Itching for another one...bolt precision rifle

[ASH556]

Hey guys, here's my story. Check it out and see what you recommend.

I bought the following rifle from a mutual friend on the recommendation of (at that time) a Marine Sniper buddy:

Custom Remington 700 Varmint, .308 Win
24" Barrel - crowned and cryoed
Action blueprinted
Lugs Lapped
2lb trigger
HS precision stock with detachable mag, camo'ed
Leupold VariX III 4.5-14x40 with turrets added by Custom Shop

Supposedly, this rifle belonged to Chuck Taylor. I got it in the original walnut stock, it had been pillar bedded. I pulled it out of that stock and put it in the HS Precision.

This gun would shoot lights out, but I sold it in college to pay tuition. I only put about 150 rounds through it while I owned it. I tried tracking it down again, but hit a dead end. I did get the guy I sold it to (in 2003) to send me some pics. He moved to Colorado and got to stretch it's legs:





I always regretted selling this rifle, so about 4 years ago, I saved up some money and put this one together:

Rem 700 SPS Tac
Steel Bedded in HS LTR Stock
Nightforce 20 MOA Base
Nightforce Rings
Leupold LRT M3 3.5-10x40 Mil-Dot/308M cam
Badger Knob
Harris Bipod
Turner Sling
Added since pic - B.A.L.S. Stock Pack w/Sandbag - cool piece of kit, mobile sandbag!
Black Hills 175GR


100yds - 2 rnds @ top of Dot to confirm zero, 5 rnds @ bottom for zero (after adjustment, gotta love full MOA Elevation)

600yds/2" Dot: First 3 shots at 600 just by dialing the cam and pulling the trigger.



I only put abut 50 rounds through it before I sold it. That's 50 rounds in 4 years of ownership. It really only went to the range one time and then I hunted with it a couple times.
I ended up trading it for my Daniel Defense MK18 SBR. I love the SBR and shoot it a lot more than I did the bolt gun.

Part of the problem is that the closest range to me that's 100yds + is 2 hrs away. Another part of the problem is the cost of match .308 ammo.

I tried playing with the precision AR thing, but I didn't really shoot it much either, even though ammo is cheaper.

So, I've resigned myself to the fact that if I have a precision rifle, it is going to sit in the safe most of the time. Even so, it bothers me not to have one. I do have a 1976 Ruger M77 in 30/06. It shoots pretty well at 100yds with factory ammo, but with the lightweight barrel, it's not really much of a precision gun. It heats up pretty quickly and starts stringing shots, but it's a nice hunting rifle and was a gift from my parents so selling it is out of the question:



So on to the question:

I have an AR that I have very little money in because part of it was given to me as "thanks" for some help from a buddy. I was thinking of trading it into a precision rifle setup. Value is about $750. I realize that doesn't get me all the way there and I could probably put another $300 or so into it come tax time.

What would you spend $1,000 on to have some long range precision capability?

Best I can come up with is another
SPS TAC ($597)
B&C Stock ($250)
EGW Base ($45)

Then borrow the Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 in Warne QD rings from my 10/22 until I pick up some other glass.

Concerns:
I didn't like carrying my other SPS Tac in the woods because it was super heavy.

Any validity to the thought of a mid-weight barrel and/or going shorter than 20"?

Other/better options?

Thanks guys!

[Ironman8]

So you're looking for a bolt gun that is light enough to carry for hunting, yet heavy barreled enough to prevent zero shift after longer strings of fire? Are you planning on suppressing this?

[markm]

I only put abut 50 rounds through it before I sold it. That's 50 rounds in 4 years of ownership.

Goooooodnesssss!! I have 1800 rounds in my Rem 700 in 1 year!

[ASH556]

So you're looking for a bolt gun that is light enough to carry for hunting, yet heavy barreled enough to prevent zero shift after longer strings of fire? Are you planning on suppressing this?

Yeah, that's pretty much it. Accuracy can be defined at MOA with match ammo. No suppression planned. No bipod either. I'll either shoot it off a ruck sack or off-hand.

Here's that SPS as I hunted with it last year and my small-ish 9pt buck:

[ASH556]

Goooooodnesssss!! I have 1800 rounds in my Rem 700 in 1 year!

Yeah, you live in the desert and shoot every week too. How much would you shoot it if you had to drive 2 hrs one way and deal with a hilbilly looking over your shoulder and telling you how to shoot the whole time?

http://gunsitehills.com/

[markm]

Yeah, you live in the desert and shoot every week too. How much would you shoot it if you had to drive 2 hrs one way and deal with a hilbilly looking over your shoulder and telling you how to shoot the whole time?

I'd probably lose my mind and get into LIGHT WEIGHT Pencil Barrel ARs or something insane!

[Ironman8]

Yeah, that's pretty much it. Accuracy can be defined at MOA with match ammo. No suppression planned. No bipod either. I'll either shoot it off a ruck sack or off-hand.

Sounds a lot like what I'm looking for as well except I want to eventually suppress it. In my search so far, the problem I've seen is that you either get a skinny, light barrel with a twist that is "supposed" to be too slow for the heavy bullets that are optimal for long range, or you get a thick, heavy barrel that has a "more optimal" twist rate...but then you have to deal with the weight.

As far as I know, there's not much of a middle ground unless you get some kind of custom rifle done...of course I may have missed something, so I'm all ears if there's something out there.

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Are you stuck on 308? What the details on the AR? I have a few things I have been considering parting with lately but there not cheep.

[ASH556]

Are you stuck on 308? What the details on the AR? I have a few things I have been considering parting with lately but there not cheep.

Kind of stuck on. 308 for ammo availability since I don't reload. AR is nothing special...PSA basic M4...not even complete yet. Needs BCG, lower receiver, stock. Will bring $750 easy on the local market, though, when complete.

[karmapolice]