Setting Up A Bare-Bones Guerrilla Sniper Rifle in the 21st Century

The Sniper on the modern battlefield- the literal terror to an army attempting to occupy an area. And while in this day and age the word might conjure big, expensive rifles and maybe even exotic calibers, the truth is that building a capable marksman’s rifle is still pretty easy for pretty much anybody out there. I’m going to cover a rifle I pieced together from parts I had left over from other projects, keeping the overall costs to a minimum while maximizing what I’ve got. Chances are, you’ll be able to do something similar with a few tweaks.
The rifle featured here is a basic Remington 700- the AAC model, to be exact. Sporting a basic 20in 1/10 twist medium contour barrel, its not going to win any accuracy competitions compared to the more expensive rifles I’ve got in the arsenal. But it was a rifle built on the legendary 700 action and meant to be suppressed out of the box. I picked this rifle up for a song from a local guy on armslist. Rifle was too heavy to lug around deer hunting for him and too expensive to swap the barrel (in his words), so I walked away with it for very little money. Lucky me.
And that brings me to my next point- while its heavier than what most guys are used to humping in the woods during the fall, its also not a boat anchor. Its still lighter than my old M24, even in its final kitted form you see above. Recoil is not a huge issue anyway out of 7.62×51 if you’re a grown man, but a little extra weight on the gun really calms it down. On the other hand, tossing that tupperware Hogue stock it came with for a Bell and Carlson M40 really was a major step up in rigidity- and in turn accuracy- while keeping it looking like a plain old civilian hunting rifle at first glace. That is, compared to a chassis system. After adding detachable bottom metal for Accuracy International mags, which are standard across my bolt guns, it gets brought to the 21st century in terms of practical combat use.
While this wouldn’t be my first choice on a barrel twist for the round I use (175gr SMKs out of a 1/11.25 5R), it performs well enough to keep on the rifle. Again, Remington built these for a particular use, and, there’s also a threshold to be recognized between absolute accuracy on a range and practical accuracy in the field- 1 MOA may not win any F Class shoots and wouldn’t be what I consider a great day at the range for a precision gun, but its a perfectly fine and attainable standard with a wide range of loads and barrel twists. And of course, this also begs the question of the engagement range, exactly. In the hills of NC, much like the rest of the east coast, its rare to have more than a few hundred meters of engagement range. And in a world where 6.5 Creedmore is running the table in the competition world, I’m still running 7.62×51…becasue, I have every data point on the round and this particular load memorized and its standard among my inner circle.
Here’s where it gets serious. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve dumped into a barreled action- if the mount, rings and optic are crap you’re never going to get anywhere. And on that note, the mount and rings are the most important part. Its something that often gets overlooked and the first thing I address when building a rifle. My go-to rings are made by Badger Ordnance and specifically the maximized steel rings and in those is a fixed 10×42 SWFA Super Sniper.
About that glass. This one is a pretty old model, with a plain mil-dot reticle and 1/4 MOA adjustment knobs, which is a mostly obsolete combination today. But that said, it still works quite well functionally, and I don’t feel undergunned running that in lieu of some of the higher-end glass in the arsenal. I picked it up way back in the day (I actually don’t think SWFA makes this version anymore) becasue it was a competitor to the old Leupold Mark 4 fixed 10 power. But why the fixed power scope?
In short, simplicity. There’s a lot of options in zoom scopes today and generally speaking, First Focal plane is the way to go- the reticle changes size with the zoom level keeping your measurements and / or bullet holdovers true- but that said, glass in this category usually has way more magnification than you need on the high end and too little on the low. Even growing up with that old school 3-9×40 on a deer rifle, we’d put it on one magnification and keep it there. The old fixed 10x stuck around for as long as it did becasue the lack of a zoom lens reduces the internals, making a very rugged optic. And this one, the SWFA, has been a trooper over the years.
Last, its mounted on a rather long rail mount. That’s to mount a PVS-30 up front. If my job is to deny an occupation its power, that requires the ability to kill, unseen, at night. And while a lot of people are moving towards chassis systems for this today, there’s still options on the market for mounting forward NODs. Both Precision Reflex and MDT make good ones.
And there you have it- a weapons platform that is just as lethal during the day as it is at night. Its not an overly-complicated system, but its basic capabilities make it perfectly suited to the task at hand. 1000m gun? Eh, maybe. Doesn’t matter. Ain’t got 1000m shots to worry about. All I need it to do is kill precisely at 500 and it does that in spades. -NCS
 

