New guy first long range rifle question

[7mm-08 Freak]

Kind of got it down to one of these for deer hunting out to say 600 yds or so at the farthest. I do reload and have a bunch of different factory "match" ammo ready to go when I decide what to get. I am tired of hunting type guns that wont shoot sub moa at 100 yds. I really want a gun that will shoot <1" at 200 or maybe 300 yds.

Savage Model: 10 FCP McMillan
or
Savage Model: 10 FCP HS Precision (I think this one is already pillar block bedded and it is cheaper)
or
Remington Model 700 XCR Tactical 308
http://www.remington.com/products/firear...long-range.aspx


Pretty much stuck on a .308. I want to 600yds and under deer hunt and target with it. not competition yet but maybe later. Gonna put a 6.5-20 Leupold VXIII like this on it http://www.leupold.com/hunting-and-shoot...g-range-target/


I know the resale on the savage will not be as good as the Remington but if it is a REAL shooter I prob wont sell it. If it is a turd I am gonna take a beating.

 

[Remoah]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

Hey mate, just a couple of things.

One, your sav link is broken (to me, anyhow, remember the new savage firearms page wont direct link to your rifle you chose with the rifle selector).

Also, being new here myself, all i can tell you is the guys here will need alot more information than "long range rifle, rem or sav?"

A few bases you might want to cover so you can get a good response:

What is your total (Optics+Rifle) budget for this rifle project?
What kind of ranges will you be shooting. 600m-800m, or 1000m +?
Will you shoot competitions? if so, what class/comps.
Do you reload your own ammo, or will you be buying factory?
Do you want to kill furry things or paper with this rifle?
Do you intend to upgrade the rifle throughout its life, or do you want something out-of-the-box and ready to go.
What other shooting have you done before? What rifles do you own?

Good luck, the guys here are excellent in giving advice, andi quickly found out thhat there were alot of things i was thinking on the wrong track about.

 

[fdkay]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

I see you took the advice and edited your original post.

You have chosen three excellent rifles and your optics selection is a good, although the power is a bit too high for hunting medium to large game. I would recommend you look at the 4-14 long range model.

As far as the rifles goes, as I said all three are excellent. When it comes to the Savage, I would recommend the HS Precision. This model has a full length aluminum bedding block and there is no need to do any further bedding.
The McMillan stock is an excellent stock but does not have a bedding block and they do not even have pillars installed, while it will shoot very well out of the box, for ultimate accuracy you will need to install pillars (no big deal) and bed the action.
The Remington you have selected comes in a stock that also has a full length aluminum bedding block.

 

[7mm-08 Freak]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

"your optics selection is a good, although the power is a bit too high for hunting medium to large game. I would recommend you look at the 4-14 long range model."

I kind of figured the lowest setting of 6.5 would work for hunting here in Texas as we can cheat and sit in heated blinds and watch critters eat corn from our timed feeders. If the rifle I buy shoots good enough I might just try some bench rest stuff. There are several places within a few hours of here that do it monthly. I mainly want a tack driving deer gun that I COULD compete with if I get good with it. That scope would be "ok" I think for that kind of stuff but I may be way off base. I was trying to make one gun/scope do both. I know that is a tall order as most guys have the very best stuff for each of these sports. That's why I posted here. I was asking for opnions or suggestions. Am I wrong in my thought process? All replies welcomed as I want to get it right the first time.

 

[bluealtered]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

The model 10 savages will shoot very well out of the box, i run from 125gr up in mine. My 12fvss 308 with only a b&c stock and 155gr smk's has done a 1.029x.789 six shot group at 200yd from and open rest, so yes they will shoot.

As for scopes, i will leave that up to others since i run what is considered cheap junk. The 12fvss does have a 6.5-20x50 and will turn down to 30yds without a problem. And yes it works well at 600yds as well.

