Beginners build for 308 bolt

[SouthPaw]

In the next few months I want to get a bolt gun in 308. I am by no means a precise shooter but something I want to get better at. I want to have a good platform to start with, without breaking the bank.

I have been looking at some Remy 700's, Howa's and some Savages. I would like to have a 20'' heavy bbl (threaded is good but not a deal breaker) and be left handed if possible. I am trying to stay in the price range of $600 +/- for the gun and I can add stuff later to it (bipod, optic, stock, etc). Anyone have an idea on what I might be looking for?

[BPTactical]

Personally I feel Savage such as a 10FCP offers more out of the box than Remington. Floating bolt head, easier ability to switch barrels and better build quality for the win. (I have yet to see a Savage with a crooked recoil lug or scope mount holes).
Bed it, hang a Timney or similar on it, put decent glass on it and go shoot it. You will be able to perfect the most important variable, which is you.
I know somebody that can thread it if needed.

[Delfuego]

That's the exact rifle I started shooting long range with! Savage 10FCP-HS

[Tim K]

There's no doubt Savage rifles shoot. I hate to admit it, but it's true. It's also true that stock fit is critical to precision shooting. Further, the number of available aftermarket stocks that are fully adjustable is much higher for Remington than for Savage. They are just not as well supported in the aftermarket. I see a few more available today than in years past, but the selection is still limited.

In light of that, I'd personally buy a Remington 700.

[islandermyk]

I hope you're reloading already this helps with a lot from fine tuning accuracy and saving tons of $$$$ shooting.
Optics and mounts... try your best not to skimp out on them... you'd be scratching your head more often than you'd want if you do (for all kine's of reasons).
As for the rifle... REM or Savage will do the job for yah.

What ever you do or get... I'm pretty sure you'll have fun with it. It only gets worse

[Lars]

You can't go wrong with a rem700. I've never been a savage fan nor will I ever be. They used to have a bad reputation for being junk and cheaply made. While they have picked up in quality some what, after seeing what their accuracy was and how they where built it just turned me off of them. Like I said though they are coming around but there must be a reason more competitions and records are won and set with rem700 or 700 clones then any other action. Get what feels good in your hands and sets in your shoulder the first time you throw it up. There are enough guys that shoot both that if you don't like it, send it down the road, somebody will want it. As far as optics the sky is the limit. I was once told that you always spend at least as much if not more on the optics as you did the rifle.

[Great-Kazoo]

In the next few months I want to get a bolt gun in 308. I am by no means a precise shooter but something I want to get better at. I want to have a good platform to start with, without breaking the bank.

I have been looking at some Remy 700's, Howa's and some Savages. I would like to have a 20'' heavy bbl (threaded is good but not a deal breaker) and be left handed if possible. I am trying to stay in the price range of $600 +/- for the gun and I can add stuff later to it (bipod, optic, stock, etc). Anyone have an idea on what I might be looking for?

What ever you end up with , more than likely will not be the one you use for a precision platform. Bang for the buck, Savage. Bang for the buck with unlimited aftermarket support, Remy.
However honing your skills, it will benefit you to get a savage and use money saved on ammo / components and glass. YMMV

[Pike10]

I would stick with the 700 platform. There is alot more parts and pieces available to upgrade them over time. There are alot of the folks I compete with that run custom 700 clones (i.e. Surgeon, Defiance, Big Horn, etc.) and while they are all great - my 'little stock 700' actions shoot right there with them.

[Grant H.]

One other note:

The design of the action is not where the lights out accuracy and consistency comes from... (They play a part, but it is less than most understand)

The barrel and proper load development is where you get your accuracy and consistency on a mechanical level.

Good optics, PROPER practice, and PROPERLY fired rounds down range is where the human element becomes good (practice does NOT make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Poor practice makes poor performance.)

As for the actions, here is how I see it:

Savages: Floating bolt head means that getting the bolt face to be square to the bore is only a matter of getting a properly machined bolt head (available from several sources for not a lot of money).

Remington: If you don't luck out with one of the rare, true actions from Remington, you have to have it trued to get the same squareness between the bolt face and the bore.

[Grant H.]

Another vote for Savages.

This is another one of those intensely personal discussions, almost as much so as religion and politics.

Along the lines of what Tim said about stocks, I would point out that any of the big name stock builders offer the same stocks inlet for Savages as for Remingtons. Some of the more budget based ones have a few less options, but there are lots of good options.

I found it very telling when a very well known (national/international renown) long range rifle gunsmith openly admitted to me that he wouldn't build a Savage because he couldn't make as much money on a Savage. The gist of the conversation was that they are too easy to modify, so he can't charge the premium for machine work and the like.