thinking of a precision rifle build....

[THORN74]

So I am thinking of a precision rifle build, a Remington 700 as the likely base. I reload so I'm not super picky about the calibur. I have access to a 600yrd range, but nothing beyond that anywhere near me.

Likely end up in an ACIS chassis..... I know eventually I want detachable box magazine, scope, bipod, and FTP scope. I would consider .308, 30-06, 300 win magazine, or other.

Any thoughts?

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[sgms]

Out to 600 I like the old .30-06, .308 and the .300 Win. Mag. do well also but I see no reason for the extra recoil of the .300 at 600 or less yards and I like the .30-06 better in bolt action rifles. Just my personal likes, no reason to say that the .30-06 is better than the others I just like it.

[davery25]

Does it need to be a .30 cal?

If you're building a custom rifle why not use a custom calibre - and by that i mean one usually found on precision rifles like the 6ppc or 30 br or something.

I'd personally go with one that uses the .4709" bolt face (308/30-06) so rebarreling would be easy

[Bart B.]

If accuracy is important, I'd use the .308 Win. But only with a standard box magazine in the rifle. Detachable magazines in conventional bolt action rifles often have a different zero with each one 'cause they all fit slightly different. M14NM competition rifles have this problem.

If a detachable magazine's a must, then get an AR10 or other tube style rifle that doesn't have such problems.

[Nathan]

6.5 x 284 or 300 WSM would be my first choices.

Also, I would go for a McMillan or similar stock.

Last, I would choose a Savage or custom action.

[toolguy2006]

Thorn74:

I have also been thinking of a rifle similar to what you are describing. Have you considered .260 Remington? Please keep us posted.

[Eppie]

I did the same thing. The first time I did it with a Rem 700 and Knoxx chassis, but then a guy at the range let me shoot his Savage 10. I sold the Remington and bought a Savage 10 and added te XLR (Xtreme Long Range)chassis with the AI ten round mag. This is what I've ended up with.

[Eppie]

My advice is stay away from the magnums, the recoil is harsh and they shorten the barrel life dramatically.

At my range we have a 1,000 yard range and long range guys mostly shoot 6.5mm. If target shooting is all you're going to do, that may be the way to go.

I like to use mine for hunting also, so a .308 does double duty for me. A friend has a 600 acre ranch with a pig problem, so I go visit him a couple of times a year and from the his ranch house roof I can put a couple down and then leasurely drive down to finsh them off.

[mnhntr]

If you are only shooting 600 and nothing more I would go .223. Or if you plan to go out to 1000 then I would go .243, .260, 6.5CM or .308.

[allaroundhunter]

I would consider .308, 30-06, 300 win magazine, or other.

Just a heads up, the "Mag" in ".300 Win Mag." stands for magnum, not magazine. (And that much gun is most definitely not needed for 600 yard shooting)

And to answer your question, if you are dead set on a .30 cal offering, then I say .308 Win. Components for reloading are plentiful, as is factory ammo should you ever want some.

If you are open to other options, then .260 Rem, .243 Win, and .223 Rem also come to mind. Other 6-6.5mm offerings are also great choices.

[Ralph Allen]

THORN74, Go to FN'S website and look at an SPR. I can tell you from personal experience that it is worth the wait and the money. If you have one built by a gunsmith you'll wait also. My SPR came from the factory with a .23 moa test target! It only got better, no kidding with handloads and a Nightforce scope. I waited almost a year for mine, but as I said, well worth the wait.
Ralph

[5RWill]

Budget? The sky could be the limit or you could do it with constraints. AICS is a great chasis, the rifle wouldn't really be the most expensive part IMO. Depending on what line of Optics you want could sway the price of the entire build. Also FTP scope? Do you mean FFP(First Focal plane)?

Anyhow, less you have a spare 700 action laying around, a new action will be around 450-500. Though you could go to a pawn shop and possibly get a cheap 700 for less.

Quality barrel (bartlein, krieger, shcnieder, Rock Creek, etc.) 300-400$
DBM(Badger, surgeon, APA, Seekins, CDI) 200-400$
AICS: around 1000$ good part is you wont have to bed it
Gunsmithing (chambering, truing, crowning, etc.) around 600$ i would guess, it varies depending on the smith.

Optics
900-1500$: Vortex Viper PST, Bushnell tactical, SWFA.
1000$-2000$: the leupy mark 4s, IOR, nightforce, and maybe throw in the Vortex Razor. Though the only NF that's FFP is 2200+.
2000-4000$: U.S. Optics, Premier, Zeiss Hensoldt, Schmit & Bender, New Leupys mark 4s and mark 6s.

Allaroundhunter, i'm sure he knows it's 300 win magnum, i'm betting it was auto-text on his phone that wrote "magazine"

As for caliber that's up to you since you reload. I shoot .308 and despite it not being the most practical cartridge it's still very adequate. It's just plane easy to load for, throw bullet of choice (155-175gr) over 39-44grs of varget and more than likely it will be accurate. You might night have access to a 1000yd range but you might want that capability. I've always wanted a 6.5x47 lapua.