A few months back I asked a ton of questions and received some really good answers. I thought I would post the rifle that I ended up with. I only had 1300 to spend so I needed to be as cheap as possible, but wanted to end up with a quality rifle.
I started with the remington 700 SPS varmint. Walked into a local cabela's and they had one for $550, so couldn't pass it up. Being a Remington owner I was already familiar with the 700. I am sure other rifles are just as good or better, but they feel awkward in my hands. I thought it was an okay rifle to begin with, but hated the plastic stock.
I ordered a Bell and Carlson light tactical medalist type 3. It has a hook on the rear of the stock and actually works rather good for securing the rear of the stock. I usually hook my left hand in it while shooting and keep the front of the rifle steady with the bi-pod.
I couldn't choose what scope I wanted. I searched far and wide and finally decided on the falcon menace. It may have a checkered past, but a few friends of mine own them and they have proven to be durable. I went with the 5-25x50 model, because who doesn't need more magnification? I am actually surprised on how clear the scope is. On hot days I have to back off the magnification to 15ish, but I have a mark 4 that needed the same adjustment. It has Mil/Mil turrets and the BL20 reticle. The reticle is similar to the horus H58. The scope box tracked amazingly well and has stayed zeroed for almost 8 months.
I purchased the scope from SWFA and decided to get their tactical rings. They seem to be good quality, but I am sure there are better options. However they fit my budget and hold the scope securely. I also ordered a 20moa weaver base. I had to bed the rear of the base with some epoxy, but it works just fine.
I also needed a bi-pod. I have two harris bi-pods, but wanted a new one for the build. Because I was on a budget I walked into walmart and found a Blackhawk traverse bi-pod for $40 on sale. It is completely adjustable and don't really see a big difference when using a harris, verses the blackhawk. In fact the blackhawk accepts the aftermarket feet for the Harris. It also comes with a pivot lock that is very easy to use (an aftermarket feature for Harris).
Overall I am rather happy with how my budget build turned out. It may not be a custom build sporting a $3000 optic, but it serves its purpose and has been a very good tool to learn the art of long range shooting.
Picture of the rifle before the bipod and sling.
My favorite shooting spot. (My Dads backyard)
A few groups from the first day of shooting. This is with 175 grain Gold medal match at 100 yards.
More horrible groups.
My four shot groups always seem to have one flyer. I need more practice!
This is actually a three shot group. The first two shots punched the same hole. Then as luck would have it, I pulled the third.
Another shot of my Dads backyard. If you look closely there is a 18x18 steel target at 500 yards. The wind came up and was swirling really weird. It was blowing to the left where we were standing, but going to the right downrange. The falcon really let me see the wind if I had the parallax adjusted too low. I hit the leg on the stand on the first shot, but corrected and hit the target every time after that. With ten shots I had just over a 5" group.
I plan on taking the rifle out to 1000 yards very soon, but deer season is upon me. I am going to pack this heavy rifle around for the season, but I am not really stoked about it, damn thing is heavy. The area I hunt is just like the photos above and it isn't worth sneaking on anything unless it is bedded down in a small gully.
Thanks for taking the time to help me along here. I will post more pictures and opinions on my set up in the future.
I started with the remington 700 SPS varmint. Walked into a local cabela's and they had one for $550, so couldn't pass it up. Being a Remington owner I was already familiar with the 700. I am sure other rifles are just as good or better, but they feel awkward in my hands. I thought it was an okay rifle to begin with, but hated the plastic stock.
I ordered a Bell and Carlson light tactical medalist type 3. It has a hook on the rear of the stock and actually works rather good for securing the rear of the stock. I usually hook my left hand in it while shooting and keep the front of the rifle steady with the bi-pod.
I couldn't choose what scope I wanted. I searched far and wide and finally decided on the falcon menace. It may have a checkered past, but a few friends of mine own them and they have proven to be durable. I went with the 5-25x50 model, because who doesn't need more magnification? I am actually surprised on how clear the scope is. On hot days I have to back off the magnification to 15ish, but I have a mark 4 that needed the same adjustment. It has Mil/Mil turrets and the BL20 reticle. The reticle is similar to the horus H58. The scope box tracked amazingly well and has stayed zeroed for almost 8 months.
I purchased the scope from SWFA and decided to get their tactical rings. They seem to be good quality, but I am sure there are better options. However they fit my budget and hold the scope securely. I also ordered a 20moa weaver base. I had to bed the rear of the base with some epoxy, but it works just fine.
I also needed a bi-pod. I have two harris bi-pods, but wanted a new one for the build. Because I was on a budget I walked into walmart and found a Blackhawk traverse bi-pod for $40 on sale. It is completely adjustable and don't really see a big difference when using a harris, verses the blackhawk. In fact the blackhawk accepts the aftermarket feet for the Harris. It also comes with a pivot lock that is very easy to use (an aftermarket feature for Harris).
Overall I am rather happy with how my budget build turned out. It may not be a custom build sporting a $3000 optic, but it serves its purpose and has been a very good tool to learn the art of long range shooting.
Picture of the rifle before the bipod and sling.
My favorite shooting spot. (My Dads backyard)
A few groups from the first day of shooting. This is with 175 grain Gold medal match at 100 yards.
More horrible groups.
My four shot groups always seem to have one flyer. I need more practice!
This is actually a three shot group. The first two shots punched the same hole. Then as luck would have it, I pulled the third.
Another shot of my Dads backyard. If you look closely there is a 18x18 steel target at 500 yards. The wind came up and was swirling really weird. It was blowing to the left where we were standing, but going to the right downrange. The falcon really let me see the wind if I had the parallax adjusted too low. I hit the leg on the stand on the first shot, but corrected and hit the target every time after that. With ten shots I had just over a 5" group.
I plan on taking the rifle out to 1000 yards very soon, but deer season is upon me. I am going to pack this heavy rifle around for the season, but I am not really stoked about it, damn thing is heavy. The area I hunt is just like the photos above and it isn't worth sneaking on anything unless it is bedded down in a small gully.
Thanks for taking the time to help me along here. I will post more pictures and opinions on my set up in the future.
