Stalking apprentice

Rory

Well-Known Member
Good evening, I'm just beginning my stalking career, it's something I've always wanted to do in conjunction with rifle shooting. I'm currently waiting on my application for firearms license to come back round and in the new year I will be looking at doing my stalking courses and also becoming a member of nearby rifle ranges. I'm looking at a Remington 700 in .308, hopefully a Police (availability seems scarce new) or I will 'make my own' with a H-S Precision stock and a SPS Varmint.
I'll be looking to pick your brains for information and hopefully in time I'll be knowledgeable enough to contribute in turn.
 
Hi Rory
Welcome to the forum, it sounds like you have done your homework and taken the rights steps towards getting into shooting / stalking, best of luck finding the right gun
you do realise it will be the first of many
Cheers
Ray
 
Hi Rory
Welcome to the forum, it sounds like you have done your homework and taken the rights steps towards getting into shooting / stalking, best of luck finding the right gun
you do realise it will be the first of many
Cheers
Ray
Thanks for the welcome,I hope it will be the first of many!
 
Welcome to the site mate. And don't want to spoil the party, but my fac took 53 weeks. Essex police. [emoji22]
 
Well best of luck there. Welcome to the magical world of getting up early, getting bitten to death and seeing nothing.

I'm kidding. Even the days when you don't see an a**e are special.

May I ask what drew you to a Remmy 700. I can't say it would be my first choice. I have 13 rifles one of them being a Rem 700 PSS and it's the ONLY one I have never stalked with. That is if by Police you mean the PSS. I even had my barrel fluted and I still wouldn't stalk with it. Personally I prefer a rifle with a safety that locks the bolt. Everyone I know with a Remington who stalks has caught the bolt and flicked it open. Not least to mention the PSS is a heavy beast.

I'm absolutely not saying your choice is wrong. I'm just posing the question. As you're new to this and it's (presumably) your first rifle, you may not be aware of all the points to consider. The PSS doesn't come in stainless either of course.

Nothing wrong with the choice of cartridge. A good all-rounder and cheap to feed with a wide range of ammo to pick from to get the best out of it.
 
Thanks for the welcome guys. takbok - Suid Afrikaaner?!
Chris J - I am drawn to the 700 Police or PSS in parts due to simplicity, reliability and accuracy. As I will also be shooting on the range I appreciate the barrel length and rigidity it will offer, but at the same time I'm cognisant of the length when stalking. I weigh it up against the probable length of a shorter barrel with a moderator. I appreciate your points though, and I had not considered the non-locking bolt aspect.
 
Ja, from SA!

If you're going to be carrying a rifle for hunting don't go for a heavy barrel. Remington's are nice as are most other makes - you cant really go wrong with most of the rifles on offer these days.
 
Hi Rory,
awesome choice with the rem my 700 police .308 . Its my favourite stalking rifle whether it be hill or woodland. Yeh it may be heavy but who cares and if you can carry it whats the big deal. I prefer a heavy barrel because I feel more accurate with it as it doesn't jump about with the recoil. Plus they are great for the long shot you may want to do. Also because they are a bit simple in design and heavy duty in action they are ideal for hunting when your fingers are dropping off and you can't feel the safety catch or trigger.
 
You're welcome. Now I know there will be people who disagree but when you say simplicity, reliability and accuracy, the last model that I think of is a Remington. Frankly any Remington. There is a chance that you are over thinking this a little. Personally, I'd suggest something like a Tikka T3. That covers all of those three bases and more. The truth is that a range rifle and a stalking rifle are essentially two different things. Some heavy scaffold tube for sending shot after shot into a paper target and something nice, light and as little inconvenience as possible until you need it really means two rifles. If your main pleasure is to shoot down range then OK the Remmy might do the trick. But then why pick .308. You might as well shoot something like .223 and save the cost and wear if you follow me. If you have a range like we do that goes out to 600 yards then the .308 will be fun, but at 100 yards, there isn't much that's going to find that a struggle. A hole is a hole. I have a Tikka T3 lite in .308 and it plops hole after hole into the target.

But for stalking, lugging a PSS around with a barrel as thick as a crowbar really isn't something you'll warm to. I appreciate that money will be a factor here but what you need to consider is that in effect you might be asking for a super car that's great as a daily drive. It's almost impossible. You need a Lamborghini and a Yaris.
 
Ha ha, great analogy with a Lamborghini and a Yaris! Indeed cost will play a role in the beginning, certainly while I'm getting set up, but I'm content with the weight factor. I appreciate your frankness and I will have a look into other options too.
Nick .308 - thanks for the reply too, good to hear from someone who uses the 700P back up my initial choice. The 700P seems a little 'thin on the ground' available new, but I have until about March unfortunately with the Essex firearms lot. (Sadly, 10 miles up the road in Suffolk, it takes 4-6 weeks to get a certificate!)
 
This might not be a welcome intervention but this afternoon I watched a long and apparently reputable CNBC programme on youtube about potentially dangerous flaws in the Remington 700 series safety catch /trigger design. Thousands of misfiring incidents and lots of lawsuits. It alarmed me.
 
This might not be a welcome intervention but this afternoon I watched a long and apparently reputable CNBC programme on youtube about potentially dangerous flaws in the Remington 700 series safety catch /trigger design. Thousands of misfiring incidents and lots of lawsuits. It alarmed me.
I've seen that too, and the interview with the chap (now 98 or 99) who devised a safer safety that would have added 5.5cents to the cost in the 40's (54 cents in today's money I believe) that was turned down by management. But, I've also seen the follow up about investigations showing that there is evidence in almost all cases that rough handling or application of the trigger played a part. Eyes are open to this, but thanks for the reminder.
 
Rory, I wish you the absolute best of luck in getting set up. There are other heavy barrelled Remingtons out there. The PSS was supposed to be a 'selected trigger' which to me speaks volumes and a different stock that had some sort of bracing in it. But I have a good mate with one of these non PSS Remington .308s and honestly at 600 he is deadly with it. I mean truly deadly. I'd suggest that the PSS might be a bit of a Holy Grail that won't make a great deal of difference and actually tuning your ammo to the rifle will produce similar results. I don't recall the model but it might have been 700 heavy barrel varmint?

Incidentally he started stalking with the 700 and now it never comes with him as he bought a fair few Yaris' since. But go for it fella. We look forward to the first results. Keep posting.
 
Rory, I wish you the absolute best of luck in getting set up. There are other heavy barrelled Remingtons out there. The PSS was supposed to be a 'selected trigger' which to me speaks volumes and a different stock that had some sort of bracing in it. But I have a good mate with one of these non PSS Remington .308s and honestly at 600 he is deadly with it. I mean truly deadly. I'd suggest that the PSS might be a bit of a Holy Grail that won't make a great deal of difference and actually tuning your ammo to the rifle will produce similar results. I don't recall the model but it might have been 700 heavy barrel varmint?

Incidentally he started stalking with the 700 and now it never comes with him as he bought a fair few Yaris' since. But go for it fella. We look forward to the first results. Keep posting.
Point taken, it is a rifle I've always admired or more crudely, lusted after, and it actually has the same barrel as the SPS Varmint, but a much better stock. Just had a look at the Tikka's and they do look tidy. ;)
 
I have 5, I think, But I'd need to count them.

Here's the PSS after it got a bit modified. Shooting it at 100 is pointless. Bit like going to Tesco in the Lambo. But after 200 it just comes into its own.

Picture 009.jpg
 
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