First Bolt action Rifle!

[Keegan 1]

After doing some web surfing i came across the Remington 700 SPS varmint .308 W/26" barrel. I called Shore Shot and they said they could order it, but Chris who works there has one for sale with a few mods. He gave me a good deal on it, so i brought it!

 

Up Grades:

Knoxx Spec Ops Stock (A big problem people had with this rifle that it wasn't free floating, well with this stock it is)

Harris Bi-Pod

Bushnell Banner 6-18x50 Scope

CAA heavy duty rings

 

What you guys think about it for my first bolt action rifle(yes, i know it might be a bit much lol)??

[Jon 264]

Moved to appropriate forum.

 

Congrats! I remember seeing that on the wall. Great first rifle.

[Dan 177]

Congrats!

 

Regurgitating advice that I was given here on the forums with my first BA.... look into getting some lower rings for the scope to bring it as close to the barrel as you can. I was recommended TPS rings, and thats what I went with. Glad I did. Linky here

[Keegan 1]

Congrats!

 

Regurgitating advice that I was given here on the forums with my first BA.... look into getting some lower rings for the scope to bring it as close to the barrel as you can. I was recommended TPS rings, and thats what I went with. Glad I did. Linky here

 

I was told by Chris, that with the setup the way it is he was able to be accurate at 800 yards with this. im gonna try it out the way it is first, since i dont have to spend extra $$. But i agree with you, the scope could come down a lot, looks like there is close to a 1" gap there

[Jon 264]

I was told by Chris, that with the setup the way it is he was able to be accurate at 800 yards with this. im gonna try it out the way it is first, since i dont have to spend extra $$. But i agree with you, the scope could come down a lot, looks like there is close to a 1" gap there

 

The higher the scope is over the barrel, the more clicks you need to get on target. Your first order of business should be to get lower rings on it.

[Shane45 807]

"The higher the scope is over the barrel, the more clicks you need to get on target."

 

How so?

 

 

Those rings do look very high. It all depends where your NPA is with that setup. Not familier with that stock, does it have an adjustable cheek piece? Personally I do not recomend TPS rings. I believe there are many ring makers making better quality for even money.

[Keegan 1]

"The higher the scope is over the barrel, the more clicks you need to get on target."

 

How so?

 

 

Those rings do look very high. It all depends where your NPA is with that setup. Not familier with that stock, does it have an adjustable cheek piece? Personally I do not recomend TPS rings. I believe there are many ring makers making better quality for even money.

 

NPA?

 

no adjustable cheek piece, it may of had one since i can only find them online with the cheek piece.

[Keegan 1]

also any good deals on ammo or ammo suggestion? im gonna shoot at fort dix for now (200 yards)

[Shane45 807]

Natural Point of Aim. You ideally want to get in position behind the rifle with your eyes closed and be able to open your eyes and have the scope right where it should be without having to adjust where you are on the rifle naturally.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

High rings mean 2 things. Bad cheek weld, and when you shoot at different distances your change in POI will change more the higher the scope is. You will not lose mechanical accuracy, but less cheek weld makes it harder to shoot, and the distance thing is just a PITA

[Jon 264]

...and when you shoot at different distances your change in POI will change more the higher the scope is...

 

This is what I meant, and failed in my attempt to convey.

[Shane45 807]

Maybe Im the slow kid in class. Im having a hard time visualising how the hight over bore has an effect on rate of change for POI. I admit to not really thinking about it before because frankly I only consider two things for ring hight, clearing the front bell and NPA. If I get a chance Ill go change my hight over bore in my ballistics software and see what it does to my tables.

[tbtrout 141]

also any good deals on ammo or ammo suggestion? im gonna shoot at fort dix for now (200 yards)

Black Hills or Ferderal Gold Medal Match ammo. Hornady and Nosler also make good match ammo. Save your brass because after you pay for the first 5 boxes you will consider reloading for it. 308 ain't cheap

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

My 700 SPS varmint in .308 loves hornady TAP, but loves handloads the most!

 

From another board:

 

"Yes the trajectory of the bullet is the same whether the scope is mounted high or mounted low- however that is true ONLY when that trajectory is measured relative to the direction the bore is pointing. If the bore, for instance is pointing up at a 30 degree angle the trajectory of the bullet relative to the bore direction will be the same as if the bore were parallel to the ground. However the trajectory of that bullet relative to the horizon will obviously be significantly different/ higher.

 

For instance if you mounted a scope directly to the side of the bore, it would be pointing parallel relative to the target in the scope, and there would be zero angle between the two lines. However, to over emphaxize, let's now move that scope say a foot above the bore. There will then be a significant angle between the scope line of sight and the bore line of sight if they are both pointed at the same target at the same time. With the scope dead on the target, the bore will be pointing up, relative to the scope line of sight. It has to for them to come together at 100 yards say. In other words that bullet, when it hits the 100 yard target is moving upwards at a greater rate, than it would be had it been fired with the scope parallel to the bore."

[Parker 213]

That mount does look a tad high for my tastes. I would prefer it lower, only because I like a firm cheek weld. (Note: Serious clay target shotgunners make such a fuss over proper gun fit, wanting the right measurements for LOP, DAH, DAC, negative or positive pitch, cast on or off, etc. All this for a weapon that is merely shouldered and pointed; not aimed. Yet rifleman commit a cardinal sin by not making the most of properly fitting their dimensions to a rifle stock relative to how sights are configured. One size does not fit all. For a weapon that must be precisely aimed, fit demands more attention. If "fit" is defined as something as simple to pursue as sight height, then so be it.)

 

There are advantages and disadvantages to a low scope mount vs. a high scope mount. The shooter needs to weigh what characteristics they desire. High scope mounts on precision rifles coupled with ultra flat shooting cartridges at long distances have been in vogue and high mounts help to accommodate clearance for large objective bells as well. However, it is still preferable to get a proper cheek weld on the comb so you need to find the right balance.

 

You can confirm whether a high scope mount increases the "point blank" range of your round by taking your pet load, go to a ballistic calculator (I.E. http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator), and plug in the known variables. Alter the "sight height" parameter in inches incrementally and see how the trajectory impacts change at various ranges as sight height increases. These two images should bring some clarity to what's going on.

 

Line of sight depicting near-zero and far-zero impact, line of departure and trajectory:

 

Another image depicting line of sight, near-zero impact and far-zero impact relative to scope height:

 

Good article by John Barsness explaining the pro's and con's of each:

http://www.opticstalk.com/scope-mount-height_topic18514.html

[Shane45 807]

Parker, thanks for the pics and links. That second pic is what I was visualising as the result, a change in the intersects. One other advantage I can think of for lower rings is to lessen the impact of accidental rifle cant. I know the bench rest crowd likes high rings but that is because they are trying to not touch their rifles at all shooting free recoil style. Not my cup of tea

[MrP 81]

Parker, thanks for the pics and links. That second pic is what I was visualising as the result, a change in the intersects. One other advantage I can think of for lower rings is to lessen the impact of accidental rifle cant. I know the bench rest crowd likes high rings but that is because they are trying to not touch their rifles at all shooting free recoil style. Not my cup of tea

 

While I understand that an absurd amount of tweaking, tuning, fine-tuning, and money goes into being a bench-rest shooter... it still seems silly.

[Keegan 1]

What do you guys think about this as a basic start kit? My link

[Shane45 807]

There are many on this board far more experienced than me that can offer you good starter setup advice.

[civictuner04 6]

get aleast the lee turret setup its the least expensive way to get your feet wet

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

Or a lee breech lock if you want to do precision reloading. Starter kits suck, and who is omega? Never heard of them...