Rem 700sps Tactical .308

[dskit]

For under a grand, the SWFA SS's are very hard to beat.

I'll differ with my dear friend Vu: for around $250, the B&C medalist varmint is an excellent stock for the money. Manners are better, but cost more.

Bullet weights? If you intend to shoot 800 yards and beyond, the 175's are essential. Otherwise, lighther bullets are fine.

All depends on how serious you mean to get and your intended use of the rig.

[ExtremeX]

For under a grand, the SWFA SS's are very hard to beat.

I'll differ with my dear friend Vu: for around $250, the B&C medalist varmint is an excellent stock for the money. Manners are better, but cost more.

Bullet weights? If you intend to shoot 800 yards and beyond, the 175's are essential. Otherwise, lighther bullets are fine.

All depends on how serious you mean to get and your intended use of the rig.

+1 on excellent stock for the money.

I too like the B&C series of stocks. I run the Medalist M40 and it gave a much needed and welcome upgrade to the factory SPS Tactical stock without breaking the bank.

In regards to bullet / ammo selection... 175 SMKs are a good place to start, very gold standard, but in comparison the 168s from Hornady and the 155s from Lapua and Sierra Palmas also have respectable BC values. If your rifle just doesn't like the 175s, those would be valid alternates.

[leok20]

I wish I could experience all these scopes before just buying one.

A vortex here a leap old there but nobody in my area seems to have a stock of scopes.

[ExtremeX]

I wish I could experience all these scopes before just buying one.

A vortex here a leap old there but nobody in my area seems to have a stock of scopes.

I know how you feel I had the same problem when going to local stores to check out optics..., more than a few of my purchases have been based off nothing but web research.

Once I narrowed down the major brands I like and knew what I was looking at... I actually had much better luck being friendly as local rifle ranges. I found most shooters are more than happy to show off their gear.

If you have a rifle range near you that attracts the precision rifle crowd, that might actually be your best bet.

[piratebike]

I just bought the same rifle.

When it comes to glass, is clarity > magnification?

Also what scope mount? What is the minimum range I can use a 20moa? Can I use it at 100yds?

[dskit]

Glass quality is more important than magnification. A BSA 30 power is a no go.

As mentioned Vortex PST or a SWFA SS are your best bets below $1,000

As for a base any of the picatinny type would do best. Rings, again lots of option. "Tactical" type would be good. Remember, steel base and aluminum rigs are ok but not aluminum base and steel rings.

20 MOA base is only important if you are planning on shooting past 800 yards and yes it would work fine at 100.

[leok20]

B1gdave32 I hope you don't feel thread jacked. I for one am glad you started it. The responses here have been informative.

Piratebike I have that question as Well kind of.
What magnification is good out to 700


"I said good day!"

[dskit]

Up to 14/15 power on the top end is plenty. 20 power is nice but not necessary.

[b1gdave32]

Thanks for the info fellas appreciate it

Funny video Allied!! Glad my sps doesn't have a cow barrel hahaha

Leok20 no worries the more info the better

[ExtremeX]

I just bought the same rifle.

When it comes to glass, is clarity > magnification?

Also what scope mount? What is the minimum range I can use a 20moa? Can I use it at 100yds?

tracking > glass > magnification

A scope can have the best glass in the world but if it doesn't track true its useless to me.

Magnification is great, but the scopes ability to resolve detail goes a long way within reason... I much rather own a fixed 10x with excellent glass than a high mag variable with sub-par glass.

If you really want to test a scope or any optic, take it out in less than ideal lighting conditions and crank up the magnification... Or on a bright sunny day look at high contrast objects and check for chromatic aberration, edge detail/softness, and overall resolution. Low light performance is a great way to get a handle on what you can consider good, better, and best from an optical standpoint.

Most will say it doesn't hurt going with a 20 MOA base... In general I would agree, but its wise to look at common loads for the caliber, and compare it to how much internal elevation you have in that scope and make an informed decision based on your application.

[ExtremeX]

B1gdave32 I hope you don't feel thread jacked. I for one am glad you started it. The responses here have been informative.

Piratebike I have that question as Well kind of.
What magnification is good out to 700


"I said good day!"

Preference and application...

Last trip we had some 12x12 steel plates out at 785 yards and a 10x to 12x was more than enough to get the job done... So depending on the size of the target, you may adjust accordingly. I also had no issues hitting that size target at 6x...

When shooting for groups ill take all the magnification the scope can give me... I'm more than happy using 20x at the 100 yard line when developing a load.

I tend to use way more magnification than I need... its a habit I am trying to break... For shooting man size steel I have found there is nothing I cant do inside 1000 yards with a fixed 10x scope.

Its also a lot easier to spot your own shots and find your target when you are not using more mag than you need.

[Raptor1Ronin]

im also a huge fan of B&C stocks! for the money they are awesome, and thats why i have two one for each SPS tactical.

[Duy12B]

I am going down the same path as you. I just purchased a Remington 700 SPS 20"Heavy Barrel. I haven't fired a round yet as I haven't purchased a base or scope. I did the soda can shimming job underneath the front of the action to give the barrel a little bit more space between the front of the stock, apparently the Hogue stock is quite poor due to having the stock and barrel touch when being fired or loaded on a bi-pod.

Will be buying Nightforce base and rings, then getting the Vortex Viper PST.. I was really hard pressed trying to decide between the Vortex Viper PST and the SWFA SS... I heard great reviews from both, but I like the creature comforts/features of the Viper, and I am a fan of variable magnification (my eyes aren't all that great anymore) and went with the Vortex.

[ExtremeX]

I am going down the same path as you. I just purchased a Remington 700 SPS 20"Heavy Barrel. I haven't fired a round yet as I haven't purchased a base or scope. I did the soda can shimming job underneath the front of the action to give the barrel a little bit more space between the front of the stock, apparently the Hogue stock is quite poor due to having the stock and barrel touch when being fired or loaded on a bi-pod.

Will be buying Nightforce base and rings, then getting the Vortex Viper PST.. I was really hard pressed trying to decide between the Vortex Viper PST and the SWFA SS... I heard great reviews from both, but I like the creature comforts/features of the Viper, and I am a fan of variable magnification (my eyes aren't all that great anymore) and went with the Vortex.

I feel Nightforce rings/base are a bit expensive...

You could pick up Seekins Precision 4/6 rings and a base for less.

You could also just get a TPS Steel rings/base for $130

If you like overbuilt rings... the Aadland mounts are really nice too.

http://swfa.com/Aadland-Dual-Lug-30mm-Rings-P64835.aspx

I would use the money saved and upgrade the stock... Which model Vortex PST did you get for the 700?

[bsumoba]

Sub-$1K, i say go with Vortex PST or SWFA. You might even be able to find a Bushnell Elite Tactical G2 HDMR for just over $1K if you look hard enough.

If you dont need a variable power, you might be able to go straight power 10x which will save money and you'll probably get better glass quality for the price.

As far as barrel break-in, I just shoot 2-5 shots, do a full clean, shoot another 2-3 rounds and see if the groups tighten up. If not, I do another full clean, then shoot another 2-3. When the groups start really tightening up (assuming marksmanship skills and ammo is good) then I think you got yourself a broken in barrel. I got my barrel broken in at shot 11. and my shot 12-14 ended up being a 1/4" group, and then my next 5-shot group measured 1/2", so I know Im shooting well, the rifle is shooting well, and Im shooting good factory ammo.



Im onto my 2nd round of load development. In the long run, I think you will appreciate it when you start reloading, not to mention its addicting