In the world of Tactical rifles, two words stand out. Those words are Dependability and Accuracy. If you want to know what works, look at what the United States Marine Corp, Law Enforcement and U.S. Army are using.

US Marine Corp M40A1

US Marine Corp M40A3          (M40A1 Below)

US Army M24

Law Enforcement Remington 700 PSS / 700P

Each of them us the Remington 700 Action, a Synthetic stock, Match grade barrel and sturdy mounting attachments.

If you start with a Remington 700 Action, you have a bunch of options for accessories that you will find helpful. Keeping your rifle as simple as possible and yet universally functional, you will have a rifle that is capable of unspeakable accuracy.

I have built many, MANY, tactical rifles for various customers, each of them were SCARY accurate, true ¼ Minute rifles in any condition is quite achievable. I have used many barrels from big name barrel makers and they shoot quite well. The 5R barrels are making a big hit now. Mike Rock is cranking out some real nice barrels.

If you take your Remington 700 action and precicely install a top quality barrel, and match chamber that to the old .308 Winchester, you have it licked out to 800-1000 yards. Past 1000, we better start thinking about something big. 300 Win Mag on up. Barrel length from 22 to 26 inches seem to work well. I can tell you that a .308 with a 22 inch heavy contour Hart barrel is a bad boy. Super accurate, compact, and can reach out to 1000 just like the long barrels.

The stock should be synthetic, from H-S Precision or McMillan, whichever you choose will be just fine. I like the H-S Precision just for the simple reason of the integral bedding block.

Just because it has a bedding block does not mean it should not be bedded. I have found that the H-S stocked rifle shoot better when they are bedded.  A McMillan is a tough and strong stock that will need to be pillar bedded since there is no bedding block.

True “Working” Tactical rifles do not have light triggers. The factory Remington 700 trigger can easily and safely be lowered to 2 pounds and less. But if you do want to go to a light trigger, a trigger less than a 16oz pull, I prefer the Jewell trigger over other makers.

Metal finish is something that has come a long ways in today’s world. One of my favorite is Black “T”. By using Black “T” to coat your steel components, you will never have to worry about rust or corrosion. When your rifle receives this treatment, each and every metal component, every spring, and every screw is treated, bases, rings, everything.

Speaking of Bases and rings, lets talk about that for a bit. There are many real sturdy base and ring sets out there. Badger and Ken Farrell seem to be the most popular. I have used both and they work quite well. I particularly like the Ken Farrell base and ring setup as seen in the  picture. This rifle is a Woods Custom Tactical Rifle chambered in .308 Winchester. I used this rifle in the Long Range Rifle 600 yard Championship.  It wears the Ken Farrell bases and rings as stated above. The red dots are torque marks that I put so I can switch between optics and barrel sights. The bases were bedded in Marine-Tex. If you are building a .308, I suggest the 20 minute included angle bases so you can hit out to 1000 and a little beyond if you like.

The scope that sets in the bases and rings is up to you. If you stick with a Leupold or a Nightforce, you will have no problems. You for sure will want your reticle to be Mil-Dot.

Accessories and nice to have items include a steel trigger guard and floorplate, a titanium firing pin and speedlock firing pin spring. Other than that, the rest is up to your imagination or need. There are some really neat Picatinny rails out there now for the Remington 700.

We can do whatever you like, and when you and I are done, you will have a rifle that you can count on when lives are on the line. 

Josh Woods