Looking to learn...

[ClemsonCJ14]

Well I'm not new to rifles, or guns period, but I am new to the whole long range precision shooting, and I actually just got my first rifle that is actually mine this past Christmas. It's a Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD .308 with the 20" threaded bbl. For a scope I'm using a Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x40, EGW heavy duty base, and I don't know what the rings are but I know they're good rings. I'm wanting to eventually build this rifle up to be a good precision long range gun, but I'm not going to drop a ton of money in it all at once and change out a bunch of unnecessary stuff right off the bat. For example, I'm not going to put a top-of-the-line barrel on it until the barrel on it now is completely worn out. The main thing I'm wanting to do is learn all the party of a bolt action rifle and what all everything does so I know what I'm looking for when I buy parts. Like I hear people talking about bedding and all this other technical stuff when talking about aftermarket stocks, but I have no idea what all that means. I want to learn so I can make knowledgeable decisions myself, rather than having a salesman or someone who's biased to one product try and push me in that direction. So far everything is bone stock except for changing out the bolt knob to a badger ordinance tactical knob. I also added a JP Tactical large profile compensator, which is working out amazing. I'm thinking my next upgrade will be a Timney trigger, but after that I really have no idea what I'm looking at.

I have a good friend who is a part-time gunsmith but he is one of those that is biased towards the stuff that he likes and doesn't really look outside of that. So any knowledge base would be great. And I must warn you, I'll be asking a lot of questions! Thanks.

 

[E3C3H3O3]

Re: Looking to learn...

Welcome to the Hide, and let the questions roll. You will find most answers to any questions you have by searching this forum and doing ALOT of reading. But you have a good starter rifle, so now get reading and good luck.

 

[allghilliedup04]

Re: Looking to learn...

well first off i am like you in the sense i dont wanna dump money into things like expensive barrels when the one you have isnt bad yet.... Im actually looking into buying that same model of rifle. anyway.. that all being said the stock you have has got to go. the factory hogue stock it has it extremely flexible which is a bad thing. the stock will actually contact the barrel with slight pressure.. idk how much you know about precision shooting but contact on your barrel usually= bad for accuracy.

for a budget ( like me) i would look into bell & carlson stocks, they arent bad price 200-250 and are great stiff and accurate stock for the money and require little to no modification to install.

for unlimited money there are plenty of companies that make exspensive stocks that are great for accuracy like Mcmillan or you can go with an AICS..

personally id go with a simple Bell & Carlson M40 style stock for about 200 and itll tighten your groups right up.

in a nutshell- that model rifle.. NEEDS a new stock for precision shooting

 

[fish2keel]

Re: Looking to learn...

Welcome to the hide! You'll find that this website has a ton of great information and guys that are willing to talk guns all day long! Don't be afraid to ask!

Great gun by the way! The scope your using is a good budget scope. I have one and it has really nice glass. I was surprised for the money.

As stated above one of the big things to change is the stock. You don't want flex in your stock or for your barrel to touch. The bell and Carlson is a good stock but I have read that it is a little on the heavy side. Try ebay for a stock or here on the hide. They pop up pretty often! Just wait out for the good deals and be ready to pull the trigger(no pun intended) when the item comes up for sale.

Do you reload? If not, you should consider it. That will make a big difference in your accuracy. Lot's of great reload information on starter kits and round development here on the hide. If you don't reload I would start out with either 168 grain or 175 grain rounds. That seems to be the rounds that these Remington's like. Hornady match grade and federal are both solid brands.

Have you considered a bi-pod? It's cheap and will help if your shooting off a bench or prone. Once again they are here on the hide for sale for great prices(saw one the other day for 50 bucks).

You mentioned about not knowing what bedding a rifle. There is a huge thread here on the hide on bedding. Don't mind the first page of pictures, the thread has great knowledge and pictures on bedding.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1167022

The reason for bedding a rifle on both wood and synthetic stocks is to give the action full contact with the stock while allowing the barrel to be free floating. You can bed the rifle yourself with the thread here on the hide. It's the next thing I will do to my rifle.

Other than that ask questions and read, read, read. Welcome to the hide and welcome to long range shooting!

 

[sniperaviator]

Re: Looking to learn...

I bought a Rem 700 SPS in 308. I did the following50:
1. AICS stock $850 (you can install)
2. Harris Bipod(get the taller one it reaches over the grass) $50
At this point if it shoots decent (1moa or less) you are set to go. Just lighten your trigger as much as possible which isnt a big expense. With some practice you can compete in tactical matches.
I did the additional:
3. Custom barrel and tune the action $550
4. Timney trigger. $150

All that's left of the original Rem 700 is the action but this is a decent setup for about the least $ possible, and you can shoot it as you upgrade.

And yeah, start reloading and you learn a LOT!

 

[Dirtdigger]

Re: Looking to learn...

Read...Research...Repeat...

I've been doing that for along time and it helps me avoid the stupid questions that everyone hates.