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Okay, lets stretch out the parameters a bit, what would you suggest

bpost
The price of AR parts has gone INSANE.  I have two receivers in the safe but the uppers prices are made of unobtanium for sure.  I am not going to mount the thermal on an AR platform, the prices are just not worth it, I would rather have a nice new bolt action gun for it.
I just bought an ATN Mdl. WX2-704579 Thor 4 / 384x288 Thermal Rifle Scope, 1.25 - 5x
Now I need a rifle for it.  I am thinking .308 but .458 cal, .452 cal, 6MM (.243) cal, 8MM and .223 cal are all rifle bullets, factory and cast, IN STOCK at home.  I also have reloading dies for many cartridges in the above calibers.
Help me out here please, I spent almost 2 grand on the scope but because of limited distances for my shooting a good solid accurate rifle that has or will take a Picatinny rail for the scope is needed.  How about another Encore barrel in .308.  I already have a Bullberry Match Barrel in .308 but don't want to take the awesome scope off of it and put a Pic rail on it....
Reviews are useless. I know the accutrigger is good, I know 5R rifling is good but nobody says anything bad about a rifle anymore.
For instance the Savage .223 rifle I bought is a PIA to load the magazine.  The bolt goes back so far that unless you load the round about 3/16"-3/8" in front of the bolt face it will jamb up the blind magazine.  Yea, it is accurate as the dickens but that one drawback is a distraction that should have been fixed before the rifle was offered to the shooters.
I could go to the store tomorrow and buy a rifle, but which one is the question for the application I have in mind. 
NONONSENSE, your input would be appreciated although some of the rifles you make/shoot are far out of my $$ range and not needed for a MAX of 250 yards.  Triggers are KEY to me, a good trigger can overcome a mediocre barrel better than a perfect barrel can overcome a crappy trigger!!!




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Comments

17 comments

Date Votes
  • mrmike08075

    6mm Creedmor???

    .240 Weatherby Magnum???

    .244 Remington???

    6X47 Lapua???

    Bench rest gun in the lapua or F class gun in creedmoor a German traditional stalking rifle design with double set triggers and a Schnabel forend / turned down butter knife bolt handle but in a weatherby magnum???

    Many interesting possibilities come to mind.

    Mike

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  • bpost

    6mm Creedmor???

    .240 Weatherby Magnum???

    .244 Remington???

    6X47 Lapua???

    Bench rest gun in the lapua or F class gun in creedmoor a German traditional stalking rifle design with double set triggers and a Schnabel forend / turned down butter knife bolt handle but in a weatherby magnum???

    Many interesting possibilities come to mind.

    Mike


    Thanks Mike!
    The caliber is not as important as finding the right rifle to put this thermal scope on.  What I am seeking is the rifle(s) to look at for this project.  I even have dies for the 300WBY Mag but it is way over kill for a max of 250 yards at deer/Coyote or much smaller sized targets.
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  • Grasshopper
    How about the not obvious, the 204 Ruger on an AR platform. I mean to say it is a bad azz round. I have one on a Colt Match receiver with the super sniper heavy barrel. Deadly at 250. My friend got a thermal on his setup AR, and has culled many coyotes with it.
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  • BobJudy
    It may stretch the budget a bit but I would be looking at the Bergara line of rifles. There are a bunch on the auction side with a wide range of prices and calibers. I believe they take Rem 700 bases so finding a rail shouldn't be a problem. Bob
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  • gesshots

    6mm Creedmor???

    .240 Weatherby Magnum???

    .244 Remington???

    6X47 Lapua???

    Bench rest gun in the lapua or F class gun in creedmoor a German traditional stalking rifle design with double set triggers and a Schnabel forend / turned down butter knife bolt handle but in a weatherby magnum???

    Many interesting possibilities come to mind.

    Mike


     Ditto,
    But I would add 6.5 Creedmoor,  6.5 Swede and .280 Ackley Imp. & .256 Newton. .300 H&H imp.
    An Ar 20" .223 or .308  with a binary trigger be "interesting"  too.
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  • savage170

    I'm going to mount my next night vision on my Tikka 338 federal.

