Help with my first build....Please share your advice and knowledge

[Marc B]

Hi all,

I’m new to this forum and this is actually my first post. I’ve been reading feverishly over the last couple days trying to gather as much info as I can. The amount of info here and the member support is outstanding And I do believe that I’ve learned much already!

I’m looking to upgrade my stock Rem 700 Police .308. It’s manufacture date is March of 2000 and I purchased it new shortly there after. The current barrel has a 1:12 twist with 6 lands and grooves and does not have the 5R rifling. Rem started using that barrel the following production year. It’s a standard varmint barrel button rifled and hammer forged.

The rifle will mainly be used for target and I’m hoping to eventually get good enough to start competing on a more serious level. Please take a look at what I’m leaning towards getting/doing and offer any suggestion or advice that you can. I have limited knowledge so all I ask is that if you have a suggestion regarding parts, that you explain to me why you are making that suggestion. I’m a sponge at the moment and want all the knowledge I can get.

Here is what I’m thinking about doing.

McMillan A5 stock
Timney Hit trigger
Bartlein or Kreiger barrel ie: #13 Rem Varmint w/ 1:10 twist (this was suggested to me by someone at Bartlein)
M5 style bottom metal ie: APA or Badger

Would it be beneficial in any way to also look for aftermarket bolt? Mine is ok but does have some slop.

As far as optics go I currently have only two. Both Leupold. Mark 4 LR/T 3.5-10x40mm M2 Illuminated with Tactical Milling Reticle and a Vari-X 3 6.5x20. Any suggestion regarding a more suitable optic with room to eventually move with me (hopefully) up to the longer ranges ie: 800-1000yds would be appreciated.

That’s it for now
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer

 

[mike a]

Welcome Marc, you'll have more fun with a 6.5 Creedmoor and look at Sightron 8-32x56 Mike

 

[Walt Krafft]

You have stock, trigger, and barrel on the list. Lets add $400 for a new Remington action and leave your current rifle in one piece. That will give you a good low end custom rifle. Want to add dollars? start changing bolt, custom actions, on and on.

 

[mike a]

You have stock, trigger, and barrel on the list. Lets add $400 for a new Remington action and leave your current rifle in one piece. That will give you a good low end custom rifle. Want to add dollars? start changing bolt, custom actions, on and on.

If you do ever get an action. Get a long action. You won't regret it. Mike

 

[Dusty Stevens]

What kind of competing are we talking about here? If youre talking about prs since you mention a magazine then id get a foundation stock or an mpa chassis and a triggertech trigger. Send that action to stan taylor on here and get a douglas 6.5 creedmoor barrel on it and use that money saved on ammo. Theres no reason to use a 308 these days unless youre hamstrung by f/tr rules and if thats the case you can ditch the magazine and we’ll revisit the stock choice then.

 

[Marc B]

This is great info so far.
Not sure why but I cant quote you (maybe not enough posts yet?) so please excuse the below format.

Waltkrafft
I like the idea of buying another action and then being able to keep my current 700 as it is. Thanks for that suggestion. Would I simply just look to buy another Rem 700 action or is there more to it? Are there levels of quality when it comes to the rem 700 action? Would you recommend buying the action form somewhere else? And if so, who?

Mike
Thanks Mike, I’ll start to do some research on the 6.5 Creedmore tomorrow, but in the meantime can you give me any info as to why you would suggest that over the .308?

Dusty
Thanks Dusty. Someone locally to me just today told me to look at Douglas barrels as well. I did read somewhere over the last while that they didn’t compare to other higher end barrels out there these days. I have no practical knowledge of anything over what I have now on my stock Rem 700, so if you could give any details on the Douglas barrels when it comes to quality, precision, durability, warranty, cust support etc. I would appreciate it. And why you personally would go with Douglas over others like Kreiger, Bartlein, Proof, Heart etc. I’ll do my own research also, but practical knowledge is always best if you don’t mind. Also what’s your opinion on why .308 is not necessary to use anymore? I’ll check out Triggertech and foundation stocks.

Mike
Thanks Mike. Why would you go with a long action over a short action? What benefits are there and are they’re any drawbacks ie: ammo, availability etc?


Thank you all so much for the time you’ve taken to help me on my way. It’s really appreciated and more helpful than you can know. I know so little at this point and suppose I’m depending on those of you with far more knowledge and experience than I have.


I apologize for asking so many questions and I hope you don’t mind answering them. It’s ok also if it’s too much for you to take the time

 

[Walt Krafft]

I have been buying brand new Remington actions. Have 12 in the shop now. It is amazing how much better they are now compared to years ago. Are they as good as a custom? No, but they are less than half to a third cheaper. They will work fine.
I will agree with the long action suggestion. It gives you a lot of cartridge flexibility for the future and costs next to nothing now.
Going with a 6 or 6.5mm will reduce recoil a lot. I rebarreled an old time shooters 308 to 6XC and he is back shooting like he was 30 years ago because it isnt beating on him.

