First Build (Rem 700 308 5R, Manners, NF) critique and advice

[charliehustle]

Hey fellas,

I wanted to introduce myself and say thanks for all the information these forums have provided. I’m putting together my first bolt gun and most of what I’ve learned I learned here. Been planning in my head for a while but just started really researching. Rather than ask 1000 questions along the way, I’ve searched as much as possible. However, I’m down to a final few decisions and would greatly appreciate any advice as I finalize my build.

I put in for an AAC 762sdn6 back in November and hope to be approved in April or May. I want this gun to be a host for that can. I now see that people don’t seem to be too hot on that can for precision rifles, but it will have to do for now. I wanted something that I could use on my AR’s (including sbr’s) so it is what it is. My goal for this gun is do some longer range shooting and use as my hunting rifle (whitetail, pics etc). I just got into some longer range shooting with my buddies. So far have only shot steel out to 500 yds, and I know that doesn’t hardly qualify as long range to most of you guys. I also know that my build is getting heavy for hunting, but I couldn’t help myself once I started looking at y’all’s rigs. I know this gun is way more capable than I am, but also hope I can grow into it.

Here is what I have purchased/ordered so far:

(1) Remington 700 in .308 with 5R rifling, 20 inch factory threaded barrel. It took me forever to find one but I finally got lucky
(2) Manners T4A in coyote tan (painted) with factory mini chassis/DBM. Tom was incredibly nice and helpful in helping me finalize my decision here.
(3) Nightforce NXS 3.5-15x56 (no zero stop). Picked one up from Mile High given the deal on these discontinued models.

I am sending the gun directly to Mark at short action customs based on all the incredible pics I’ve seen here of his work, and a few discussions I’ve had with him already. My plan for sure is to get him to do the bolt knob conversion and cerakote the barrel/action/bolt. Here is where I get to one of my remaining decision points. I am already over my original budget, but I feel like now is the time to get any additional work done on the rifle while it’s with SAC and waiting on the stock. What would you guys recommend in terms of priorities? Have Mark clean up the factory trigger maybe? Is that even possible/necessary with this factory adjustable trigger? I assume fluting this barrel given its contour and length is probably not a huge priority unless it’s for looks huh? Same with bolt fluting? Any other suggestions here are appreciated. Of course I’ll talk to Mark as well now that I have the exact gun purchased and know I’m sending it to him. He has been nice enough to make time for my many questions, especially because I know he is busy.

A few other things. Planning on getting a 1-piece 20 MOA base. Mark recommended seekins I think and that seems to be well regarded. Looking at nightforce ultralight medium rings too. It sounds like low rings might work (may be tight esp with caps) but with the adjustable stock and advice I’ve been given, am leaning towards medium. Other thoughts appreciated.

Finally, I picked up a Leica CRF1000 from Euro optics. Super nice guys as well. I have used an older model of this before and hope I’ll be happy with this.

Anyway, sorry for the long first post. I know you guys probably get tired of all these new build/first build posts, but any input or suggestions would be great.
Many thanks,
Yall stay safe

 

[reeljob]

It looks you are off to a great start. Good choices so far on your build. The 5r is a great rifle I am running the 20" with the 178 Amax and it is performing awesome. I have been running it lately out to 1,060 yards. The factory adjustable triggers are hit and miss, I have three and one adjusted light and the other two are just ok. A good smith can do wonders on them but a upgrade is the way to go IMO. As far as fluting, to each his own. I have never had a aftermarket flute job performed due to the opinions that the process can ruin a good barrel. Most argue fluting should be done when barrel is manufactured not after. I have no expertise and stick to the old saying, "if it aint broke dont fix it."
I would save the money and buy componets to handload and go shoot!
I found my 5r to be slow and that seems to be normal from what I hear in these models. I had to change my go to powder of Varget to ARComp to get my velocities up and retain accuracy, mine is a laser and the cold bore shot is normally no more than a bullet diameter out of the group at 100.
Congrats on your rifle, looking for a range report!

