New whitetail slayer.....

[Sontag_Shooter]

I've decided to get back into deer hunting after a 20+ year hiatus. Since my only high powered rifle is currently in Alaska, I've been looking for another one. A friend called me today and said he had a nice rifle that he needed to sell. (He knew I was looking for one) I went by his house to check it out, and knew it was coming home with me the minute he told me the price. It's a Remington 700 BDL chambered in 270, with a round count of 4.

Whitetails beware.

 

[Slowhand]

Very nice. What's the make on the scope?

 

[TRIGGER_1]

Wowww....That rascal is purrrdy....Congrats.........

 

[SkipD]

The Remington 700 is one of my favorite rifle actions. This one looks great too. Good find.

 

[mukwah]

Beautiful rifle! That should fill the bill!

Sent from my Droid Razr using my trigger finger.

 

[Sontag_Shooter]

Thanks for the kind words fellas. I've always liked the BDLs, but I really wasn't planning to spend that kind of money on a deer rifle. I got lucky, because I have less in this one than I would have spent on an entry level rifle with a decent scope. This one has never been carried in the woods, and I truly believe that she's only had 4 rounds through her barrel other than a few at the factory. (He actually gave me the box of Core-Lokts with the 4 spent cases)

Can't wait until I get a chance to sight her in; I'll post a range report.

Very nice. What's the make on the scope?

Slowhand, it came with a Tasco 4x12x40 (model 619S). It's an older scope made in Japan, but I'm guessing it was a pretty good scope when it was new. I haven't researched optics much, so I honestly don't know about the quality of this one. It's very clear and seems to be made well.

 

[SkipD]

Sontag, Tasco scopes were essentially cheap scopes that seldom really held up well.

Your rifle deserves a good Leupold scope on a set of really good mounts such as the Leupold Mark 4 mount system.

 

[mukwah]

Two things I really love about the BDL's are the Monte Carlo stock and the jeweled bolt! These really set the 700 BDL apart from other rifles!

Sent from my Droid Razr using my trigger finger.

 

[Sontag_Shooter]

Sontag, Tasco scopes were essentially cheap scopes that seldom really held up well.

Your rifle deserves a good Leupold scope on a set of really good mounts such as the Leupold Mark 4 mount system.

I thought I remembered Tasco being on the lower end when it comes to optics. I definitely plan to upgrade the scope and mounts long before deer season, but I'll probably have to wait a bit since my budgeted "play money" is already spent this month.

I'm planning to give the Tasco back to the guy I bought the rifle from after I upgrade; the scope belonged to his father and I know it has sentimental value to him.

Two things I really love about the BDL's are the Monte Carlo stock and the jeweled bolt! These really set the 700 BDL apart from other rifles!

They are almost works of art in my opinion. My first rifle, a 742 Woodsmaster (the one that's in AK) has a Monte Carlo stock. I have 4 Remingtons (2rifles & 2 1100s) and I have always been a huge fan of their woodwork. They make some of the best looking stocks out there.

 

[Slowhand]

This is a K-Mart Special. A Marlin MN Micro Groove Barrel 22 W.M.R. I bought her around 1993. It was sold as a Garden gun for varmints. The TASCO Pronghorn Scope, made by Weaver was a 4 x32 . I bought it to use to eliminate some predators that were threatening livestock on a farm I owned. It worked.

This one is a different type. A New England Fire Arms Handi Rifle SB2. It was a customized job with an extended hammer and trigger. It has a Monte Carlo stock and was a hoot to shoot. The Bushnell Sport View Scope was a 3z-9x-32 job that was really accurate.

I bought this one from a farmer in North Dakota back in 1984. He’d had two of them done by a local gunsmith. He was decimating a bunch of Prairie Dogs that were giving him problems. Most folks don’t appreciate a .243 Winchester for a hunting rifle but it just takes a Slowhand and a bit of patience to get the job done.

The last scope I bought was an Aimpoint Pro with a 3X Magnifier. I was making a bit more money than I was in 1984.

 

[Sontag_Shooter]

Nice rifles, Slowhand. I really like the looks of that Handi Rifle; I've never seen one, thanks for sharing.

I would appreciate suggestions for scopes/mounts from you all. Thanks to SkipD for the Leupold Mark 4 suggestion; I'm going to check into those, looks like they make quite a few models. Do you have a particular one that you prefer?

A little info on my hunting grounds: I'll be chasing whitetails on our farm, mostly from tree stands in fairly open woods. I would say that the chances of me shooting over 150-200 yards will be slim. We have some fields that are 500+ yards across, but it's not likely I will be shooting that far. I want a good all around scope, but I'm not planning to put $2000 optics on the rifle. (I like being married, and I prefer to stay that way. )

I know they are not ideal in terms of accuracy, but I really like see-thru mounts. I shot the last deer that I killed 25+ years ago with iron sights though see-thru mounts; he was running straight at me, and I don't think I could have hit him with a scope.

Thanks in advance for any advice, gentlemen.

 

[SkipD]

I would appreciate suggestions for scopes/mounts from you all. Thanks to SkipD for the Leupold Mark 4 suggestion; I'm going to check into those, looks like they make quite a few models. Do you have a particular one that you prefer?

The "Mark 4" suggestion was merely for the family of mounts. I do a lot of scope/mount work at our club's annual deer rifle sight-in (as the "gunsmith" for the event) and I find lots of problems with the run-of-the-mill scope mounts from Weaver and others and like the Leupold mounts very much.

As far as the scope is concerned, I haven't purchased a scope in many many years so I don't know what choices there are. I do know that Leupold and Nikon scopes are #1 and #2 (maybe #1.25 ) in my book for quality, though. I have almost no problems with these two brands but I've found many problems with Bushnell, Tasco, and other "budget" scopes and the cheap mounts I typically find them on.

 

[Slowhand]

Let us try this one. A Savage Arms AXIS (Edge) XP, .308 Win Caliber.

The scope is a Bushnell Sharpshooter 3-9x 40.

She's going to the range this week.

 

[mukwah]

Nice slowhand! Read some good stuff about that rifle!

Sent from my Droid Razr using my trigger finger.

 

[Slowhand]

Nice slowhand! Read some good stuff about that rifle!

Sent from my Droid Razr using my trigger finger.

Read some iffy stuff on the scope though. We shall see.

 

[Sontag_Shooter]

Read some iffy stuff on the scope though. We shall see.

Please keep me updated and let me know what you think about Sharpshooter. I've got a few months before I have to decide on a scope/mounts and I want to get real opinions, not just what is printed in a magazine with full page ads for the same scope being reviewed.

 

[Slowhand]

Thursday or Friday a couple of Range Rats and I are going out in the country to an out door range. The Savage 308, a Mosin Nagant, a Argentine Mauser and an H&R Partner Pump 12 gau are on the agenda.

 

[TRIGGER_1]

Looking forward to all these range reports soon.....Have fun You all..... 8) 8) 8)

 

[Slowhand]

Read some iffy stuff on the scope though. We shall see.

Please keep me updated and let me know what you think about Sharpshooter. I've got a few months before I have to decide on a scope/mounts and I want to get real opinions, not just what is printed in a magazine with full page ads for the same scope being reviewed.

The Sharpshooter works. I only got to run 10 rounds through the rifle and we had to leave. Next time out she'll get a better workout.