New guy planning a rifle

[darkfader]

Hi guys, been lurking for a while and decided to create an account and jump in. It appears that there is a wealth of great knowledge here and I plan to fully take advantage of some of it. I have a very modest collection of firearms including a Rock River AR, a MAADI AK, a police style Mossberg 835, a PARA 1911, among some others. I've never had a bolt action and I just recently decided I needed to have one.

I decided on the Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC SD .308. I just bought a Vortex Strike Eagle MRAD because I got a nice discount on it and figure it will be more than I need anyway. Through research here, I understand the OEM Hogue stock is less than desirable so I had planned on getting the B&C M40 style stock, which is sort of a bummer because I love the looks of the hogue, but that M40 doesn't look too bad either. I figure I'll give the rifle a camo paint job once it's done anyway. I'd like to keep the rifle as military looking as possible. Is this rifle BDL? I plan to add a Harris 6-9" bipod and I need a base and rings for my scope which I'm unsure of. I had seen there is a method to measure for ring height but I have not found the thread yet. Should I plan on a 20 MOA base? I don't mind spending a little more for quality so what is the preferred equipment as far as bases and rings go?

I'll get some pics up soon, but obviously this isn't some groundbreaking build. Its purpose will be mainly fun plinking and seeing just how accurate I can be at distance, possibly a little whitetail hunting in the winter.

I look forward to learning as much as possible here. This site has already been very helpful. Let me know if anything I have planned is way off. Thanks!

 

[sleeplz]

Krg bravo is a great choice for a chassis. Priced right and vertical grip make it comfortable to shoot.

 

[Bradv86]

The rifle is a BDL.

20 MOA base - Yes. That scope has plenty of elevation and you will only gain by using a 20 MOA base here. There isn't a downside.

The Seekins base and matched rings are good. There are tons of options, with price points all over the place.

I dropped my AAC-SD .308 into a KRG bravo as was mentioned. I love this chassis. It has a Triggertech trigger in it and that was a HUGE upgrade from stock.

edit: I will say that this rifle has spun me off into shooting much more than I ever imagined. LOL

 

[ShtrRdy]

Yes, please install a 20 moa rail. I like to use Seekins or Nightforce. There are a couple other good rails.

For rings I've been getting the Nightforce Ultralite model. I also like the Seekins. There are a few other good rings these days.

You might try shooting the rifle with the factory stock first. I have a Tiikka Varmint model with the original polymer stock that shoots incredible. Sometimes I'll start talking myself into changing the stock on that Tikka. I'll eventually remind myself that a different stock can not make it shoot any better.

 

[sparky702]

I have a Remington 700 aac in 300 blackout . the houge stock sucks . I dropped it in a B&C m40 stock and it is so much better . I just got a krg bravo chassis in today for a build I am going to do and as much as I love my m40 stock I agree the the other gentleman go with the krg bravo . it gives you so many more options and cost less than 100.00 more plus it will allow you to use AICS magazines .

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Looking at the initial post, some questions come to mind.

Stocks seem to be an issue, so the basic stature and build of the owner comes into play. Height and build? If you are of average build and stature, simpler solutions become more numerous.

Purpose determines a lot about specifications. What kind of shooting will this rifle need to support? Hunting? Public Range? Tactical Competition? NRA F Class? Maximum practical distance? Is the presence of a chassis essential as a function of usage, or is this more of an appearance/esthetics matter?

I've been making suggestions to newer precision/tactical shooters here for nearly 20 years.

My philosophy is very basic; start with uncomplicated implements whose major emphasis is about performance, not appearance, and has a basis in specific goals. Understand that spending more money is unlikely to buy better outcomes for a newer precision shooter. Buy what you actually need, rather than what appeals to the ego.

The 308 is an outstandingly appropriate chambering for that shooter. If distances beyond 600-800yd are a definite requirement, the 20" barrel length could be marginally appropriate; longer would be better, 24" would be about ideal. The 20" can be made to work at great full distances, but at the cost of hotter loads and correspondingly shorter barrel life

Anything heavier than a varmint weight barrel becomes excessive for any application more mobile than bench shooting. Unless one handloads, chamberings that are heavily factory supported for the kind of shooting you intend should be foremost in your choices. Simpler is better, less to learn, less to go wrong.