    Mine will be for mainly hogs and I already have the rifle and the Tikka makes a good platform for a night vision set up

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  • bpost
    1. How much do you want to spend? 
    2. What are you shooting at?
    Sorry for the obvious question, but I can think of a few which would be perfect, depending on what youu're trying to accomplish.
    For example, were I to buy a rifle suitable for your NV scope set up right now, it would likely be something in a .22-250 or .243.  It would be bolt action.  And before we get into actual brands, I should throw something else out.  ...
    Personally, I believe that you can't make NV be cost effective unless the rifle you are using it on is suppressed, so you must factor suppressor cost and compatibility into your equation.  If you're only going to shoot one animal, and you don't care if every other animal in the valley runs into the next county, then a suppressor is a non-issue.  But if you plan to take more than one shot on a given outing then a suppressor is a must.
    Figure a decent rifle is probably going to set you back $1,500 to $2,000
    And a suppressor is probably going to set you  back another $600 to $1,000
    Your Thor 4 probably already set you back $1,200 to $1,500
    So basically a solid rifle under NV gear is going to be in the neighborhood of $2,100 to $3,000, or $4,500 total.
    So, with that said, what are you trying to do?

    ETA - For my part, my targets are coyotes, and distances are generally 'medium' 200 to 400 yards.  And, I am in the same process as you are, researching the best combination of options, but it's not a small investment.

    I don't NEED a suppressor, that is later for a different project.  I don't need nor want a $1,000 rifle to shoot 250 yards max.  The ATN Thor from Sportsman Guide was under $1,800.00 with free goodies and more discounts for using their credit card.  I would like to stay around $750 max for the rifle but the lower end rifles seem great for my project.  I just don't know the drawbacks of them except the crappy internal mag on the Savage .223 non-accutrigger I got at a pawn shop for 300 bucks.
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  • neacpa
    I am not near as knowledgeable about ballistics, etc as most of you guys are, but I will say that I love my 25-06 out to 325-350 yards.  It really likes the Winchester black box 115 gr ballistic silver tips.  It is my go-to gun for everything from yotes to whitetails.
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  • mrmike08075

    .458 socom ruger bolt action

    .458 ham'r Wilson AR

    .458 Lott Ruger #1

    .458 win mag CZ 550

    All would be interesting IMHO...

    Mike

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  • select-fire
    neacpa said:
    I am not near as knowledgeable about ballistics, etc as most of you guys are, but I will say that I love my 25-06 out to 325-350 yards.  It really likes the Winchester black box 115 gr ballistic silver tips.  It is my go-to gun for everything from yotes to whitetails.

    +1
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  • bpost
    FCD, you misunderstand.  It is not so much the caliber I am seeking, I gots me LOTS of them and lots of the bullets aforementioned,  but what RIFLE to buy for the project.  I have a BEAUTIFUL 700BDL with original scope, box, hang tag and scope box from 1972-3.  I don't want to touch it.  My playground for the past several years is with AR based rifles.  I need a bolt gun and the choices are mind boggling in the under the $750 mark.  If you thought I was dismissing your input, that is my poor communication skills nothing you did wrong.  Sorry for my error.
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  • select-fire
    Something odd but priced real cheap along with shooting it.


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  • shootuadeal

    For your purposes and that particular optic a Ruger American in a 243, 308 will be fine. Your shots at night will be limited to much less than 250 yards. With that ATN 1.25-5 you will have a hard time shooting beyond 100 yards at night. Ive sold several of them and most people that bought them are cattle ranchers looking to shoot coyotes at night. Feedback has been that identifying your target beyond 75 yards is tough, they said they couldn't tell if it was a cow, deer or coyote.

    So based on that and the fact the Ruger American is a very accurate gun for that money it will serve you well, get the Ranch or Predator and it comes with a picatinney rail on top and threaded barrel already.

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  • SCOUT5
    If the budget reaches $750 that opens up things.  I have a Tikka T3 Lite in stainless.  It's a nice rifle,  has a smooth action and great trigger that is self adjustable.  Mine is in 300wsm, I am really wanting another one in 7mm-08.   I have no reservations on recommending this rifle.   
    I did need to add a front sling stud for the bi-pod.  I drilled through the forearm and inlet a little for the back washer.  The original stud became loose very quickly as it was just screwed into the synthetic stock.
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  • pulsarnc

    Weatherby vanguard in 308 and be done with the worry

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  • nononsense
    How about another Encore barrel in .308.  I already have a Bullberry Match Barrel in .308 but don't want to take the awesome scope off of it and put a Pic rail on it....

    This would have to be my first choice since you're already invested in the original set up in .308 Win. It's a great cartridge, lots of bullets to choose from and established reloading data.

    My second thought would have to be the Tikka T3 or T3x. It's an excellent design worthy of buying and working with.

    Best.



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  • mrmike08075

    Alright I am going to throw you a legitimate affordable reliable superbly accurate and well made alternative - not a joke or jest or just tossing out random names - I believe in this platform and it's cartridge wholeheartedly without reservation...


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