Smith doing the labor etc $700
Total $2595...….need to pick my scope, base and rings (plenty of options out there based on what / how you will shoot)
Only aside to this is that there is not an abundance of factory ammo. I want to learn to reload, so I am going to be doing that as well.
This is not a cheap hobby by any stretch of the imagination, but you can have the best of all worlds in the budget you stated in your original post.
If you look at 338 for cost to shoot, you will quickly want to learn to reload. Reasonable pricing for a box of decent factory ammo is @70-$75 bucks.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Breakdown of the costs so far.
Bartlein barrel from bugholes.com $365
MPA Chassis( Off the PX here) $780...waiting on arrival due to snow and paralyzing weather in midwest
Remington700SS Action buds gun shop $380
Badger Recoil Lug $30
APA Little Bastard Brake Gen II $160
Triggertech Special Trigger $180
Local Gun Smith doing the labor etc $700
Total $2595...….need to pick my scope, base and rings (plenty of options out there based on what / how you will shoot)
Only aside to this is that there is not an abundance of factory ammo. I want to learn to reload, so I am going to be doing that as well.
This is not a cheap hobby by any stretch of the imagination, but you can have the best of all worlds in the budget you stated in your original post.
If you look at 338 for cost to shoot, you will quickly want to learn to reload. Reasonable pricing for a box of decent factory ammo is @70-$75 bucks.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
A cheaper way to go would be a Remington 700P in 300 win mag, change the trigger and install your scope and base. These can be had for just under 1K when available. HS precision stock, 26 inch barrel etc.
I have one in .308 that I have been using for a while and added triggertech special trigger and a McRee precision chassis and a muzzle brake and for a factory action, its a very good shooter and doesn't weight too much. I put a Vortex Razor Gen I on it and for the total money invested, I am very happy with the results.
I have one in .308 that I have been using for a while and added triggertech special trigger and a McRee precision chassis and a muzzle brake and for a factory action, its a very good shooter and doesn't weight too much. I put a Vortex Razor Gen I on it and for the total money invested, I am very happy with the results.
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Why not just buy all the parts & send it off to a good smith, my last build I did for right at $3000.00 minus scope & rings, bartlein barrel, surgeon action, manners stock & gunsmithing, you can get just what you want and not break the bank, it weighs about 12.5# with scope & spuhr mount.
In my mind, bighorn TL3+M24 or med Palma contour(because you need lightweight) +MPA Lite, XLR or Manner Elite. will be a good build.
action can change to ARC Nucleus. A lot of people sell this action cheaper now.
For example TL3+barrel+Manner Elite stock+Triggertech Diamond. I think the price will round 3.3k
Caliber choice depends on do you want to reload. If yes, I will say 6.5 PRC. If not 6.5-284 or go with a long action like 300 win mag.
Or get a Tikka or TRG42. That is the easiest way I think.
