Hi there,

I live in NJ but hope to leave this state at some point.  I'm looking for a rifle that serves two purposes: excellent accuracy and eventually a long distance hunting rifle (nothing doing in NJ! ).

The caliber I'm most likely looking at is .308 or 30.06 because I already have those calibers and would be fine for hunting.  Bolt action of course and I'm left handed so I would like to try it left handed, though if the perfect rifle is only right-handed, it wouldn't stop me.

Requirements:
Relatively light - no more than 8lbs.  I have a Vortex 3-18x that is almost 3lbs and I am kind of mindful of total weight
at least one of the calibers I mentioned: .308 or 30.06
not crazy expensive - I'm willing to pop $1000 or maybe even $1500 if there are compelling reasons, but under a grand is awesome too.
picatinny rail - Vortex has quick detach mounts and I use it on other rifles.
out of the box accuracy
Some customization - I'd like to build on it if I can

Nice to have:
iron sights - I would love to plink away at 100 yds. just to work on my own accuracy

I've looked at the Remington 700 and that's obviously one I could go with, but looking for other opinions too.  

Many thanks for the input!

http://www.legacysports.com/alpine-mountain-rifle

Looks nice and very light, but no picatinny rail, so couldn't use existing scope.  Also, couldn't determine if it was available in left-handed model?

Just add the mount that you like.

You add the mount you like  ETA Beat never mind

But call and ask about a lefty model and see what mounts they have available......

I'm very happy with the Tikka CTR in 308.  Later, I can drop the guts into an alternative chassis.   Mine shoots less than 1/2 MOA with factory rounds right out of the box.

So, no mention of Remington 700? No good anymore?  I see a lot of custom parts for it and you can build a fully custom 700 from parts based on the design.

Well your scope is going to look pretty silly sitting atop a pencil barreled lightweight if it is a Razor. Go with a 700 sps tactical has a 20" barrel or a Savage with a 20" barrel. I have no experience with Tikka but guys love them. Or take the scope off and club your deer with it. 3lb scope and mindful of weight

if it gets the job done who gives a shit what it looks like.....

It comes with picatinny rail, they just don't show it in the picture.  It comes with a 2 piece, but you could get a 1 piece if you prefer.

They are available in 0moa or 20moa.

A friend and member here has a very nice rifle that fits your requirements, as he built it for the same purpose.

Rem 700 action
Manners composite stock
Bartlein #3 contour 260 Rem barrel 22" (6.5 CM works for your purpose as well)
Pick your high quality 2.5-10 stock.

It's light as hell but still a tack driver. My next build will be very similar to his.  In your budget a cheaper stock will get you the same results.

Tikka CTR in .308

Fellow NJ guy here.

Winchester Model 70 extreme weather and a kimber Montana/Mountain Ascent are both nice hunting rifles that aren't super heavy and are relatively all weather. I have the winchester, but if that howa was out when I bought my rifle it would have gotten some serious consideration.

You can always keep your eyes out for a used Cooper. Occasionally the Excalibur models can be had for a few hundred more than your max 1800ish.

my savage scout 11 is sub moa

Some of you guys really need to learn how to comprehend what you are reading.  Everyone always is quick to jump in to make a recommendation based on what they own...instead of reading what the OP is asking.

Tikka does not offer the CTR in a LH configuration currently, but Tikka does offer some LH models.  Beside, the CTR isn't exactly a light rifle.

OP, if you truly want a light rifle for hunting applications and long range...I'd suggest looking for Savage/Stevens ...you could get away with an Axis as well, but not as many aftermarket support for Axis line.   You can swap calibers/barrels in under 10 minutes with minimum tools...that way you can buy a light contoured barrel for hunting season when you need a light/compact rifle.  When you want to step up for longer range precision shooting...screw on a longer barrel and you will be GTG.

A 16" 308/30/06 would do well in NJ as you won't be getting long shots in your state...just like here in PA...most hunting shots are probably less than 70 yards.

When you want to step up and go beyond 800 yards, a nice 22"+ barrel will assist you with that challenge down the road.  

Best things about Savage is

1)DIY and gain a great skill
2)Save you a lot of money by not having to pay someone to work on your rifle.  You upgrade as you need to and when funds allow.

^^^^^^^^^^  Who stated it right on?     THIS GUY!!!   ^^^^^^^^^

Ruger American in 308. 6lb rifle  and confirmed sub MOA performance.  Oh at a cost of $350!!!!

