Quick Question on building an accurate rifle

[MisterGrubbs]

Hello, new person here, so please excuse the lack of knowledge.

First off, its for fun. Occaisionally I will have the opportunity to hunt with the weapon, but that's very few and far between. I intend to shoot on the weekends when I need a stress relief/whenever I get the opportunity.

Looking to build a .308 caliber - its simply cheaper and from what I've read has great accuracy at reasonable distances.

What I'm looking at :

I've considered a Savage 10 with the accustock/accutrigger, but I've never been able to shoot one and not sure how comfortable I am. I've also considered going full on custom. McMillan stock to start and going from there.

What I dont have : knowledge or extensive experience. Sure, I've shot a deer hunting rifle 1,000 times, but shooting a .300winmag Mark II 77 Ruger rifle with a 100 dollar Nikon Prostaff is not exactly the same thing as I'm wanting to do here. I have a local gunsmith who is pretty decent, I'm supposed to go shoot a few rounds with him tomorrow to get a feel for what I like. He, unfortunatel, wanted me to do more research into what I'm wanting exactly and I'm lost. I dont know what barrels to use, I dont understand twist in the barrel all that well nor do I understand the differences in some of the setups.

Any and all feedback would be appreciated.

My first mark goal is 1,000 yards within the next year, I can always upgrade equipment. I plan on taking some schooling to help with breathing control and shot placement as well.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

try a savage M10fcp in an HS or McMillan A5 stock and shoot that a bunch before you worry about a custom. i dont think you will be sorry. and if not the 10pc or fcp-k in the accustock may work for you

 

[Robert Gradous]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

Try savagedoctor.com

 

[G27RR]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

You could also look at the Remington 700P, which comes with a decent stock, or a 700SPS and drop that into a Bell 7 Carlson stock.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

I think you'll find all you're looking for from a Savage 10FCP-K.

I believe this is the rifle which packs the most bang into the buck, and should be your 'meat-and-potatoes' rifle for all distances.

But for the bulk of your shooting, also get a Savage MKIIF .22LR. Marksmanship excellence is about doing as much shooting as you can. Trying to accomplish that with the .308 will be far more expensive in terms of ammo and bore life. Save the bulk of the practice and training shooting for the .22LR. That's what it's best at and it's what's best at it.

Don't be the new guy who wants to start out, but will only accept the best. For the record, a lot of us 'less than new guys' do just fine with an off-the-shelf rifle.

If you spend your shooting life chasing rainbows, God help you when you finally find one. The trip will be over, and the trip's the whole point.

Start modest. Follow the path from there. Don't do it alone.

Greg

 

[sniperaviator]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

The traditional "build" way is to buy a Rem 700 with a heavy varmint barrel, put it into a new stock (I used an AICS stock, midway has them, they are drop in) and adjust the trigger. Get a picatinny rail with 20moa cant and put a tactical scope on it. Then after you shoot it a bit upgrade the trigger and maybe the barrel. You can do all of this yourself except the barrel (you will need a gunsmith for that).

 

[groovebus]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

Even the plain stock version of the Savage 10FCP is a great buy for under $800. I bought my Savage 10FP from BigSkyGuns.com in Montana and it's one of the best rifles I own. The 10FCP has the new Accustock, it's aluminum bedded. The 10 series rifles all have the usually stuff you are going to modify on the Rem. 700. Oversized bolt, heavy barrel, and accurate right out of the box.

 

[2guard]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

+1 on the Savage 10FCP-K, or get the 10fcp with 5r and hs stock for a little less (I've seen them for $850 on gunbroker).
Any ideas on the glass you are wanting to use?

 

[MisterGrubbs]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

Thanks for the responses! I am not the guy who wants to start out with a $10,000 setup, but I would like to start out with a NICE setup to the extent that I know 100% that its my shooting that I need to work on, not the weapon itself. This probably comes from a lack of knowledge.

What I'm considering so far is the Savage 10 in a .308 Caliber. I saw one last night that is the 10FCP with 5R Threaded barrel. Barrel is 24" Heavy Fluted with a 1:11.25 twist. Its already threaded for a supressor with cap, whatever in the sams hell that means. I know what a supressor is but the cap? No clue, and I do not have a class III license, so that's of no true use to me.

