quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

I would normally agree with you, but did you read the entire original post?

quote:

Originally posted by PorterN:
Are there other rifles I should look at, too?
...
I think I want to go bolt action over semi-auto, but I'm not 100% sold.

Yep. I welcome the recommendations in this case.
In this case, i still dont think its worth it to go to go 6.5 because im not a compitive shooter at all, its not as easy or as cheap to get, and i am already stocked on 308. But the information is good, nonetheless. I guess i am more decided on caliber than brand, setup, or platform. If that makes sense.

Fair enough. .308 it is.

Right off the bat, I will tell you that a bolt action is more easily (and cheaply) made precise than a semi-auto. I would suggest that for prices, you stick with bolt action rifles.

If you want to dabble at longer ranges with a .308 the longer the barrel the better. Yes, you can certainly add a few more clicks on the scope, but once that bullet leaves the confines of the barrel, it encounters what we call "conditions" on its way to the target. The less time the bullet spends on these conditions, the better.

Savage has several .308 rifles with 24 and 26 inch barrels (or even longer) for MSRPs around $1,200. The 12 BVSS, the 11 Long Range Hunter, the 10 FCP HS Precision (that last one is $1,300.) They have a 10 FCP McMillan with a 24 inch barrel @ $1600. They also have the 12 Benchrest and the 12 F/TR. The Savage F/TR rifle is used by Team Savage in F-TR competition and these guys are pretty good. They always assure me that their Savages are stock, no aftermarket barrels.

There were others posted here earlier and those are fine also.

Like I said earlier, I've never shot an RPR but I have found it intriguing. If you're not looking at competing, any of those, including the RPR, will be fine for you. I would stay away from the Savage F/TR because it has a 30 inch barrel.

Now, depending on the ammo you plan to use; my preferred twist for the .308 is 1:11 or 1:11.25. I've shot everything up to 200gr Sierras with that twist. A 1:10 twist, also quite popular will not hurt you. I find the 1:12 twist too limiting, but that's just me. I changed my twist rate when I went to the 210JLK-LBT.

The RPR has a decent trigger, given the total price of the rifle. The bolt isn't the smoothest when new -- dry fire cycling plus a number of rounds will help the action's feel.

A down side with the rail is that it maintains the same height above the bore all the way to its end. This means that scopes with large objective lens diameters need to be mounted a little higher than normal.

The RPR website states the 308 comes with a 20" barrel. Actual this length is adequate for your moderate distances, but a few more inches would provide a better ballistics for longer targets. The 1:10 twist is fine.

All in all, the RPR is a decent rifle. It's a challenge finding a rifle in its quality class for the same ballpark price.

quote:

Originally posted by Dwill104:
Amazing how someone asks about a specific gun in a specific caliber, and the majority of the posts are about why he made the wrong caliber choice or why some other gun is better, instead of answering the original question.

So do you have anything useful to contribute, or simply poo-poo the more experienced riflemen who decided to try to show a new(er) shooter the potential error of his ways?

As a mediocre to average "precision shooter" I find a great deal in this thread of value. The varied opinions and experience will greatly influence the day when I cannot ride one of my motorcycles, sell it and walk into my local gunstore to order what I would like to master.
That would include the rifles some of you might look down on.

Please continue...

I have a RPR in 6.5 Creedmoor. My buddy owns a gun shop and I picked one up at his cost a few months back just to try out. The bolt was a little rough. It looks like the lathe was run a little fast during the machining of the bolt. In speaking with Ruger they told me it was by design and is their "version" of jeweling. I wet sanded the bolt and it runs like butter after 220 rounds through it.

I don't like the Accu Trigger style triggers on the RPR. I ordered the Timney replacement for the RPR and today was my first time out with it. There's nothing wrong with the stock trigger. Just not my personal preference. It's topped with a Burris XTR II which from a quality stand point I thought was appropriate for this rifle considering it's price.

I've shot several sub half MOA 100 yard groups with it, both with factory Hornady 140 ELM-M and my hand loaded Nosler RDF 140's loaded at magazine length. I have some Magpul AC mags on order so I can play with seating depth. Today I shot a sub 2" five shot group at 300 yards. That was the best group of the day when we had 10 minutes when the conditions were perfect. My only complaint was trying to get the muzzle brake off. I'm going to take a breaker bar to it tomorrow so I can use my suppressor on it.

Overall I'm pleased with it. I do experience the occasional flyer from time to time. I'm confident with a custom aftermarket barrel I could squeeze some more accuracy and consistency out of it. For the time being I'm going to enjoy it for what it is.

My buddy picked up the Savage Stealth in 6.5 Creed at the same time. That's also one to consider. It matched the RPR in accuracy and his barrel is noticeably faster according to my chrono. Savage by design bores their barrels undersize to gain speed. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. He's matching my speed with .7 less grains of powder in the same barrel length.

You mentioned ammunition cost and availability. I've found Hornady 6.5 140 ELD-M ammunition online for $1.03 per round. I can reload it with matching components for $0.34 cents per round.

So far I'm pleased with my RPR. Production class is gaining in popularity and once I get some more rounds down rage I'll compete with it sometime this summer.

quote:

Originally posted by Oldrider:
As a mediocre to average "precision shooter" I find a great deal in this thread of value. The varied opinions and experience will greatly influence the day when I cannot ride one of my motorcycles, sell it and walk into my local gunstore to order what I would like to master.
That would include the rifles some of you might look down on.

Please continue...

It's isn't that any of us look down on a specific rifle or rifles, but rather the application people attempt to use them for. Just like if you made your living turning wrenches, you should not purchase said wrenches from harbor freight, the same goes for rifles.

With the low cost and availability of 6.5cm, there is literally ZERO reason for anyone to buy a 308 anymore. Quite literally, any 6.5mm chambering can do everything better than a 308 can, including ammo cost. Take a look online, you'll find Hornady ammo is frequently on sale for about $20 per box.

Now if you're going to say something about "I can buy m80 ball ammo for $10 a box", well not we aren't talking about the same thing anymore. Comparisons need to be made between like quality products, and fgmm 308 (the de facto standard) isn't going to save you money vs comparable 6.5cm offerings.