[FALbert]

Latest acquisition - Rem 700 LTR in 6.8 SPC (+range report)

I have been fondling this every time I am down at the local gun shop. Finally broke down and bought it. $800 plus sales tax. I was also looking for a .308 bolt gun but alas, the budget does not permit equipping two new guns this year. All my shooting will be at a club I belong to and I am limited to 200 yards. I always liked the idea of something in between .223 and .308 for a bolt gun for the distances I shoot. I've shot my friend's .270 bolt gun a few times and like it but that would mean introducing another caliber which can't be shared with other guns. So 6.8 SPC it is!

Specs:
Timney trigger set to 2.5 pounds
Super Sniper 16X
NF 20 MOA base
NF standard height rings
Harris BRM-S bipod w/swivel lock
Accu-pod

Range report possibly at the end of the week.

The Super Sniper use to reside on my 18" SPR which now sports a more practical 2.5-10X Nightforce NXS. Eventually I will replace the Super Sniper with a Falcon FFP mil/mil scope. US dealers never have the one I want in stock and I may be forced to by from a UK dealer.

 

[snaz567]

Please post your results. I've been pondering the thought of adding a 6.8 Bolt gun myself.

 

[Zippy]

Very nice, I would love one of those but it's wayyyy in the future...

 

[Glock20man]

Congratulation on the LTR. I have one and love it. I have tried the SSA 115OTM, 110PH and Rem 115MC. It really likes the SSA ammo. Just ordered some of the SSA 110 AB and looking forward to trying it. Unfortunately the past few times I have made the trip to the local DNR outdoor range (only place I can shoot further than 25yds.) it has been filled by the small percentage of shooters who insist on unsafe practices, so I end up leaving without even getting the rifle out of the truck. Luckily I just found another range (private, pay as you go) that I can shoot up to 200yds. Hopefully my schedule and the weather will cooperate and I can get out there soon.

 

[snaz567]

Unfortunately the past few times I have made the trip to the local DNR outdoor range (only place I can shoot further than 25yds.) it has been filled by the small percentage of shooters who insist on unsafe practices, so I end up leaving without even getting the rifle out of the truck. Luckily I just found another range (private, pay as you go) that I can shoot up to 200yds. Hopefully my schedule and the weather will cooperate and I can get out there soon.

I wish I could find one of those around here that didn't have a 4 year waiting list. I have the same problem where I'm at. I'm hoping in the next year I get out of the city and back to my hometown. I can shoot anywhere, anytime and farther than I can ever dream of being good enough to shoot. Until then, I'm stuck w/the idiots at the range trying to figure out why they're pawn shop AK74 won't shoot 7.62x39 and the others who think the pop can 10ft in front of me makes a good target while I'm shooting the opposite way.

 

[rob_s]

Hmm, what other models of the 700, or other bolt actions, can you get in 6.8?

 

[FALbert]

Range time is ON for tomorrow. I usually use SSA 115 gr OTM. It worked extremely well in the 18" Kotonics SPR when it had the SS 16 on top. Groups varied from .40"-.75" from a bench. I am going to use the same SSA ammo again for zeroing purposes, and also have a few boxes of Hornady 110 gr BTHP TAP which I will compare it with. SSA is the benchmark for factory loads as far as I am concerned. I've used the TAP before and the groups were certainly "bigger" at 25 yards and 100 yards.

Remington no longer makes the LTR in 6.8 SPC. Guess it was not popular. The only other 6.8 SPC bolt guns I've seen are also Remington 700s (PSS, Varmint, SPS) in the picture threads and those too seem like limited production runs. The LTR I bought was a new gun that sat on my EBR dealer's shelves for a year. He wouldn't budge on the price as it was not replaceable. Still, $800 for a new LTR is not a bad price. Better than .223 but not overkill like .308, what's there not to like about the 6.8 SPC?

My preference for .308 is in semi autos. I had a PSS back in the early 90s and never liked the recoil. I can shoot my M-14 and FALs all day but not the PSS. I don't equate pain with being manly. If it is not fun to shoot, then I don't want it. I have a shooting partner who like all those odd ball large rounds. I've tried them out and honestly can't say I liked shooting his guns or want to own a gun chambered in those calibers. The .50 caliber bolt gun is the exception. Hell yeah it hurts despite the artillery style brake, but at least you know whatever your shooting at will be destroyed. :lol:

The next .308 bolt gun I get will have a muzzle brake installed so I can at least enjoy shooting it. I have lots of 7.62 surplus so I figure I won't burn through as much ammo as I would with the semis. Plus this year the looks like my state will be coming down hard on anyone who owns military style semi autos so getting a bolt gun will at least allow me to shoot the ammo I have on hand.

 

[jasonpeterson]

I never related the 308 to heavy recoil. In my 700p I can almost free recoil it. Which is not touching the stock at all. These 11 to 13 pound guns shouldn't move much at all. If it was a little ruger compact or model seven remington. I could see where recoil would be an issue. But not with a bull barreled 700p.

