Finally Bought SPS

[lswanie]

I have wanted one of these for a very long time, and I finally went down to the store yesterday to get the 10 days rolling.

I had grand plans for this rifle, and I still do. I guess I feel it necessary to use multiple tenses, because these plans change with about the same regularity as the weather.

These plans keep a fully grown man up after midnight, like an 8 year old the night before Christmas, except it is October and the kid has a beard.

So far the plan is unfolding like clockwork:

1. Purchase rifle (x)
2. Wait ten days ( )
a. By product of which is this post.
3. Decide on/purchase replacement stock (\)
a. This one is marked as half done, because I am set on a Bell and Carlson, which was a big mental step. I want a McMillan or HS Precision, but McMillan stocks are just too darn pricey, and HS seems like you are paying a lot more for slightly more aesthetic variety (which obviously has no value after thepurchase, I might be missing something)
b. Essentially I feel like I have made some sort of concession and this is a textbook silver plated problem..
4. Find the cheapest but still effective sling and bi-pod ( )
5. Purchase and mount optics ( )
a. Gotta save the best for last. Trying to spend around 6-700 bucks, but cheaper would be better.
b. I know going cheap on the glass would be lazy, and ooodooodddddddddddI am tempted to say I will purchase more than one. Is there any reason to stay away from used stuff, or would it be relatively safe to check out used stuff?

Oh boy, going to give sleep another shot.

[lswanie]

My k key stuck and spazzed when writing the title lol. If possible can a mod change the title to "Finally bought my sps tactical .308," Or something along those lines.

My bad, sorry about that

[mtenenhaus]

congratulations.
Black Friday is right around the corner, i bet you'll find some good deals on rifle scopes, bipods and slings then.
seems like now is a great time to stock up on ammo
do you reload?

[nedro]

Stock up on ammo and learn how to reload.

[diver160651]

[divingin]

I have a basic B&C stock on my SPS Varmint. It may not have all the bells and whistles of the bigger names, but it works way better than the original plastic POS. That and a Timney trigger made it much easier to shoot [sort of] accurately.

[Divernhunter]

I have a McMillan stock and a number of B&C stocks as well as a Brown stock.
Yes the McMillan is that much better than B&C. Yes the cost more and in my case I had to wait a bit over 6 months to get it direct.
Yes the B&C stocks work just fine. The Brown is also good.

No need to lose sleep over the rifle. It is just a rifle.

Consider a Timney trigger for it. Use good scope bases/rings (do not have to be the most costly) and quality glass. If hunting the Leupold. If a range, fair weather toy then any of the better companies glass will be just fine. If only a range gun then no real need of a bipod.

Stock up on ammo before the new law takes place or if you reload stock up on supplies.

Enjoy your new rifle.

[Don the savage]

I have wanted one of these for a very long time, and I finally went down to the store yesterday to get the 10 days rolling.

I had grand plans for this rifle, and I still do. I guess I feel it necessary to use multiple tenses, because these plans change with about the same regularity as the weather.

These plans keep a fully grown man up after midnight, like an 8 year old the night before Christmas, except it is October and the kid has a beard.

So far the plan is unfolding like clockwork:

1. Purchase rifle (x)
2. Wait ten days ( )
a. By product of which is this post.
3. Decide on/purchase replacement stock (\)
a. This one is marked as half done, because I am set on a Bell and Carlson, which was a big mental step. I want a McMillan or HS Precision, but McMillan stocks are just too darn pricey, and HS seems like you are paying a lot more for slightly more aesthetic variety (which obviously has no value after thepurchase, I might be missing something)
b. Essentially I feel like I have made some sort of concession and this is a textbook silver plated problem..
4. Find the cheapest but still effective sling and bi-pod ( )
5. Purchase and mount optics ( )
a. Gotta save the best for last. Trying to spend around 6-700 bucks, but cheaper would be better.
b. I know going cheap on the glass would be lazy, and ooodooodddddddddddI am tempted to say I will purchase more than one. Is there any reason to stay away from used stuff, or would it be relatively safe to check out used stuff?

Oh boy, going to give sleep another shot.

I have an hs precision take off from a 5r i want to sell if you really wan5 one and dont want to pay full freight. Pm me if interested.

[michaelthepsycho]

B&C is nice enough. Sure, McMillan is better, but in terms of rigidity, Bell & Carlson is right up there. I have their A6 with the adjustable cheek rest, and the only thing negative I can say is that I wish the grip was a little bit longer for a true pistol grip vertical hold.

If you are okay with the Mil-Dot, check out the Weaver 6-30x56:

https://www.natchezss.com/weaver-super-slam-tactical-rifle-scope-6-30x56mm-34mm.html

It is criminally under-marketed, but an absolute beast. Light Optics Work glass, built like a tank (2.5 lb without mount), and only about $740 OTD with the rebate going on right now. Last week, there were 170 in stock. I just checked today, and there are only 145 left. It's going quite fast. The reticle is the only weak point. No Christmas tree option.

[lswanie]

Thanks for the recs.

So to answer some questions, the rifle is going to be for a variety of hunting on the west coast (I have a bunch of rifles on he east coast, need a one size fits all, or as close to it as possible, out here). White tail, hogs, elk, etc.

I want a high quality stock with a free floating barrell, but I do not want one with tons of adjustments. If I need stuff like a raised cheeck rest, I will add an attachment. At a base level, I want it to be as smooth and snag free as possible.

Optics...idk whether to go mil dot or not. Heck, I can't even really decide on a magnification levels still. Part of me is tempted to just stick with a 3-9x like I have on my 270...and part of me wants a 6-20x big sucker sitting up there with external adjustment nobs and all that cool stuff.

