Purchasing my first new medium distance rifle

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I'm about to purchase a new rifle for 200-600 yards. I have pretty much narrowed it down to either the Remington 700 or Savage 10FP and at this point I'm leaning towards the Savage. My question is, is it worth it to purchase the rifle with factory options like the heavy barrel, accustock and accutrigger now or are these things I would replace or upgrade later. Are they gimmicky or worth the upfront cost?

I don't want to spend the extra money only to find out they aren't really that much of an upgrade and I replace them a year from now anyway. If that's the case I might as well buy a bare bones model and add the nice aftermarket components now.
 
all those who buy on Sniper Central "swear" by their rifles... you'll see a lot of Savage / Remington stuff there too.

my opinion only: Savage 10FP - it's less expensive and does the job. you can add an optic / rings of your choice and stay below the $1500 mark.
 
I picked up the 10FP package from Savage Haven't had a chance to do more than sight it in, but I couldn't be happier with it, I really like the HS precision stock, so much better than the factory stock on my 12FV.

Package comes with everything, Leopold 3 3.5x10 scope, rail, Harris bipod, scope covers, sling and a Storm case.

I ordered some Hornaday match brass, and am going to do some load development this week end, I'll post pictures and a range report.

I will be changing out the rail for a 15-20 moa, because I plan on shooting this out to 1100 yds, which according to my ballistics calc would be my max for a 175gr AMax at 2700fps.
 
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Guys, Howa is good to go.

Howa made the Weatherby Mark Vs when they were made in Japan and Weatherby chose the Howa 1500 barreled action (Howa's own design) to rebrand as the Weatherby Vanguard.

My very first CF rifle was a Howa 1500 stainless sporter in 30-06. It was pretty good, but the flimsy plastic stock with a barrel pressure point robbed it of its inherent accuracy. I swapped that POS $20 stock for a Bell & Carlson Medalist fiberglass stock with the aluminum chassis and I ground off the pressure pad to free float the barrel. WHOA! The rifle instantly became a tack driver, showcasing the inherent accuracy built into it.

I consider the 1500 to be superior to the Remington 700 with a MUCH higher quality of the machining and fitting. There are no rifles in their price range that can match the smoothness of a Howa action. The only possible exception may be the Tikka T3.
 
howapack-greenshorty2.jpg


This is what I ordered, except mine will have the Burris XTR rings and one piece 20 MOA EGW base. Same exact stock, down to the color, as this one.

I did not order any options because a) the rifle was already built and in stock and b) I'd rather just get it basic and upgrade it myself only after wringing it out.

One more thing, while Howa 1500 receivers are flat bottomed (like a Model 70), Howa was smart enough to contour and drill/tap the top of the receiver exactly like a Remington 700. So finding rings and bases is a non-issue.
 
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So Jose... did you get the rifle yet? I'm eagerly awaiting a range report and pics [grin]
 

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