First Precision Rifle?

[ragtime8922]

I'm looking to buy a bolt-action .308 precision rifle. This will be my first but I want to get a good quality rifle with good accuracy. The top sniper/marksman packages are way too much money for me ($2500 - $5000+). The Tikka looks nice but I haven't heard any reviews. They are in the $1200 range. Any suggestions under $1000?

[VeryPrivate]

Remington 700 - XCR
Weatherby Vanguard Sub-MOA
Savage

Plus some very good used rifles available.

Plenty of good rifles available for under $1000.

For the Precision/Sniper be prepared to shell out big bucks for the optics.

[RandomTask]

Get yourself a late (50's) Swiss K31 and save yourself a grand. You can find a sweet shooter for $139. The wood will be a little beat-up, but the steel will be like new. The fit & finish on the gun is awesome (hey, it's Swiss!), and not like your average Mosin Nagant. You will be amazed at the K31's accuracy.
The ammo price is steep (40-50 cents a pop), but most precision shooters reload for it. If reloading isn't your bag, the Swiss GP11 surplus ammo is match-grade and super clean. A big shipment just landed on our shores last week.

[aubie515]

The two true rifles that are under $1k and will allow you to grow with the rifle would be the Savage 10FP and the Remington 700 action. Those two companies dominate aftermarket parts if and when you decide to upgrade your current rifle, without having to buy a brand new rifle. The Remington especially has so many aftermarket parts that it would be my #1 recommendation.

I have owned several Savage rifles and all shoot very well. What I dislike about Savages are the flimsy factory stocks and the actions on the rifles. Savage does offer an HS stock or McMillan stock on their 10FPs. If you want or need to upgrade your Savage rifles...get in touch with Fred at SSS. The Savage triggers are adjustable, so no need to buy a replacement trigger.

For a Remington recommendation, I would go with a 700VS due to price. For under $1k you have your choice of VSF (fluted barrel), 700P, LTR or a used 5R. The action on the Remingtons are worth the asking price. The triggers may not be up to par from the factory, but you can adjust it yourself or pay a smith to do a trigger job.

Some of the less expensive notable rifles with no/low aftermarket support.

Tikka T3 Lite
Howa 1500 series

[TonyF]

Rem 700 PSS or LTR. Can't beat the "price / performance" value. Spend the money the optic, mounts and rings.

[ragtime8922]

Thanks people. I now have a nice starting point. Where is a good place to look for the Rem 700?

As for the K31, I would probably pick up one of those just for kicks along with a K-98 but I was looking for something more modern for some serious long range.

[RandomTask]

What do you mean by serious long range? You mentioned that you're looking for a .308.
The ballistics of the 7.5 Swiss are between a .308 and a 30-06, leaning toward the .308 side.
I do 4" groups at 200 yds with the iron sights on my K31, elbows on the bench, so sand bags.

[crowsnest2002]

You could always go to www.snipershide.net and get a username , they are always selling their rifles and buying new from each other. I recommend this site if you are truly interested because they have a wealth of information, and pictures (my fav since I cant read )
Barry

Also I recommend a remmy 700.

I just bought an remington 700 LTR barrel off of some guy on there for $100. If you can find a cheap action you already would have a tackdriver in progress. Let me say, it is cheaper sometimes to piece it together than to buy it.

[91xlt]

The top few I would look into are the
Remington 700 SPS
Remington 700 LTR
Savage 10FP

Any one on these will outshoot most people right out of the box.
Aftermarket support is there also.

I also prefer the Rem 700s, they "feel" better to me,but the Savages are shooters as well.

[ragtime8922]

What do you mean by serious long range? You mentioned that you're looking for a .308.
The ballistics of the 7.5 Swiss are between a .308 and a 30-06, leaning toward the .308 side.
I do 4" groups at 200 yds with the iron sights on my K31, elbows on the bench, so sand bags.

Just did some reading on these K31's. They seem to be awesome rifles at a ridiculously low price. Now where to get one? I think jgsales has them. I'll have to look in to these.

The Rem 700's at around $500 seem like a great choice as well....or in addition to...