The OP isn't asking for a light rifle, he's asking for a rifle no more than 8 pounds as he's got nearly 3 pounds of scope he'll be adding to it.

Putting that kind of scope on a featherweight rifle will result in both odd looks and very top heavy handling.

Light weight and feather weight rifles also don't work all that well for range work as they have more recoil in any given cartridge, and a pencil weight barrel tends to heat up quickly and is more prone to shifting the point of aim as it heat up, unless it's very high quality and thoroughly stress relieved.

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In that regard, the Remington SPS Tactical weighs 7.5 pounds with it's unfluted 20" medium heavy barrel.  That would be 11-12 pounds with the OP's scope and ready to hunt - and it's $650-$700 rifle.  I'm not sure if you can get one in left hand configuration, however you can get a new Rem 700 Police LTR with a 20" fluted heavy  barrel in a left hand model for just under $1,000 and it's also a 7.5 pound rifle.

You can get the 700 SPS Varmint as well in a left hand model but it's an 8.5 pound rifle due to it's 26" medium heavy barrel.

Ruger sells their Hawkeye Predator with a 22" medium heavy barrel and it weighs in at 8 pounds in .308.  It will sell for right around $1000.  They are still a little controversial in terms of accuracy due to the reputation of the Wilson barreled versions sold from 1973-1991, but Ruger makes it's own barrels and my M77 Mk II VT in .308 is a solid 1 MOA rifle.  

All of the above would make excellent long range hunting / target rifles.  

I shoot .308 in both 20" and 26" barrels and depending on the load I lose between 0 fps and 120 fps in the shorter barrel, so don't automatically assume you need more than 20" of barrel for long range shooting.  I wouldn't worry about it until you're shooting out past 800 yards.    

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Below is my 20" Rem 700 SPS in it's original configuration as well as my 26" Ruger M77 Mk II VT with an aftermarket composite stock.  

Both rifles weigh 12 pounds loaded (5 plus 10 for the Ruger), with sling and bipod.  The Ruger has been my go to hunting rifle since 1996.



In it's current configuration my SPS weighs 13.3 pounds with B&C stock, 4-14x56mm scope, tactical bolt knob, cheek riser and rear bag, sling, bipod and a 10 rounds of ammunition.  It's not my go to hunting rifle, but it's my favorite long range rifle.

I love bolt guns and have a safe full of them.  Most are centerfire hunting configuration rifles intended to be hunted hard and carried in the field to remote locations, but still with enough heft to not be punishing from recoil.  They tend to come out between eight and nine pounds with scope and at least a 22" barrel.  Of the bunch my favorite is below.  

This is my Remington 700 Custom Shop long action Mountain Rifle in McMillan stock.  The action is chambered in .280 Remington and has a factory Custom Shop air gauged #2 Sporter profile 24" barrel.  Action is blueprinted and trued for very even and equal lug contact.  Trigger has been factory hand fitted and breaks at a hunting safe 2.5 lbs with no creap or overtravel.

Accuracy is typically on the order of .75 MOA with Barnes TTSX 140 grain hunting bullet handloads, closer to .5 MOA with match target ammo.  But it is a hunting rifle.  With scope and sling and four rounds in the blind magazine it weighs 8.5 lbs. with the pictured Leupold 2.5-10x45 LPS scope.  I more frequently hunt with the Kahles 2-7x36 in the second photo which drops total weight to 8.0 lbs.

The action is available in left hand in most calibers.  You can build essentially the same rifle with the help of a competent gunsmith.  Remington 700 actions, barrels, stocks, triggers and all other parts are abundant as is the huge aftermarket for building or modifying rifles based on 700 actions.  You could probably build something similar on an old donor 700 action for about $1500.

Thanks everybody so far for the recommendations.  To me, the central idea is balance (of requirements).  I will give a bit on the weight if it makes a better rifle.  Accuracy and performance are the key criteria to me.  This will be my first bolt gun, but as in all things related to fire arms, I doubt it will be my last.  

Scope - yes, Razor is darn heavy, but it is optically beautiful.  I will also probably get another, lighter scope more suited to hunting in the future.
hunting - NJ doesn't really allow rifle at all, but I hope to get out of this stupid state in the future.  Also, I've not yet truly hunted, so this is all theoretical to me now.  Want to avoid stupid mistakes ahead of time....hence me posting here.
Why I am leaning towards Remington 700 at the moment - It seems to have a huge after market upgrades (something I tend to do) and looks like AR15.com is building a whole mini site around building them.  That said, I've admired stock Savages and could be sold on it.

