An MSR or a bolt action...

[Guy Miner]

ajvigs - the Savage has a couple of things going for it.

First, they are typically Very Accurate right from the factory.
Second, they are very home-gunsmith friendly - even to the point of permitting barrel swaps with tools the average guy can buy and easily use.

For those two reasons alone the Savage rates a hard look.

The Rem 700 has always been accurate for me, all the way back to 1974 when I got my first one. I've had a small fleet of them over the years. Each and every one has been at least reasonably accurate, some very accurate. Also with one exception they've been stone reliable. The one exception was a brand new .300 Rem Ultra Mag on which the extractor failed. It was quickly replaced, for free, by a local gunsmith and I've never had a problem with any other Rem 700, including 10+ years of rural SWAT sniper duty with a Rem 700.

The Model 70 is the stuff of legend. Current ones tend to be very well made and deserve a good look. If "controlled round feed" is a big deal to you, then by all means choose it! I have always had a mix of push feed and controlled round feed rifles. From a practical standpoint, I can't say it mattered one way or the other, but some shooters really like the CRF rifles. Cool. A Model 70 can be a very accurate rifle. Very accurate...

Don't overlook the used market for any of these. Sometimes a good used rifle can be had for far less than new... Saving some money for that custom barrel that's just waiting for your Master Card! :grin:

Enjoy. Guy

 

[Hegland]

Can't add much that hasn't already been said. As much as these Cerberus clowns have bled Remington out, I have yet to come across a 700 that wouldn't shoot. Even some pretty recent ones. You'd be safe with any of the major manufacturers. However, I'll post a vote for either the 700 or the M70s coming out of South Carolina.

 

[ajvigs]

I will give some serious thought into the Savage and the FNH. There are pro's and cons of both right now:

FNH; I have been reading the Hogue stock isnt to great, so that would have to be ditched for a McMillan or HS Precision

Savage: It weighs 11 pounds bare, and it isnt in 308 so I would have to contact them and have it chambered in that caliber, if its possible.

(If I do go) Remington: I would ditch the stock trigger for a Timney right off the bat

 

[pre6422hornet]

I would not hesitate on the FNH at all.

I have an SPR A1 that I bought new in 2007 ( if I remember correctly). I mounted a Burris 3x10x50 scope on cheapy Weaver mounts and handloaded for it. The only other thing I did was hand hone the sear. Other than that the rifle sits as is did from the factory.



Does it shoot? I think so. These are just 2 of numerous sub 1/2 inch 5 shot groups that I have fired with it.



Now you cant buy these anymore for what I paid, 1199, but they still are out there NIB for around 1500-1800. Still a great buy in my opinion. Again, all I did to this gun was hand hone the sear. All bedding is from the FN factory, and that isn't much to write home about either. I have plans for some CDI bottom metal some day so I can run 10 round mags, but other than that I love the gun.

 

[DrMike]

Pretty good recommendation, Pat.

 

[Guest]

At $1200, you certainly have some options out there. If you have to have the CRF action, you have only the FN/Winchester to consider, as the boutique CRF guns (Montana, Kimber tactical, etc.) are outside that price range, I believe.

For what you're after, I'll suggest several potential options, any of which would serve you well. Much of this has also already been said:

Savage - You could easily pick up a used Savage action and the tools to swap barrels, and make your own heavy barreled long range rig. A good B&C Medalist stock would finish it nicely and you might be able to get out for under $1k for the bare rifle. Certainly under $1200. I am not a fan of Savage, but only because I can't stand the looks of them. It's a personal issue, so don't hold it against the rifles. They shoot lights-out.

Remington - I'd avoid new Remmys, as I've personally had a junker I bought NIB, and I've worked on at least three others, and heard firsthand stories from friends I trust on several more issues. I'm through with Remmy. Sure, you can get a nice, new Remmy that's accurate, but you roll the dice. It's kind of like a dodge truck. You either get a great one, or you get a POS, and the likelihood of getting a great one is less than half, in my opinion. That said, you can get a used Rem700 for under $300 if you're willing to shop. Have a qualified smith mount a barrel of your choice and fit it with an old style trigger if it didn't come with one, a new spring from Ernie the gunsmith, set it in a good aftermarket stock, and you'd have a great rig. You'd probably be out about $1500 this route. But it'd be well worth it.

