Budget PRS setup

[IronLad]

my tikka t3 308 with cheap vortex scope outbox will shoot submoa. within 600 yard, no point to spend over 2k from the beginning.
my custom build 300win will shoot less than half moa. but i never find place to shoot over 1k yard

are tikkas compatible with r700 aftermarket? Ive considered em too but I just know "enough" of the r700 and howa that ive come here to ask for the opinions of more experienced calgunners

[IronLad]

500 might be a bit short, but the Savage 110 Tactical I mentioned can be found for mid 600's. I missed that he might want to hunt with it. The barrel is not a heavy varmint like the 12FV, but it's heavier than hunting weight. The rifle weighs 8.8 pounds, more than optimum for carrying, but not too bad. He'll appreciate the extra weight in the barrel at the range. It otherwise doesn't need anything to hunt or start precision shooting besides a scope.

I mention heavy barrel due to them having much longer barrel life and ability to hold accuracy vs the standard pencil barrel some have.

Do you happen to know, just as a theoretical, could a bolt action (tikka, bergara, howa1500 , savage, remington 700, ruger american) with a standard barrel be rebarreled for a thicker or heavy/varmint barrel? Could these be done at home or require a gunsmith if I already have things such as a vise and torque wrench?

[IronLad]

Grab a Tikka if it can be found a good price. 700 should be a back up. I'd say 700 has a ton more aftermarket and barrel options.

Don't fall for the pay to win mindset with shooting. Unless you are trying to do 1 moa at 1k yds, your action/barrel and ammo are the most important thing for rifle shooting. You can buy a decent long range scope for 1k on sale. Granted I haven't gone past 600 yds, my Burris XTR II 5x25 does just fine. Zero stop, tactile scope adjustment, good eye box all for 1k on sale 6 years ago.

I own a 6.5 Creed RPR with the Burris scope.

Also own a MDT chassis'd Tikka Ultralight with fluted barrel (previously an ultralight). With a $600 Athlon Tac scope. Does just fine, again out to 600 yds.

Just realize you will have to spend above your precieved budget but reason to spend 3 to 4k for your set up. Plan on 1500 to 2k basically because of the scope. You also need to reload to get the true potential of the rifle, which is more costs associated to your budget. RPR can take AICS. Not sure on stock Tikkas, I doubt it. Tikka aftermarket is going to cost you more than the 700 FYI.

Bummer... seems like I may as well wait then. I dont think Id need the absolute greatest setup obviously, but seeing how difficult it would be even with a 1k budget seems already extremely hard to make work with what has been said or recommended in the thread. I do know at least that the scope should be the best that can be, in comparison to the rifle.

[IronLad]

Dang, I typed out a nice long post last night, but then they decided to do maintenance and it got wiped out.

OP, .308 is not what you want. It struggles to reach 1000 yards, and at max range, a rifle is never as consistent as you would like. If you're going with a bolt gun, there's no good reason for a .308. Do 6.5 Creedmoor at least. Less recoil, and about the same ammo cost as .308, and will fly a few hundreds yards farther at least.

Take a look at the Savage 110 Tactical or Desert Tactical. Fluted and heavier than hunting barrel, a decent stock that's adjustable for cheek height and length of pull, a better than average trigger, aftermarket support second only to the Remington 700, blueprinted action, pic rail included, and uses AICS magazines, about $700. They have it in 6.5 creedmoor, and the one I got, 6.5 PRC. It's like a 6.5 creedmoor magnum, with a couple hundred yards more usable range. If you're not expecting to shoot over a mile, you can also look at 6mm Creedmoor for less recoil but shorter barrel life.

For a no frills shooter with great bones, go to Bass Pro/Cabelas and get a Savage 12FV. Ordinary, but fairly stiff hunting style stock, blind magazine, a stout 26" barrel(longer barrels give you more velocity), a pretty darn good 2 pound trigger, available in 6.5 creed, for $470. Easily upgradeable to a chassis in the future.

edit: I re-read your OP. What is the "60" you mentioned?

If you don't want a "MDT" (chassis) the Tactical I mentioned above has a lot of the features you'd want a chassis for. However, it does not have the barrel of the 12FV. If you get an ordinary rifle and upgrade to a nice barrel, that alone would cost as much as the whole 12FV. The thing about Savages in the low cost range, they aren't polished nor do they feel as nice as a Tikka, but the bullets won't care.

WRT scopes, before you go out and spend 2 or 3 grand, get an Arken (or something similar) for 400-500 bucks first.