 

[JFrank]

Might want to look into Hell Betty actions from big holes barrels,
I’ve no personal experience with them perhaps someone will chime in.
J

 

[Sniper338]

The options are endless... Id start from scratch and leave your gun as is, too. No reason to build off it and have parts laying around, may as well have the 308 because it wont save you much money.

If you start wanting a trued 700 action... just buy a lower end custom action, same price in the end.

Brux, krieger, bartlein, are my personal go to barrels as I like cut rifling, not button.

Lilja, pacnor, benchmark, rock creek, mcGowen, lots of people use these barrels too.

 

[Marc B]

Thanks Sniper338. Can you make any suggestions or recommendations on a lower to mid range custom action?

 

[Bc'z]

Thanks Sniper338. Can you make any suggestions or recommendations on a lower to mid range custom action?

@WSMNUT generally has Remington actions that he'll true up at a really good price.

 

[10XSHOOTER]

for a few dollar more. go to PTG and buy one of their blueprinted actions. for $675.00 you have a ready to go action. add barrel of your choice and a stock.
I like the Bell and Carlson Remington Varmint/Tactical stocks. Alum bedding blocks that still need skim bedded, Adj cheek piece with Jesus clips.
Almost an A-5 Style without the butt hook.

 

[powderbrake]

May I suggest you consider the McMillan Adj A6 PRS stock. It has a full length lower stock and is their newest stock. The full length stock allows the rear bag or rear rest to be anywhere along the stock.
https://mcmillanusa.com/product/adj-a6-prs/

I also suggest the higher power scopes for target shooting.

 

[Papa Charlie]

Having gone the route of modifying a stock rifle for F-Class competition over several seasons, I would agree whole hardheartedly with others that you are better off and in the long run cheaper to build a new rifle from scratch.
The PTG Remington Clone Actions are a great start
Krieger or Bartlein barrel blanks are a great
I have used the Timney and love the straight shoe 517 is is adjustable down to 1.5lb. But have since replaced it with a Jewell which goes down to 1.5oz.

What you need to decide on is what venue are you thinking for competition. This will make all the difference in what you build. While the clone action may be the same for many venues, the contour of the barrel, stock configuration, bipod or rest, scope and trigger will change depending on PRS, F-Class Target Rifle, F-Class Open, Bench Rest, etc.

This is not to say that you can't shoot across venues, but as an example, F-class Open or Benchrest use very heavy barrels, the ones I have seen are straight with no contour. This would make for a very heavy rifle to carry for PRS where you are hiking from one target to another. Then when it comes to F-TR you are restricted to .308 and .223 and no rest only bipod.

 

[jepp2]

Here is what I’m thinking about doing.

McMillan A5 stock
Timney Hit trigger
Bartlein or Kreiger barrel ie: #13 Rem Varmint w/ 1:10 twist (this was suggested to me by someone at Bartlein)
M5 style bottom metal ie: APA or Badger

You have gotten many great ideas that run a pretty wide cost range.

Do you have a max cost you must remain under?

 

[WSMNUT]

Welcome to the site. You’ll find a lot of great shooters and great people here that are willing to help you out.
I usually keep 700 short actions on hand that are both single shot and repeaters so if you decide to go with an F-Class or bench rest build the single shot would be the way to go and if you’re thinking PRS then you’ll want to go with the repeater.
PTG makes great stuff at great prices too but wait times are usually the killer on them.
Barrel choice is like asking why Chevy over Ford. They all make some really good barrels. Some seem to be a little better than others and some seem to make a particular caliber better than others.
As several others have stated the Creedmoor case whether the 6mm or 6.5 is a great choice. Everyone seems to make a good 6mm and 6.5 barrel because it’s the bread and butter. The Creedmoor case has less recoil and higher BC bullets than the 308. They’re more forgiving on your shoulder and buck the wind better which will help you on wind calls no matter what discipline you’re shooting. There’s tons of factory anmo for both and both are very easy to load for too.
I prefer short actions over long simply for options of available stocks. You’ll see a lot more used stocks for a 700 short than long. At least I do.
Unless you plan on feeding from a magazine and want to shoot a 6.5-284 or 284 or 280 Ackley etc.. then you’ll need to go with a long action.
But you can single feed any of those cases in a short action.
Any of us would be happy to help you out on your build.
PM me if you want to talk in more details about your build!
Thanks WSMNUT (Zack)

 

[butchlambert]

Since he lives in Canada it poses some problems getting items to him.

 

[Stan Taylor]

Since he lives in Canada it poses some problems getting items to him.

I have an exporter available to get the job done an very fair at his prices if anyone needs assistance.

 

[Marc B]

You have gotten many great ideas that run a pretty wide cost range.

Do you have a max cost you must remain under?

I haven’t really done the math, but somewhere in and around the 4K to 5K mark CAD. That’s somewhere around 3K to 4K US. This is without optics. I will likely have to use what I have for the time being until I can get more funds. I also need a decent rangefinder and spotting scope so I cant go too nuts. The Mark 4 I have is a very good optic and should be fine until I start to (hopefully) get out to the further distances.

 

[Marc B]

I have an exporter available to get the job done an very fair at his prices if anyone needs assistance.

Thanks Stan. I think this will come in very handy in the near future.