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

39 Comments

  1. Anonymous March 29, 2021 at 06:23

    5

  2. Jon March 29, 2021 at 10:04

    Useful article. Emphasis on glass and good mounts is precisely the place to invest hard earned cash. And a good machinist to make sure the holes are i. The proper place for the rail.
    A good rifle in tbe hands of a skilled stalker will get meat every time.
    Thanks for taking tne time to write it up.
    I also have an old school SWFA mil dot. It does the job if I do my part. It’s not as fashionable as those fancy Horus christmas tree reticles. It is easy to use and completely adequate to the job.
    .308 Win remains a great choice. Brass is cheap. A wide range of projectiles to suit any need from groundhogs to Mulies. Barrels last a long time compared to today’s over bore hot rods. What’s not to love about it?

  3. KOBK March 29, 2021 at 10:13

    NC Scout,
    Perfect post reading over breakfast today and right up my alley.
    I’ve been building these 700 budget sniper role rifles for years and now have a decent pile of them. (also have the expensive GA Precisions as well).
    This type of modded 700 are very capable indeed. And I see we have the same .308 criteria (175 Sierra SMK’s and 1:11:25 twist). Sure, it was the 90’s-early 2000’s standard but that combination just works, and very well.
    I’ve built these guys on the 16.5″ Remington AAC model as well as the 20″. If you can get em for a decent price the 5r Milspec model Gen 1 (24″) and the threaded 20″ have the 1:11:25 twist. I consistently get 3/4 MOA with those guys.
    One consideration on the old school stock is they typically are a pound to a pound & a 1/2 lighter than chassis system, chassis do have more moving parts which can sometimes mean more fragility but they are absolutely freezing if you run em in sub zero temps. Man do those chassis get cold.
    Each of these builds I get my excellent gun smith to true em up and also pre-headspace an identical barrel and spare bolt. The barrels are fairly easy to find with really low round counts and not much money. Takes a lot of rounds to shoot out a .308 (a real selling point consideration over a 6.5cm) and if you have the few necessary tools to spin on your ready to go barrel, it’s potentially useful for ballistic evidence considerations if it came to that.
    Truing action and bolt are not completely necessary but it can give better results if for some reason down the road you decide to go for the awesome Bartlien barrel upgrade. That certainly takes you out of the budget mindset here but truing maximizes the potential option.
    Looks like you’re running the X-Mark Pro trigger ? That trigger gets a somewhat well deserved bad rap but if the right gunsmith does their thing I’ve seen them turn out to be pretty decent and capable. I run Trigger Tech Specials with Pro-Curved shoe on all my 700 projects, great upgrade. For the budget minded project though, I can safely polish and tweak an old Walker trigger and it totally rocks. I’d be perfectly happy with those over the higher end options. Buy up the old Walkers when you find them. Even if you’re running the awesome Bix n’ Andy Tac Sport Pro for example, the Walkers make excellent spares.
    The SWFA scopes are an excellent budget option. Next of course would be the Primary Arms Glx lower power guy, 2.5×10. I agree Scout, many options today are just too much power.
    And as Scout rightly points out, do not skimp on the rings, rails and mag well or you’re asking for bad results. I’d also recommend the MDT AICS platform mags. I do not recommend the MagPul mags for this platform rifle. They make some good products but their ACIS mags in my experience are a question of when your gonna jam up. YMMV.
    My pet fave of the bunch is the 16.5″ just because it’s compact and light (but not too light) for this type format. It’s my purpose built gotta get in & out urban shorter range sniping rifle. (even though you really can do 800+ with it no problem).
    I’m gonna have to look at the two rails you mentioned. Thanks for the tip ! Enjoyed the post.
    Oh …. and don’t forget the flash hider !! Gotta have it.

  4. Badlands Rifleman March 29, 2021 at 11:10

    My first precision gun was the SPS tactical in .308, same rifle minus the threaded muzzle. It was great, very accurate, especially with hand loads. I ran It out to 1000 yards quite a few times, although the wind was always the deciding factor on whether I hit. Such a great little rifle, especially with the extended magazine. Alpha Industries was making a shorter double stack ten round magazine when I had mine, it was almost as short as the five round. Cool gun, thanks for sharing!

    • KOBK March 29, 2021 at 12:10

      Badlands,
      MDT make a similar 10 round that’s just a bit bigger than the AI-5 round. Quality stuff.