BTW, forget Howas, the aftermarket support for precision shooting is weak. They have a square action, which makes for a more difficult and expensive to make chassis/stock.

I mention i do not like the mdt chassis as I just see those things as hideous lol. Not doubt they must be comfortable and much better for shooting but I mentioned it as to show my preference for not a super sporty rifle setup, but a traditional long range plinker to build or learn upon. With the state of the internet atm.

Im just so overwhelmed by the knowledge of differing of opinions, facts, and experiences, Im now worried Ill make a bad purchase like I have in the past with sig p2022 ( nothing wrong with it but DEFINITELY NOT AS PLEASING AS OTHER HANDGUNS, and no support for it)

[deckhandmike]

Build a nice lightweight hunting rifle and learn to shoot it well at whatever distance your caliber is capable of. By the time you master that you?ll have saved enough and had enough trigger time to figure out if you really need another rig or if you do exactly what you want.

Don?t bother trying to build a combo gun. A nice lightweight hunting rifle is a joy to carry.

[IronLad]

Build a nice lightweight hunting rifle and learn to shoot it well at whatever distance your caliber is capable of. By the time you master that you?ll have saved enough and had enough trigger time to figure out if you really need another rig or if you do exactly what you want.

Don?t bother trying to build a combo gun. A nice lightweight hunting rifle is a joy to carry.

I may go with one of the options reccomended or the r700 still. It has that profound type impression on me and respect for the company despite what freedom did (but I still say it was not in their hands since they were facing bankruptcy, and now want to show that they are still in the game)

The tikkas however seem nice but Id like to obv work up and now Im seeing what would be a good rifle to start that off of

[deckhandmike]

It?s cheap and easy to make a gun heavier. To make one lighter is much more expensive. If you want a gun that you could hunt with start light and add weight when at the bench. Or better yet just learn to shoot your hunting rifle long range.

Have you ever shot really far? I thought I could with my hunting rig but at a 1000 yards I could barely see my target with a 4-14 scope. You are going to need some really nice glass if you want to go far. I decided I?ll just learn to be a bad *** at 600 yards and under, it?s still plenty challenging. Long range is relative to what you got.

[deckhandmike]

I?m building a lightweight hunting/ semi precision rig but I?m also using a .308 so my range is somewhat limited. My goal was accurate, light with some nice touches. Using a used rem 700 (300$) as the base allowed me to slowly build it up as funds allowed.

Started life as a stock rem 700 with a 26? varmint barrel. Had it cut down to 20? because it?s was a heavy pig. Guess what, it?s still way heavy but shoots good. Added a trigger tech trigger (200$), used hs precision stock (100$) and now a proof carbon barrel (900$) is on the way.

[IronLad]

I?m building a lightweight hunting/ semi precision rig but I?m also using a .308 so my range is somewhat limited. My goal was accurate, light with some nice touches. Using a used rem 700 (300$) as the base allowed me to slowly build it up as funds allowed.

Started life as a stock rem 700 with a 26? varmint barrel. Had it cut down to 20? because it?s was a heavy pig. Guess what, it?s still way heavy but shoots good. Added a trigger tech trigger (200$), used hs precision stock (100$) and now a proof carbon barrel (900$) is on the way.

Damn that is a price, I imagine the original barrel was heavy though (26 and varmint??? thats a 10 pound rifle hot damn)

I suppose I just wanted to have the opportunity to do range shooting without spending so much, so decided to move my budget up a tad. I feel very strongly aobut the r700 action and am considering the following someone above listed, as well as the r700 sps or adl varmint, and the bergara ridgeline

Question, do you know if r700s can be rebarreled to a thicker barrel? Like if one got a regular adl, could it be rebarreled in time to be a heavy/slightly thicker hunter barrel?

[deckhandmike]

Damn that is a price, I imagine the original barrel was heavy though (26 and varmint??? thats a 10 pound rifle hot damn)

I suppose I just wanted to have the opportunity to do range shooting without spending so much, so decided to move my budget up a tad. I feel very strongly aobut the r700 action and am considering the following someone above listed, as well as the r700 sps or adl varmint, and the bergara ridgeline

Question, do you know if r700s can be rebarreled to a thicker barrel? Like if one got a regular adl, could it be rebarreled in time to be a heavy/slightly thicker hunter barrel?

That?s a cheap rifle, lol. The R700 can definitely be rebarelled with a thicker barrel. But a good smith charges 300$ or so labor and a decent heavy steel barrel another 400$. It?s about 75% cheaper to buy what you want the first time and not build the gun up but I?m just throwing out options.

