Target/Varmit Rifle advise

[rckitbuilder]

I've been interested in Long Range Target shooting but I've never tried it, I'm also not a Spring Chicken any more so I'm not sure if I'd be any good at it. I've been lusting over the Savage Model 12 FTR .308 30 inch stainless and a nice scope. I'm thinking I'll spend $2K easy enough. I'm looking for your thoughts on a cheaper alternative that could be used for Target shooting starting at 100 yards and work out from there and perhaps do a little Varmit shooting as well, so an accurate Rifle is a must. Am I dreaming or is this doable?
Thanks to all.

 

[tyromeo55]

for out of the box accuracy it is very hard to beat the savage. For less money then the FTR Id seriously look into the VLP or even the LRVP Both VERY accurate and would give yo an extra couple hundred to put towards good glass like a Nightforce.

 

[Jeff3C]

I would start with a used Remington 700 5R or Police. Then buy a really nice scope (Leupold VX-3/Mark 4, used Nightforce, Zeiss) in the 4-16x range and shoot the crap out of it. Once you wear the barrel out you can have the action trued and a custom barrel installed (Broughton, Hart, Krieger). You should be looking at $600-$800 for the rifle and $600-$1300 for the scope.

Spend the rest of the money on ammo (match grade or reload yourself) and professional lessons. By the time you get your form down and a little experience reading the elements you can start customizing the rifle to be exactly what you want.

Nothing wrong with the Savage but I prefer the Remington hands down.

 

[Hunter80]

Just bought a remington 700 VLS in .223 and am happy so far....BPS matched the lowest retail price I found which was $777

 

[adluginb]

The Remington SPS tactical is around the $600 mark or less and mine shoots under 1 moa with factory fodder. The Rem. 5R would be my next choice up. As stated above I would spend the money on the good glass (Nightforce, Zeiss, Leupold MK4).

 

[AKguy1985]

Medlocks has a 700 SPS for $520 and OPS has a used savage 10FP with a HS stock for $699 i believe

 

[ez bake]

If I weren't going to add too many goodies to it (stock/barrel/trigger/etc...), I'd get a Savage and look for one with a good stock already on it or upgrade to a B&C (if I were on a budget - get a Manners, McMillian or something nicer if you can afford it).

The two most important things on your rifle will be the barrel and the glass (and associated mounts).

The stock needs to be bedded (or at least a stock with aluminum bedding block again, if you're on a budget) and better triggers are nice, but at the end of the day, a good clear repeatable scope is key to this, as is an accurate repeatable barrel.

I'd personally get the cheapest Remington 700 you can find in either .243 or .308 and yank the barrel and replace with a Hart from Steve Baldwin (he's cheap on his Hart barrels and does a great job), a B&C Medalist A3 stock, a Timney or Rifle Basix trigger (Midway has good deals on Timneys right now) and a Badger 20MOA base (or a Warne if you can't find a decent used Badger or just don't have the cash), and some decent rings (Burris XTR rings are ok for the money).

Get whatever glass you can afford that does the job it needs to and then upgrade later on (make sure its decent glass - there are budget options out there for beginners that keep you from having to plunk down $1k-$2k on glass before you know if you'll be into the long-range scene).

Vortex Optics, Bushnell's Elite 4200 series, SWFA's SS, Falcon Optics, etc... are all good optics in your budget until you're sure you want to do this long-range thing and want to spend more later.

 

[HMFIC]

I agree with the sentiments of getting a model 700 or similar and cutting your teeth there.

I have a model 70 actioned .308 for sale right now that would do the trick and is proven to 1000 yards for accuracy and it didn't break the bank.

Sometimes we (and I am included) think that we have to get the absolute top of the line equipment when in fact other solutions exist that will do the job nicely and for much less money. Besides... you can spend the money you save on more ammo because practice is the quicker way to achieve better results rather than a slight difference in rifle accuracy that you likely won't have the need for until years later.

 

[ez bake]

http://okshooters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98699

I'd get this just about as fast as you can get in contact with Josh - that's a very nice rig for the $$$.

 

[338Shooter]

Damn, the services alone from Steve are worth that. Basically getting the action, stock and base for free.