Yep, you have it right on the money! That rifle will have so many aftermarket parts/accessories that your head will spin. That would make for a fine scope too. I think the Nikon Prostaff is about equal in clarity to the Leupold VXII for about $120 less. It's a great scope and the 3-9 power is perfect. I have a few Nikon's and love them.

Yes you will need rings since Remington doesn't provide them. Since you are going with the Nikon 3-9x40 you will want the medium height rings.
These would be an excellent choice.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...972&t=11082005

Check out these stores for cases and ammo. If I buy anything firearm related online you can bet it will be from one of these stores.
http://www.midwayusa.com/
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/
http://www.natchezss.com/
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/default.asp
http://www.brownells.com/

 

Well I will talk to my parents here over spring break in two weeks and see what they say. I will be working all summer so I think if I am a little cautious on spending then I can afford it. It would definitely be the best choice as far as quality and modability

 

Yeah it will make for a great rifle. Later on down the road you can put a new trigger in it, change out the stock to a sweet thumb-hole stock or whatever you want. Another nice thing is that you can buy a different barrel of a different caliber and take it in and have it re-chambered to a different caliber if you don't like the .308. The .308 cartridge size opens you up to a lot of different options.

 

Ok another question that should be addressed. Simple Man I believe you were talking about flinching and how it will mess up the shot. I have read different articles about spending time shooting a .22 to get proper technique and to get used to not flinching. A .22 really isn't that expensive and I could just pick one up with scope and all for under $200 bucks. Would it be smart to start shooting with a .22 and then buy a Remington 700 next year after I have learned all of the techniques and have a lot of experience under my belt? I am just wondering if I am jumping into the .308 too quickly and I should spend a lot of time on a .22 first? Thanks!
Something like this
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...ducts_id/24145

 

Thats not a bad idea but there is a lot of diff. in a 22 and a .308. I personally don't believe it is going to help you that much, a 22 will be much lighter than a full size rifle and there will be no recoil with the 22. A 22 isn't much different than shooting a high powered pellet rifle. I believe most people flinch because they are scared of the recoil and actually it's really not bad at all once you fire a few rounds and know what to expect. I think you will be happy with the .308, 22's can be really fun(especially the ruger 10/22) but if you are considering getting one just to learn how to shoot I peronally think it would be a waste of your money. I love my ruger 10/22 and I shoot it more than any gun in the gun cabinet. I've shot well over 10 thousand rounds through it and only had it jam a few times when shooting low quality ammo. So if you do go the 22 rout I highly suggest a ruger, you may pay a little more but you get one of the most proven 22's on the market. I think you can pick one up for about 250 for the delux model and 200 for the regular model.

 

I think that is the best idea you have had yet!! Good shooting skills only comes with a lot of practice. The .308 is going to be really expensive to get very much practice on and for a first time shooter to jump on the .308 band wagon could very well cause you some nasty habits. I think your gonna find out that once you buy a rifle that your going to want to shoot it as much as you can and the 22 is CHEAP to shoot. The 22 is also a very accurate round so you can learn very good marksmanship from the 22.

Savage makes a very accurate 22 rifle so you couldn't go wrong with a Savage for accuracy. You might also look for a used CZ 452. They are going to be a little nicer gun. If you like to tinker then also check out the Ruger 10-22, out of the box they aren't anything to write home about but with a little tinkering and swapping parts, they can become an outstanding rifle. There are probably more aftermarket parts out there for the 10-22 then any other rimfire rifle on the market. You can swap out barrels yourself in like 5 minutes on these, change out custom stocks, swap in trigger kits, and the list goes on.

I think a 22 rimfire us just what the doctor ordered. Don't forget to put some good glass on it though.

 

What about just a smaller caliber like a 243. That way you could get some target practice in, and then if you wanted, you could use it to shoot a deer. Now, it may not blow one away like a 300, but it will get the job done.

A 22 is probably a good idea though.

 

Only reason I was asking is because a .22 is under $200 with scope and everything and the ammo is dirt cheap for me to learn on. Once I have a fair amount of shooting under my belt, I could have my parents chip in on the 700 for my birthday in November and then get some good accessories for it for Christmas. I think I'm going to take the bus to the mall Saturday and look at some .22's at ****s. I would still buy a case and bipod because those can be used with the .308 too. Thanks guys I'll talk to my parents when I get home next Friday and see what their input is on it.

Simple Man-Could I buy the .22 package with the scope and also purchase the nikon scope and put that on it instead. That way I could switch it over to the .308 when I move up and I can put the other scope back on the .22?

 

yep, you sure can! If ****s has the Savage in stainless for not much more money then give that one a good look too. The Stainless is so much easier to take care of.

 

Ok I will look when I'm there on Saturday and I'll get back to you. I will start out with the basic scope and after I am working for a little while I will grab a nikon and switch it out till I get the .308.
Also what is involved in the cleaning? Do I just disassemble the whole thing, clean it, and lube it up? I am used to tearing down motorcycles not guns

 

Well I just called my dad and talked to him a little about a .22 first then move up and he said he wanted to get back into shooting again and we'd go look at rifles when I got back for break in a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm pumped!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yea he said there was some high powered rifle law for the southern half of MI also. Anyone know about this?

 

True. I will look into it a little more no one should bother me out on a farm. I have been looking around a little more and I really like the 700 .308 tactical. I read some great reviews on it and its accuracy.
http://www.snipercentral.com/spstactical.htm
They are sold out though!
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...ducts_id/42070

We'll see what my dad wants to do maybe he will help me out on the cost if he gets into shooting with me.

 

Another question for simple Man. I looked at a couple custom sites and they sell muzzle brakes. What are the advantages of one and should I look into getting one put on? Thanks!

 

If you want to do alot of target shooting, you just gotta go with a Tactical "tacticool" rifle. They are so accurate, have better triggers, stocks, and typically longer barrel life. You can get a tactical .308 savage for the $450 price range if you know where to look

 

I just came home with a Remington 700 SPS Buckmasters in .30-06. With their new X-Mark Pro triggers, its the lightest trigger I've felt out of the box. Remington's SuperCell Recoil Pads are among the industry's best. And the black matte barrel and RealTree synthetic stock make for a beautiful hunting weapon. At Sportsman's Warehouse, I got it for $550 ($130 below MSRP). I will be taking it down to sight in on Monday or Tuesday and will see what kind of grouping I can get. The Buckmasters is a hunting weapon, but you should be able to pick up a 700 SPS for $500 or less.

I looked at .308, .30-06 and .300 Win Magnum. The .308 and the .30-06 are very similar in bullet drop, with the .30-06 having the slightly better performance but retain a lot more energy (with comparable loads the .308 drops 24.43" at 400 yds and the .30-06 drops 22.43", but the .30-06 retains 1586 ft-lbs to the .308's 1460 ft-lbs). The .300 WSM only drops 18.31" and retains 1925 ft-lbs, but with a noticably larger recoil. So I found the .30-06 the best compromise with universally available ammo at a low price.

Anyway, I completed the assemble with a Nikon ProStaff 3-9x40 scope for $140. It was a choice between this and a Leupold. The Leupold is considered sturdier, but to me the Nikon has better light-gathering (important to me because I get migraines from staring into a scope too long). So brand-new rifle, scope, rings, and mounts you can walk out for $700, or less with a slightly-used setup.