Hi there,
I have been testing the water of target shooting with a Howa 308 varmint and a M70 300WSM. Both are in factory configuration. They are good rifles for the money, but have severe limitations. In the case of Howa, it has very limited after market accessory support. I recently found that Rifle Basix doesn't make a replacement trigger for the new two stage Howa triggers. The M70 is a light barrel hunting rifle that heats up too quickly for target shooting.
So I decided to get a rifle that has fully adjustable stock and heavy barrel.
I do reload so I am also open to try new calibers. My budge is $2K.
After some research, here is my list in the order of preference
1. CZ 750, 308, $1800 or so. It came with all the accessories except a bipod. The muzzle brake should help with recovery after shot.
My concern is again after market support: does anyone make a 20 MOA rail for it? can I find a smith to work on the trigger, replace the barrel or even re-chamber it to 260 in the future?
2. SSG 04, $2000 or so. I would get a 300 win mag, always wanted to reach further than a 308. It came with everything, including a bipod. I knew McMillan makes replacement stocks.
My concern is whether it is easy to have a smith to replace the barrel. I heard that SSG69 needs to go back to factory to replace barrel. What about SSG04?
3. T3 sporter, $1700 or so. I would get a 260 REM. This cartridge is the main reason I am considering it.
It didn't come with accessories such as rail or bipod. So it's cost is about the same as previous two. Tikka probably has the best after market support among the three.
It is a good looking rifle, but expensive for a Tikka. It is such a new rifle that I haven't found a good review yet. So whether its performance is on par with the other two is unknown.
Did I miss anything in this price range? Any known issue with my candidate rifles?
I would probably be happy with any of these rifles, but my budget only allows one. Your comments are highly appreciated.
Best,
Kevin
I have been testing the water of target shooting with a Howa 308 varmint and a M70 300WSM. Both are in factory configuration. They are good rifles for the money, but have severe limitations. In the case of Howa, it has very limited after market accessory support. I recently found that Rifle Basix doesn't make a replacement trigger for the new two stage Howa triggers. The M70 is a light barrel hunting rifle that heats up too quickly for target shooting.
So I decided to get a rifle that has fully adjustable stock and heavy barrel.
After some research, here is my list in the order of preference
1. CZ 750, 308, $1800 or so. It came with all the accessories except a bipod. The muzzle brake should help with recovery after shot.
My concern is again after market support: does anyone make a 20 MOA rail for it? can I find a smith to work on the trigger, replace the barrel or even re-chamber it to 260 in the future?
2. SSG 04, $2000 or so. I would get a 300 win mag, always wanted to reach further than a 308. It came with everything, including a bipod. I knew McMillan makes replacement stocks.
My concern is whether it is easy to have a smith to replace the barrel. I heard that SSG69 needs to go back to factory to replace barrel. What about SSG04?
3. T3 sporter, $1700 or so. I would get a 260 REM. This cartridge is the main reason I am considering it.
It didn't come with accessories such as rail or bipod. So it's cost is about the same as previous two. Tikka probably has the best after market support among the three.
It is a good looking rifle, but expensive for a Tikka. It is such a new rifle that I haven't found a good review yet. So whether its performance is on par with the other two is unknown.
Did I miss anything in this price range? Any known issue with my candidate rifles?
I would probably be happy with any of these rifles, but my budget only allows one. Your comments are highly appreciated.
Best,
Kevin
