Considering options for a long range rifle

Dear Mudrunner. I have to take up exception here. Your personal experience (and your friends) does not prove any urban legend to be true. I just spoke with a Remington tech support on the phone named Zack (800)-243-9700) to confirm that I was not blowing smoke. For the record, Zack said that when you buy a Sendaro as opposed to an SPS you get the following: the same trigger, the same action, the same processes that cut the rifling's and chamber. What you get that is different is that the barrel weighs more, it has been polished, has been fluted, and there is an extra check to make sure there are no tooling marks on the rifle. You also get a nicer stock.

Now, having said that, you have a point on the barrel mostly because of the added weight, and, it gives you some stiffness. I think we all believe universally that these are accuracy producing features. In my opinion, at best, they may add 100-200 yards to the accuracy of your rifle. That doesn't turn a 500 yard gun into a 1000 yard gun which is what the original poster stated. Zack said that Remington makes no greater accuracy claims with either rifle.

My point was not to say that its not a more accurate rifle (albeit, splitting hairs) My point was that if you want to spend another $800, I feel it would be better spent buying a barrel and a good gunsmith yielding a 1500 yard capable rifle as opposed to a 700 yard rifle. I am in no way saying that the SPS and sendaro are the same and that one is not worth more than the other. My claim was regarding an accuracy vs cost comparison. I did not mention this, and I appoligize for that my friend. I should be more complete in my writing in the future.

I hope you take me as a friend, I don't mean to sound aggressive. we all have our opinions and our favorites and sometimes we spend our money believing one thing and then learn later that what we thought, may not have been the case, but our money is spent, and the salesman has collected his commission. I am not trying to start an argument, I am trying to help a guy not put his hard earned money in the wrong place. :)
See, now we're on the same page. Ok, I understand where you are coming from now. And I agree. For the money, it can be slightly harder to justify the Sendero. But you do have to look at it as you're adding a $400 HS Precision stock, a more expensive barrel to produce with the fluting, and the reciever and barrel are made of solid stainless steel ($100 difference on MSRP), compared to high carbon like the regular 700's, so, more expensive materials, the jeweled bolt. And with the MSRP of the stainless SPS being $805, and the Sendero being $1,451...I think that $650 gap can be closed based simply on the added features.

Senderos are excellent rifles, right off the shelf. It allows you to get that semi-custom accuracy without having to take a new rifle to the smith. One of my Sendero SF's and 5R MilSpecs are shooting sub-¼ MOA accuracy with handloads, and they have never been touched by a smith. The other Sendero Sf will have no choice but to be touched by a smith, as I have pieced it together correctly with date-correct parts. So, before having the headspacing set, and chamber reamed to A.I., I might as well have the action trued for that extra little piece of mind. And the reason I pieced it together is because I will have less money in it than what a used Sendero SF sells for with an unknown round-count and unknown previous owners and an unknown maintenace regimine. :cool:

However, I do think that Remington needs to do something about that god-aweful X-Mark trigger....They're complete trash. They need to bring back the old style before the x-mark (flat-back with the wide grooved shoe), so we can actually adjust them without having to spend $150-200 on an aftermarket one immediately.
 
Call Geoff Grenfell of Grenfell Armoring service, he will be glad to help you out and is in Victoria, AU. Personally I would run the 338 Lapua with the 300gr berger OTM and never look back!
Chris
Benchmark Barrels
 
Personally I would run the 338 Lapua with the 300gr berger OTM and never look back!

+1, I've got one and it does everything I ask. I occasionally get a little envy reading about the ultra-fast 338 wildcats, but in reality the 338LM does what I need it to do (note: I don't shoot a mile like some guys, though!)

FWIW, mine is running a Benchmark barrel and it flat-out shoots. Couldn't be more impressed. Chris won't plug them himself but I will. :D
 
You lads have all been very helpful and I would still be lost without all your advice so thank you for that!

I've had a little twist in fortunes, the litter of pups I was going to get one from in another couple of months was born yesterday. I wanted a bitch and when I heard that there were 11 pups I thought I was in for sure! turns out there were 10 boys and they are keeping the girl. So I made a couple of calls to other breeders and got on to a bloke whos got a girl that a bloke pulled out on. So tonight I'm going down to pay for her, $1000 out of the bank on the lovely little GSP to be picked up boxing day.

That's going to put this rig on the backburner till I can save back up.

At this stage I'm thinking something completely differently to what I started with. Maybe a Remington Sendero SF II in 300WM but only to use as a platform. I'm sure I'll use a lot of rounds getting myself to a comfortable level of 1000m shooting and after that and a bit of fun the barrel should be cooked at which point I'll rebarrel it to a 338 Lap. First thing first will be a new Timney trigger for it though for sure. I guess at the end of the day the Sendero is $2k less than the quote for the custom job so that's a scope and change in the bank.

As long as they shoot well I'll try ADI2209 powder with some Hybrid Bergers.

Scope I'm still undecided on.

Cheers lads,
Jack
 
Jack, Sounds like a very good plan. you can save some loot until you are where you want to be with your skill and then you may have some more money to spend on what you want. I like it. :D
 
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