Advice, or talk some sense into me please

[jpfrog]

A couple of years ago I sold a .300win mag that was built for me off of a trued 700 action, krieger barrel, B&C M40 stock with glass bedding, Timney trigger. This was going to be an elk gun (heavy, but I built it while still in my 20s). I never went elk hunting but used it on a few whitetails and coyotes. I also sold a .308win built by the same smith in a similar configuration, but had Stiller bottom metal with AI mags. This was built for range use- I had signed up for a 4 day precision long range class, which is probably some of the best money I've ever spent. I need to take a follow-up class, but that's another thread. These rifles were great, and I kick myself daily for selling them.

Today I have my deer rifle- a 700 action that started life as a 1971 .270win ADL model. I had the stock stripped, satin finish applied, and checkering recut. Then glass bedding to the action, which I had blueprinted and mated to a .270win Shillen match barrel (which I also had free floated) and then reblued the whole thing, and left it in the ADL setup. This is my favorite rifle ever- blued steel and walnut just feels like a deer rifle to me. The fact that it will shoot .25 MOA with Core-Lokt ammo doesn't hurt, either. I can't wait to see what it'll do with handloads, but I still have a boatload of factory Core-Lokt rounds that are going to take me forever to burn through.

Last fall, I picked up a BNIB 700 SPS Tactical in .308win because I got it on sale plus some additional mail in rebates for about $485, which I was able to pay for with store credit. I thought it'd be a great, cheap option for getting back to the range. I topped it with a Bushnell Elite Tactical 3200 Mil/MOA that I got on sale for $185, a 15 MOA Mark 4 base and Burris XTR rings. Out the door, I'm under $700 for the setup, which left me plenty of money to restock my components- Lapua brass, 168grain Amax, and I had plenty of primers and powder left from the last go around with this caliber. I am contemplating a new stock (HS takeoff or a Manners, or maybe even give the Magpul Hunter a try), but that would kill my original goal of this budget range gun.

Now for my dilema- I have about $700 in store credit at a big box store HQd in Sydney, NE. With that, I could pick up a 700 Long Range in either 7mm or 300win mag (I still have my dies, and 500 SMKs at 220 grains as well as some 180 Accubonds). I could buy another ADL and build up something in the 6.5 arena- I'm partial to Lapua brass so the 6.5x47 is probably the direction I'd take. I could buy better glass for the .308, though that would again go against my budget range gun concept. Or I could sit on the store credit, but that keeps the burning hole in my pocket getting hotter and hotter.

Oh yeah, I have two boys- 3 and a half, and 2 months. So, realistically, I'm probably not getting to the range anytime soon, but a guy can dream! I live in North Texas (DFW) and the range options around here are improving but aren't great yet...still have to drive a decent amount of time to stretch the legs of any rifle.

If you've read my novel above and are still here, THANK YOU!! What do the experts think I should do? Sit on what I have, or buy/build another toy, or something else?

-JP

 

[Deleted member 46119]

Wow.

I am terrible at restraining my purchasing urge.

I'd get the 300 WinMag and grow it like the last one.

However, as you say, the boys are going to take up your time for the foreseeable future. Until they can go with you to the range and hunting.

On the other hand. Store credits have to be used sooner than later. The 300 does not eat when it's sleeping in the safe. If you get a break, say mom and the boys go to granny's for a week. You can go play.

Again, I'd go with the 300.

or

A completely different tactic, get something for the boys. A 22lr and a 243. Then each can grow into it.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Try something different... Try the 7mm RemMag. I think you'll like it. Been hunting with one for almost 15 years. Great cartridge for anything in North America.

 

[FEENIX]

Wow.

I am terrible at restraining my purchasing urge.

I'd get the 300 WinMag and grow it like the last one.

However, as you say, the boys are going to take up your time for the foreseeable future. Until they can go with you to the range and hunting.

On the other hand. Store credits have to be used sooner than later. The 300 does not eat when it's sleeping in the safe. If you get a break, say mom and the boys go to granny's for a week. You can go play.

Again, I'd go with the 300.

or

A completely different tactic, get something for the boys. A 22lr and a 243. Then each can grow into it.

I totally agree!

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

I thought you said you had a delema ???? Not hard at all hard to beat .30 cal holes in game no matter the size.... .300 wm will handle it all from 10 - 1000 yards, from ground squirrels to Grizzly..easy enough !