Maybe look at a Aero Precision Solus barreled action, they are reasonable and often on pretty good sale. It?s a Remington 700 footprint, you can switch barrels yourself for free as they just screw off and use Pre-Fit barrels. Costs more upfront but a better idea in the long run.

[tigerpan]

are tikkas compatible with r700 aftermarket? Ive considered em too but I just know "enough" of the r700 and howa that ive come here to ask for the opinions of more experienced calgunners

There is no problem with tikkas aftermarket?s. And at used parts is cheaper than r700.
My 300w is build based on r700, the cost is over 3500(blueprint, barrel etc. without scope. But you shoot less than 600yard it?s no better than my tikka. And my tikka build is cheap. Rifle 450, stock 200, scope 100.

Nowdays rifle are much better, get a good rifle from start. You don?t even need blueprint sht like that.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bergara-b-14-hmr-bolt-action-rifle

[sigstroker]

I mention heavy barrel due to them having much longer barrel life and ability to hold accuracy vs the standard pencil barrel some have.

Do you happen to know, just as a theoretical, could a bolt action (tikka, bergara, howa1500 , savage, remington 700, ruger american) with a standard barrel be rebarreled for a thicker or heavy/varmint barrel? Could these be done at home or require a gunsmith if I already have things such as a vise and torque wrench?

Yes, most American rifles have barrels that can be changed. The higher end German rifles like some SIGs built in Germany have pressed-in barrels that can't practically be changed.

There are two basic types - 1. Threaded barrels that screw into the action and butt up against it. Examples include Remington, Howa, Bergara, Tikka, etc. A gunsmith has to machine the barrel and/or chamber to fit.
2. Barrels that thread in part way and a barrel nut tightens it. This is basically all Savage models. You can do these yourself with headspace gauges and maybe a couple other tools. When people say "Remage", those are Remington or Remington-type that has been converted to use a Savage-type barrel.

The other thing to remember is if you increase the diameter of the barrel substantially, it might not fit in the barrel channel in the stock. That's a big advantage of "MDT" - the barrel channel is usually big. With a wood stock, the barrel channel could possibly be expended by filing some wood away. That won't really work on plastic stocks.

[sigstroker]

I hoped for 308 as It seems for a while 6.5 creedmore was more expensive and less common than 308 and it's abundance. Im not sure if Id do above or somehow manage to do 1000 yard shots (on public land the max I could find was about between 600 and 800).

I wouldnt oppose 6.5 but figured 308 was a good common ground. I figured as well as a "cheat" if I could get a rifle good at both, master of neither but I see thats impossible as a heavy barrel would probably be bad for trekking long distances with. Is 308 that poor to recommend to a novice for ranged shooting?

I wouldn't call it "poor", but a 6.5 creedmoor is better. It shoots flatter, is less affected by wind due to the higher velocity, has a longer practical range by 300 or 400 yards, and recoils less than .308. The ammo is cheaper in .308 if you want the cheapest possible ammo because you can get cheap military bullets. You're not going to buy that ammo anyway. You're going to get good hunting ammo or target ammo, and that costs as much as 6.5 creedmoor ammo.

Also regarding that desert tactical and savage 110, what does it mean by "blue printed? Ive seen lots of terms like trued and "squared" without understanding. You could see Im new enough to it that Id pick the Remington 700 (sps/adl,etc) than just immediately go for a tikka like I imagine most would.

For now I practice and work myself up with my savage mkii fv 22lr to learn and expand upon

I'm not 100% certain, but I saw an article that explained it this way: Mass produced rifles take the machined barrels and actions and just put them together, and ship it off in a box. They count on the quality of the machinery to make for good rifles, and most of them are pretty good. Blueprinting measures the action and rifle parts before putting them together, touching things up with a file if necessary, and then putting them together. They don't spend hours on getting the parts gnat's @ss perfect, but they generally end up better than just assembling the parts off the line.

WRT to wanting a heavier barrel, remember, you have to carry that extra weight when you take it hunting. If you want a heavy one to start with, go to Cabelas/Bass Pro and heft that Savage 12FV. That will be plenty heavy enough for you I'll wager.

[IronsightsRifleman]

Tough to do for $500. Bergara B14 in 30-06. It will set you back about $800 with no optics. But you'll have a great and versatile rifle that you'll enjoy for both long range target shooting and for hunting. Add cheap optics to start, you're in business for under a grand. Sorry, I know that's nearly double your budget.

[deckhandmike]

The worst part is the rifle is the cheap part. Ammo and glass will get you.