Weatherby Vanguard or Howa 1500 - These are some sleeper rifles. Great shooters, good service, and economical from the start. You can pick up a Vanguard with nicer trim and finish, and potentially get it in a configuration where you'll simply adjust the trigger, add optics, and go to the range, or you can buy one and swap triggers (Timney or Rifle Basix), swap stocks (your choice), and set it up from there. The barrels are good barrels, and there is pretty good aftermarket parts availability, too. If you go with the Howa, you might get a heavy barreled 308Win and set it up for under a grand, in a good stock and ready to mount optics.

You have a ton of options. I don't think you can make a bad choice, except, again, I caution you against the new rems. And that's coming from a guy who is sorely resisting temptation to buy one of the 26" barreled 243Win varmint rigs in a 700ADL from Dicks. I just can't trust it, and hate to waste $600.

 

[IdahoCTD]

It's funny you've had such problems with Remington's dubyam. We took a .308 barrel off of one of those cheap (450.00) ADL Varmints from Dick's and rechambered it to .300WM and stuck it on a different action. It shot 1/4 to 3/8" groups. I've bought 5 or 6 of them from Dick's mainly to use the actions but I've shot a few and they all have shot sub 1/2" groups. I have never had a bad shooting sporter (over 1") or varminter (over 1/2"). Maybe I'm just lucky. I've probably had more than 4 or 5 people put together too. I currently have over 30 Remington 700 based guns now and 5 actions waiting to become something.

ajvigs,

With the Remington unless you want the HS stock or the stainless don't waste your money on the 5R. In reality they are made no different than the SPS Varmint short of the finish. Around here you can buy the SPS Varmint's for around 600. I would go that route and add a good stock and Jewell trigger before I wasted the money on a 5R. The MarkX trigger is worth 40-50 bucks and the old stock is worth 40-50. I've sold a bunch of them ;-). That would leave you with about enough to buy a McMillan and a Jewell to get close to your budget.

 

[ajvigs]

I like that SPR A1 hornet has, and I just found out the FNH has a nice Military/LEO discount available that would help bring it into my price range. Just curious if that stock configuration would be good for both hunting and targets or if its more of a one trick pony...

As much advice as everyone is giving with the Remingtons it really seems 50/50 from what I am hearing...you could get a real good one or get a POS

 

[wildgene]

So the question is, if any of you had the choice for a gun for long range paper punching/hunting in todays world, would you choose an MSR or a bolt gun?

...well, unless the ".308" is set in stone, I'd really consider another caliber, specifically a 6.5 or 7mm, in either a bolt or AR-10. You might save $100-200 on cases (1K) over a lifetime, but the costs on other components is about the same & returns on efficiency favor the smaller calibers...

...between the Rem. & FN, well, you can buy a Yugo & build it up so it'll pull a horse trailer, or, you can buy a F-250 & hitch it up, but...

...there are some other pretty good alternatives out there, Browning, Tikka, Weatherby, come to mind. For the price of a FN (around here, anyways), you can buy a Cooper of MT (less fancy bells & whistles). What makes for a good hunting rifle doesn't necessarily make for a good target rifle, or vice-versa, but there are some pretty good cross-overs available. Look for the features you need, want, can live w/ w/o & compare, while a M700 or Savage makes a better tinker-toy, for the price you can get a lot better fit, finish, features...

 

[FOTIS]

Hands down a bolt gun for LR work. I wouldn't waste money on fancy either. I'd buy a SPS Varmint in .308 (if that is the caliber you want), throw the stock away once you verify it shoots and restock with your choice of stocks. Put a good trigger in it and a muzzle brake so you can watch your shots. I would build a custom before I bought a high dollar factory gun. There isn't much cost difference.

Plus 10! :wink:

 

[longrangehunter]

I bought my girlfriend a Remington 700 w/ a 24" Stainless R5 barrel in .223 with the H&S stock and the Promark X adjustable trigger. I have not shot it yet because I've been waiting for a bore rod guide to come from Sinclair International, it's due to arrive today. But right off the bat I noticed a funky looking bolt lug race rail guide issue... someone had to bevel cone the rail guide groove because of some slop in the action/bolt that can cause it to hang up!

I contemplated sending to Remington already for them to fix the issue, but I'm going to shoot it first and see what kind of accuracy I can get out of it first. Whatever happened to quality control and fix it first before letting it run done the line for shipment? I had a thing for the Remington Custom Shop guns and now I see why!

 

[IdahoCTD]

But right off the bat I noticed a funky looking bolt lug race rail guide issue... someone had to bevel cone the rail guide groove because of some slop in the action/bolt that can cause it to hang up!

If your talking about the front (towards the bolt nose) side of the anti bind slot, they have been beveling those pretty heavy for several years now. It makes it easier to get the bolt in and out of the action too.