What would you do over in your first bolt gun build?

[Eurodriver]

You've already bit the bullet! It's easy to say "NF NF NF", but a good NF scope is my entire budget!

I guess I could just prop the scope up on some sandbags and get used to looking through it lol.

[markm]

I guess I could just prop the scope up on some sandbags and get used to looking through it lol.

No doubt. Actually I'm running one of Pappabears NF scopes. If he got pissed and took it back, I'd have to sell a bunch of stuff to replace it.

[ryantx23]

You've already bit the bullet! It's easy to say "NF NF NF", but a good NF scope is my entire budget!

I guess I could just prop the scope up on some sandbags and get used to looking through it lol.

I'd give Vortex Optics a look. I have had nothing but good luck with mine and they can be picked up used on Snipershide, etc for cheap...

[mark5pt56]

I just looked into the Tikka CTR and it looks very nice. You'd never get that much of a rifle for only a couple hundred more than that $700 Rem700.

So the general consensus seems to be save and buy something good. I'm well aware that the optic is where I should be dropping most of my money, but it's getting into prime shooting weather here and I'd like to be able to go out and utilize it.

6.5 Creedmore? How much is that ammo? $50 for 20?

Let's try another question:

If you were building a platform to ping 10" steel plates at 600 yards for the least amount of money possible and you didn't have a reloading press - what would you build?

I've heard good things about the SWFA SS 10x also, but why a Savage over a Remington, extractor?

Obviously, you don't need the Atlas bipod, The guy on page three has something along the lines of your budget. While it's not a NF, that Leupold line gets the job done for the task you describe. I have the 4-12 on my Anschutz 64MPR. You won't have to build anything. Save your money, trust me. Just go with .308 for plenty of off the shelf ammunition, especially for 600 yard work.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=541&f...t=13257838&p=3

[markm]

Save your money, trust me. Just go with .308 for plenty of off the shelf ammunition, especially for 600 yard work.

I agree. There was mention of recoil being so much better with 6.5 CM, but really... even the .223 bolt gun doesn't get more than 50 rounds through it on a busy day of shooting. A .308 gets 15-30 rounds each shoot for us. I can stand the recoil at those volumes of fire.

[constructor]

The 6.5 Creedmore came up in another thread too. No one seemed to know about barrel life. I ask because the 6.5 284 is supposed to be a barrel burner... but it's a different animal than the creedmore.

As far as What would I do if I did it all over? Get the Timney right away, and get a Nightforce right away. Take it in the nuts right out of the gate, and do it right. I'd probably just buy the 5R SS 20" threaded, because you can keep the stock if you just get it skim bedded.

The one thing about a Creedmoor that bugs me is the soft brass. If you push it at all the brass is toast after 4-5 reloads. Lapua 6.5x47 brass with small primers will last 10 loads pretty easy. Creedmoor brass is thin and has more capacity than any other brass if you form Creedmoor using 308 brass. I would rather use Winchester or Black Hills 308 brass and lose 2-3 grs to form Creedmoor than use Hornadys brass.

[markm]

I wonder if you could use Palma 308....

[opsoff1]

I may be somewhat of the lone voice in the wilderness on this, but IMO - your budget is really the biggest factor here. You could build a great 600yd rifle for that money - but the fact that you are including optics is a very limiting factor. If your budget is hard and fast, then I'd seriously look at used parts and I say this for a number of reasons. An older Rem 700 that has been seasoned will get you a good starting point AND an older Rem 700 trigger that can be rebuilt with some new springs that will give you an exceelent trigger. 700's are very easy to blueprint and bed. Savages have sh*t triggers (yes even the new Accu-crap) and they are tricky to bed.
I prowl gun shops all the time for used / beat to sh*t 700's - all I want is the action. I find them all day long for $200 - $300. I sell the stocks & bbls on ebay and I'm into the action for $150-$200. Look for a used HS Precision M24 stock that has the aluminum bedding block in it. They can USUALLY be used straight up or skim bedded. Buy a good bbl - $300-$350. Another option on bbls is to buy a used bbl (match grade) from a known shooter and cut it down / rechamber. You get a new chamer and throat with a seasoned bore - I've done this a number of times and it is a great way to prolong the life of a good shooter. A lot of BR guys will set back and rechamber a number of times. A good scope mount / rings will run $200 and you'll have $ left to get a decent scope. Some of the older Nikons are very good. If your budget is hard and fast, then the big variable is going to be the labor and you'll be limitied to some basic work.
Looking back at my first bolt gun build...30+ yrs ago, what I'd do over is the barrel - I opted to stay with the OEM tube and I ended up chasing accuracy that wasn't available in that particular pipe. I replaced it years later with a hunting profile and it has been great. But the original one....not so much. It was a definite learning curve. The barrel is the central point of anything accurate - everything else can be absolutely perfect, but if the barrel is crap - it'll never shoot. You can cut back on a lot of other parts & work and still have a rifle that will hold MOA all day at 600 with a good barrel.

Re: the 6.5 Creedmoor - there are two real issues with this cartridge. One is barrel life - usually 30-35% less than a 308 and due to it's reduced powder capacity, it is really meant to shoot 120 & 140gr pills. While those bullets are great - they do not have the versatility of the 308. You will see reduced recoil - but not a lot. Personally - I think the 308 has more inherent accuracy than the 6.5 Creedmoor.

FWIW

[markm]

Re: the 6.5 Creedmoor - there are two real issues with this cartridge. One is barrel life - usually 30-35% less than a 308 and due to it's reduced powder capacity, it is really meant to shoot 120 & 140gr pills. While those bullets are great - they do not have the versatility of the 308. You will see reduced recoil - but not a lot. Personally - I think the 308 has more inherent accuracy than the 6.5 Creedmoor.

I'm happy with an obnoxious brake or a suppressor on my .308. That knocks down recoil enough that I can shoot it as much as I want on any given day. The only time recoil gets old is when we take out a couple of 300 Win Mags and some other magnum gun, and you get worn out from all the thumping.

[opsoff1]

years back I shot some LR matches with a 300 WM - 220 or 240 gr SMK's - 30 min time limit, unlimited sighters and 20 for record, prone, sling, irons - I'm 6' / 200lbs and it beat the snot out of me - I think I shot maybe 26 rds - felt like I had gone 10rds with a serious puncher... 300WM = No Fun