Help me build a precision rifle

[Blackjack988 8]

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.

[BlackOps Badger 52]

I have a Savage Model 10 Precision Carbine in .308. They also make them in .223/5.56. 20" threaded heavy barrel, AccuStock, AccuTrigger, oversized bolt knob. Awesome rifle all around. Trigger breaks like glass and mine is probably set at about a 2lbs. I would definitely look into it. With all the features it comes with you won't need to do anything else to it. I put a Nikon Monarch 5-20x44 scope on it and it's fantastic. Also put a nice compensator on it so the recoil is like nothing. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with your rifle.

 

Here's a pic of my Savage before I put the comp on it:

 

 

And if you happen to decide you want a .308 it just happens to be up for sale.

/shameless plug. lol

[Malice4you 627]

I own the Savage 10FCP-K in .223. I have been extremely happy with the rifle. The accutrigger is nice and quite crisp. Sadly, i have never had the chance to shoot it over 100yds, but the rifle is capable of greater accuracy than my ability.

 

I have a Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x40 scope which i picked up used for dirt cheap. New, these scopes are around $400...so if you dont mind a used scope you can probably get a great deal. Www.bhphotovideo.com has a lot of options, though strangely not any nikon scopes.

 

Harris benchrest is also on my savage...good choice.

 

No idea on the stock, as i still have the original accustock on mine.

 

Overall, i am happy with my purchase, but! I am fairly certain i will eventually pick up the rem700 as well because i will want to do mods to it that i believe are currently only available for those 700 models.

[Blackjack988 8]

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?

[Shocker 151]

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?

 

Not exactly but my Sako is a sweet shooter...if you want to "cry once" have you looked at the Sako 85?

[Shane45 807]

Run down a used remy LTR in 5.56. Might take a while to find, but its a good starting point stick with every option under the sun for upgrades.

[Melgamatic 66]

If you really want a precision rifle, you need to start from scratch. Like single hole at 100yrds, benchrest competition precision. Start with a Rem 700 pattern custom action. I got mine from BAT Machine; you can have any caliber or customizations you want. For real precision, go with 6mm PPC.

 

http://www.batmachine.com/products/products.htm

 

For the barrel, again get a custom barrel. Talk through the rifling, length, etc, with them. If you want, you can have the barrel shipped to the action people, and they'll put them together for you exactly true (90.00000 degrees), timed correctly. I got my barrel from Hart Barrels

 

http://www.hartbarrels.com/prices.php

 

Finally, you need a stock and trigger. I got my precision rifle stock from Eliseo at Competition Shooting Stuff:

 

http://www.gotxring.com/

 

Tube rifles are the way to go for total precision, but there are plenty of precision Remington-style or other benchrest style stocks.

 

For trigger, I'd use a Jewell, etc. Got mine at Great Scott

 

http://www.greatscottshooters.com/trigger.htm

 

With my rifle, at 100yds, if I manage to read the wind right, I can put 5 6mm rounds into a hole around 12mm wide. For me, this is amazing. For a benchrest competition, this is so bad that I'm 100% worse than the next worse shooter. But, it can blow your normal rifle friends away.

 

For a precision rifle, don't start with a factory rifle and try to fix all their mistakes.

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

Get a Savage Model 12 LRVP in .223 with a 1:9 barrel twist. Right bolt. Left ejection port. Single shot. If you look on Gunbroker you can get one shipped brand new for $900 and you can put it on a credit card. My friend has one and it shoots 1/4" groups at 100 yards with good factory match grade ammo. If you are into this rifle, I know where you can get a used one with a scope rail for about $750. PM if interested.

 

For glass: I would budget in $1000-1200 for a decent scope. Look at the Bushnell HDMR if you want FFP and tactical turrets. If you want more of a benchrest scope then go with a Nightforce benchrest model 8-32x. If you can find a nice used one then go for it and save some money. Add in another $80 to $120 for a scope rail and another $80 to $140 for rings.

 

Last but not least, spend some money and buy a good shooting rest. Not sure what one costs these days but for something steady I would plan on another $250. You can make a rear bag out of an old sock and dry rice. If you want to buy a leather one then its another $50-60.

 

And if you dont handload your ammo I would start doing that to squeeze every last mm of accuracy out of that precision rifle. Not mandatory right from the get go but if you get addicted then you will start rolling your own. Once you get into handloading you will want to start chronographing your loads.

[rightisright 3]

For your budget on the scope, I'd go w. a Vortex 6.5x20x50

 

http://www.amazon.co...vortex+pa+scope

 

And that K31 you have IS a precision rifle! Many of them are sub-MOA in the right hands.

[Bully 749]

Stevens in .223... go from there wherever you like. You will have a functioning gun in your choice caliber for 300ish dollars. A decent amount of aftermarket stuff is readily available. I've seen some of these on snipershide and they look like a lot of fun. Plus, "growing up" with your rifle means you will know it intimately and be able to do a lot to it for a very small initial investment.

 

Good luck and PLEASE post pics as you go.

 

C

[Blackjack988 8]

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?

[Bully 749]

Sounds like you did just fine!!!! I'm looking forward to pics.

 

C