Re: First Long Range Rifle
Well, there is nothing wrong with a Savage rifle, I just think you would do better to choose a different caliber than the .270 if you are serious about long range work. The .270 has great ballistics, but not as big of a following, so it doesn't have the support for bullets and brass. There are many proven and great calibers available that are doing very well in matches. .260 would be an awesome choice for the first go. but the .308 has a great adavantage over most choices because it is so readily available, and you can buy excellent quality match ammo. That said the .260 is produced by Black Hills, and the 6.5 Creedmoor can be had fairly easily for reasonable money, but finding a factory chambering might be tough.
For the same money as you can get into the DPMS, you could get a savage action, a nice stock, and a nice creedmoor barrel build. That would be one hell of a starting package...
DD