I know some say the .45 is god’s caliber, but I think they’re wrong, or at least misguided. Everyone knows it’s the 308…
About 5 years ago I bought a Remington 700 tactical and made the mistake of putting an aftermarket stock on it, which promptly screwed it up. I bought a mag-fed mag well and whell… I just screwed the pooch on this one…
It shoots awesome. I can hit pennies at 200 yards (most of the time-- if I hold my breath right and my balls don’t itch), but the action sucks and jams regularly and sometimes on the third round, sometimes every round, sometimes only with a 10-round mag, just depending on how much the gun hates me on that particular day.
All that backstory for this question: I’m considering a new 308 and I’ve narrowed it down to two finalists:
Tikka, T3x TAC A1, or
Bergara, B-14 HMR
I think they’re probably both great guns (they $hould be), but I’d like help with any advice or experience anyone might have with one or both of these choices as I have zero experience with both.
I would consider a third option, but I’m looking for a bolt action, 16" or 20" barrel, and no SAs… Don’t really care about any tacticool BS. I just want to kill pennies and nickels, and maybe a deer or two.
Thank you again for your time and comments. Godspeed and stay safe out there…
My preference in bolt-actions are CRF (Controlled Round Feed) designs, such as WINCHESTER and KIMBER provide. My push-feed choices are WEATHERBY and SAVAGE. RUGER makes a HYBRID design, combining a claw extractor with a spring-loaded, button ejector. If you want to consider an aftermarket laminated stock, check out RICHARDS “MicroFit” stocks for some really unique designs and color-combinations.
Are you using modern ammo? I have found that my rifle does not like newer ammo like Hornady. Old lead tip ammo from Winchester is the ammo it will eat on a regular basis.
I love my T3X. Have had it for 2+ years and have zero problems. Great modularity with readily available hardware. Didn’t leave as big a hole in my wallet as others would have.
I had an ar10 by armalite it was a nail driver 20" barrel heavy muzzle break it was great with most all ammo but some magazines did not work well , it was stolen a few years back and they no longer made the longer barrel but I loved that rifle, had to modify a magazine for 5 rounds (state law) 3 deer and 5 elk they are pricey but a great hunting rifle all the elk were taken 300+ yards Nikon monarch scope the deer in heavy brush and an Eotech holographic site 25-50 yards, I know this is not the brand you asked about but I had 3 or 4 magazines that did not work well at all , just tried to back up the other magazines comment.
I have 2 Springfield Waypoint 2020s, one chambered in .308 and the other in 6.5 Creedmoor, 20" and 22", respectively. carbon fiber barrel and stock. The stock is very light so you need a bit of weight to balance the recoil. That’s where the scopes come in play
I zeroed them at 100yd and they are legit sub MOA. Action is smooth, trigger is firm, but responsive. my only gripe is the stock muzzle brake. It diverts the gas in all directions, and because of that, the barrel bounces taking you off target. I just changed this out for a precision armament brake but have not shot it yet.
Now I put a Leupold VX6-HD Gen2 and a Mark 4 on each. The optics have great glass, and super clear I’ve only shot it to 300yds and still ping 4" steel no problem. My 3 boys and I all went hog hunting out in Texas recently and went 4 for 4, at about 85yds each, and my boys are beginners, a true testament to the accuracy of these rifles.
Well… Thanks everyone for the great dialog and advice. I am going to get another stock and make the old gun live again… But I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Bergara B-14 HMR. Hope to get it out to the range tomorrow to start sighting it in… Why the Bergara? It was cheaper and I found one at a local gun show and just wanted to take her home with me. I’ll let you know what I think once I have a few rounds down-range.
My .308 equivalent is my Tavor 7,… but that’s a battle rifle, not a precision gun.
That said, a man sized target inside 1000 yards is gonna be out of the fight at least, if not permanently relieved of duty.
I’d like to build out a proper ELR gun, my Barrett will get out there and it is a MOA or better rifle…
But watching my range neighbor pop a 3" gong at 600 yards repeatedly with his 6.5 creedmoor makes my shooting with my Barrett look sloppy to say the least!
Wow. I can only dream of that kind of accuracy at range. My local range is limited to 200 yards but I hope to get to one down in Ohio this year that pushes out to 1000. I don’t even care if I hit anything, list want to stretch my ballistic legs a little.
This place is about 100 miles from me,… But the rifle range is out to 600, and there’s three benches at 1000, designated rimfire, pistol, shotgun (skeet and patterning) as well as archery ranges. Unfortunately.50BMG while not specifically banned, is frowned upon by the park rangers…
This post got me thinking that I need to add a bolt gun to my arsenal, without breaking the bank. It’s not a purchase that has a specific purpose attached to it, more of a “want” I suppose.
Thinking sub $1k, around the $600 - $800 range. I’m seeing Ruger, Savage, Bergara and Weatherby.
Thoughts on the Ruger American in .308 vs. others?
