Here's what I have in mind of next rifle..

[crowsnest2002]

Remington 700 SPS Varmint
http://www.snipercentral.com/remspsv.htm
AICS Stock.
http://www.sportingservices.co.uk/aics.asp
Leupold Mark 4 Scope Base
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=687225
Leupold Mark 4
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=487051
Rings Im not sure but I have an Idea of something close to what I want but its not in 30mm
http://www.cdnninvestments.com/ac1melosysem.html
Harris Bipod
http://www.mountsplus.com/miva/merch...OD/HBP-SBR-M00

I think after all that I'll be broke. I really like the AICS stocks. and the sps varmint will be perfect because the stock is what makes it so cheap.. I think all said and done it will be a tack driver...

[andrewmyers]

wow, i took a look at all that and im impressed. most impressed with the fact that the Aics? rifle had the 7mm-08 as a choice in calibers. i know its accurate and has decent power, but im sure many wouldnt call it a sniper rifle caliber. as for the scope id lean toward something caliber specific, you once mentioned getting that gun in .308 so id look for a scope designed specifically for the trajectory of the .308 since your going to spend that kind of money. otherwise you look like you have a killer project. with a budget like that id personally but the best custom gun i could find from weatherby or some well known gunsmith. id get a magnum caliber, weatherby style stock, but in sand colored synthetic with the black lines thru it, a muzzle break, good recoil pad, and the lightest trigger pull that can be safely put on a gun.

[crowsnest2002]

Well the SPS Varmint Rifle is pretty much the 700 PSS in a crappy stock. So quality of the parts I want to use it pretty good. As far as the stock goes I dont really care what I want to do with it. Maybe I'll try to sell it for some extra cash... For the project.

[Tomcat088]

It looks like you're building a nice rifle. As you stated, the SPS Varmint rifle is pretty much a 700 PSS in a crappy stock, if you're gonna change it out in the first place, don't even worry about it. Any good gunsmith will tell you that you can make any Remmy 700 shoot. I haven't seen that particular stock, and it's quite interesting. I personally think that the Accuracy International stocks are ugly, although they are reliable and rigid. You can a stock that will be just as accurate and rugged from McMillan if you haven't seen their stocks. Alot of them would actually be cheaper and would have a custom paint job or color scheme that you might like. I like them because they're clean style, reliable, and they have a lifetime warranty. On the custom rifle I'm soon to build, I'll probably put a McMillan A5.

Andrewmyers: Andrew did have a point with what he said about optics. I personally HATE scopes that are already trajectory compensated for a particular load. When you order the scope, you have to tell them what weight of bullet you will be shooting, the speed of the bullet (in case you have a particular load), etc. The scope will only work perfectly for this particular load. Now you might find another load that you shoot that coincides with some of the points, or is very close to the other load you use, out to a certain distance, but you're pretty limited. It's seriously not that hard to figure out drop of a particular load and then dial it in on a mildot scope, so that you can use any weight of bullet that you wish. Some people also zero their gun for a particular distance and have the mildots make hits at 200, 300, etc.

Crownsnest, if you can afford the Leupold VX IV, it's good glass. Some will tell you that for the same price you can get better glass, and start recommending some scopes in the Zeiss family, etc. I won't go into brands right now, but I will say that you DO NOT want that duplex reticle on a distance gun. It's not a very good reticle for distance shooting, and it means you'd have to have a range finder or be shooting at known distances to be able to dial it in. With a mildot or ballistic marked (1moa & .5 moa) reticles, you can be much more effective at long ranges. I'm guessing that you're building a distance gun from the specs and your products, so please reconsider your reticle. Other than that, best of luck to you, looks nice.

Edit: Are you considering a different barrel?

[chalmitch]

I have a Sako in .308 if you are looking for a quality rifle. I'm looking for $850.

Best regards,
chalmitch

[Tackdriver]

Why would you go with an AICS and a cheap harris bipod? The correct bipod would be a Parker Hale. The Harris bipod not good for long range varmint or target shooting as it is too flimsy.

For all that money, you should just go and get an AI AE .308. I have an AI AWM 300 and I can shoot 5 shot groups 0.36" at 300 meters with 190 BTHP Federal Gold Medal. My friends with the AW .308 can do about the same. Just as accurate would be a Robar or D&L Custom 700. I would not waste my money on an AICS unless you only want something that looks cool - do all the other mods first (trigger, barrel, etc).


I believe the Robar QFR2 is the one to get actually if not an AI. I could be wrong on the model number - the one that uses an M1A mag - even though I believe the magzine is too hard on bullets and would be negative for accuracy.

[Tackdriver]

About Optics:

I got rid of all my Leupold and now go exclusively with Schmidt & Bender for my tactical rifles, and either Swarovsky or Kahles for my hunting rifles. The difference is NIGHT AND DAY! My S&B is noticeable brighter when compared side by side with the leu Mk4.

Go with the Bryant reticle (see my profile picture). I used it for fast aquisition in driving snow on an elk hunt and without the reticle I would never have gotten the shot - long story will not belabour.

It is a far better investment to get a good scope than to have a mod rifle. I would go with one of the S&B 50mm objectives 3-12x with side paralax adjustment.

[Tomcat088]

I will agree that the S&B rifle scopes are wonderful, and I must admit that I haven't ever compared a Leuy and an S&B side by side. As for some of those stocks, they're not really my style, as I stated, I prefer the McMillan, and that style. I can say that I really do NOT like the reticle that he recommends to you. I think it's far too busy for the information that it tells you. I'm not saying you sould go with one of these scopes, but I think yo'ud be much better off with a reticle that resembled one of these, if you don't like mildots. http://www.snipercentral.com/ior.htm or http://www.snipercentral.com/milletttrs.htm. If you like busy reticles that will actually tell you something besides look cool, you should consider the Horus reticles http://www.horusvision.com/reticles.shtml

Either way, it comes down to a preference thing, go with something that you like and are comfortable with. Best of luck to you, and have fun with whatever rifle you decide to build.

[Tackdriver]

It's funny, I did nothing but complain about my bryant reticle until I used it hunting elk. It is really not that busy, as the range finding BS is a very lightly applied graphic, while the reticle is nicely visible.

The other thing to keep in mind for a scope, especially a Mil Dot or other range finding scope is that the reticle should be in the first image plane if you want range finding at all magnifications. This allows the reticle to magnify with the variable power, so the range finding elements are always accurate. In a Leu Mk4, they do not do this - allowing the reticle to always look the same size, but the disadvantage is the the range finding value of the mil dot is only accurate at a specific magnification.

As for the bryant, when I used if for the fast shot, I had it only at about 4x, which made the reticle very small and noticeable 'unbusy' - but that circle and thick lines were still visible. When I do varmint shooting, it is dialed into 12x, with a large reticle allowing me to make precise shots from the bench.

In any case, I am in agreement with Tomcat on the busy reticle, but it is true that I now LOVE my bryant reticle also...

[Tomcat088]

I might have to track one of these reticles down to give it a shot (pun intended), lol. Thank you for pointing out something that shooters not familiar with the mildot scope need to know. I can see how the bryant reticle would be nice at low magnification for quick shots. I wouldn't like it for hunting personally because of how thick the posts become as they taper. I hunt animals at unknown distances that could range from 100 meters all the way out to 600 meters, and those posts are just way too thick for those long shots that I can't "dial in" the scope, and I have to hold over or lead. Either way, I might like it more once I've actually given it a shot, but I'm definately glad that you like your reticle.