Hey guys, new over here, but have been lurking for awhile, and gotten a lot of info by searching and reading.
Looking for a little help/advice..
The story of this rifle could be it's own long post..I've had it since HS, about 1986, but never really shot it much.
It currently has had the barrel cut to 22", is parkerized and sits pillar and glass bedded in a McMillan Sako Classic stock.it is a 30/06. It has a Leupold Euro30 3-9X40 with a KI elevation knob.
Two different smiths, including one that is highly regarded here on the Hide, say the barrel needs to be replaced, as it's pitted. Off a bench, I've been able to get 3 shot groups ranging from about 1" to almost 3" depending on the ammo. By comparison, I can consistently shoot a first Gen FN SPR under an inch with FGMM for 5 shot's, under the same conditions...I am by no means a sniper/precision rifleman/long range or high ground guy..
I'm looking to make this a sorta general purpose type rifle, I don't hunt, but would like to have a rifle capable of taking medium/deer sized game if need be, and moderately accurate at 4-500 mtrs...say solid upper torso hits..perhaps a bit better....of course more accuracy is better, I don't beleive you can have too much capability built into your guns.
I'm not real fond of the stock..the comb is too low, and the angle of the grip is a bit shallow..I prefer the angle of the grip on both HS stock's I have..the above FN and a R7005R..even my rem 581's have a better feel to them.
Searching around here, I see the McMillan Remington classic is favored by some for a hunting stock, looking at the web site, it appears the grip has a bit more angle to it then the equivelent Sako stock...but I might be imagining that.
Stocks that look a bit better to me are the Rem BDL and Sako Hunter stock, though I could do w/o the cheek piece. I was leaning toward the Sako Varmint stock, but, that brings me to the next question...contours..
I was considering a Bartlien #3, and re chambering to .308 to simplify ammo. But reconsidered. I am now leaning toward staying with 30/06, but 6.5X55 is sounding good.
It's hard for me to picture the different contours, and stocks seem to be like holsters, you won't know if you like it until about 6 months of use..
So, I'm wondering about the subjective feel of going to another stock...should I just use the stock I have, add a stock pack and drive on?
If I go to the Sako Varmint, would that be to much forearm for a somewhat lighter contour barrel?
I'd like a barrel with enough meat, that at 20-22" it can be threaded for the standard .30 cal threads.
Perhaps, a bit more weight in the barrel & stock will help with the recoil...I'm not real fond of the way it kicks off the bench, right now.
Is there any value in a stock that has already been bedded? I still have the original Walnut stock, and I've seen those bring some coin..so I may be able to defray some of the cost by moving those...maybe.
It looks like GP do it all rifle's are not well thought of, and I get that. But, I don't see this as a fly weight mountain rifle, a Randy Cain practical rifle,a heavy long range 1K rifle, or a tac match gun...just the sorta rifle that I could squeeze into multiple roles if need be...if I find myself engaging in any of those activities more then once in awhile, I can build a task specific gun.
Right now, I am leaning toward the Sako Varmint stock, a # 4 or 5 barrel in 30/06, and moving up to the Nightforce 2.4-10X42 or similiar optic.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Bob
Looking for a little help/advice..
The story of this rifle could be it's own long post..I've had it since HS, about 1986, but never really shot it much.
It currently has had the barrel cut to 22", is parkerized and sits pillar and glass bedded in a McMillan Sako Classic stock.it is a 30/06. It has a Leupold Euro30 3-9X40 with a KI elevation knob.
Two different smiths, including one that is highly regarded here on the Hide, say the barrel needs to be replaced, as it's pitted. Off a bench, I've been able to get 3 shot groups ranging from about 1" to almost 3" depending on the ammo. By comparison, I can consistently shoot a first Gen FN SPR under an inch with FGMM for 5 shot's, under the same conditions...I am by no means a sniper/precision rifleman/long range or high ground guy..
I'm looking to make this a sorta general purpose type rifle, I don't hunt, but would like to have a rifle capable of taking medium/deer sized game if need be, and moderately accurate at 4-500 mtrs...say solid upper torso hits..perhaps a bit better....of course more accuracy is better, I don't beleive you can have too much capability built into your guns.
I'm not real fond of the stock..the comb is too low, and the angle of the grip is a bit shallow..I prefer the angle of the grip on both HS stock's I have..the above FN and a R7005R..even my rem 581's have a better feel to them.
Searching around here, I see the McMillan Remington classic is favored by some for a hunting stock, looking at the web site, it appears the grip has a bit more angle to it then the equivelent Sako stock...but I might be imagining that.
Stocks that look a bit better to me are the Rem BDL and Sako Hunter stock, though I could do w/o the cheek piece. I was leaning toward the Sako Varmint stock, but, that brings me to the next question...contours..
I was considering a Bartlien #3, and re chambering to .308 to simplify ammo. But reconsidered. I am now leaning toward staying with 30/06, but 6.5X55 is sounding good.
It's hard for me to picture the different contours, and stocks seem to be like holsters, you won't know if you like it until about 6 months of use..
So, I'm wondering about the subjective feel of going to another stock...should I just use the stock I have, add a stock pack and drive on?
If I go to the Sako Varmint, would that be to much forearm for a somewhat lighter contour barrel?
I'd like a barrel with enough meat, that at 20-22" it can be threaded for the standard .30 cal threads.
Perhaps, a bit more weight in the barrel & stock will help with the recoil...I'm not real fond of the way it kicks off the bench, right now.
Is there any value in a stock that has already been bedded? I still have the original Walnut stock, and I've seen those bring some coin..so I may be able to defray some of the cost by moving those...maybe.
It looks like GP do it all rifle's are not well thought of, and I get that. But, I don't see this as a fly weight mountain rifle, a Randy Cain practical rifle,a heavy long range 1K rifle, or a tac match gun...just the sorta rifle that I could squeeze into multiple roles if need be...if I find myself engaging in any of those activities more then once in awhile, I can build a task specific gun.
Right now, I am leaning toward the Sako Varmint stock, a # 4 or 5 barrel in 30/06, and moving up to the Nightforce 2.4-10X42 or similiar optic.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Bob