Honestly, if shooting beyond 600yd isn't mandatory, and terminal energy isn't mandatory; the better choice would probably be .223/5.56. The difference is cost, and for such shooting in the educational mode it's a key question. You'll need to practice, and practice a lot; there is no substitute for that practice. Range facilities for such practice need to be relatively closer and more convenient; the longer distances are often less attainable, and can become a cost factor in and of themselves.

In 30-some years of shooting, I've never had a specific need for the benefits that a chassis provides, and I'm unlikely to go for one at this late date. Good stocks work well enough for me. I use a variation of this Choate Tactical Stock for my rifles, and the McMillan Tactical series of stocks are outstanding, but expensive; I have both myself.

As you know, cheek rests and ring heights are inseparable; they have to be appropriate to the shooter. I prefer EGW steel scope bases (20MOA, I like Extended) and Burris Signature 'Zee" rings. Height will be based on scope objective diameter, and the shooter's personal cheek weld. The Vortex Strike Eagle MRAD you mention uses a 56mm Objective, so high rings would be the average shooter's choice.

Maybe something in all this will prove useful for you. If my advice is not so much to your liking, I suggest this rifle. It's a very new product and can be harder to find, but it's very economical.

Greg

 

[darkfader]

Thanks for the replies gents. To answer a few questions:

This rifle will be purely for fun, my girlfriend likes to shoot her handguns and I like to watch her do it , so target shooting together will result in much more satisfaction than sub MOA groups. This rifle will also most likely be my deer hunting tool for two weeks a year.

The closest public range to me only reaches out to 200 yds, however I can safely set up an approx. 500 yd lane at my dads property whenever I wish. Yes, we suffer in this area regarding outdoor ranges. The majority are indoor and short range. Realistically, finding somewhere to walk off more than 5-600yds will not be close to me or easy to do.

I'm pretty set on the 700 as the action. I also like to make my firearms look as close to government issue weapons as possible, which is why I would like this rifle to resemble the early versions of the M24/M40 without spending the 3 grand on the real thing. This results in my wishes for a traditional style stock that truly free floats the barrel and eliminates the OEM Hogue's shortcomings.

Perhaps I should mount the optics, and break in the barrel with the OEM Hogue stock and get a feel for the size and fit and then make more decisions on the aftermarket stock. I am also very interested in the H-S Precision M24 A1 stock, keeping the marine sniper look to the rifle. I suppose I am of average size and build, 6' tall, 210lbs and reasonably fit.

I'm probably catching heat over my preference for form over function here, but I think there has to be a stock out there that will accommodate both form and function for my purposes. My purposes are simply speaking, plinking with the better half, and possibly taking a whitetail once a year, while maintaining the appearance of a GI SWS.

Again, I greatly appreciate the replies so far and I'm not one to make hasty purchases without research, so I thank everyone for taking the time to educate me.

 

[Southern Custom]

I’m with Greg on the .223 idea. While the OP didn’t state his intended use other than wanting a bolt gun, if it’s simply to get out and enjoy plinking steel or paper and you don’t have access to anything over 600; then a .223 is just a plain fun gun to shoot. So much so that I plan on putting one together this year just to have a high round count practice gun. We could all use more trigger time and you can’t get a better cheap thrill than a .223. .22s are fun but the .223 adds just enough umph to feel like you are really shooting at pennies a round and unlike .22 you can stretch it out a bit further.

 

[jakelly]

I’d look hard at the Grayboe Terrain. I’ve seen used for ~240. Drop your Remington in and go.

 

[kentuckyMarksman]

You might look at the McMillan HTG stock as well. McMillan made the original M40A1 stock for the military. They make nice stocks, very happy with my McMillan stock.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

While there are better chamberings for deer, good 223 loads for deer do exist. I have set up a Mossberg MVP Predator 223 with this load. I am also load developing a clone load using the Speer 62gr Gold Dot projectile, which is very close approximation of the factory load's bullet. This load should be understood to be a Shorter range load, I would limit use on deer to 150-200yd, and pay particular attention to shot placement. Mainly, the MVP Predator 223 will quite happily feed from your MilSpec AR-15 mags

I doubt that the MVP Predator 223 will be happy with bullets heavier than 69gr, but I've been overly conservative on that subject as well.

For what you want to do, the MVP Predator is not a bad choice, but it's not in the same league as the RPR. The RPR, IMHO, is too big and heavy for the woods. I was very pleasantly surprised with the MVP Predator 223.

