Okie dokie,
So I’ve posted these questions over at SH, ARfcom, Brian Enos, and MD shooters so if you’ve seen it there, feel free to move on. I thought I’d also post here for some different perspective. A little background; years ago I owned several Remington 700 PSS’s, sent them to Hart rifles for tweaking and life was good…then I upgraded to a GAP rifle (cue the sound of the sunlight beaming through the clouds with angelic singing). Then, life happened…wife, house, kids…and the GAP had to go.
So, fast forward and I’m ready to get a .308 bolt gun again…except NOT on a bachelor’s budget anymore :(. I’m not looking to compete (yet), and I only have access (for now)to a 200 yard range. I don’t reload, so that keeps me at .308. So here are my considerations…
Remington 700 5R. IMO the best of the Remmies for the $ because if I went with an AAC model, I’d have to upgrade the stock too. With the 5R, I’d “only” have to change the trigger and bottom metal. $1100-$1200. Not including cost of scope base.
Tikka CTR. I’ve heard nothing but great things about them. The stock is do-able, but I’d also consider selling the stock and bottom metal (same as TRG22) and putting it in a KRG X-ray. From what I’ve read, fantastic smooth actions, nice triggers. $1200-ish after X-ray.
FN SPR A1. Same as Tikka, never heard a bad thing about them. Can get an A1 (although I REALLY want an A1A…$1600-$1700) for $1295. Already in bedded McMillan stock, with DBM (although it’s FN proprietary). Comes with 20 MOA base (8-40). Not as smooth as Tikka, but good trigger too.
I’ve had great luck with my 5r’s. Great shooters right out of the box. Huge aftermarket for Remington 700’s and very east to find a good smith to work in it when the time comes.
[LEFT][/LEFT]308 off-the-shelf is a great option. Fed Gold Medal Match is almost a no-brainer.
If you can find an older 700 Varmint Synthetic (either the carbon or fluted stainless barrel with an H-S stock) and add a decent trigger (CG22 or Jewell or another that might fit your preference and style) you really can’t go wrong.
A 5R is a decent barrel but tends to be heavier than a Varmint (if my dinosaur memory serves that the 5R is in M24 profile). Great for shooting itty-bitty groups from a bench but a pain in the ass if you’re taking it into the woods and actually moving over terrain.
You can spend thousands to get benchrester-type performance or you can shoot the thing until you wear out the first barrel, then upgrade.
Remingtons are the start point as there are so many different after-market accessories you can add as you go, or spec later. Savage 110s are supposed to be very good as well, but you’re more limited in your accessories availability.
Since you’ve already owned 700s and a GAP you’re going to have to review what you want the rifle to do – especially since you’re limited to a 200-yard range and not competing yet.
At 100 and 200 yards you can try 125, 135, and 155-grain bullets to shoot tiny bench rest groups and see what you and the system are capable of. Big-ass plates, IPSC targets, and E-types will be comparatively huge after that.
In the end it’s still just a rifle (regardless of make and caliber). You want it to fit your shooting style, requirements, and budget.
Plain old 700V, upgraded over the years (still sporting the factory barrel which was set back a quarter-inch). Ten-shot 100-yard group, and last season’s 354-yard kill.
I own a .308 bolt action rifle I use for the occasional 1,000 yard match. If I had to do it over again, I would have purchased a bolt gun in 6.5x284. A shooting buddy has a .260 and he does really well out to 1400 yards. Once you start stretching the targets out beyond 700 yards, you’ll want to start reloading.
all the rifles you listed above are perfectly good for what you already know.
but as others have said the 6.5 Creedmoor is about the same price as the FGMM… I would get the X ray chasis, you can get it for the Tikka or R700 no problem. if you wanted to be patient and get the new DTA chassis that has been postponed for another 2 to 3 months you can get that. it works for the R700 and then the Tikka version should be rolling out.
my vote is the Tikka or 5R… you can get a new barrel from Sin City for about 900 chambered in the 6.5 Creedmoor.
Rem 700P/LTR/5r in .308 w/ FGMM 168gr SMK or Hornady TAP 168gr AMAX
Savage 10 (many flavors) in .308/6.5 Creedmoor (Hornady 120gr & 140gr AMAX)
Tikka CTR .260/.308 *Match .260 is Pricey
FN TSR .308
FN SPR A1 *is a solid choice, yes
*heck I haven’t shot any, but I’ve seen Remington Premier Match 168gr BTHP for like $19-20 a box… can’t beat that, as long as it shoots decent.
**Actually, if all you’re shooting is 200 Yards and in just paper & steel punching, why not buy a .223?
On calm wind days, the Rem 700 5R in .223 is the easiest gun to get hits for us at 1000 yards. No joke. The recoil is nothing, and with a can it’s like a pellet rifle. So much cheaper and funner to shoot than a .308. Out to 500 yards, the dope is pretty close. Feed it nice 77 gr ammo, and it will be your favorite gun.
Thanks Dave. Good points everyone. I had NO idea that 6.5CM was priced about (or lower) the same as .308 match. The only thing is the availability of “blasting” ammo. Yeah, I know it’s not the obvious choice, but it’s nice to have that as an option, and as far as I know (unless you reload, which I don’t) there is no such thing for 6.5. It’s crazy to me that match 6.5CM is cheaper the match .260, but oh well.
I’m not really sweating the “local availability” thing, since I live in MD and I have yet to find a decent shop. I buy just about everything online.
I think right now the only factory option in 6.5 creedmore is the Savage unfortunately. As others have mentioned a .223 bolt gun might be just the ticket as well.
The FN would be what I would get if you plan to shoot non-match ammo through a precision gun.
I’d personally rather not shoot my bolt gun than to waste its barrel life on surplus or otherwise very inaccurate ammo. I have other rifles that will eat surplus .308 or .223.
As MarkM suggested, .223 is also a good choice. Take a hard look at the ballistics that long .224 bullets are capable of. Since you aren’t reloading that may make .223 less appealing than a .308.
Either way, a Rem 700 5R is probably your best bet. If you have the 24" .308 then you can compete in precision rifle type comps, but you will not be competitive with the 6mm and 6.5mm shooters. You can just compete with yourself and anyone else using a .308. The local precision rifle club here always names the highest scoring .308 shooter in each match.
KRG has a good write up o the pro’s and cons of the Tikka action on their website, so you can figure what you are in for with that route.
The FN can be a very capable platform, but there just aren’t as many drop-in accessories and chassis systems for them. I don’t think the stocks com fully bedded from the factory, but I could be wrong.
I had a 26" VS .308 from the mid to late 90’s production and it shot excellent. Makes me wish I hadn’t messed with it.
The current 5Rs have the Rem Varmint barrel profile, same as your VS and a great all around profile.
