Bully

All are great pistols that will serve you well. That said... In the unlikely event that something should go awry, the customer service of the companies is pretty different, according to the LGS manager that I have dealt with. Springfield Armory has solid CS Kimber has upped their game and their CS is very good Smith and Wesson is middle of the road Dan Wesson is shockingly not good For me, CS is important. If I have an issue or question I like getting answers directly from a company and skipping the bitch fest that comes from posting online. I'm a big fan of Springfield Armory pistols. Great guns that can sometimes use a touch of refinement. Many of their guns make awesome base guns for upgrading. They are reasonably priced and most are series 70 (no firing pin safety/block). My 9mm Kimber has been awesome thru roughly 5500 rounds. Just a spring swap. However the Swartz style safety (it's a firing pin block kinda similar to a series 80) is a pain in the neck to work around. I have no direct experience working with or on a Smith and Wesson or Dan Wesson 1911. Good luck.

More than just her bunda is amazing

'cuz... internet...

Because... Arizona.

^^^Why does anyone argue with him...?^^^

There is a R700 5R in a HS stock with Nikon FX1000 on top for 900 on MeWe. It's down by Howell, NJ. I don't know the guy personally. I can get his info and pass it along if you're interested.

I was mostly kidding. I forgot to add a smiley emoji.

Let's not get crazy here...

Take a look at the Springfield Mil-Spec. A great gun, relatively inexpensive. Also an awesome base to build on if you decide to go that direction. Good luck.

I agree. A 19 size glock is the way to go. If you decide to game it, put a 17 slide on it and have fun. The 19 grip is a bit girthy. I actually handled some in the LGS today. I had a 19 a good while ago, when the G4 was new. It was a good gun but I really don't love plastic guns. I prefer metal guns for the recoil impulse. However, as with all things, my mind is probably gonna change more because of the modularity of the platform than anything else. Also, as much as I hate to do this... CALLING @Old School !!!

Are you looking for something in 45 or 9? I would for sure tell you to take a long look at Springfield (I sound like a fan-boy, which I'm actually not) for the price, quality, and customer service. I also must say that Kimber CS has been wonderful. Ruger is also fantastic, probably the best. Remington is not great from the folks I've heard from nor is Colt.

Shoot me a PM if you’re ever in Bergen County. You can peer thru my NF and Leupy.

6.5 flies better. You will be a better shot with a 6.5 than a 308, all other things being equal, past 500 without question. Example: I took a class a couple of years ago. I was one of 4 shooters and the only one running a 6.5 (6.5x47). The class was out to 750. I was listening to the instructor call out wind for the other shooters. As my turn came around, I immediately corrected for wind and let fly. I missed. The instructor asked what had happened. I told him I corrected for wind (this was on a 500 yard target). He asked me what caliber I was shooting. I told him. He told me to disregard wind correction until after 650. I did so and connected pretty much every time. To say my buddy was pissed is an understatement. As far as buying an action it's an option. However there will be a wait and the season is upon us. I would tell you to buy the rifle, complete, and then barrel it this winter when you are more sure of your needs/goals. Going custom out of the box sounds great but sometimes it's not. My one buddy regularly kicks the asses of guys with $6000 rigs with his box stock Savage. He bedded it and did a touch of trigger work. But that's about it. He also reloads and developed a load for it that shoots lights out.

Understood. Remember that my opinion is worth exactly what you're paying for it... IMO, with 300WM the juice isn't worth the squeeze. "Hunting" in any form, sure. For paper I think there are better options that leave the shooter less fatigued. Especially if the gun will be shot in a "tactical" hold kind of way: essentially a hard hold. The 300 is a lot of powder popping off. Add a big bullet on top and the shoulder will feel it. The 6.5 class is much easier. The 6's even more so. My buddy has a 6.5x47 that's a relative pussycat. My other buddy has a straight .243 that is astounding to shoot. Each will do well to 1000. The big 7's will get there with a little less wind deflection, but again, at the cost of significant recoil. If someone is going to shoot 1000-1500 on a regular basis, the bigger rounds are worth it. In NJ, I wouldn't steer too many that way. Perfect example: my very good friend had a rifle built up in .408CT. Awesome rig. Custom action, Cadex chassis, yadda-yadda. Really nice gun. He sold it. There is no where around here to stretch it out. It's a several hour ride each way. I spoke to a guy in Idaho. He's 35 minutes from 1500 yards. This is the wrong part of the country for rifles like that. I'm not saying someone shouldn't have one. Not at all. It just shouldn't be a primary or first. If that 1200 yard thing comes together, and I can go, I plan on taking my .223. My handloads are just capable of it. Like "ragged edge" capable. Most likely they'll be tumbling on the steel at 1200. But they should make it. And to me, that's part of the fun. Doing more with less. More distance with less bullet/powder/recoil.

