Advice on a gun?

While I doubt the .308 version capable of hitting at long range, my question is does it have the energy left to humanely take deer? Myself, I've always considered the .308 best at 350 yards and closer. Perhaps I am among the "overkill" crowd but I consider 500 yards a stretch for ANY non magnum rifle cartridge. Just my .002.....

 

There are a few things about the rifle that I don't prefer. First is the caliber, I am not a fan of the .308. I know that there are many people that are, I'm just not one of them. The 20" barrel and the stock are the other things. Keep in mind that if this rifle fits what YOU need it for, then it may be the best for YOU.

If I were looking for a rifle with your requirements, I would look at a 700 Sendero SF II chambered in 7mm Rem Mag.

The Remington website doesn't have the 700 SPS Tactical listed. Maybe it's a discontinued model.

 

I unlike the others feel that with the correct load and bullet, this rifle is very capable to 500yrds with a 165 to 180 class bullet. The ballistics are there, but shot placement is important. The best load that you could use IMHO is the 178 A-max or the 175 SMK, Berger. The A-max by Hornady would be the best option for expansion next to the Berger. You want to be able to push these bullets for that distance somewhere between 2550 and 2650. With that said the 168 A-max would also be a good option.

Let me pick your head a little. Are you sold on .308? Were you looking more at the .223? I'm going to throw a couple of other options at you. 6mm/.243 may be a good option as well. You could find this in most sporter rifles. A tight twist 22-250 would be an option as well as long as you use heavy bullets.

Here is one that maybe you should consider. You can look at several different models and variations but I forget about this caliber and it may just be the ticket. The 7mm-08 with a 140 or heavier bullet just might be the ticket if you are not wanting a magnum. The reason that I chose this one, is the 162grn A-Max or the 168 Berger. You can push these bullets in the 2700fps range and the ballistics on these bullets are phenomenal. They are both high BC bullets providing you with the down range energy you want.

Savage Centerfire Hunting Rifle 16FHSS
Howa/Hogue Rifles

As far as magnums are concerned then any of the WSM's or Long action magnums will do it for ya. Just some thoughts.

Sorry to add to the confusion, but just offering suggestions. Again I am a firm believer in the .308 being capable of what you are asking of it.

Tank

 

Just ran the ballistics on the 7mm-08 with a 162 grain A-Max. You can shoot almost 750yrds with enough energy and speed to drop a deer or pig. Sorry, I start looking at things and it sparks curiosity. I just checked and if you want a Remmy then they offer the 7mm-08 in the SPS also.

I also see you are looking to get the 4200 Elite. They are nice scopes. I have used one. The tactical model is really nice, and the 3200 Tactical is equally as nice. The Vortex Viper, Nikon Buckmaster, Monarch, and Sightron might be a consideration as well.

Tank

 

I have a model 7 in 243. I did some trigger work and bedded the action and it shoots great with 95grn SST's. I have thought about the same thing with mine. You would be looking at the cost of a new barrel of about $350+ depending on the maker you choose. And then finding a stock could be be anywhere from $80 to $600 depending on manufacturer. I think you should be able to build a decent rifle off of that action and in a 7mm-08. Then you could say you have a custom rifle. Looking at the Savages and Howa's you could purchase a very accurate solid rifle for about $500 to $600.

I am an avid Savage fan, and the one I posted has the accu-stock and trigger. That thing is going to be the cats meow out of the box and deliver the ballistics you want at 500yrds. Its a matter of preference.

Here is another that is a little cheaper, but still just as good. http://savagearms.com/11fcns.htm

I hope that helps clear things up a little.

Tank

 

To make this easy, the Stevens is the Camero and the Savage is the Corvette, but both are built by the same company. The Stevens is a great gun to start with because they are cheap and all the after market parts that you can use to upgrade a Savage you can use on the Stevens.

Guys are finding the Stevens action to be a great donor action for custom builds. You can buy a whole rifle for a price of the Savage target action alone. So if you want to do a budget build you should buy the Stevens. If you want to start with something that requires pulling it out of the box and putting a scope on it to shoot, you buy the Savage. The Stevens will work out of the box, but you will need to do some trigger work and maybe bed the stock if you don't want to restock it. You can buy a Choate that will allow for an inexpensive stock that will do wonders for recoil and accuracy.

To make the Stevens a real shooter, one would do a recoil lug, new trigger, and bedding. The Savage with the accu-stock and accu-trigger solve this dilemma. Plus their other models especially the tactical and varmint models use pillar bedding and the accu-trigger. So it is really what you want to do with it. Build and shoot, or buy it and shoot?

I like the idea of building so that is always an option for me. I guess it boils down to how lazy I want to be. I must say, I have been very happy with my Mod 12 Low Profile varmint model in 300WSM. I couldn't ask for a better set up short of a custom rig.

Tank

 

Have a Remington 700 SPS in 7mm 08 and love it, very good deer round. Use 140 Gr Nosler Accubonds and it is awesome. You will not go wrong with 7mm 08.

 

Before anyone can accurately steer you in the right direction the are some questions that you need to answer. You state that you want to be able to confidently hunt out to 500 yards. Since there are few hunters who can consistently make humane kills at that distance in all types of conditions are we to assume that you have practiced extensively at medium long ranges and are relatively proficient at 500 yards? You also state that the deer you will be hunting max at 170 pounds. Is that live weight or dressed weight. If it is live weight I assume you may live in Arizona and are hunting Coues deer that traditionally are shot at medium long distances or possibly you live in Texas where medium long shots are also not uncommon. So my point is, does the hunting that you will be doing mandate longer shots regularly? As it relates to a caliber choice, anything less than .243 Winchester on medium sized game at longer distances should be out of the question as they give up too much energy. Although a Winchester 308 is an inherently accurate round it does not have the best trajectory and will take some mastering of the windage and elevation. Additionally, a 30 caliber really isn't necessary for taking small deer. A round with a flatter trajectory is more forgiving for obvious reasons. Another thing you didn't mention is if there are other game species other than deer and pigs you may want to hunt later on with your new gun. In any event, if you may ever want to go for Elk, Black Bear and maybe even Moose you may want to consider a 7mm Rem Mag. You can use 130 grain bullets for deer and pigs and step up to 160+ grain for larger animals. Obviously there are other calibers that would be a good fit for your small deer and pig outings that are relatively flat shooters. Don't let the nomenclature "magnum" dissuade you from choosing one. Take a look at the ballistics on a .270 WSM (Winchester short magnum). The perfect all round cartridge for all hunting conditions does not exist. However, any given cartridge will bring something better than many others to the table to only give up something that others have. This is way serious hunter have numerous guns in different calibers. You just need to determine what your new gun will be used for most of the time. Finally, is you should decided that your gun will be used for a broad range of game animials put some thought into the rate of twist of the barrel to insure it will handle the range of bullet weights that you will possibly be using. Good luck in your choice.