Blackjack988

I've recently been gearing and reading up to start competing and figured IDPA would be a good place to start. I'm pretty familiar with the rules and have some basic equipment to start off with but I still need 2 things. First, I need to find a match to shoot. I live in Middlesex county but am willing to drive 1-1.5 hours. I know Easton has matches as does OBPRC but I'm not a member at either so I'm not sure if they'd let me shoot. Also I've had no luck on the IDPA site trying to find matches, they only seem to list the big ones. Second and most importantly I need someone there that can and is willing to show me the ropes. I know the general community is very friendly but it would be nice going in already knowing someone. Also it would be nice to bounce a few questions off someone before going. If anyone else is looking to learn too feel free to reach out. Maybe we can learn together. I'm free most weekends to head to a match. So anyone up for showing a noobie the ropes?

I'm sorry for the lack of updates guys. I've been working on the build for the last few weeks and made some pretty decent progress. I've almost got the whole rifle ready to go: Purchased and in-hand: - Bushnell Elite Tactical 6-24x (ET6245FG) - I kinda blew out my original budget with this selection, but after re-evaluating what features I wanted in a scope I realized that I would need to flex more. I managed to find one for well below MSRP (well below the comparable Viper PST) and i'm not regretting my choice at all. - Tikka T3 Varmint - Since I didn't really want to do many modifications to the rifle beyond a new chassis, I figured I should start with one of the better low-end production rifles. I managed to find the Tikka for a really great price (same place I got the scope from actually), and have heard wonderful things about the action and out-of-the-box accuracy. Technically I don't have this in hand yet (or else I'd take pictures), it's sitting at Ira's waiting for me to grab it. On order: - XLR Evolutoin Chassis (folding tactical stock) - Since I fell in love with the chassis I figured I should bite on it. good news is that since the action for all the Tikka calibers is the same, if I wanted to upgrade to 308 I could just drop the new barreled action into the same chassis. 10 week lead time on production starts today. - Hinterland Shooting Supply bolt handle and bolt shroud - Mainly for looks. Still need to pick up: Base and rings - I'm leaning towards an EGW heavy duty mount, but It may not work too well with my chassis (they'll cut it shorter for free). I'm also looking at the Burris Xtreme Tactical rings because I would like a QD functionality in case I want to mount the optic on another rifle. The other option i've been considering is a DNZ one-piece mount. Probably offers the sturdier mount but it is only compatible with the Tikka. Opinions? How did I do?

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. I'm also looking very, very hard at the Tikka T3 Varmint in 223. Anyone have any experience with them?

Buckle up this may be a long one...see bottom of post for tl:dr So recently I've been getting somewhat bored with my current collection of firearms. There are a few that I rarely shoot and almost never want to buy ammo for. As such, I plan on selling them to fund a new purchase of some sort (keep an eye on the marketplace for my garand in the coming week). Looking at what I currently have, I notice a distinct lack of any kind of true precision rifles, the closest are my 20 inch HBAR Colt and my K31. So I figured I would roll the capital from my firearms and electronics sales into a new rifle. Now then, generally speaking I am of the "buy once, cry once" mentality when it comes to large-ticket purchases, however I must be slightly more restrained for this purchase (no custom order GAP rifles or unfortunately expensive brands for me). So I figure I start with a solid, relative inexpensive foundation and then slowly build up as I get better. I've been doing a decent amount of research and have a few different options and wanted some outside opinions on the best course of action. The one thing I'm sure of is the caliber. Due to the eclectic nature of my collection, routinely stocking 9 different calibers of pistol and rifle ammunition. I don't want to add another (I'm already removing 2). Since I have 3 AR-15's I'm likely sticking to .223. This is bolstered by the fact that I'm not likely to shoot beyond 300 yards. The caliber is the only thing I'm trying to stick to. Everything else is flexible and detailed below. TL;DR STARTS HERE - Looking for a precision rifle in .223. help me pick amongst the following options (NOTE: I'm also open to suggestions beyond what I have listed) ($2500 total budget, lower the better): Base Rifle - Savage 10 FCP-K or Remington 700 SPS Tactical Both rifles have solid reviews and are apparently great shooters for the price, especially in aftermarket stocks (more on this later). From what i can tell, the R700's have a larger accessory and customization community (I have yet to find a dedicated Savage Gunsmith). The Savage Accutrigger is supposed to be phenomenal for the price and I really love the look of the fluted barrel and compensator on the FCP-K model. Chassis - XLR Industries Evolution http://www.xlrindustries.com/evolution.html Ever since I saw those pictures from the Superbowl, I fell in love with the chassis. In fact, most of the reason why I am choosing to build a precision rifle is to be able to get something using this chassis (also drove me to picking the above base rifles). Does anyone have any experience with it? Any other options or suggestions? Glass - ??? (<$450) To be honest, I'm lost here. The number of options is staggering and I have no idea where to begin. All i know is, I'm not really looking to spend more than about $450 on a solid scope with variable magnification (higher magnification the better, my eyes aren't great). Base and Rings - ??? Once again, I've heard about many options. Badger ordnance and LaRue Tactical always seem to come up to the top of the list. I own a couple LaRue mounts and know about their quality. Other accessories and ammunition- You tell me I already have a Harris bench rest height bi-pod that I will be using on this build. I also always like the look of Badger Ordnance bolt knobs and will likely be getting one installed. As for ammunition, I'll eventually get into hand-loading, but I am not there yet. I've been told that Black Hills makes some great match-grade .223 and it doesn't seem that expensive. Sorry for the absurd length but I wanted to be as clear as possible. I'm open to any and all feedback and criticism.

I picked one of these up a while back. Great shooter. I used a DD Omega 9 rail in order to free-float it w/o having to worry about the pinned muzzle device.

I'm glad someone else is as crazy about their Valor as I am. I followed the same line as you, started looking at the Colt Rail Gun, then moved up to the TRP, then decided that, for a little bit more, I could have the Valor. I've since put many rounds through mine (probably close to 750) and it has loosened up a bit, but it is still super accurate (much more than me) and a real joy to shoot. I also love the low-profile grips it comes with. They're pretty sharp which takes a bit of getting used to (but then again so is the the checkering).

I did notice that they added CMP Special .308 Garands though.

I own an MT6700C and you are correct, it is really, really front heavy. I never use it unless i'm shooting of a bench or prone. I run it with a TA31F and it is pretty accurate, much better than me. Also, as far as I can tell it does not have the large pin. I am going to have to check when I get back home on Saturday but I'll get back to you.

Just in case you're not following SHOT news (and there may be a thread on this already). Magpul seems ready to release a new fixed stock based on their MOE line: http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/01/foghorn/new-from-magpul-moe-rifle-stock/ Product page here: http://store.magpul.com/product/MAG404/181 I for one am excited and will be getting one as soon as it is released.

I'd be interested in that price on an Aimpoint Pro. Do you know what kind of co-witness you can get with the default mount?