I'm looking into getting a new rifle.  Need some suggestions on rifle and optic.  Plan on doing shooting mainly at 100-300 yards primarily.  I have been looking at the Remington 700 PSS in .308, not sure which optic i should go with.   I'm looking for a rifle in the <$1000 range.  Scope <$600 range.  I would like to possibly do shooting out to possibly 600-700 yards out at Gun Site Hills in Lexington.  More focused on the 100-300 yard range rahter than the 600-700.  Shoot away with suggestions/recommendations.

700 is a good start.  Consider a SS 10X42 Mildot.  Use left over money in Squaring the action and glass bedding.

That is a good choice.  M1A is also a good choice too, but out of your $1000 rifle price, unless you get a great deal.

I've been searching around for some with the 5R barrell.  The ones with the 5-R setup come already with alum bedding and 4-round mag.

The 700PSS is aluminum bedded from the factory.  The factory trigger is fortunately adjustable because it is around 12lbs from the factory.  I took it to a local smith and had it adjusted down to 3lbs.

My rifle is set up with a Badger 30MOA mount, and a set of Badger rings.  I use a Leupold Vari X-III, M3, long range tactical, with a mil-dot reticule.  I know the scope is a little out of the range you are looking for but I highly recommend it.

I don’t know where in Georgia you are located but Bull’s-eye in Lawrenceville has great prices on both the Remington PSS (24” fluted barrel) and the other similar model with a 20” fluted barrel.

Quoted: I've been searching around for some with the 5R barrell.  The ones with the 5-R setup come already with alum bedding and 4-round mag.

Bulls-eye in Lawrenceville also has the Remington's with the 5R barrels from time to time.

one word

savage

Quoted: The 700PSS is aluminum bedded from the factory.  The factory trigger is fortunately adjustable because it is around 12lbs from the factory.  I took it to a local smith and had it adjusted down to 3lbs. My rifle is set up with a Badger 30MOA mount, and a set of Badger rings.  I use a Leupold Vari X-III, M3, long range tactical, with a mil-dot reticule.  I know the scope is a little out of the range you are looking for but I highly recommend it. I don’t know where in Georgia you are located but Bull’s-eye in Lawrenceville has great prices on both the Remington PSS (24” fluted barrel) and the other similar model with a 20” fluted barrel.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it only bedded at the recoil lug?

Quoted: Quoted: I've been searching around for some with the 5R barrell.  The ones with the 5-R setup come already with alum bedding and 4-round mag. Bulls-eye in Lawrenceville also has the Remington's with the 5R barrels from time to time.

Might have to check with them since they are only about 20 min away.

Use left over money in Squaring the action and glass bedding.

What exactly do each of those accomplish?  I have absolutely no clue.  

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I've been searching around for some with the 5R barrell.  The ones with the 5-R setup come already with alum bedding and 4-round mag. Bulls-eye in Lawrenceville also has the Remington's with the 5R barrels from time to time. Might have to check with them since they are only about 20 min away. Use left over money in Squaring the action and glass bedding. What exactly do each of those accomplish?  I have absolutely no clue.

Increases accuracy.  Having the action squared and trued ensures the barrel and action are perfectly inline.  Having the bolt squared and lapped ensures everything is straight and locked up as well as it possibly can.  Glass bedding ensures the action and stock are completely mated and theres no chance of shifting which will change your point of impact.

As I understood it, and I could be wrong, the 700 comes bedded from the factory but only at the recoil lug.  I also belive it is free-floated from the factory as well.

How much is it to have the action squarred and trued and bedding?  Is that something that I could easily do or something that a gunsmith will need to do?  If so, anybody in the area capable of such?  I found a Rem 700SS R-5 milspec for $820.  cheapest that i've seen it yet.  Been looking at some of the leupold scopes, specifically the VX-III models.  Anybody got any favorites among them?  How do you know which magnifications go out how many yards?  Just bare with me and the questions.


any ideas on the  Leupold Vari-XIII Tactical 4.5-14x40mm A/O Mil dot?

One comment on the scope you choose- I'd get a variable for that range. It would allow you to zoom in on a target or have some field of view on lower power. 10x has little FOV at the lesser ranges you mentioned. The Leupold scoeps are great, just keep in mind that the factory mildot is only accurate for range estimation at the higher power. I believe the Premier Reticles offers a first focal plane mildot that stay accurate at any magnification. (I've got a SS10x42 on my 10FP and it's too much power. I shot a whitetail last year at 110 yards and the whole deer just barrel was in the FOV.)

On rifles, one thing to say about Savages vs. Remmy's is Savages are NOT being out shot by Remmy's. The barrels as of late on Remmys have been questionable. If you're o.k. with replacing it to see an accuracy improvement, then Savage has the Remmy beat as well, since a home gunsmith can easily swap Savage barrels, and Lilja and Doulgas tubes are both available prethreaded and fully chambered. Can't do that with a Remmy.

The squaring of the action on a Savage is not necessary due the the way that the bolt meshes with the barrel. It can be improved but only a little and isn't necessary.

The plus's for the Remmy are aftermarket parts, but that has become a smaller advantage as of late.


For the 700 Milspec, check out snipershide for more info. That have been touted to not be anything special for a couple hundred over a regular PSS. for that matter the PSS can easily be outdone by buying a short action remmy, swapping out the barrel for a quality one and a better stock.

Which ever way you go, you should be able to get a fine rifle for under $1500 with scope.

If your want to try a Savage out, let me know. I've got a nice shooting 10FP.

I was lookin at the 5-r of the 700 considering it was only about $70 more than the PSS.  I'm going to check tomorrow and see if I can get a good deal on it through the gun store that sponsors me.  I get a nice discount on the scopes.  I haven't narrowed it down completely yet.  I was checking out a few illuminated mil dot leupy's today.  Any thoughts on those?  are they worth the extra money?

ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=93&t=230813

You do not have to buy it all at once.
Think of it as a project gun or a builder. Look for a good deal on the gun you want now and get it. Wait a couple of months and get the bipod, pod lock, rings, etc. Take a few months to figure out exactly what glass you want and find the best deal on it.
Take your time and get what you want and what works best. You will only have to buy once this way.
I do prefer illuminated reticles, and have never heard anybody complain about their Luepy. If I were going to get a Leupy, I would get it from Premiere Reticle.  
You should also think about getting into reloading. Match grade .308 will cost about $1.00/round retail.

ARH

Which savage would you recommend?  I'm not completely set on anything.

I'd be looking at the 10FP with the Macmillan stock and 24" tube. The cheapo Savage stock is crappy and begs to be replaced. The Choate stock is too heavy and just ugly. The Mac stock cannot be outdone.

That should leave you around $900 for scope and mounts. ARMS or Ken Farrell M1913 base and Badger or other rings will set you back another $150-$200, so still leaves you $700 for the scope.

Another thing to note about Savages is some guys build switch barrel guns. The barrels can be swapped out in a matter of 10-15 minutes once you have done it a couple times.

I'm probably going to buy a PacNor barrel when mine is shot out (I said Lilja above, but it's Pacnor that has prethreaded barrels). They offer miriad of twists and groove combos. I'm thinking three groove 1:10 twist. I've got a 20" tube now so I can use a can without the rifle being overly large, but will pobably go back to 24".