First bolt action rifle in the works...

[Yerman]

Hey guys. Thought I would drop a line and see what you guys think of my first bolt action rifle...I just ordered a Remington 700 SPS Varmint and ended up going a little crazy with the extras. Here is the full list of add-ons...

Remington 700 SPS Varmint
Bell & Carlson A5 Stock
Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 FFP Mil Reticle
Vortex Optics Precision Matched Rings (Lapped)
Vortex Bubble Level
Nightforce 1-piece 20MOA Base (Bedded)
Wyatt's Detachable Magazine Conversion
Timney Trigger
Harris 6-9" Bipod

I know there are a lot better parts out there but I feel pretty good about this as my first build.

 

[Rogue111]

Not a bad start, you may want a rear bag to throw in the mix. Spend the rest of your hobby $ on quality ammo...

 

[kvwpwr]

that's a good start. It's like a snipershide starter kit. Start reloading and you will be impressed with how that thing will shoot.

 

[sniperdude]

we now expect a range report soon

sounds like it will be a good lookin rifle

 

[Sniper Uncle]

You have a two-piece ring base???? I would change that out immediately for a single piece base made specifically for a Rem-700 Action--this will handle recoil much better and hold the scope more securely. I actually shot a scope off my rifle with two piece base. Other than that, have fun, and report back soon.

 

[Yerman]

You have a two-piece ring base???? I would change that out immediately for a single piece base made specifically for a Rem-700 Action--this will handle recoil much better and hold the scope more securely. I actually shot a scope off my rifle with two piece base. Other than that, have fun, and report back soon.

Seems like there is a lot of debate about 1 piece vs 2 piece, bedding vs not bedding, streangthening vs not, etc...I considered a 1 piece for a while then decided to go with a 2 piece for neumorous reasons. I guess I will try it out then change later if need be. Or maybe ill get a 1 piece....choices choices

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Well, there are a number of two piece bases out there, so some must be working out Okay. I had one come off my 30.06. The two screws on the front mount sheared off, and the scope went flying---not very far, and was un-hurt, I still use it on that rifle, but it is on a single piece base now. The one piece bases also seem to have better recoil lugs on the base, too.

 

[sierracharlie338]

we now expect a range report soon

sounds like it will be a good lookin rifle

And we will need pics as well








Sierracharlie out....

 

[Yerman]

Got the first shipment in. Paperwork has been started on the SPS Varmint. Pick up on the 12th.

 

[Yerman]

Rifle is in. waiting on the bottom metal, timney trigger, scope, and mount.

 

[Yerman]

Well, dad and I got out to the range today with the new rifle. Fantastic day at the range. Gun shot very accurate and we were able to stretch it's legs out to 600 yards. I shot a 5 out of 5 on a steel plate at 600.

Couple comments...the Vortex PST 6-24 FFP is a dream to shoot. I love the FFP feature and the glass was very clear.

The bottom metal is a bit of a disappointment. The magazines don't insert or eject very well and we struggled with it all morning. Might need to look into a better option.

The Vortex level we mounted on the scope worked very well. We positioned it so you can see a ghosted image of it when you open your left eye. Can't believe how much we utilized it because the range was slightly angled. I can't imagine being very accurate at extended ranges without a level mounted to your scope.

The Timney Trigger is awesome. Very light and crisp trigger pull.

On a side note, I bought a Konus Konuspot 80 and can't believe the clarity for the price. I was able to see my fathers bullet trace on many of his shots and the targets were crystal clear all the way out to 600 and I am confident it would work well at longer distances.

Here are some pics of the rifle and my last 5 shot group at 100 yards. It measured edge-to-edge at about 0.9455" which puts it at ~0.64 MOA with my shooting. I don't think I did too bad for my first time shooting a bolt gun. I hope to get my groups down closer to 0.5 MOA with practice and custom loads. We were shooting factory Norma Match with Sierra 168gr HPBT MK bullets

 

[Yerman]

One more target to share...The two shots to the left are the first two rounds this rifle fired by bore sighting. After I grouped these two together, I adjusted the scope so the cross hairs lined up with these two shots and fired 8 more. This group is spread out a little bit because I was doing 0.1Mil adjustments until I got it right where I wanted it.