Scopes are like peoples eyes, each one is different. You should go some place and look through as many as possible and see which one works best for you, not just buy a "name". blue

 

[7mm-08 Freak]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

What about this? http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-700/model-700-sps-tactical-aac-sd.aspx
I don't care about the threaded bbl and it is only 20" bbl but I can buy on locally out the door for $625. If it dosent shoot I think I could sell it for near what I paid?

 

[VKC]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

Model 700™ SPS™ Tactical AAC®-SD™ is a nice rifle, and the one I would pick because of the 1 in 10" twist. Faster twist rate will help to stablize heavier bullets better. 20" barrel is enough with faster twist. Later, you can get a new stock as needed.

 

[KYpatriot]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

You may also consider the Rem 700 5r but it does have a 24" barrel so maybe a 20 incher would be better in a blind but many that own them will tell you they are tackdrivers out of the box. Mine is. I think the Savage trigger is better than the new Remingtons, but even so I have recorded many true sub half moa 5 rd groups with mine at 100, sub moa out to at least 700, 100% box stock. 11.25 twist is good for the heavier grain bullets you will want to shoot as well.

Any of your choices there should work, just letting you know about another option.

 

[7mm-08 Freak]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

Bought this gun http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-700/model-700-sps-tactical-aac-sd.aspx
and put this scope http://www.leupold.com/hunting-and-shoot...g-range-target/ on it and with some match ammo shot a 2 hole group today. It seems the gun likes likes black hills match or Federal match ammo 168 or 175 grainers. I guess I am happy. the wind got up and the 200 yard groups were just over an inch. The trigger is still a little heavy at 2.5 lbs for my taste. The bolt dosent have a really solid stoping point when it cams over like most of my bolt guns. It just kinda gets stiffer as you push it down. If you push down on the bolt handle far enough you can see the back of the bolt move. I dont think this is right. Gonna cal Remington and ask them. other than that I am happy.

 

[7mm-08 Freak]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

Called Remington and found a warranty gunsmith 30 min away. Called him and checked a few things. The screws that hold the action in the stock are the problem. When the front screw is loose the trigger pull is 1 1/2 lbs and the bolt has a solid thunk when closed. No more mushy feeling when closing it. Tighten the front screw and you cant get the bolt open if it's closed and the trigger goes to 3+ lbs. This gun is pillar block bedded but something is binding inside somewhere. Quality control has gone out the window i am afraid. Gun in question http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-700/model-700-sps-tactical-aac-sd.aspx

 

[Hateca]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

Your front action screw is probably a little too long and is pushing in on the lug of the bolt head. Trim a thread or two off of the front screw and you will probably be fine.

 

[carbinero]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

Don't give up on the Rem; just get it fixed and move on. Consider the quantity of guns they sell: something will slip thru on occasion. Consider the price...625 for that package is fantastic. And yes, I'll bet if you are upset, you will not lose any money on a resale. In that case however, you may not be happy unless you spend 3x as much and go custom. I just bought a new ADL with varmint barrel for under $500, and it thanked me by producing 1/2" at 100. That is actually more the norm, from all the reading I did prior to choosing a varmint barrel Rem. Best--

 

[slowr1der]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: carbinero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Don't give up on the Rem; just get it fixed and move on. Consider the quantity of guns they sell: something will slip thru on occasion. Consider the price...625 for that package is fantastic. And yes, I'll bet if you are upset, you will not lose any money on a resale. In that case however, you may not be happy unless you spend 3x as much and go custom. I just bought a new ADL with varmint barrel for under $500, and it thanked me by producing 1/2" at 100. That is actually more the norm, from all the reading I did prior to choosing a varmint barrel Rem. Best-- </div></div>Unfortunately when it comes to Remington guns with bad quality seem to be slipping through a little too often in the last couple of years. If you read online there are tons and tons of complaints of new Remingtons having issues right out of the box. It's a shame too because the Remington name used to mean quality. It no longer seems to.

 

[HillbillyfromAL]

Re: New guy first long range rifle question

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: HateCA</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Your front action screw is probably a little too long and is pushing in on the lug of the bolt head. Trim a thread or two off of the front screw and you will probably be fine.</div></div>

That's probably whats going on.