  5. SOG March 29, 2021 at 11:16

    Any opinions on Night/Day scopes such as ATN? https://www.atncorp.com/x-sight4k-pro-day-night-rifle-scope-3-14x
    https://www.atncorp.com/nightvision-daynight-atnps28-wpt – this appears to be a ATN Version of the PS30?
    Any thoughts Scout or esteemed readers?

    • NC Scout March 29, 2021 at 11:21

      I haven’t used one but I’d like to.

  6. Johnny Paratrooper March 29, 2021 at 12:41

    Timely article considering my crew is getting up to par with .30 cal “Hunting Rifles”. I second your thoughts on rings and glass. Magnification doesn’t matter much either. The British ran 10X Fixed on every continent and never complained until Afghanistan. Afghanistan requires a different breed of rifle if you don’t choose your METT-TC correctly.

  7. Otto March 29, 2021 at 12:43

    What type of knife is that?

    • NC Scout March 29, 2021 at 13:34

      Winkler Field Knife

  8. Coop Willis March 29, 2021 at 16:24

    Nice gun. Great details.

    • NC Scout March 29, 2021 at 16:26

      Thanks bro. Gonna have more on the other bolt guns up soon.

      • Coop Willis March 29, 2021 at 18:08

        I have got to get back in shape. The ammo is way heavier than the 5.56 but the .308 is a Beast by comparison. Again preaching to the choir.

  9. KOBK March 29, 2021 at 18:33

    Hey Scout,
    Did you get your smith to glass bed the stock or did you just go with aluminium bedding block ?
    I’m gonna guess glass bedding for properly fitting the mag well ?
    Nice simple and effect rig you built there. I dig it. Looking forward to post on some of your other bolt actions. Have a soft spot for handy and effective 700’s in .308.

    • NC Scout March 29, 2021 at 21:45

      I got him to bed it. ALWAYS when it doubt get a smith to do it.

      • KOBK March 30, 2021 at 09:07

        I figured you would have had it bedded, makes total sense.
        Did you also get your smith to true up the action or did you bother with taking it that far being a budget minded build ?
        Also, are you running the stock X-Mark Pro trigger ?
        Just curious how far you’re taking things to get your desired results for the build criteria.
        Thanks for the information !

        • NC Scout March 30, 2021 at 09:25

          I didn’t bother with truing. That was done on two other rifles that were purpose built but this one performs ‘well enough’ after swapping the stock to the B&C. The trigger is the stock X Mark, which I really like out of the box. Aside from the stock, bottom metal and optics mount its a bare-bones hunting rifle with a medium barrel.

          • KOBK March 30, 2021 at 11:44

            Thanks for the clarification Scout.
            They don’t really need to be trued unless your going for a high dollar build then might as well.
            I find most Remingtons out of the box to be pretty accurate. For all the QC issues Remington had had in recent years they still shoot very well.
            Appreciate your efforts very much.

          • NC Scout March 30, 2021 at 12:07

            Thanks bro!
            A lot of the issues with Remington came from the ‘budget’ trash guns they put out for the walmart hunting rack crowd. The 710 and then the 770 with MIM parts and press-fit barrels. Fine for zeroing and a season or two, but certainly not heirlooms like the the well made 700. Then came the Versa-Max self-destructing shotgun and the unfixable R51, both of which should have been home runs. But, I give you the wizardry of ‘Freedom Group’.
            The 700s, for the most part, especially the SPS and 5R remained excellent becasue the men in NY who took pride in the company and their products still produced them. Once Freedom Group moved Remington to Madison NC and manufacturing to Alabama, implementing Six Sigma, Remington was all but doomed.

