What's the ultimate 308 rifle set-up?

[SA Friday]

Uh... Ok, why?

[Hoser]

The main reason to pick an AI type receiver is a rock solid reliable trigger assembly and user end barrel changing. Other than that, the AI is pretty much just a flat bottom action that takes mags. AI rifles are heavy which can be a pretty big downside.

I shot a T2K for many years and it is an amazing rifle, but can be a bit too delicate to drag around a dusty and ugly range. For High Power you wont find a better bolt-gun.

If I was going to build a new rifle it would use either a Bighorn Action or a Badger AI clone action.

If I was going to buy an off the shelf rifle, it would be an AIAW/X or something from GAP or Surgeon.

Gas guns like AR-10/SR-25/OBR are good, but harder to shoot well. My OBR is getting a 260 barrel right now so time will tell. I will be a newbie at long range with a semi.

Barrels are pretty much just two flavors. Button rifled and cut rifled. I have used both and have had good luck with both. Right now I am using Lilja and Brux.

For stocks I like Manners for a fiberglass and AI for a chassis.

For scopes Nightforce and S&B are the way to go.

Harris bi-pods or the norm, but the Atlas is very good and better in many ways, price not being one of them.

[Graves]

Uh... Ok, why?

Sorry man, the wife and I are on vaca. we've had a nice busy week and she's in class all night and I'm feelin' lazy as hell right now lol. Hoser pointed out some reasons to go that way. If you're not willing to do the footwork involved in a full house custom build, they're a great way to go as they boast many of the features from an all out custom (DBM's, solid action/trigger/stocks, top shelf barrels, integral rails, etc.). Right now I have a M700p with a few mods (300wm - Badger dbm/20moa rail/bolt knob, Jewell trigger) but it still sits in the HS stock which I feel is adequate for my needs until I can get some more cash together...and learn to shoot better. I've had the pleasure to try out and own some higher end stuff - Surgeon, AI, and Sako have have left a very good impression on me, I feel that there's an exceptional value with these mfgs. especially if you've seen the tag on a Lazzeroni or things of the like. Nuts!

[spyder]

I choose my 20" 308 POF the wife just bought me! Ya I know it's not a bolt gun, but it's bad ass!

[banks74]

Hoser mentioned the reasons why an AI is at the top of my list as well. Second in line is a DTA SRS. The more I shoot my DTA the more I like it. The ability to run several calibers with one scope is definitely an awesome feature. Now I can shoot .308 to .338lap with only paying for one Smitty.

For a custom build I would go with a Big Horn or Surgeon action. Manners stock (with flushcups) although I like McMillan as well. A Bartlein, Krieger or other quality barrel. (I have not had one shoot any better than the others. Only had Kreiger, Bartlein, and Obermeyer. So can't comment on the others)

Trigger would be old style remmy or 40x tuned to perfection.

Glass would be an S&B with a P4f.

Bipod would be an V8 or a Harris. On AI it would be a PH.

[islandermyk]

I choose my 20" 308 POF the wife just bought me! Ya I know it's not a bolt gun, but it's bad ass!

I'm a semi-auto guy myself. Like the idea of rapid engagements... Just load a full mag, charge it, and squeeze squeeze squeeze I'm pretty confident it can hit that 1000 yard, but I haven't pushed it over 600 yet. Hate the long walks



But if I had a chance to get or build a .308 bolt rifle... I would like to start off from a REM700 26" BBL with either a McMillan stock or AI stock and parts, and spend the big buck$ on a really nice glass (SB, NF, US, Leupold, Zeiss, etc...) and scope mounts.

[mcantar18c]

Here's a friend's input on this. Built as a "Guerilla Sniper Rifle," the idea being he wanted something quick and easy to work, small enough to conceal if needed, accurate enough for 200/600 work (as a minimum requirement, this reaches out a good bit further than that).
Total cost was around $850, total weight about 12lbs.

The Action: It started out as a Savage model 110 and was $130 from a pawnshop several years ago. It was chambered in 30-06 with a 24” factory contoured barrel. It was about a 1.5-2 MOA stick with hand loads for about the first 3 rounds. Then it heated up, got fouled, and opened up to 3 MOA.

The Stock: I chose the Choate Ultimate Sniper stock, overall I like this stock and for the money $60 on ebay, it’s pretty good. The best thing that I can say about it is that this stock is tough and tight with the aluminum bedding blocks. The worst thing that I can say about it is that it is on the heavy side, but again if you are a meat eating, kettle bell swinging, man with calluses on your hands it’s less of an issue than many make out of it. Most of the design features I have found to be very functional. Although assuming the “Hawkins” position can be rather challenging.

Glass: The scope I have selected is a Nikon 3-9x40 with their BDC reticle $210. The Nikon BDC has a graduated set of circles as aiming points for hold over from 100-600 yards, much like the Burris Ballistic-Plex reticle.On the subject of comparing the two optics, my evaluation found that both had about the same good quality of light gathering and clarity. Both were about the same size and weight. And the reticles are graduated close to the same with the Nikon having circles and the Burris having hash marks as aiming points. Truth be told I actually liked the Burris hash marks over the Nikon circles at first due to the ability to more precisely place them on the point of aim. In the end for me the deciding factor was in the adjustments. The Burris has standard ¼ “ adjustment knobs, while the Nikon has actual ¼ MOA “low profile” target turrets, allowing the user to dial their DOPE for more precise shots and shots beyond the range of the BDC. One thing I could not find was the actual dimensions of the Nikon BDC so I had to put a 1” grid at 100 yds and measure all of its dimensions. And from those measurements have worked out and easy formula to range with it. And of course I added a set of flip up Lens Covers (inside the eye cap I have a small ballistics card)

Mounts and Rings: I mounted the scope as close as possible to the bore with Leopold Rifleman two piece bases $7 and their matching Medium height rings $10. I plan to replace with a one piece integral setup by DedNutz very soon.

The Barrel: Someone properly said that the barrel is the heart of the rifle. No other single component (other than the shooter) is more important to the accuracy of a rifle than the barrel. For that reason I spent the money $350. I had my rifle smith install a handy length 18” Shilen #7 contour “Match” barrel 1-10 twist, chamber it in .308 and install a Smith Industries Vortex flash suppressor $75, he also made a thread protector for the muzzle when not wearing the Vortex. Gabe stated it pretty well in reference to the AK system “All fighting rifles should have a flash suppressor” and I couldn’t agree more. And as flash suppression devices go the Vortex is amazing, it completely eliminates muzzle flash in lowlight and greatly reduces the ground blast as well as protects the muzzle crown from damage that can happen in the environment that a sniper rifle lives. I know opinions are very wide as to weather a sniper rifle should have a barrel less than 20 inches. So I did A LOT of research on the subject. And it is true that you do lose some velocity with a shorter barrel but I found that with a .308 you don’t lose too much until you get around 16” and a lot of that is ammunition dependant. So I weighed the pros and cons of both longer and shorter barrels, and for me opted for the shorter handier tube. With hand loads I am still getting 2600 fps out of it.

Extras: I then finished (painted) the rifle with my favorite weapon finish Krylon, cause it is cheap, durable enough, and easy to change with my environment. I have a pair of Harris 6”-9” bipod mounted on the stock’s accessory rail but, prefer to shoot off my pack most of the time. And because all rifles should have slings I like the V-tac sling for both carry and shooting support.

Personally, I'd have gone with a different stock and NF glass, but this does its job pretty damn well.