Thinking of getting a new rifle. Insights?

[zombiehunter47]

I have been looking at rifles and I wanna get into some long range shooting. I wanna get something that is reliable and fairly priced and that has alot of aftermarket parts available as I wanna semi Tac it out. I was thinking of a Remington 700 in .308. Anybody got any advice or things to look for with this rifle or any others. Thanks

[Dracos]

The Remington 700 is an excellent rifle. 308 is an excellent caliber. For a very long rifle shot the 7mm Remington magnum may have a slight edge in ballistics. So do some of the 30 caliber magnums. You can spend a great deal of money on a custom rifle and reach a point of deminishing returns. Your first choice is a good one.

[Omegaman]

I second the Remington 700. I love the BDL platform in 300 win mag or 7mm mag. It depends on what you want to use it for and what you want to spend. If it was going to be a long range shooter and I would not be humping it through the woods all day then I would go with the 700 Sendero SF ll or the 1 of the 700 VTR models. But truth be told I don't think you could really go wrong with any 700 series because they make one for every perpose.

[zombiehunter47]

Good to know im on the right track. I wanted to get a 700 that was is like the one used by the military and law enforcement ( I guess I have been playing rainbow six too much) but nothing that Remington is currently offering is really close to that so I think im gonna try to find a used 700. Any thoughts on the particular one that I should look for

[waitnc]

Big Guns

Hey,

I picked up a Mossberg 1500 7mm Mag at a local Pawn shop already had Iron sights and a mounted 3x9x40 scope. I got it for $300. Another Pawn shop had a Ruger 7mm synthetic stock and a stainless barrel it also had a scope on it but the wanted $450 for it a buddy said it was a good deal???

These Pawn shops also had a number of 300 win mags for roughly the same 3-4 hundred price range. I wanted the 308 for a longer range/heavy round etc but the rifles are just to expensive to justify.

I intend to change the scope to something along a 4x12x60....low light uses..

[Omegaman]

The nearest gun to the Remington model M24 ( LE. / MIL. Restricted ) is the model 700 Target tactical. http://www.remington.com/products/fi...cal_target.asp I would also look in to the 700 Sendero SF ll.
http://www.remington.com/products/fi...dero_SF_II.asp I have not fired the target tactical but I know the Sendero real well but at this level you will have to lay out some big coin. I have seen used Senderos in the $700 - $1000 depending on what the past owner had done to them or added to them. But here is the link to the
M24 this is the cats a**. http://www.remingtonle.com/rifles/m24.htm

[monet861]

I picked up a Savage 110 in .300 Win Mag with a Leopold base and scope at a show a while back for $300. The accuracy is amazing and the range is pretty far also. A very simple rifle which makes it more reliable and easier to work on if necessary.

[Bayou Blaster]

I have been looking at rifles and I wanna get into some long range shooting. I wanna get something that is reliable and fairly priced and that has alot of aftermarket parts available as I wanna semi Tac it out. I was thinking of a Remington 700 in .308. Anybody got any advice or things to look for with this rifle or any others. Thanks

The Remington 700 series rifle and .308 cartridge is an excellent choice. I own a 700 BDL in .308 myself. Accuracy is excellent. The Rem 700 action is by far the most popular with long distant shooters as it readily lends itself to so many diverse applications. With the price of quality firearms constantly rising, this firearm should remain part of your inventory for some time.

I purchased mine at about your age and plan to still be shooting it till the day I die. That's one of the advantages of a .308 over the belted magnum cartridges (7mm mag). The .308 does not kill on both ends and is still very effective at distance. The report and recoil is very tolerable. I've mentioned before how I was told I was undergunned while hunting Deer in Arizona with my .308. Too the dismay of my friend and his 7mm mag, it did the job with one shot every time. The one thing I will say about his 7mm mag is that he has used it all over the world to take game with and has never failed him either. If you do wish to shoot at extreme ranges, then a 7mm mag may be the way to go?