Hey @Zeke @Vicious take all this with a grain of salt. I'm just a cranky old f*&k with too many opinions... First off, 300WM...?!?! I'd have to ask why the hell you'd want that? That's a lot of expensive recoil to hit paper. Given that the 6.5Creed can go a mile and not beat you up (physically or financially) I'd really recommend reconsidering that option. Great option for soft targets really far away. For paper there are, IMHO, considerably better options. Almost any out of the box rifle will get you there. Pick one. I love Tikka however aftermarket support is hit and miss. It's there it's just harder to find. Savage is awesome, however my big issue is that there are no true 2-stage triggers on the market for Savage. I'm a 2-stage kinda guy. The Ruger RPR is an awesome rifle. There is a guy shooting extremely well with one in F-Class, all he did was re-barrel it. The Bergara is also getting solid reviews everywhere I see it pop up. I believe (don't hold me to this) that the action works in a 700 footprint stock. Do your due-diligence on that one. You can buy an out of the box 700SPS in your caliber choice, slap it in a KRG Bravo and upgrade the trigger(I like Timney for all but the most demanding BR guy) for under 1500 most likely. Shoot the snot out of it and then, when you're really ready and actually know what you want out of a rifle, get the action worked and have it re-barreled. My current rig is a 700 with action work and a Timney Calvin Elite in a McMillan stock. It's pretty accurate. And consistent. It's also well above your 1500 mark. But, I broke it up over time. And 700 parts are everywhere. New and used, you can literally do everything to a 700 with the click of a mouse. Good glass will only add to everything I said. If you really want to enjoy your time at the range, get solid glass. The new-ish Leupold VX series are getting rave reviews. I have a VX5 and cannot recommend it highly enough. It's 3-15 and will get you on steel at 1000 without issue. I really like that scope. For my chosen game, it doesn't have enough juice, but if it did, I would run in on my match gun. The PST line from Vortex would be as low as I would be willing to recommend. I know that guys are running Athlon scopes with success, but I've not been behind one. I currently have a NightForce on my match rifle. I sold 3 Vortex scopes to buy it. I feel it's that nice. My biggest thing is that I can be behind my NF for a complete 20 round string and not feel the need to come off the gun. My eyes don't get worn out. But, again, it's not inexpensive. Reloading is it's own animal but if you really want consistency, it's what has to be done. Good luck. Feel free to reach out if I can help. My suggestion: https://www.gunbroker.com/item/803637985 $630 https://kineticresearchgroup.com/product/bravo-chassis/ $350 https://timneytriggers.com/remington-700-w-safety/ $150 = $1130

One weekday works for me

I'm very interested in this. I'd love to shoot my 223 at that steel. Date makes all the difference to me. If it's mid-summer and mid week, I'll take a day. If a weekend, Sundays are best for me. Taking off Saturday and losing that loot is tough. But, with enough notice, I can attempt it. I also need to be sure it doesn't conflict with matches. But yeah, I'm interested. Should I follow along here or will you start another thread @Maksim? @AmosM223

Gotcha. I look forward to watching this build evolve. I hope you continue to update.

Bob That's a beauty. Congrats on it and I'm happy you're happy.

Just out of curiosity, what's the primary purpose of this pistol? Just a fun project/blaster? Are you planning to run it in some games? HD?

I know...

I found this pretty funny. More so if you frequent 1911 forums, which I do.

Thanks guys. @Maksim at this point in the game I’m buying things that appeal to me simply because they do. No other reason than that. And honestly, given what I am getting it for I may shoot a mag or two through and sell it, take the money and buy a mill. Saying it looks like a Neos hurts my soul a little bit. Just a little bit. Olympic Arms made a copy of the Whitney out of polymer. It’s an abomination, IMHO. That said, it too has gone up in price. Not dramatically but they were pretty commonly seen at 200ish.

hahahahahahahahaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Don't I know.

I understand and don't mean to make a point of @JohnnyB at all. Unfortunately I don't think we can be "taught" at all. As a state, most just try to keep their heads down and do what they believe to be the correct thing. Most that I know have too much to lose. I hope I'm completely wrong. However, even after Sandy Hook with the threat of bans very real, most just continued on with their lives. My point was that it might be ok to just keep the pistols you have and drive forward but that's not where it ends. If the FID pricing gets approved, just buying ammo is affected as well. Nothing more. And although I think we would/might fare well in the courts, that's gonna take a good, long time to come thru. I think that they progressives of this state have finally caught on... Instead of outright bans just raise the prices. Although it doesn't really seem to work. Just look at congestion pricing and the Verrazano bridge/GWB pricing. The Verrazzano is going up to $19. JUST TO DRIVE ACROSS A FUCKING BRIDGE! I promise you, it won't stem the flow of traffic. Nor will congestion pricing. They progressives just look at the working class as a way to raise funds. Nothing more. That's all raising the price of permits will do as well. It'll just add money to the coffers to spend on those that are not willing to do for themselves so they can continue to have a voting populace and therefore keep themselves in power.