Ok, I’m posting this in the GD because more people are in here.
I am getting a 700 sps tactical 308 soon and need your thoughts on the goodies I have picked out for it. I have a buddy that can get me a trijicon accupoint 3-9x40 for $550 or a Millet TRS-1 4-16x50 for $307. I wanted to go with the Millet to save some money and have read pretty good things about them. Then I was looking at a Millet, EGW or Warne pic base and some Millet or Burris xtreme rings. Oh, and a harris swiveling bi-pod (not sure about the length yet, probably a the 9-13’).
I am new to bolt guns and just wanted to add one to the stable. It will be for range fun and hunting when I get the time.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. The more money I save the more ammo I can buy.
Savage makes some decent bolt guns in their LE lineup. i had a heavy barrel .308 and liked it alot, and currently have the scout model. both were affordable and the heavy barreled model(cant remember the #) shot exceptionally well. the scout has pleased me so far
I’m pretty much set on the 700. I am getting it NIB for $450. I could afford to put better glass on it, but don’t know if I would benefit from it. Like I said, I would use it for paper and hunting, not duty or HD. Just don’t know if I would be better served with an optic or mounts that are way more expensive.
Your rifle choice (especially at the price you are getting for) is a great budget platform which can deliver sub-MOA accuracy with factory ammunition.
If you’re hunting white-tail in the Northeast a higher magnification scope (>9x) is wasted as most shots will be inside 200 yds. If you’re hunting rams out west, different story. What was the longest shot you’ve contemplated when hunting and what is the distance you shoot at your range?
I live in western Washington, but my buddies hunt in the eastern part of the state. Probably 400 yards or a little more as it is pretty flat out there.
The 700 is a good platform and I’ve been thinking of getting the SPS Tactical for a build. Check out snipercentral.com for more specific info on precision rifle stuff. Not to say people around here can’t help you, but why not consult with the specialists. The first thing I’d do though, is ditch the Houge stock. HS Precision, McMillan, Manners…there’s plenty of better stocks for a tactical style rifle.
1st post here, spend most of my time on snipercentral. the 700 sps tac is a great starter rifle. dont need a bipod, shoot off a pack. whats your budget for the scope? vortex is coming out with the PST line this spring and its supposed to be great optics for the money. the millet you mentioned is a good option also look into bushnell 3200 or 4200 for under $500. Spend time researching optics. Also dont skimp on rings and bases. EGW base and some burris rings will do you great on a budget.
main complaints from the new rifles are from the trigger. the actions are still smooth and accurate, my sps will hold .5 moa out to 200 (furthest ive gotten to). The triggers are hit and miss but its a cheap fix if you dont like yours.
I CAN spend 5-600 bucks on a scope, but I don’t know if I want to. Like I said, this is for paper and deer. If it was for serious work I would drop the cash for better optics. Like I said earlier, I just don’t know if I will notice the difference in optics for what I intend to use the gun for.
Okay - for S&G, let’s say 500 yds max shots. You can get by with a 0 MOA base, check out EGW or Ken Farrell for a Pic rail base and Burris Xtreme rings. What were the scopes on your buddies’ guns (magnification and reticle types), and what didn’t you like about them when you tried out your longer range shots?
I have the Millett TRS 1 scope and for the money, you cant beat it. The reticle illumination is a little shitty but I let the battery die by leaving it on in the safe and never replaced it. Dont really need illumination for what I do. (shooting pieces of paper during the day) Ive only used it on my 20" AR with ARMS Quick Release 30mm High Rings so I can’t vouch for using it on a 700. I have a Simmons whitetail 6-20 http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=168462 mounted on my Remington 700 VTR which also works great for my needs. With the exception of my M4 Aimpoint, most of my optics were under 400 bucks and not saying they are just as good as the higher end models but in all practicality I think spending thousands on optics for casual range shooting is unnecessary. If I ever have the budget to step it up a little I would go with the Leupold Mark 4 series LR/T. would love to hear if anyone has used and did a side by side comparison of the Millett and the Leupold.
I have only shot my friend’s Tikka with the accupoint. It was a great scope, but was just trying to save about $250 if I could with the Millet. The only thing I didn’t like about the Accupoint was the entire reticule wasn’t illuminated, just the dot in the cross hairs. Like I said, I’m new to bolt guns and magnified optics though, so I really can’t tell the difference.
If you plan on laser ranging your targets or think you’ll be hunting from a static position and can guage landmarks in your engagement zone, a basic BDC reticle will keep you in the 8" circle out to 500. You may want to look at the Nikon Team Primos 3x9x40 for $200. That was the set-up I went with when first starting out with your rifle (SPS Tactical in .308). Very easy to get on target with confidence once you validate the BDC dope / range. Clear glass (Monarch UCC) and light weight for the variable zoom.
If you think you’ll be needing to range through the scope on the fly, then learning on a Mil-Dot reticle may be a better idea. I’ll defer to others with more experience hunting at that range with a Mil-Dot reticle.
The SPS is a good choice and there are tons of after market accessories to upgrade as you decide. Personally I’d go with a tapered one piece base. Better to have the extra MOA and not need it that the other way around. My savage sports an EGW one piece and it’s been solid, especially for the price. Would have preffered Badger for the base and rings but didn’t have the coin. The savage also sports the Millett but that will get replaced pretty quick. It’s decent glass for the price and so long as it’s being used for punching paper it will work fine. I got a smoking deal on it so I took it to get shooting knowing it will go away. My unit is 1/8moa clicks witn no horizontal marksto indicate number of turns. If you’re shooting at different distances you will be spinning the dial a lot and without any references that’s going to get ugly fast IMO. If memory serves correct the reticle is calibrated at 10x instead of at max power. Not a huge deal but you need to remember if you’re using it for ranging. The glass itself was decent. Good enough that when it rode my SPR clone I could see my 223 holes well.
I would definitely try and max the budget for the glass out and see if you can swing a Super Sniper or one of the Vortex PST’s. Vortex has been getting decent reviews and it’s the one I am leaning towards as well. It’s a lot easier to hit what you can see. It’s also a lot easier to get on target when you have repeatable adjustments.
Nikon also has the monarch series in the $450 to $600 range which would be a good scope…I would just say try to get the best you can afford and heed the old addage, buy cheap…buy twice…of course nikon and lueapold are not what I would call cheap. Just remember you get what you pay for and that neat $300 dollar scope that you buy that works “good enough” will work fine until it doesn’t…and nobdy knows when that may be…tommorow or next week?? Happy hunting.