Out to 300 yards my 6.8 rem 700 shoots right with my 223 and 308 tactical rifles. After 300 yards the 223 and 308 really shine. I shoot 77g sierra out of my 223 and 175g sierras out of my 308s. I do all my deer hunting with my 6.8s but for long range accuracy I use my 308 80% of the time.

 

[JerBear]

FALbert, that's a great looking rifle! Have you taken it to the range yet? I hope she shoots as good as she looks!

 

[FALbert]

I posted this on the "soon to be gone board" the day they copied all the threads.

Great day to be at the range last Friday. After getting both 6.8 guns zeroed at 100 yards (approx. 2" above POA) I went out to 200 yards with a cardboard silhouette.

The two groups in the head are from the Rem 700 LTR while the chest shots are from the Kotonics/Cardinal Armory 18" chrome lined SPR. SSA 115 gr OTM were used. For the Rem 700 LTR, the middle of the head area was the aiming point. The first three shots ended up on the right side of the head with a .678" average to center group. Adjusted windage 2 clicks to the left on the Super Sniper 16X and ended up with that one hole farthest to the left towards the bottom. Brought it back 1 click tot he right and then fired another five shots for the second group centered around the middle with a .504" average to center group. For the 18" SPR, the NSX scope has the NP-R2 MOA reticule set to 10X and I was using the tip of the horizontal reference lines to line up on the shoulders of the silhouette while lining up the crosshairs for the center of mass, resulting in a 1.032" average to center group. Not bad at all for both. I am confident that the 18" SPR, if equipped with a higher magnification scope along with a more definitive aiming point rather than best guess, would have shot better. When I had the Super Sniper 16X on it, average to center group was .406" at 100 yards using same ammo.

And obligatory gun porn:

 

[ArtFWTx]

Hmm, what other models of the 700, or other bolt actions, can you get in 6.8?

Besides the Remington PSS and LTR that I've seen, the other 6.8 bolt guns I know of are the brand new Ruger Hawkeye Compact models that were at SHOT. I haven't seen any of the 6.8 bolt guns moving to the slower twists. They all seem to be very accurate.

I love my AR's, but a LW 6.8 bolt gun with a compact scope would make a nice portable hunting rifle. A Remington Model 7 would be ideal also.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdSpecsView?model=17126

Someone posted CZ may have a 527 in 6.8 at some point again. That's been a while though.

 

[rob_s]

Art, I agree with all of that. I've been looking at building a .308 lightweight, modernized version of the Scout (no forward mounted optic, just a nice 2-8x or 2-6x or so). what I really want is an old-school rifle with actual iron sights (prefer barrel mounted rear) and a receiver tapped for weaver bases, a 16-18" skinny barrel, and a plastic stock. If I can do it in 6.8, so much the better.

Looks like the Ruger ain't far off other than the sights and stock, and I'm sure they'll do, or already do, a polymer stock.

 

[ArtFWTx]

Maybe a Savage ...

Rob.. we may see some 6.8 project bolt guns over the next year. Tim_W has mentioned building a ultralight 6.8 bolt gun for some time now.

He discussed using a Savage 10 action as the starting point because caliber changes are so easy with Savage. There are plenty of good barrel makers that make drop in Savage replacement barrels.

I didn't think about rifle sights, but now that you mentioned them, that's a definite possibility also. Now I'll be on XS Sights website later on.

I think Ruger is on to something with the Compact Hawkeye. You know those SSA 85 grain TSX's should hit around 3000 fps out of the short Ruger barrel. Nice huh?

 

[jasonpeterson]

This is my little Remington. It's one of my favorite rifles. It has a 22" barrel. Remington only made them for a short while.

 

[rob_s]

Since I'm on my wish list of what I'd want in a 6.8 bolt action...

Short action
LW profile 16-18" barrel
barrel-mounted iron sights
Weaver bases
QD/QR rings
2-8x or 2-6x optic
AR-magazine fed
synthetic, "sporter" style stock (meaning non-tactical type)
base gun under 6 lbs., ideally the whole package would be under 7 lbs unloaded.

Figure out a way to thread that skinny barrel to mount a flash-hider for a fast-attach can and I'd be SUPER happy!

I'm not enough of a bolt-action guy to really care what action/extractor/safety type is on the gun. As long as it works, and works reliably, and the safety is located so that I can engage and disengage it with the rifle shouldered and my sights/crosshairs on the target, I'm happy.

Once I get done putting my 6.8 AR(s) together, I'd pay $1k+/- for the above exactly as spec'd.

 

[Cold]

Sounds like a nice rig to me.

 

[Empty Brass]

Nice pickup dude.

 

[jasonpeterson]

I would love to change mine over to ar magazines. I believe I same some new floor plates to do this. I'm going to have to do some checking.

 

[Glock20man]

Here's a photo of the one I have. It has a Leupold 56120 (3.5X10X40) Mark 4 PR scope, Leupold 20 MOA base, Leupold Tactical rings (med height) and Harris bi-pod.

 

[marinesg1012]

I may pick up a bolt gun to hunt with but if I do its going to able to load out further then 2.3 and have a 20inch 1-12