Should I upgrade my SPS Tac or keep it?

[a1fabweld]

Hey friends. I recently bought my 1st long range rifle setup which consists of a 700 SPS Tactical in .308, Warne 20moa base, Warne rings, Falcon Menace 4-14x44 FFP scope, HS Precision stock (same as the 700P), & HS DBM conversion. I like it. I'm going to start reloading next month to find a good combo the gun likes. Anyway, a friend of mine is in love with my rifle & wants to buy it for close to what I'm in it. My goals are to shoot 1000yds eventually. Long story short, is my 20" barrel up to the task (what's the farthest range of a 20" barrel?), should I keep this combo & upgrade the barrel later if necessary, or sell it & buy a 700 Police (26" barrel) & set it up accordingly? As of right now, I pretty much suck, but my skills are improving. I'm just looking a little further down the road. Thanks for the input.

[mark5pt56]

I would keep it and look for a PSS stock for sale to upgrade the stock. I found a nice green web for mine and it shoots just as well as the PSS I have. What I did before i found the PSS stock is took a dowel and sand paper to clean out the stock channel so there was no contact with the barrel. You have to do alot since there's alot of flex in that factory token stock.

I had my PSS stock set up for the CDI mg system and it sports a NF 3.5-15, nice rifle but the SPS does the same thing-I wonder about letting it go sometimes.

The SPS has a Leupold M3-perfect scope, no brainer on the dial--I've had it to 800 and the 12x12 plates need painting!

[a1fabweld]

I already upgraded the stock with an HS Precision stock. No more issues with stock flex touching the barrel.

[mark5pt56]

I already upgraded the stock with an HS Precision stock. No more issues with stock flex touching the barrel.

I say shoot it and have fun with it. You can always rebarrel it down he roadafter you gt alot of rounds down range.

[Sone]

if it shoots good keep it, my SPS is a tack driver, I would not sell it.

[Fringe]

As far as I understand it, but have not tried it, one can easily hit a target out at 1000yds with a 20" and even an 18".

[a1fabweld]

I kinda thought that, but a gun guru friend of mine told me that a 20"er wouldn't shoot that far consistently. I'm 2nd guessing myself now.

[Sone]

it will make it to a grand, given the right ammo, either 155 or 175's

[Mo_Zam_Beek]

I kinda thought that, but a gun guru friend of mine told me that a 20"er wouldn't shoot that far consistently. I'm 2nd guessing myself now.

A guru? If you really wanna shoot long you should spend more time reading books written by experts on the subject or seek out some real instruction.


Get a good load with either 155's or 175's; use a ballistic calculator to give you a rough idea of drop. Get yourself a spotter friend and get out there. Learn to love the wind. Come to want to shoot on windy days.

The mis-aliened R700 action is the same for both the SPS and the 700P. Unless you are talking about a 5R tube, they are the same (maybe a slight difference in contour). The only difference is the stock and the trigger - I don't think the 700P comes with that new funky trigger.

Your SPS will shoot very well. Cheap improvements would be the P stock, skim bedding, and a trigger swap. Beyond that, find a load that it likes. Save your pennies such that when you decide to upgrade the quality of the tube you have the action trued (no point in screwing a primo tube on a crooked action).

Good luck

[a1fabweld]

I know what I need to do to shoot that far. All I'm referring to here is the rifle.

[Surf]

I kinda thought that, but a gun guru friend of mine told me that a 20"er wouldn't shoot that far consistently. I'm 2nd guessing myself now.Sorry, but your guru friend is wrong. Not sure what he means by consistently? Would like to hear what his definition of consistently is in regards to shooting that far.


I know what I need to do to shoot that far. All I'm referring to here is the rifle.If you do your job, an 18" barrel will do the job just fine. I run an 18" barrel rifle, and if I am doing my job, the rifle will shoot past 1000 yards all day every day, with or without the suppressor. FWIW, using 168gr Federal GMM required about an extra 4 MOA at just over 900yards vs a 26" barrel. The 175gr Black Hills Match only required an extra 2 MOA. We were making consistent hits all the way to 1200yards with these same set ups.

If your rifle is a shooter, don't worry about it. I actually find far more benefit from a shorter barrel vs any loss in velocity. You are more limited by the .308 round as opposed to barrel length.

[a1fabweld]

Thanks Surf. That's more or less the info I was looking for.