Noob Question

[Drawman]

Okay so I have spent the better part of the weekend reading up on precision/long range shooting. Thinking of drinking the Kool-Aid. I have followed posts on here, and other precision forums by AR15Barrels and others and I have a few questions.... to start

1. So the recommended cartridge for a beginner is .308, and the recommended action is a Rem 700. I can buy a Remington Model 700 SPS Varmint Bolt-Action Rifle with a rebate at Bass Pro right now for $630.00.
Sounds like I will ditch the stock, the barrel and the trigger. Why not just buy a Standard SA SS receiver from Brownells for $489.00, then buy a chassis barrel and trigger, send to AR15Barrels and have him do his magic and assemble it?

2. If I go that route, when does it legally become a rifle and have to be registered? How does that work?

3. Why in the heck is it so hard to find out about classes/classifications in the PRS and which I would be competing in????
a. I'm a total rookie to LR/Precision shooting, over 50 years old...so with whom would I be competing against???

Ok, that would be a good start....thanks in advance.

PS, I think you LR guys put up a great wealth of info for beginners, thanks a lot!!

[Merc1138]

1. You could just buy the receiver. But the receiver is legally the rifle and will need to be registered. You could also get a remington 5r, product number 29663(just google it) and it's not on the remington website.

2. See above.

3. I don't know. http://www.precisionrifleseries.com/faq.html

[bsumoba]

1. So the recommended cartridge for a beginner is .308, and the recommended action is a Rem 700. I can buy a Remington Model 700 SPS Varmint Bolt-Action Rifle with a rebate at Bass Pro right now for $630.00.
Sounds like I will ditch the stock, the barrel and the trigger. Why not just buy a Standard SA SS receiver from Brownells for $489.00, then buy a chassis barrel and trigger, send to AR15Barrels and have him do his magic and assemble it?

If you think you will "outgrow" or get tired of a factory gun, then just go custom. Buy once, cry once. You can choose all your components. It will be more, but the gun will probably be more accurate than you for a long time. But yes, the next step would be a true'd action.

If you do go custom and want to stay with a SA, then go 6.5 creedmoor, 6mm creedmoor, or 6.5x47 Lapua, especially if you want to compete in PRS style matches.

2. If I go that route, when does it legally become a rifle and have to be registered? How does that work?

When you buy the action itself, it is DROS'd as a long gun. Only the action is considered the firearm.

3. Why in the heck is it so hard to find out about classes/classifications in the PRS and which I would be competing in????

Not understanding the question...but my recommendation is to attend local matches and you will learn more in 1 match than you will being on the forums for weeks/months

a. I'm a total rookie to LR/Precision shooting, over 50 years old...so with whom would I be competing against???

There is a huge range of ages. You will be on the older side though at 50. There are many guys that compete well into their 50s and 60s. If this style of shooting starts to get to you, then start looking into F-Class. I shoot both and I think they compliment each other.

[vliberatore]

I'd look into the Remington 700 ADL Varmint if you're ditching everything else. They can be had for $400 and come with a varmint weight barrel that should be everything that you're looking for.

[Tere_Hanges]

I just got a 700 SPS tactical at Sportsmans Warehouse for $499.

Its a 20" heavy varmint barrel with 1:10 twist.

I plan to replace the stock and shoot the heck out of it while I learn. I'll probably replace the trigger and do any other upgrades as I go along.

[003]

As noted above, take a serious look at the Remington 700 5R. It is a really great, accurate rifle for the price. Also take a look at Nightforce scopes. You do not want to short change the optic.

http://nightforceoptics.com/nxs

http://www.snipercentral.com/remington-700-milspec-5r/

[JMP]

1. So the recommended cartridge for a beginner is .308, and the recommended action is a Rem 700. I can buy a Remington Model 700 SPS Varmint Bolt-Action Rifle with a rebate at Bass Pro right now for $630.00.
Sounds like I will ditch the stock, the barrel and the trigger. Why not just buy a Standard SA SS receiver from Brownells for $489.00, then buy a chassis barrel and trigger

The reason that the SPS Varmint is recommended is that it comes in 308, and it is for those who ARE NOT going to throw away the barrel. The SPS Varmint has a reasonably heavy contour with a 26" 1:12" twist so it has a barrel that one can learn the basics on. The barrel isn't of good quality, so if you are throwing away the barrel, it'll be better to just get the action.

Alternatively, you can buy a higher tolerance action by getting one of the actions that people sometimes refer to "custom" like a Deviant or Surgeon, which will run you about $1k more. Getting the non-Remington made, high-tolerance action removes the need to replace the bolt and true the action. They also come with recoil lugs and a picatinny rail. Unfortunately, the off the shelf high-tolerance actions usually come with fluting/jewelling/spiraling on the bolt. Plain bolts with a parkerized finish will generally run the nicest; however, the spiralled bolt in a high-tolerance action will still be much better than the bolt in the factory action. If you have time, you can order one of the high-tolerance actions and get them without being cut apart and losing the contact surface area. The reason that when you get an off the shelf high-tolerance or "custom" action, most people order them with the spiralling as it's about $40 and many like the cosmetics and it seems to be the fashionable design. Also, with bolts, you want a small firing pin hole and small firing pin assembly should you decide to shoot one of the small primer cartridges that is susceptible to piercing like a 6BR or Dasher.

