Bench rifle / 308 / ideally with AI mag system

[eighteenninetytwo]

Have been asking a bunch of questions round here about bolt action rifles, hunting rifles, this that and the other recently. So thank you to those that have chipped in. Upon consideration, and REALLY narrowing down what I want / need, from all the advice, the title here says it all. A .308 bolt action pseudo sniper rifle (some would use the word tacticool), for printing one small hole hopefully, from prone or bench at up to 300 yards (realistically given my local ranges) using a scope for sights, and if possible with the AICS mags - for no other reason than I like British rifles and these mags look like the evolution of the Lee Enfield L42 snipers. Budget under $1k for the rifle. What is there out there that i might have missed?

[russ69]

Most people find the 308 a bit stout for bench shooting. The 308 is a great round but 10,000s of hours have gone into trying to find a 30 cal that is more bench friendly. Sure you can't use a 243 or a 6BR?

[bsumoba]

Under 1K? good luck.

Not too many rifles using AICS mags that you can buy off the shelf, which is the direction you will have to go for under 1K. You can easily spend 1K on the optics alone.

IMO, you will need to have a total budget (optic, mags, rifle, included) of I would say minimum $2K.

Factory rifles are also hit and miss on the accuracy you are looking for. I would expect factory rifles to shoot consistent 3/4-1" groups at 100 yards.
Custom is probably the way to go to get closer to the sub 1/2" group you are looking for.

Custom rifles with the right optics will go for $4K plus.

Then there is the caliber issue....308 is a good caliber, but the 6mm are probably more inherently accurate. Maybe 6BR, or 243 or 6mm creedmoor. You could also get 6.5mm like the 6.5 creedmoor, 6.5x284, 6.5x47L, 260 Remington, etc. A lot less recoil if anything.

[postal]

AICS mags are $75-80 EACH.

AICS bottom metal runs $130+ for PTG.

You usually need someone to fit the bottom metal to your stock- more $$$....

This means about $600-650 for the off the shelf rifle alone, plus parts, plus fitting.

If you dig around enough, you see people rave about the rem 700 5R which is already out of your stated budget. They have a much better than normal barrel for a rem....

So... that leaves you with a bare bones rem 700 ADL or 700P which needs a new stock..... find a take off 5R stock in the classifies, and buy the other parts, and have it fitted.

[6mmintl]

.30 BR

[Thanatos2203]

Tikka CTR if you are willing to settle for TRG mags.

http://www.riflegear.com/p-3936-tikka-t3-ctr-308-win-rifle.aspx

[cc426]

That budget is a killer for ai mags. Otherwise I'd say look at a savage hs precision

[vliberatore]

So... that leaves you with a bare bones rem 700 ADL or 700P which needs a new stock..... find a take off 5R stock in the classifies, and buy the other parts, and have it fitted.

And not much room for anything else.

[JMP]

If you really like British rifles, just save up and get a real Accuracy International, then, it won't be a "pseudo" sniper rifle; it will be a real sniper rifle. Of course it would be illegal to "snipe" but completely legal to own, and they are damn good shooters.

[LynnJr]

Look for a used Remington 700 PSS in 223 and get yourself the correct rounded shape front bag from Sinclair International. You will need to unscrew the two front swivels but those rifles shoot decent out of the box.
The key to tiny little groups that will beat your buddies is a solid rest system a very light trigger pull so you don't jerk the gun and a scope with enough magnification that you can accurately aim the rifle shot to shot. Scopes with big duplex reticles will cover an inch worth of the target at 100 yards so all your shots are best guess.
After that accuracy is a reloading duel between the various shooters on who can eliminate the most fliers from there ammo.

[thegiff]

2nd what LynnJr said. Get a PSS or VS (what I started with, same barrel similar stock) and a decent scope. Then start fixing it up. Or look for used and take a chance there.

[russ69]

.30 BR

That is the current 30 cal 300 yard solution but hard to find on a 1000 buck rifle with a magazine.

[eighteenninetytwo]

What is .30 BR???

[ar15barrels]

What is .30 BR???

http://www.6mmbr.com/30br.html

Basically, take a 308 and remove 1/2" from the case body, leaving a similar shoulder and neck.



It will only be available in a custom built rifle which will laugh at your stated budget.

[jimmykan]

I was in the market for a bench/prone precision bolt rifle about 3 years ago.

I went with a standard Remington 700 action with some truing work done by a gunsmith, a Krieger 6.5mm barrel, a Timney trigger, a Eliseo RTS chassis, and a Vortex Viper PST FFP scope.

All-in-all including ammunition, I must have spent over $4,000 into this setup. Shoots great though, with the help of good gunsmiths such as RW Snyder (did the action-truing and chambered/installed the Krieger barrel) and Randall of AR15Barrels (installed a Badger Thruster brake and bushed the firing pin).

I chose the 6.5x47 Lapua cartridge. It's no longer in fashion, but was all the rage 3-4 years ago along with 260 Remington and 6.5 Creedmoor.
If I could do it all over again, I would pick a 6mm (.243") caliber cartridge like 6BR Norma, or 6BR Improved.

Main reason: good ballistics with low recoil
Other reasons:

• Good availability of high quality brass. Buy a few hundred Lapua cases and skip all the match prep.
• Good availability of high BC match bullets. I would go with Berger this time around, their 105 gr Match Hybrid Target bullet. True match grade consistency, high BC, not picky about seating depth.
• From what I have seen/read this cartridge delivers easy load development (almost boring accuracy), but still requires good wind-reading skills at longer ranges.