 

[FEENIX]

I thought you said you had a delema ???? Not hard at all hard to beat .30 cal holes in game no matter the size.... .300 wm will handle it all from 10 - 1000 yards, from ground squirrels to Grizzly..easy enough !

LL!

 

[jpfrog]

Thanks for the responses!

I thought about getting a .243 ready for my oldest (I have a .22lr already that was my first rifle as a child), even though he's a few years from being able to shoot it. The problem there is I cannot determine if he's a righty or a lefty- he switches on everything he does still and doesn't really show a preference.

I like the 7mag because of the availability of Lapua brass and the lower recoil, but I like the 300wm because I already have everything for it except the brass. I'm not a fan of brakes- too loud if I'm shooting with other people, which is most of the time. So that means a ding for the 300 either due to more recoil or more noise when using a brake to tame the recoil, but a plus because I have dies and most of the components already.

The 6.5x47 route intrigues me, but I'm worried it'll be too similar on game to my .270win, and I really love that rifle for deer. I realize for paper it'll outperform my .308 at most distances because of it's flatter shooting characteristics.

So many pros/cons going through my brain right now. I should probably just write my options on a piece of paper, drop them in a hat, and pick one.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

With the set up already in place for the 300wm I the Rem long range would be a easy step. Some shoot great out of the box some may need a little work. Either way I think it is a great platform for the money.

Steve

 

[N2TRKYS]

You can kill anything in NA with what you have. Buy a 260 Remington or do something really different and buy a Model Seven in 7-08.

 

[jpfrog]

Well I had the afternoon off, and the store credit was burning a hole in my pocket, so I went up to the big box store with its HQ in Sydney, NE. They're running the Remington 700 Long Range on sale right now for $639.99. I found one with a barrel that was almost perfectly centered down the channel of the stock, so I took it. After tax, and applying all of my store credit, I was out the door for a grand total of $9.78.

I have a brand new, $9.78 Remington 700 Long Range chambered in .300 win mag sitting in my safe now. You can probably beat that price, but it'd be pretty difficult!

I guess now I have to start thinking about scopes, and some brass... First thing, though, is that 3.5# trigger from the factory that actually comes in at 4.75#...I'll be ordering a Timney this evening.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Good for you. This will be a good platform for whatever you decide to do with it.

Steve

 

[FEENIX]

I have a brand new, $9.78 Remington 700 Long Range chambered in .300 win mag sitting in my safe now. You can probably beat that price, but it'd be pretty difficult!

Nice, but how much did you have to spend to get/earn the store credit?gun)

 

[MudRunner2005]

Well I had the afternoon off, and the store credit was burning a hole in my pocket, so I went up to the big box store with its HQ in Sydney, NE. They're running the Remington 700 Long Range on sale right now for $639.99. I found one with a barrel that was almost perfectly centered down the channel of the stock, so I took it. After tax, and applying all of my store credit, I was out the door for a grand total of $9.78.

I have a brand new, $9.78 Remington 700 Long Range chambered in .300 win mag sitting in my safe now. You can probably beat that price, but it'd be pretty difficult!

I guess now I have to start thinking about scopes, and some brass... First thing, though, is that 3.5# trigger from the factory that actually comes in at 4.75#...I'll be ordering a Timney this evening.

Punch the chamber to .300 Ackley Magnum and you'll have something none of your friends have. And you'll have a hell of a long range cartridge. Uses .300 Wby brass to form cases from. As simple as loading the .300 Wby brass, and shooting. Out pops a formed case. Doesn't get much simpler than that for a wildcat.

That definitely beats my brand new Rem 700 5R Milspec .300 WinMag for $100... I traded in a junked rifle and they gave me $1,000 trade-in for it (still lost a bunch of money in the long-run), but the 5R was $1,100...So They ran my card for $100 out the door.

Thinking about turning it into another .300 Ackley...I already have one that is a custom .300 Ackley, but thinking about punching it out as well, as I have no interest in the .300 WM. Stil haven't shot it. Brand new in the safe since 2014. Did a trigger swap, put a Vortex HS-T scope on it, and put it back in the safe...

 

[jpfrog]

Nice, but how much did you have to spend to get/earn the store credit?gun)

We remodeled our kitchen over the summer- my only stipulation was that I got to use the card that earns store credit on everything we bought. So, I didn't have to spend anything...the $ spent on the kitchen remodel was for the sole purpose of making the boss happy, and the store credit I got from it was just gravy!