However, the MVP line also supports 224 Valkyrie, 6.5CM, and 308.

If you have good reasons for choosing the 700, then by all means go with it. But there are as good or better actions out there for similar cost. Consider the Mossberg MVP Series.

 

[darkfader]

I like the .223 as well, as I own an AR chambered in 5.56, and run .223 through it regularly which is extremely fun and accurate. However, the 700 .308 has already been ordered. So what I’m trying to do is make this particular rifle the best it can be within reason. So far I only have the rifle and a scope. I’m looking at the suggested stocks, rails, and rings to complete the system. I plan to upgrade the trigger with a Timney, most likely. A Harris bipod is a definite, just need to figure out which one.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Something else, as well...

It deals directly with the questions you ask. Frank has categorized and refined the entire process of Precision Marksmanship.

His approach breaks things down into a logical sequence of easy to understand explanations, with good supporting logic. I think it's a great intro to precision shooting, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were to become the foundation volume of an extended series.

Greg

 

[darkfader]

Thanks for the link to that book, Greg. It’s ordered and will be here Tuesday. Gotta love Amazon.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

It's but one of many reasons why I believe that when people pan Amazon, they're throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Folks like myself, who are both handicapped and live 70-80mi from the cities, depend on internet purchasing to get everything from accessories, to tools, to non-perishable foods, to household goods, to reading matter, etc., etc. via Amazon and Kindle. Between Amazon, Kindle, Netflix, and UPS, etc., we have been able to ride out this lockdown, and continue to lead sane and productive lives.

Greg

 

[JMGlasgow]

Grayboe Renegade is a good stock, not too heavy either.

Red Hawk Rifles has deals for a stock with a bottom metal.

They now offer adjustable cheek risers and last I heard they're working on adjustable length of pull as well.

 

[jphil108]

I have the rifle you’ve purchased, and my range limitations are very similar to your own. excellent platform four your intended use,the hogue stock is passable It’s definitely flexible and causes some bounce when shot prone from a properly loaded bipod, but I have found the rifle to be consistently capable of 5 shot groups under .75 MOA when I’m having a bad day with its best groups in .375 range just using FGMM. It’s Remington, so your results may vary but I’ve pretty much only heard good things about the barrels in these. With that hogue stock on a Harris you’re basically rebuilding your position for each shot in the string, a less flexible stock will fix much of that. It sounds like you want the look of an xm-3, cool rifles but if you want to use AICS mags, once you factor in the cost of the bottom metal you will need, the b&c m40 stock will cost you almost as much or possibly even more than the Bravo, where as the bravo is already meant to run a DBM. If you just want to use the internal Magazine and floor plate, that Bell and Carlson is probably fine, it’s what people who didn’t want to pay for a Macmillan stock used before all of the chassis systems and the bravo came on the scene. Bottom line, I’d buy a bunch of match ammo and shoot it how it is until you cant make it shoot any better and then I’d see about spending more money on it.

 

[darkfader]

I “pulled the trigger” on the H-S Precision PST-086 from Stocky’s. Also inbound is a NightForce Picatinny base, a Harris 6-9” swivel notched leg model with pod lock from Triad. Once I have everything on the bench, I’ll figure ring height and probably go with Badger for those. Send a few rounds down range after that and decide on a trigger, probably trigger tech primary. I didn’t mean for this to get too fancy or expensive right out of the gate, but I think it’ll be a well rounded rifle for what I wanted, and fun to put together.

 

[darkfader]

I’ll see how cheek weld is when test fitting the optic. If I need a little rise, I’ll just throw a pad on there. Like one of the stock packs or whatever it’s called.

 

[jphil108]

Whatever you do for a cheek rest, make sure it stays in the same position shot after shot. Some of the cheaper bags move all over the stock and make it difficult to get consistent alignment with the scope. The kydex pieces are nice if mounted well and they are light, install isn’t usually too bad.

 

[Josh1978]

Krg bravo is a great choice for a chassis. Priced right and vertical grip make it comfortable to shoot.

Not to mention it looks great too. IMHO

 

[ofelas]

A tweaked AAC was one of my favorite rigs.

Once I'd changed the trigger, bedded into a stock that I liked much more, and fitted a bottom metal/trigger guard that didn't break on me.

Loved SMK in 168, 175 & 190 flavors.

 

[darkfader]

Very nice looking rifle @ofelas