Anyways, I considered adjusting the trigger down to 1.5-2lbs on the rifle and putting a nice set of optics on there as well as a swiveling bipod. The gun itself is 700 dollars new.

Edit - the gun has the Accustock. I like the looks of SOME of the aftermarket McMillan stocks - does the type of stock truthfully affect anything? If not, there's a different styling I'm after.

 

[MisterGrubbs]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

I am really a fan of the way the Savage 10 BAS LE looks. I would probably keep that gun the way it is, add the swiveling bipod and optics. I really like the stock/body of the gun from what I can see in pictures.

 

[snipedogg]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

The cap is just a cap that screws on over the threads to protect them. You won't even notice it's threaded unless you remove the cap. Any savage rifle you buy will shoot better than you're going to expect. If you want a tactical look I'd go with the Mcmillan or HS version. The accu stock, HS and Mcmillan will all perform the same they just provide a different look and feel. You will need to have the Mcmillan bedded if you chose to go with that stock. You can adjust trigger yourself with no problem. What scope or scopes do you have in mind?

 

[MisterGrubbs]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

Been looking at the Leupold MK4's and a few others on here. I originally wanted the SWFA SS 10x, unfortunately I do not want a fixed optics. I'm still reading around trying to find something nice, yet reasonably priced. The NightForces look nice, unfortunately its not worth it to me to drop 2,000 for my first scope.

Furthermore, I WISH I could afford to pick up night optics for the rifle, but once again spending 3-4k on the scope simply isnt worth it for what I will be using it for. Maybe someday

Also, I see a 10FCP with a McMillan for 1,050 roughly on Gunbroker. I really like the military/assault look and that's more or less what I'd like to go for. As stated, I love the looks of the 10BAS from Savage. Nasty looking gun.

 

[head2h2o]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

I agree that you should go with the Savage or a Rem 700 of some variety. The 700P is nice, but I am not crazy about the stock for 1000 yd shooting and prefer the B&C A3 medalist. Out of the box, the Savages have shot better than the Rem. If it were me, I would go with the model 10. Forget the custom right now. Get your feet under you with shooting long distances and figure out what you like and don't, then consider a custom rifle.

As for the scope, you can get a NF for much less than $2K. They show up for sale on here consistently. If you really want a good bang for the buck, look at the super sniper series from SWFA.

 

[MisterGrubbs]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

I looked at the SS series from SWFA. I know the history behind them and they appear to be GREAT scopes. Unfortunately I need some adjustability. I wont only be shooting 500+ yards, but also 100-200 yards often as well.

I'm going to do some more research, but I'm very very keene on the Savage 10 BAS. It appears to be exactly what I want. It has the aggressive look that I want, 24" Heavy fluted barrel with muzzlebreak, it has the M4 style stock oversized bolt 10rd detachable mag and the stock is made like the accustock, which should be nice. It also has the accutrigger. I figure with a nice 1.5-2.0lb trigger, a swivel bipod, and nice optics it can do more than I can and will give me the look I'm wanting.

Any ideas/people who have shot these rifles?

 

[sniperaviator]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

The problem with those Savage BAS rifles is those stocks are aluminum. They are hot when hot and cold when cold. You are better off with a Savage McMillan or one of the or Savage FP Folding Choate. Frankly, the only out of the box rifle that is really up to par is a Sako TRG 22. Get one of those and you have no excuses. You could also look at the tactical Tikkas (although they lack upgrade parts). I know, quality is expensive.

 

[bmt]

Re: Quick Question on building an accurate rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ryan Grubbs</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Any and all feedback would be appreciated.
</div></div>

Welcome.

Lots of good advice.

Get good coaching. Rifles Only is close enough to you.

BMT

 

[MisterGrubbs]

Re: Quick Question on building a sniper rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sniperaviator</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The problem with those Savage BAS rifles is those stocks are aluminum. They are hot when hot and cold when cold. You are better off with a Savage McMillan or one of the or Savage FP Folding Choate. Frankly, the only out of the box rifle that is really up to par is a Sako TRG 22. Get one of those and you have no excuses. You could also look at the tactical Tikkas (although they lack upgrade parts). I know, quality is expensive. </div></div>

I thought the stock was built in an accustock type fashion to where it would be a nice, good stock?

I dont mind coming out for the McMillan - I just like the M4/assault styling personally.