 

[WVshooter]

It's gonna be a good piece. I bought the 24" 5r SS last year in .308 and put seekins 20MOA rail and Seekins low rings on it with a SS 5-20x50 scope. The low rings won't allow the use of a front cap so I am switching to mediums. I dumped the factory trigger immediately for a Timney 510 and set it for 2.5 lbs. It's a great feeling trigger and far surpasses the factory trigger. I don't have much experience but I was able to get some .5 MOA groups and one dime size group at 100 with FGMM 175's.

I also sent mine to Mark due to the good rep on here and am awaiting the return of my rifle. I had it cut to 20", threaded, cerakoted, bolt knob, and rail bedded and the whole thing dropped into a Manners T2 mini chassis. Can't wait to get it back for more shooting.

 

[charliehustle]

I really appreciate the advice guys. Sounds like medium rings it is then. Also sounds like fluting is unnecessary and could even offer some disadvantages.

Good to hear on the trigger. I hadn't focused on this much yet, but just took a look at the Timney 510. Seems like it gets solid reviews all around. I am kind of the surprised the Timney is as affordable as it is (compared to prices I'm used to with AR trigger groups that is). I'll put the 510 on my list.

WVshooter, sounds like you and I are headed down pretty similar paths. Dumb question, but what made you decide to get the rail bedded? Do you open it up from a 6 to 8 at the same time? Sorry but i know very little about this (and i'm sure it is out there in a search). Do you first see if this is required for your gun/rail before deciding to do it? Hope your gun turns out well. Would love to see a pic when it's done. What colors are you going with for the stock and cerakote?

 

[JB02]

[MENTION=81313]charliehustle[/MENTION], you already have the rifle with Mark, so have him tune the trigger. You don't need to shell out extra money for a Timney. Remington triggers are great once they are professionally tuned.

Good call on getting the oversize bolt knob. I find it makes the bolt cycling op much easier, especially in cold water.

The primary advantage of barrel fluting is weight reduction. People that have it done like the looks. You only want to have this done with a cut rifled barrel, and even then, there is debate among rifle builders as to if it is advisable. I personally haven't been able to justify the expense involved.

Bolt fluting looks cool, but it's not going to help your shooting.

Asking if you should bed the scope base is not silly; it's a good question. Some people bed the base to the receiver to ensure that it lies completely true with the bore's axis. It is not always needed; you need to check the gap distance between the base and receiver when first placed on the rifle. There is a good video on how to do this yourself done by LoneWolfUSMC at 8541Tactical. FWIW, I have never had this done and I've shot just fine.

Quality bases are made by Nightforce, Seekins, and Badger. The budget brand is EGW. I personally don't think there is anything wrong with an EGW base, but you have to make sure you special order the torx screws because the hex head ones can strip if you need to remove the base for whatever reason. Something to consider is that Mark may be able to put a base on your rifle and have it cerakoted to match or complement the finish on your barreled action.

You don't need to be set on Seekins rings. Nightforce and Vortex rings are good too. To see what ring height you need see this link: http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/showthread.php?t=30721. If I was you, I would choose medium and I would get whichever is available.

 

[TexAg07]

I am new to this also and I agree with save your money and reload. I have a SS 5R that I picked up from snipercountry and run badger mounts and rings with a Leupold 6.5-20. I have put alot of rounds though it all the way to 1200 yards and wanted to change the gun components 10 different times but instead found a good ammo for the gun and stay with it. Drives nail at 100.

My .02

 

[my human host]

I might take some heat for this, but instead of doing a knob, I would have a different handle welded on.

My reasoning for this is that you eliminate the factory solder job, greatly improve the primary extraction, and get a new knob.

I'm not saying the factory handle is junk. I've put many thousands of rounds through my 700's and I love them. That having been said, reworking the factory extraction is in my opinion, one of the most useful improvements that can be made to a 700. I'll never build another 700 for myself without doing this mod.

 

[WVshooter]

I bought the trigger since I could install it and adjust it myself. I think it is a great trigger and I hated the factory trigger shoe and the adjustment screw sticking out of it when I tried backing it down.
I bought the seekins rail and when I installed it it felt like it pulled down unevenly regardless of how I torqued it down. I figured since it felt like it was being tweaked I'd just have it bedded while it was up there.

I got the stock in OD Green and had him cerakoted black.