And a special thank you to the guy who really read the post and the requirements and made some suggestions based on that - dig it!

Thanks!

Avoid stupid mistakes: Long distance hunting.

It's unethical as hell and almost always a waste of time (outside a couple specific pursuits where it's actually the only way).

Everyone thinks they're a sniper in the woods until they lose a wounded animal. Everyone except that animal that they are tryin'a shoot that is. Do your food and other hunters the courtesy of getting close enough to be 100% positive of a merciful harvest that doesn't put other hunters or animals or property at risk.

I'm a long range competitive shooter. I don't have to worry at all about my ability to land a solid lethal hit even to well beyond 500m. I know for sure I'll hit it. Despite the skills being objectively measured and known, I DO NOT EVER SHOOT AT ANIMALS FROM EXTENDED RANGE. In fact I've harvested big game with only 3 exceptions I can think of offhand from 100m or less. If you focus on the long game you'll never see the deer that's right in front of you and then if you do happen to whack one from a quarter mile away you get to then drag that sucker back over rough country and you're already tired by then. Hunt close, shoot close and you'll never have to drag anything far.

Savage Predator Hunter might be worth a look.  They are pretty easy to get, even in southpaw style, and not too much money, with a fair aftermarket.  24" fluted barrel, reasonably accurate, not too heavy, not too much money.

The Rem 700 in left-hand configuration comes as a CDL, SPS Varmint (26"heavy barrel), SPS (24" barrel), and SPS Compact (20" barrel).  The SPS models come with very poor stocks, and the SPS Varmint is heavy.  The CDL and SPS are not bad guns, although they benefit from a good aftermarket trigger.

I've got a lefty CDL in .30-06, and it is a sub-MOA shooter.  It is light, and not that much fun for a sissy like me to shoot, though!

Good luck, and have fun.

Some of your comments don't make any sense.  Are you always setting up right off the road?  I can think of all kinds of times where I might've taken a shot at a deer over 100 yards and it was actually closer to where I would need to get it out of the woods.  I think if you ALWAYS waited to shoot a deer at 100 yards or less, you would miss some.  But I don't disagree that you should be ethical about it and only shoot if you're confident in making a shot.  Meaning you've actually shot at that distance before with a degree of skill.

I think most antelope would never get shot if you waited until they were that close.

UPDATE

So, the goal in purchasing is to have a rifle that I can work on long distance shooting and a hunting rifle (but not to specifically hunt at long distance).  Yes, merciful harvest is mandatory.  Hunting is second focus but long distance shooting is more immediate.  And to be honest, living in NJ - long distance is 300yds - not really long distance.

That said, I visited a shop last weekend and looked at a Sako.  Oh my goodness!  The trigger was simply out of this world, but while I can afford the price, I'm not inclined to go that high at this point.  However, that has me taking a very serious look at Tikka, the lower-end version of the Sako.  

My question is now between which models and I'm primarily asking if barrel weight would make a substantial difference on accuracy.  I'm looking at something like a Varmint MT which would have a weight of 7.5lbs or T3 Lite where the weight is a measly 6 3/16.

As for scopes, I'm looking at Vortex HS-LR in FFP and ADM for a mount.  Wondering if I will have any problems with ejecting from the left side if the QD mechanism is on the same side...

Thanks.

I've heard plenty of good things about the Tikka rifles and I gave them a little consideration before settling on a Savage model 10 FCP-SR, largely due to cost (a little over $600 here) and aftermarket support.  Since you mentioned moving to a free state, the threaded barrel could is a plus, detachable magazines are also nice in some situations, they make a left handed version, and include a picatinny rail and aluminum reinforced accustock. Savage hasn't been too consistent with the model 10 design, as there are center and stagger fed models, and some variations of magazine design and action screw spacing, which means you have to be careful when picking parts and it certainly cuts into aftermarket support compared to Remington.

ETA: Of the two models you mention, I'd pick the Varmint MT, since I expect the barrel weight should help accuracy during extended strings of firing. Threaded barrel, plus a nicer stock are also big factors in my book.

Is that  fucking joke? How many people wound big game at bayonet distance? I focus on big game from close to miles away with a spotting scope, If I put a stalk on and can get close by all means I will. Sometimes though it doesn't happen and shits going to die at way over 100 yards. I killed my antelope this year at 410 yards cause that's as close as I could get. I also don't drag anything I kill. Break it down and pack it out on my back and with big shit that means multiple trips. Practice know your limitations and youll be fine when it comes to making longer shots. Word of advice would be to worry about yourself.

