New to game want your $.02

[newgunner]

I am brand new to this and was looking for some input on the equipment I purchased and opinions on what I want to buy in the future. Any feedback would be much appreciated.
1. Remington 700 SPS dm .308
2. Zeiss Conquest 3-9 X 40 w Rapid Z600
3.Burris Zee Rings on Weaver mounts.
I am wondering what would be a better .22 to buy as I am between a Ruger 10/22 or a Remington 597. I don't care about after market stuff. I am wanting accuracy, easy to clean most of all reliable. Last but not least a shotgun. I am thinking about a Rem. 870 express SMS. My concerns are about jamming. What I have read and think I understand is cheap ammo = jamming. So is this a reliable shotty other than cheap ammo probs? Lastly I am looking at a Vortex Nomad for a spotting scope. Does anybody have input on this scope. Thanks for reading and your input.gun)

 

[Boom]

Everything you listed has great potential. Perhaps you could give a little info on what you want to do? Hunt? Long range? Targets? Where are you and what do you hope to accomplish?

 

[liltank]

Welcome to LRH. .308 is a great caliber to start with. It will teach you a lot. Remington is a great platform to start with, but I prefer Savage. They make a great product. If you should consider a Savage, stick with the mil spec, or the Mod 12 series rifles. They also offer the 6.5 Creedmore and 260 Rem which are great options also. As for scope, can't go wrong with Zeiss, but you may want to up the power to variable with 14-15x. May want to look at the Rapid Z800. Will help at longer ranges. I use to own an 870 Remmy in a 21" turkey model. It was a great shotgun. Had to sell to pay some bills when I had back surgery and looking for work. Miss that little shotty. Can't go wrong with Vortex optics. I've never used that particular spotter, but if its as good or better than my Viper scope, you won't buy anything else. The Mark II model 22LR Savage rifles are scary accurate. I own one of those and with the right ammo can cut 1/4" 10shot groups at 50yds. I can ping steel at 220yds with regularity and have hit 240yds with ease on 10" plates. Takes a while to get there, but is nice to hear the faint.... "DINK!" My 22LR is completely stock.

If you go with the Remmy, make sure you dump the stock pronto and get a good aftermarket stock, get the action bedded if the stock you get doesn't have an aluminum bedding block. Get the factory trigger tuned. They are really nice once you get them set. IF you want to attempt the trigger yourself, there are some good instructions online to set your own trigger. Everything I am suggesting can be done on your own. For ammo for your .308, if you don't reload, go with Federal Gold Medal Match, M118LR, or Black Hills. These all have 175 SMK's loaded and are a standard load that can be matched at the loading press if you want. 155 to 180 grain bullets are what you will want to use in your rifle. These weights are prime for the .308.

Let us know how it works out,
Tank

 

[backwoods83]

Rifle is ok, not my first pick but oh well, scope was a good choice, go with the 10/22 its like the model 700 in rimfire when it comes to upgrades plus they are pretty accurate as is, for a shot gun i'd look at the Benellis.

 

[newgunner]

Thanks for the input. I should say I paid $525 new for the rifle and $487 for the scope. As for what I will be shooting, mostly paper but that may change. There are not a lot of places to shoot more than 600 yards where I live which is Vancouver, so I think the 3-9 x 40 is good for that range. Hopefully as I get better at this shooting game I will go the next step up in rifle and scope power.

 

[WildRose]

Not a bad start.

Rifle, have it pillar and scim bedded and make sure it's fully free floated.

Shotgun the 870 is the most reliable and proven shotgun of all time. Get a 12g as you can get cheap ammo anywhere, as well as loads specifically suited to any specific purpose.

Get the screw in chokes vs single choke.

10/22 is a great choice, get the bull barrel. You might also consider one in 17HMR as it's a more versatile caliber with better range. Nice flat shooting varmint caliber that'll easily get you to 250 yds. Magnum Research makes them in the .17. .17hmr is also very easy to get ammo for just about anywhere and very reasonably priced.

Definitely a decent enough scope to get you to 600yds on coyote or larger game. I generally prefer however the 3.5-10 or 4.5-14 for myself because I like to shoot a lot of itty bitty things at long range. The one I have on my 7STW has worked well on jackrabbits out to 750yds and deer at 1,200yds.

When you get out to 1000yds with it though even deer start looking pretty small.

 

[Korhil78]

For the shotgun, you can beat the Rem. 870. Its reliable, feeds well, extracts well. Its what we use at work and they get beat to crap on a daily basis and still work flawlessly. If something does break on it, every gun store anywhere has parts for them.

For a .22 LR, I would go with a Savage or a Ruger. Like WildRose said, a .17HMR is a good choice as well. I own one in a Savage and I don't even use a .22 anymore.

.308 is a good rifle, don't get into reloading though because you will never quit! It's a lot of fun and a good relaxing hobby.

 

[bman73]

I recently just bought the 597 and must say I am very impressed with it. I chose it over the ruger because of the stock, right out of the box the remington just felt better, the ruger felt too small and seemed to suit a junior aged shooter. I know that the stock can be replaced but I didn't want to buy the gun and then spend more money to make it feel the way the remington did righ out of the box. The ammo choice on it is important, if I use the cheap blazer ammo I get stovepipe jams at least once per 10 rounds so I tried the remington thunderbolt and the jamming went away entirely. It is also really accurate for what it is, I regularly shoot it at 200 meters and group at less than 4", not too bad for cheap ammo and a $49 tasco scope on a less than $200 gun. As far as the shotgun choice, you definately can't go wrong with the 870. Have had my express mag for almost 15 years now and have never had a minute of trouble with it, not one jam ever or feed issue no matter what ammo has gone through it. Whatever choice you make hope this has helped and have fun

 

[liltank]

Yep, definitely look into getting the stock worked on like Wild Rose suggested. Get the trigger tweaked too.

Tank

 

[newgunner]

What does pillaring the barrel do for the rifle and is it inexpensive to do?

 

[royinidaho]

What does pillaring the barrel do for the rifle and is it inexpensive to do?

Pillar + Skim bedding is as good as it gets.

Pillars take 'wood' out of the equation.

Skim bedding creates great support.

Not expensive. Can be DIY with a little patience.

From a smith's price list: -Pillar bed wood and composite stocks - $175-$200