killer_pigeon Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 Hi all looking to get into shooting a 308 rifle after spending a day down the mod range shooting a friends rifle. looking to do target for now then hopefully move onto stalking later on. can anybody advise what rifles are out there for the job, i just need a good all rounder and probably composite stock to keep weight down but wood is fine also. i do like my accuracy also i realise its down to personal preference in the end but none of my local shops have any in to see what they are like in the flesh thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 (edited) Hi all looking to get into shooting a 308 rifle after spending a day down the mod range shooting a friends rifle. looking to do target for now then hopefully move onto stalking later on. can anybody advise what rifles are out there for the job, i just need a good all rounder and probably composite stock to keep weight down but wood is fine also. i do like my accuracy also i realise its down to personal preference in the end but none of my local shops have any in to see what they are like in the flesh thanks you don't say what budget you have but... If it's lower end... Tikka T3. If it's mid range Sako or Steyr (or Tikka T3) If you have silly money... Blaser (or Tikka T3) Route 1... At the end of the day for a hunting rifle, you won't get better accuracy out of the box than a T3, no matter what you pay and even if you spend a fortune having some other rifle tuned, it still won't be any better. My T3 lite in 6.5x55 cloverleafed with the first 3 rounds and hasn't failed to repeat that yet..... apart from when the pilot isn't performing that is! however, if you intend to put any serious time in at the range, a lightweight hunting rifle is definately NOT the way to go as the barrel will overheat and your accuracy will start to seriously suffer after, quite literally, only a few rounds... once you start really pushing the distances, that could have disasterous effects on your scores and your morale! Route 2... If you want something that will tack drive and perform right out to 1k (and possibly beyond) on the range and that will also (on occasion) work in the field for you, then look at Sako TRG, AI or Blaser Tactical BUT... these will seriously harm the health of your wallet... by the time you get some decent glass on one of these babies and bolt on all the other goodies (bipods, scope mounts, muzzle brakes etc..) you will be looking at the thick end of £5-10k depending what route you take! Remember, I am talking about buying new here... there are always 2nd hand bargains to be had in both rifles AND optics. A VERY good compromise (i.e. excellent for the range but also would make a very good hunter) would possibly be a Steyr SSG 69.. very accurate, a heavy enough barrel to stand up to lots of rounds through it at the range but overall light enough so it won't ruin a day's hunting.. (be careful what optics you put on it though, My S&B PMII is twice as heavy as my Swaro Z6i but the Swaro, although being arguably the best hunting scope on the market today, would be absolutely useless at the range. So, if your intended usage is range with a little hunting thrown in later, go for a tactical or target scope, whilst not ideal, it WILL still work as a hunting scope.) Remember... most modern rifles will outshoot the vast majority of pilots... The old addages still stand too... you should budget to spend the bulk of your money on the glass as it is that that makes all the difference... unless you go down route 2 that is, in which case the rifle will cost more than pretty much any glass out there! Edited May 5, 2011 by Vipa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 if you want a cheap light .308 to start you off then it's worth looking at a second hand Parker Hale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 Steyr Scout Tactical Elite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 if you want a cheap light .308 to start you off then it's worth looking at a second hand Parker Hale Yeah, if you live in a caravan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 i'm just giving him a cheap option... i realise it's not lock'n'load enough for you Captain Milspec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeh Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 (edited) Weatherby Vanguard .308win Starts pretty cheap, It's a good all-rounder with a good standard of finish. Edited May 5, 2011 by Bleeh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 do browning make their T bolt in 308? they're cheap as chips... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindeye Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 browning x bolt a lot of rifle for the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 If you want to do serious target shooting then you are looking at a longer barrel, something like 26 or 28", which is not the best thing for stalking. If you want to go down the custom route your are looking at £2k for the rifle from any good gun smith. A custom action is around £900 and upwards. Barrel £600 up Trigger from £150 up A bedded stock £200 to what ever you want to pay. I use a Howa 1500 Lightning in .308 which cost me about £450 new, and I swap scope between my Bushnell Legend and my Sightron SIII (which cost twice as much as the rifle) depending on what I feel like doing. It works for stalking, and I shoot targets out to 650yds (only because that is the limit of my firing range), and it does the job very well. You don't need a top end rifle to enjoy yourself, and you can always get a new barrel when you have more funds available. As already said off the shelf well priced rifles like Tikka, Browning, Remington, and Howa will all do what you want, and a lot more besides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 At the lower price end also consider Howa 1500 in either light or heavy barrel models.. (also known as Weatherby Vanguard). There's a range of stock choices and they did list a barrelled action so you could get your own custom stock... Staffs Snynthetic Stocks does them. I shoot with a bloke who has one with range (heavy) and field (lighter) stocks .. he recons its best of both worlds. Up a bit and there's the Rem X bolt in TCT getting some positive comments. Decide what you want it for and what compromises you'll make.... and enjoy the researh because whatever you choose will be right for you. Gunmart usually has a reasonable set of ads to get an idea of who does what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killer_pigeon Posted May 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 thanks for replies so far. I have budgeted upto £1500 for the rifle itself and really wanted something either new or as new with minimal use. I want to push through plenty of rounds through it so ideally the barrel needs to handle the ammo and heat build up. TRG \ Blaser level is a bit too high for me, but they do look the business ! X bolt looks good for money but will barrel cope with major usage ? Just found the tikka website but am presented with a load of different models and just the Sako 85 on the sako website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 If you looking at that budget ... you could consider a semi custom have a read http://www.ospreyrifles.com/custom_rifle_01.