 

[MosesTheTank]

Echoing the above comment on Remington handles, Hooper Ordnance offers a service where they screw the handle to the bolt. I'm sure Mark can offer something similar. I have never had an issue, but I have seen several pics of handles that had come off. I plan on doing this with my 700 AAC bolt knob.

I do like your set up very much. And I am also a big fan of Manners. Please do a review of your rifle once you've had some range time with it.

 

[charliehustle]

Guys, many thanks for all the advice. I will talk to Mark about the bolt knob vs handle, timney vs rework and bedding of the receiver. Feels really great to get most of this stuff sorted out in my head at least.

I know I need to look at reloading. I have always discounted it in the past because of limited time and because of the stuff I've shot (mostly 9mm and 556) where the cost savings were not quite as obvious. My dad has equipment and just bought a 5R at the same time as me so we have discussed getting into it. For now, I picked up 100 rounds of FGMM 175 SMK to get me started. Will plan on trying a few of the factory ronds I read about on hear to see what the rifle likes. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will like em all.

Again, I appreciate all the help. Will come back with pictures and a range report once all is said and done.

 

[HireHeroes_JB]

Fantastic start...I am in the process of building 5 new 5R rifles myself.

I just bought a 5R, 24inch, 308 for my oldest son 2 weeks ago. He's turning out to be a great shooter...at 14. My 4 other sons also want the 5R and i am happy to provide. Just found a store that has 6 more, so i will buy them all to complete the builds for all my knuckleheads...and one for myself of course.

You'll love the NF.

Looking forward to your range report and pics.

Best

 

[charliehustle]

hireheroes, if you ever want to adopt someone in their 30's, just lemme know!

Surprised you found that many 5R's. I looked seriously hard before I found the last two at an out of state dealer. Good find

 

[WVshooter]

WVshooter, sounds like you and I are headed down pretty similar paths. Dumb question, but what made you decide to get the rail bedded? Do you open it up from a 6 to 8 at the same time? Sorry but i know very little about this (and i'm sure it is out there in a search). Do you first see if this is required for your gun/rail before deciding to do it? Hope your gun turns out well. Would love to see a pic when it's done. What colors are you going with for the stock and cerakote?

Hey man, just got my gun back from Mark at S.A.C. today and posted a thread with pictures if you want to see what they did.

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/showthread.php?t=181444&p=2404417#post2404417

 

[HOGTOOTH5R]

How about some Pictures!!!

 

[charliehustle]

Alright I got my rifle back a couple of weeks ago and am really pleased with how it turned out. Attempting to attach a pic here. Sorry for the iphone pic.



A special thanks to Tom Manners for such a quick turnaround on my stock and to Mark at SAC for the great work and quick turnaround as well. Will include a short range report shortly.

 

[charliehustle]

So I finally got out last weekend to sight in the new rifle and see how she shoots. I am so excited for how great this gun shoots. I read a bunch here about barrel break in and cleaning and such (all new to me I might add) and ultimately decided just to clean it before shooting and take it to the range.

After I got the gun on target and fairly dialed in with some PMC 147 gr stuff I had, I got out some 175 gr FGMM and really took my time with the gun at 100 yards. This is my best group, which I think measures right at 0.25 inches. Yes it is only a three shot group, but it looked so good that I couldn't bear to screw it up! (I am a loser I know!)



My other two groups of FGMM measured 0.50 and 0.55. I don't consider myself a good shot by any means, so this is probably the best shooting I've ever done and the best shooting gun I own. I really couldn't be happier.

One thing I did want to ask about was the Accurate Mag I got from Manners. I had cycled the bolt with the mag in (empty) many times before going to the range and never noticed any issues. When I loaded the mag, it was almost impossible to chamber a round from the mag. I had to exert a ton of force (too much I'm sure) so I stopped doing it and just loaded singles. I noticed some drag marks on the bolt as well afterwards. I read somewhere that these mags can be hit or miss. Any suggestions or things I may be doing wrong? I am extremely not handy but would try something on the mag if that would help. I'm sure Tom would make it right if it is an equipment issue but thought I'd ask here first.

 

[charliehustle]

Wondering if anyone had any ideas on my Accurate mag issue posted above?