Lol

I learned long ago never to impose my own limitations on others.

If Im 20 miles from my truck do you think an extra hundred yards or two are a factor in my shot? And I think JJREA said it, but why are you ASSuming that my target isnt 3-400 yards closer to my truck?

One of the easiest shots I ever had was at 400 yards along powerlines. Shooting jumped deer in swamps at 20 yards is a lot harder for me.

Seriosuly just get a left handed T3.  You can pick up a sporter/tac stock on ebay for less than $200 and then  dremel out the bolt relief.

Or just shoot the rifle and then upgrade to an XRAY. It will outshoot any other factory rifle short of a sako.

I would also ditch the vortex or keep it for a LR build.   Lightweight and and Vortex Razor don't belong in the same sentence.


If it was me, I would get a CTR in .308, sell the stock/BM/Mag.....Buy and Xray and mount the vortex on top.  You have a rifle that can reach out to 1K if you need or take a 75 yard shot on deer.  Hunting In NJ is the same as anywhere on east coast. You sit in a stand and wait.  Who cares if its a little heavy, you end up with a much more capable rifle.

Learn to use a right handed bolt. Its pretty easy for lefties to be honest.

Actually, in the last 17 years of hunting in new england i have never sat in a tree stand

Yes, I am of your opinion and have come to the same conclusions.  However, it doesn't look like KRG makes a lefty Xray or Whiskey for a Tikka - just a Rem 700, so will have to wait on that for a bit.  I'm looking at my local dealers and a couple of online shops to see what's available and when.  Also looking at scopes too.  See this thread

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_16_5/2820_Comparing_Razor_Gen_II_3_18x_FFP_with_Vortex_HS_LR_4_16x_FFP.html

I would call Justin at KRG. They should be able to hook you up.

FYI, I have a ,260 Tikka sitting in a KRG Folder.  It really is a killer stock and the xray gives up little to the W3 unless you need the folder.

For a hunting rifle, I don't belive there is a better optic than the bushy LRHS. I have one in 3-12 and 4.5-18. Doing it again, I would just get 2 of the 18x's....The reticle scaling is much better in that model and the extra mag helps with load development.

Good to know that they may be open to making a LH model.  As for a scope, the Bushnell is out of my price range this time.

I'm late to the party but can vouch for the Tikka T3 Lite in lefty.  A few buddies and I chipped in and bought one for a friend and it's great.  I've shot the right handed version of the same rifle in .270 and took a 60# hog at 345 yards with it.  Despite your thoughts on my taking a shot that long, the rifle did it and did it well (had a crazy nice Zeiss on it which did a great job as well).  They aren't cheap but I like them as lot.

Personally I shoot a Savage 111 and also really like it.  Multiple hog kills with it out to 250 yards (I hunt in TX once per year) and it was cheap so I don't feel bad treating it a little rough.  Downside is the cheapish/hollow feeling stock but helps with weight.

Ruger Precision Rifle /end. Sub MOA bolt action .308 rifle for around 1k

Would suck assholes packing that thing around as a hunting rifle.

I was in a similar situation/decision point and chose a Sako A7 Roughtech as my do-all/pack rifle. The silky smooth actions of the Sakos/Tikka's are working looking at. The Roughtech is right at $1k in cost and is boringly consistent with multiple types of factory ammunition and sub MOA with match and hand load ammo. The Tikka's can be had for ~$300 less, are well known for their build quality/accuracy, and may save a small amount of weight for those long carry days. The craftsmanship of these rifles is readily apparent.



Sako A7 Roughtech

True, but in looking at the Sako website, they discriminate against us lefties.

UPDATE

I pulled the trigger on a Tikka T3 in a Hunter model.  As much as I'm practical and am okay with synthetic stocks, too many people said that the stock was the cheesy part of it and besides, the wood just looks good too.  Should have it the week of Thanksgiving.  

Working to find the scope counterpart in my budget (for now at least).  Don't think that I am going to find that HS-LR Vortex I was looking for.  May just get the Weaver in a 2.5-10 which is still on sale and see how that goes.  I can always upgrade the scope later.

Thanks for all of the input and insight.

Looking forward to seeing it.  I love a bolt gun in wood.