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 thanks for replies so far. I have budgeted upto £1500 for the rifle itself and really wanted something either new or as new with minimal use. I want to push through plenty of rounds through it so ideally the barrel needs to handle the ammo and heat build up. TRG \ Blaser level is a bit too high for me, but they do look the business ! X bolt looks good for money but will barrel cope with major usage ? Just found the tikka website but am presented with a load of different models and just the Sako 85 on the sako website With that budget it's a no brainer! Steyr SSG69 Police model II. It will tack drive all day to the limit of the .308Win and is a good hunting tool too. Plenty of police forces use them as their standard issue marksman rifle... for very good reason... As a target rifle, that is as good as you are going to get without the next jump to a TRG (£1,200 more) and then, it would be a toss up as to which would perform the best!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 For that money Steyr or Sauer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Logic Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 I do target shooting and deer work also. I have two rifles, because they are very very different jobs. If all you want to do is kill deer with the odd paper punching session you can make do. If you are serious about both then the demands are very different and need different tools. My target rifle is actually in 223, a Savage F/TR which I use for targets up to 1000 yards. (cooter, where is the range you use please, while I remember?) I have a Tikka T3 Varmint in 308 which I bought to do both jobs before I discovered the error of my ways. The good news - you can just about do it using that rifle. The bad news - it's pretty 'just about'. My setup in 308 is T3 Varmint, Leupold 6.5-20x50 VX-III with PES moderator. The only load I can find which you can shoot for either target or deer is the Berger 155VLD hunting bullet, and I drive that with N140 powder which the rifle rather likes. The hunting and target versions of the 155 VLD look identical so people cannot argue with you on the range, and they'll knock over bambi no issues as well as that is their design. The setup is pretty good on deer, and OK on targets to about 600 yards. I did use that rifle to 1000 yards, but not with that VLD load. Therefore if 600 yard targets and deer is your game, it can be done, just about... You should, with some negotiation, get the rifle and scope in your budget. Mod might be extra mind. Oh, and take the mod off for the target shooting, makes life a lot easier, despite the extra kick. If you get two rifles you can get a better rifle for target shooting - one with a longer barrel for less kick and more MV, the combination of which makes life easier. And you can also get a lightweight stalking rifle for carrying all day - the T3 light springs to mind, but lightweight 308 stalking rifles are like ********* - everyone's got one! Two rifles would be my choice for sure, but your mileage may vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 (cooter, where is the range you use please, while I remember?) It's on a private estate owned by a family friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 Just found the tikka website but am presented with a load of different models and just the Sako 85 on the sako website sako do a lot of variations of the 85 but I wouldn't get one for what you want it for. For bunging lots of rounds down range I'd probably buy a remi 700 and modify it a bit, half the fun of range shooting is changing things about and the 700 gives you lots of options as well as being affordable in the first place. That said I spent a similar amount to your budget on a sako but purely for field work, if I was going to range shoot I'd use my remi in .223 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 Yeah, if you live in a caravan Have a look on youtube at some of the 800+ yard video's of fruit shooting with PH 308's Depends what you want to spend, and you will get 10,000 different answers on here as to "what's best" My 2p's worth.. A Sako is NO more accurate than it's T3 cousin, but does have nicer aesthetics for the money. Spending big money does not guarantee accuracy. For example I know of two separate Steyr's in .260 and .243 that shoot poorly - despite hundreds of pounds and various reload's being thrown at them, yet my £150 Parker Hale shoots smaller groups than the pair of them! :yp: 308 is an easy calibre to get along with, and there are plenty of guns and ammo on the racks of any RFD up and down the land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Logic Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 Sako guarantee a 5-shot 1-inch group, but Tikka is only a 3-shot. Quite a difference potentially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 another thing on the PH's side is when you're done with them you can always flog them to military re enactment groups, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 Mr L.. What we read in manufacturers blurb and then in reality are two different things. Good Rifles, but for me - I don't think they are £500 better than a T3, and the money is better spent on Optics Alex - they are Mauser 98 action's not Flintlock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 Hey don't knock Parker Hale rifles. I know guys who can shoot them with stunning accuracy - they're certainly capable of more than the average shooter. I think the 1200 is popular as a cheap range gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Logic Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 Mr L.. What we read in manufacturers blurb and then in reality are two different things. Good Rifles, but for me - I don't think they are £500 better than a T3, and the money is better spent on Optics Alex - they are Mauser 98 action's not Flintlock I agree that optics will generally give a better combo. However, you said that the T3 is no more accurate than a Sako; I am simply pointing out that this is not the case. 5 shot 1-inch is a very different beast though and a Sako will generally shoot half an inch. My old 22-250 spoiled me a bit - my first CF and it shot 50gr Remington factory to the same hole - I was mighty miffed if I missed a .25" bull at 100 yards. In hunting terms, being able to see your target matters more than the last n-th of an MOA, hence why I agree that the overall effect is better with Tikka. Hell - I own two T3s and no Sakos. Nuff said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psyxologos Posted May 6, 2011 Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 I own a Browning A Bolt .308 and I mainly use it for target shooting. I plan to use it for foxing and deer later in the year. So far I am very pleased with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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