If your looking at cartridge versatility the .308 is a good one (good selection of bullet weights). The .308 was developed from the 30-06; another good choice. Greater selection of bullet weights with the 30-06. Both are very flexible cartridges.

Some of the problems with the larger magnum cartridges include: Price and availabilty of ammunition. Barrel life is shorter with the larger calibers effecting accuracy (over the long term). Additionally the life of even good quality scopes is shorten with magnum cartridges.

Good Luck with your decision/choice.

[JerryPt2]

good choices

remington 700 is a real good choice, the winchester model 70 is basically the same thing and i've seen both wielded effectively at several hundred yards to put food on the table, so props to the choice.
on the caliber: what is it that you already shoot? if this is your dedicated "reach out and touch someone" piece and its the only weapon that you have in a full-size caliber, go ahead. i'd go with .30-'06 just because thats what my family primarily. to each his own on that
tac-ing it out...just put a synthetic stock on it and roll on

[cwconnertx]

Great choice, there are several very accurate durable rifles in the 30 caliber class. Savage 110, winchester 70, remington 700.

I prefer 30-06 because that is what my garand and 1919 use so I have a lot of 30-06 around. But the external ballistics of 308 are pretty much the same and I do have a Remington R25 in 308, 308 is easier in semi-autos because the action can be shorter.

I think it is hard to argue against a reminton 700 in 308.
I saw a Remington 700 SPS in 308 for about 550 in the gun shop yesterday.

[zombiehunter47]

Yeah just going for the 308 as a reach out there and touch someone round. I have an old remington 30-06 for a deer rifle. Im gonna hit some pawn shops on monday and see what I can find

[cwconnertx]

Yeah just going for the 308 as a reach out there and touch someone round. I have an old remington 30-06 for a deer rifle. Im gonna hit some pawn shops on monday and see what I can find

Then it sounds to me you already have what you need.

NOW the fun part, get what you WANT :D

I already had on M1 Garand, but really needed another, and another,
an the R25, and ....

The 308 and 30-06 don't really differ in range, you can load them exactly the same, however the 30-06 has a larger case capacity and is available with larger wieght bullets. Some claim the 308 is more accurate, but I think the shooter, cartridge (I like Gold medal match), and rifle make much more difference. The 30-06 was used very successfully in sniper rifles for a long time. The remington 700 with the long action is hard to argue with if you already hae a 30-06 and want to stay with one caliber (ok technically the caliber is the same, but you know what I mean) and you can get cheap 30-06 from the civilian marksmanship program.

Get what you like, have some fun. As long as you do that its hard to go wrong.

[zombiehunter47]

Yeah the 700 is just because I want one and because my remington is a thirty year old 742 Woodmaster semi-auto and I wanna get something with a longer barrel and a bolt action and I dont wanna mess with the Remington since its so old but in great shape

[bdcochran]

1. a Remington 700 is fine. You can almost forget about finding a used one "at a reasonable price".

2. long range shooting is based upon great optics and being able to range. Don't think about tricking out a rifle until, you purchase optics that you will not outgrow and a range finder.

3. Tricking out a rifle will not create skills. Once you have actually done 800 yards (and it can be done with virtually any .308 with great optics), then spend the money on a long range rifle class or buddy up with some varmint shooter. One of the worst things in the world is to lay out money on accessories before you know what you are doing.
4. If you insist on laying out the money for all the equipment NOW, then Remington offers a great value in its package deals. If you buy, you will not trade up or resell the same.

Just remember these points:

1. there is no going cheap if you don't have mechanical skills to build your own rifle or if you value your time at something more than ZERO. Every precision rifle builder out there has reams of more experience than the average shooter in building rifles.

My next door neighbor (age 60) is doing his house roof himself. He is now into month two and hasn't fully stripped the front portion of the roof and laid down the plywood. Don't build a rifle this way either.

[zombiehunter47]

bdcochran thanks for the advice. I really do wanna be able to build my own rifle thats why im gonna be looking out for a used one or parts and such. I dont have any builder experience yet but my buddy is a gunsmith at a local shop and I plan to leach his skills