If you want to get an aftermarket barrel, then one might want to look at other than 308 cartridges as the 6.5 Shorts or cartridges like the 6BR are excellent to learn on as well if you reload your own ammunition. 308 is the best cartridge for those that do not reload their own ammunition as you can get buy without reloading as there is a wide variety of new ammunition from the factory.

Your idea is fine; however, if you get that action, also get a stainless steel recoil lug. Then, depending on the stock you buy, you may need to also get a metal bottom that is compatible with the magazines you want to use (Accuracy International single stacking short action magazines are the most common/popular). If the stock/chassis is already set up for this, you do not need the metal bottom; otherwise, you need to get the metal bottom and have the stock inlet to fit.

Then, I'd also recommend that you get a muzzle brake for 308 as it'll make spotting your hits easier. You will still also need to get a picatinny rail for the base mount along with rings/mount to hang your scope. (You'd need to do the same on the complete SPS as well.)

For a barrel, I'd go with a 29" Bartlein blank with 5r rifling that's 300/308 grove/bore and a 1:12" twist. You will want to get a blank with a contour that starts at 1.25", and it will generally finish at about 0.9" or larger for a sufficiently heavy barrel. With a smaller caliber you can go with a little lighter contour as they have more metal around the bore due to size.

To get the barrel blank, finished chamber, threads, and muzzle brake fitting, a new barrel is going to run $600-700. It's well worth it, in my opinion, especially for 308 as the barrel lasts a long time. This is a cost that some may not want to pay out of the gate so they will settle with using the $100 barrel that is supplied with the SPS Varmint.

[jeffrice6]

700 SPS 20"

[NorCalFocus]

The only thing you'll want to replace on the SPS Varmint out of the box is the stock. The trigger you can replace soon after. FWIW I've had no issues with my factory trigger. Would an aftermarket be better? Most likely, but my gun out shoots me still. You don't have to replace the barrel out of the box, unless your going full custom.

I know the whole buy once cry once motto, and its not wrong. But here's what I would do. Buy the SPS Varmint, replace the stock, get a good scope, and all the best accessories you can (rings, base, bi-pod etc). Shoot the hell out of it for the next year or so. Learn how to re-load, if you don't already, and build a load for your rifle. That is one reason why .308 is recommended so much. It is a very easy cartridge to learn reloading on. That gun will get you out to 1000 and most likely out shoot you for a while.

Then when your ready, order your barrel, and have a good smith spin it up on your SPS. At this time you can spend all the money you want on a new bolt, blueprinting, and smith work. You'll have some experience under your belt and you'll know more of what you need from a rifle. Maybe you find F-Class your thing, maybe its tactical rifle, or simply fun in the desert. But at that time you'll know more about cartridges and equipment to make a solid choice.

Just do one thing, stay away from the 20" barrel, you don't need more than a 10 power scope post. I'm no where near the level as some others on here, but any of the guys that truly shoot long range comps on here, none of them use 20" barrels or fixed 10 power scopes.

[ar15barrels]

Why in the heck is it so hard to find out about classes/classifications in the PRS and which I would be competing in???

The PRS is a nationwide series.
Unless your plan is to travel to the matches, it is unlikely that you would be competing in the PRS except maybe if there was a PRS match at your local club once a year.

The more likely situation is that you would shoot your local club matches.
There generally are not any "classes" in club tactical/precision rifle matches.
You would be competing against everyone.

[ar15barrels]

I just got a 700 SPS tactical at Sportsmans Warehouse for $499.

Its a 20" heavy varmint barrel with 1:10 twist.

He said he wanted to do longrange shooting too.
He is going to want the velocity that comes with 26" long barrel.

[CSACANNONEER]

I only compete against myself. I have been doing the LR thing long enough that I now use other's scores to compare how I'm doing in those conditions but, that's about it.

[JMP]

Drawman, from your original post it looks like you were on the right track. I'd not worry about a few extraneous posts if they are of no help. Everyone seens things a bit differently. Obviously, there are many ways to go; otherwise, discussion forums like this would not exist.

[Drawman]

Drawman, from your original post it looks like you were on the right track. I'd not worry about a few extraneous posts if they are of no help. Everyone seens things a bit differently. Obviously, there are many ways to go; otherwise, discussion forums like this would not exist.

I agree JMP, just having some fun. I'm sticking with my plan.
Thanks for the help

[LynnJr]

OP
Go with route 1 on your list. A rifles receiver is what gets registered so if you buy one from Brownells they will send it to your ffl dealer and he will have you do the paperwork and the 10 day wait.

You can order up a barrel from Grizzly but do this after talking it over with your gunsmith so he can point you in the right direction.