Re: Newbie question
I assume its a .308 then. The advise here is sound. Learn to shoot it. Not saying you dont know how to shoot, but you must become familiar with the rifle, and after a thousand rounds you will be able to tell where you need to put money. A good start though is the optics. EGW 20moa base is about $40. Bushnell Elite 3200 mildot $190. 1" Burris Xtreme rings about $48. So at least your optics are within a budget, you can go cheaper, but this is a proven setup. Your rifle probably has a 2 piece weaver base. Thats all I have left on my rifle, got the 3200 and millet rings. It works for now. All I have shot out to is 650 yds so far. I am still learning.
One of my experiences was with the factory stock. It flexed a lot at the forend, but did well after I bedded it and free floated the action. The biggest issue was it is a hunting stock. Not very comfortable for me to shoot prone for long. I upgraded it to a Stockade varmint/tactical. $375 and a 4+ month wait. I am very happy with it. Its pillar bedded, I bedded the cation to it, the rifle as is shoots an inch or less. I am also doing load developing, so the "or less" groups come from the 178 AMAXs with 59.5gr of RL22 right around .75". The other loads I have made are usually around an inch, to 1.25. This is all with the factory Sporter barrel. I think once its properly rebarreled it will be improved a lot. Hope this helps.