Noob Question

[Kestryll]

Now that hambams foolishness is gone the conversation can continue.

[Drawman]

Ok, so I got a Rem 700 Varmint in .308 headed for jail next week.
First step one in the plan....next glass...chassis, trigger, brake and bipod

That should do for awhile. For now I'll just buy good ammo, then get the dies later.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the input/help

Any of you guys in NorCal? shoot NCPPR in Sac?

[Pthfndr]

Any of you guys in NorCal? shoot NCPPR in Sac?

Yes. What would you like to know?

[Drawman]

Yes. What would you like to know?

Just seeing who is on here. I'm going to try and come out and see how things work out there when I can in the next month or so. Just like to get to know people. Probably look for help LOL

[Guardian Mode]

Anyone with a goal of shooting a PRS match coupled with the idea of buying an action to have a custom barrel put on, could probably be swayed into a more competitive caliber, 6.5 Creedmoor. Great cartridge. Just buy as much Hornady 140gn match ammo as upu can find. The best gun for the $ is a Ruger Precision Rifle...but knowing Ruger's pace, we will likely see a new US president before you get a hold of one of those. Remington 700, sell the stock and barrel, then have AR15Barrels slap a 26" 6.5 Creedmoor barrel along with a brake. My brother has been to him a couple times, and has been happy with results.
Also, check out 6.5 Guys channel on youtube.
Those are a couple guys in their 50's that are relatively new, but they still seem very knowledgeable and competitive.

[Drawman]

Anyone with a goal of shooting a PRS match coupled with the idea of buying an action to have a custom barrel put on, could probably be swayed into a more competitive caliber, 6.5 Creedmoor. Great cartridge. Just buy as much Hornady 140gn match ammo as upu can find. The best gun for the $ is a Ruger Precision Rifle...but knowing Ruger's pace, we will likely see a new US president before you get a hold of one of those. Remington 700, sell the stock and barrel, then have AR15Barrels slap a 26" 6.5 Creedmoor barrel along with a brake. My brother has been to him a couple times, and has been happy with results.
Also, check out 6.5 Guys channel on youtube.
Those are a couple guys in their 50's that are relatively new, but they still seem very knowledgeable and competitive.

Thanks for the info Guardian Mode. I'll check out the youtube guys. I'm ok starting out at .308 to learn. Give me a year or so (depending how much I can practice/shoot) I might be ready to switch. I figure I'll let the rest of humanity test out, work the bugs out of the Ruger
I appreciate the info.

[milotrain]

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?

Perfectly reasonable plan, however the price goes up fast and there isn't anything wrong with shooting out the stock 700 barrel. Especially if it's a R5.

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

If you look at the Brownells website you'll see that the receiver requires an FFL. If you are just buying the receiver it's worth looking at the 700 clones or the Pacific Tool and Gauge 700 actions. All require an FFL.

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???

[JMP]

Perfectly reasonable plan, however the price goes up fast and there isn't anything wrong with shooting out the stock 700 barrel. Especially if it's a R5.

I believe that all the SPS's are not 5r. The only barrel that is higher quality is the "5r" model that comes at 24" with the HS stock. The regular Rem barrel isn't quite as good. Both the 26" varmint and 24" 5r work fine in 308 as 308 isn't a very sensitive round as I believe both can be tuned to provide results in the 0.25-0.5 MOA range. The one issue I have with the stock Remington barrels in ALL models is that they have throats that are too long. For 308, it is fine, but for a lot of the new more secant bullets, it becomes a potential issue. For a person just learning, I would not worry about the chamber spec and just get out and shoot.

With so many new bullets out there nowadays, it's a very good time to be pushing your ballistics. However, it's also a time where I think folks are best off going to minimum size reamers and lengthening the throat accordingly with a unithroat tool. For cartridges, commonly in 338, where you will shoot both old fashioned lead bullets and modern monolithics, it's almost essential to have two barrels. 6-30cal, you are fine with a regular lead bullet, but keep the throat short for the VLD type profiles.

[milotrain]

Fundamentally that's good advice that I agree with. As long as the person can shoot Nice thing about any bone stock 700 (sans the stock) is that most people could learn plenty on it without doing anything fancy. Leave the fancy until you've burnt out the stock barrel.

[JMP]

If you are just buying the receiver it's worth looking at the 700 clones or the Pacific Tool and Gauge 700 actions. All require an FFL.

Pacific Tool is a great shop for a lot of tools and 700 type bolts, but it isn't a good choice if you want anything in a hurry. They sure take their time filling orders.