But yea, cool isnt really the theme of what I am going for. Small, smooth, and practical are my main goals. Anything that can offset the clumsy weight of the barrel for example.

Anyhow, random thoughts before ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[LynnJr]

If it's for hunting get a greyboe stock and forget the 6-20 power scope.
For hunting I like alot of magnification just like the next guy but the lowest setting on the scope is much more important. A 3-4 power on the lowest setting gives you a bigger field of view so you can quickly acquire your target.
I hunt long-range from a shooting platform and have tried a 12-42 Nightforce and even at 1000 yards 12 power made it harder to get on the animal.
Now that March Scopes has come out with the 10X multiplication range for rifle scopes I am hopeful that we will be seeing some tactical scopes on more hunting rifles.
In the old days 3-4 times multiplication scopes were all we had so if you started out at 3 power you either had 9 power or 12 power as your top magnification.
Bushnell's 3.5X21 scope is actually a very good all purpose scope in that you have a low power at the minimum and a decent power at the maximum range. It's 4:30AM so it's time to get off of the phone and get hiking up the side of the mountain for a deer hunt.

[diver160651]

[lswanie]

Well, not sure what happened, but this is my second time writing this out (from memory unfortunately). Gonna try to keep this short in light of that haha.

Again, thanks again for the advice. I feel like you are all steering me to stay on track, which is exactly what I was looking for.

For now I am thinking a Leupold Vx2 3x9x40 is my top contender. I am used to this style scope (have a Nikon, which is virtually the same thing on another rifle), except this will be a lilttle bit nicer

For stocks, thank you for pointing me to Grayboe. I had not heard of them, and after some research already found tons of great info, and what looks to be a pretty darn good deal:

https://redhawkrifles.com/products/mesa-precision-arms-rifle-stocks-free-shipping-orders-over-199-grayboe-stocks-grayboe-short

I wasn't planning on it right away or necessarily at all, but having a detachable mag would be pretty nice. Only thing here is, I am more attracted to the profile of the "Terrain" model, and this is for two reasons. I want you to prove my reasoning is silly or even flat out dumb, because man I now want one of these asap if possible. Buying the Terrain with the DMB costs more unfortunately (The dmb from them is 175 so this is really one heck of a deal).

First issue is the cut out on the bottom of the butt. I could see this snagging on stuff left and right and turning into a sapling thorn bush ivy harvester (thinking back to hunting in the temperate forests back east, and how this rifle and I will likely find our way there eventually).

Second issue is the grip. I like the more vertical pistol grip style of the Renegade, but for a long time old fashioned rifle shooter like myself, the Terrain is a step instead of a leap. It looks more like the Hogue that comes with the gun, and I do like the feel of the stock. It is just such a ridiculously flexy weirdly wiggly, ugh, idk, but I know someone said to just deal with it for a while. It just has to go though. I like wood, and this is my first long gun with so I am already making some pretty serious concessions here!

Oh and totally random, saw another thread where a guy mentioned ordering one in multicam. Heck, might as well go all out right? Think that is an old option or do they do custom paint if you buy from the manufacturer?

[lswanie]

Also, this is just another rando thing I want to throw in here. Vortex keeps popping up all over the place, and I have no idea why, but maybe it is the aggressiveness of the advertising throwing me off. I ended up here, and it seems like it would be a great low range of the long range scope scopes to start out with. Thing is heavy though, 3lb:

https://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Optics-Viper-Range-4-16x50/dp/B004MUAXHY/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507527984&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=hs+precision+rifle+stocks

Anyway, this looks great, so I start looking around at other options, and find that they have product lines of varying qualities that are all over the place. This is usually a deterrent for me, when it comes to dealing with a corporation. Here is a good example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E0DXUZE?psc=1&smid=A24UXSYSGKROUQ

Same power, smaller FOV, and it is 2/3 the price. I know their are a plethora of design decisions that make sense, as far as them affecting the value. However, making sense of these and their corresponding value from the consumer perspective, at least without any industry knowledge, is nearly impossible

[LynnJr]

On your scope choice look and see if you can get more power on the high end. I shoot a lot of small bucks and the extra magnification makes sure you don't get a game Wardens blood pressure up.
On the buttstock hook I think they are the ugliest thing ever invented in the shooting industry.
They are intended for prone shooting so you can use your off hand to adjust elevation and for that purpose they work and they work well but they are extremely ugly.
I haven't had one snag brush but I have had my sling grab some chemise which knocked my safety off and sent a bullet past my head. I now hunt with an empty chamber.

On the vertical grip it is the best grip ever as it allows your wrist to remain in a natural position. A thumbhole stock looks funky but also has the vertical grip allowing for a more relaxed and accurate rifle.
Anschutz stocks are extremely comfortable to shoot and have all the features you like. McMillan sells a Anschutz pattern stock and it is very comfortable to shoot.
Take a look at there Hunter Benchrest stock as well. It is more of a varmint stock but it works well on a heavy hunting rig.
The yellow stock is a hunter Benchrest stock on a 243 CatBird built on a Predator action with the vertical grip and a 2.25 wide flat forend.
The green camoflague stock is another McMillan with the swept grip and skinny forend built on another Predator action but in 300 WinMag.
If you can pack an extra pound of stock the yellow stock will make you and your gun more accurate.
On the drop box magazine they can be added to most of the aftermarket stocks but with inletted they run the cost up another $350.
The magazine's seem like a good idea but in actual hunting use you need to pack them somewhere and also have quick access.
If you have ever worn a pistol while hunting in heavy brush they present the same issues.
If your backpacking in to open terrain they are a asset rather than a liability.