          • KOBK March 30, 2021 at 13:02

            Agreed on all points regarding the current tail spin of Remington. Hopefully with new ownership (again) they will revive the brand.
            700’s are still where I look to first unless doing a full custom. And even then I sometimes do em on 700 actions.
            700 is still awesome. A couple years ago my Dad mentioned he always wanted a nice 700 walnut-blued in .308 which they haven’t offered in that caliber in about 30 years believe it or not.I had no idea he always wanted to own this.
            He couldn’t find one and didn’t really have the extra funds at the time. I searched for quite awhile and eventually one in mint condition with an old school steel Redfield hunting scope with solid rings & bases in steel dropped into my lap. You’d swear this thing only had about 10 rounds through it. Snagged it fast as I could. I was on the road working and didn’t tell him so when the delivery guy rang his door bell it was a total surprise. He got me into this gun world as a child which I’m very thankful for so it was time to return the favour.
            Anyway, he’s been wanting a 25-06 for some reason and lately we have been looking at new 700’s that are still on the shelves. I gotta tell ya you’re dead on Scout. The latest produced walnut-blued are really good. I don’t normally bother with that combination but you know how old school Dad’s are, it’s gotta be wood & steel. I was really impressed with what they were still putting out. Excellent machining, woodwork and deep hot bluing.
            Point is, don’t shy away from 700’s produced in the last 10 years folks despite all the rumours . They are very solid capable weapons. Scout is dead on regarding the 5r’s and even the SPS’s. I have some of those too and I ain’t letting them go for nothin’.
            As always, thanks man. Looking forward to the next live broadcast, it’s a hoot but also educational. Would love to hear you talk a bit about you 700’s on the show.

          • wwes March 30, 2021 at 13:21

            Those blued/walnut .308 700’s are nice rifles, and you’re dead on about them being tough to find. I was given one with less than 50 rounds through it, and my eyes about popped out when I saw what one in that condition was going for compared to a run of the mill 700.
            The recent 25-06 700’s are good rifles- mine is one of the 700 long range with the M40 stock, and it doesn’t give anything up in quality compared to the older Remington rifles. The 26″ barrel really lets the 25-06 squeeze out the velocity too.
            NC Scout, what do you think of the steel rings and mounts made by Warne? I’ve got them on several rifles and have had zero issues, but they also haven’t ever been put into any rough conditions, so I can’t say how tough they are.

          • NC Scout March 30, 2021 at 13:22

            Warne makes good stuff.

          • wwes March 30, 2021 at 13:27

            I’ve been happy with them, and the price on them is great, but you have quite a bit more experience than I do, so i was curious what you thought of them. I believe it’s the Warne Maxima ones that I have, paired op with a Leupold VX Freedom. Not high end stuff, but it seems to work well.

      • Josh Allen March 31, 2021 at 00:42

        Great article Sir. I look forward to taking some classes with you someday. I have had a few custom long range rifles built on Remington, Winchester, and Savage actions. I was taking the long range rifle class at Front Sight in Nevada, and I had a Nightforce rattle the rail loose on my Remington 700 5r. This was after having the holes enlarged to 8-40, and the screws being properly torqued and locktighted on by my gunsmith. After that, I decided to have the rail tig welded on, albeit very small tacks on all 4 corners. I haven’t looked back since and I am in the process of having every rail welded on every bolt gun.

      • Steve April 7, 2021 at 16:07

        Good afternoon. I’m new to the long range shooting bit and as such I’m a bit light on the lingo and what the definitions are. What is “bedding” and what does glass have to do with it? I’m looking to take an older Remington 700 off the shelf of the store down the street and after reading what has been posted here, it seems like a good platform to begin with.

        • NC Scout April 7, 2021 at 16:58

          Its mating the stock to the action more properly, so there’s no shifting of one on the other causing accuracy issues.

        • Jon April 7, 2021 at 17:11

          Steve,
          Bedding is the process of tightening fit between the action and the stock. Properly done it accomplishes some other benefits too: free floats the barrel to prevent it touching the stock and affecting harmonics during the firing sequence (barrels vibrate quite a bit when launching bullets); stabalizes pressure between action and stock to prevent zero shift; adds rigidity under the action and base of the barrel. It’s a way to wring the last bits of accuracy out of any rifle.
          The process is simple. Remove some wood from the right areas of the stock. Add action pillars if desired (they are generally a good thing for most wood stocks). Add epoxy resin reinforced with fiberglass (thus glass bedding) or steel. Insert stripped action (liberally coated with release agent) into the fiberglass resin. Clamp in all the right places. Let the resin set up a bit, remove barreled action and let resin cure. Easy in theory. Tricky in practice. A talented amateur can do a proper job. It’s often easier and cheaper to hire it out. Knowing the right places for epoxy and right pressure for bedding is an art learned through hard experience.
          I’ve done a few. It always improves repeatability. It’s easy to permanently glue an action into the stock if you don’t pay attention to process and release agent application for the bedding compound you choose. It’s a task often left to professionals. Not terribly expensive at many outfits.
          Good mounts and rings are at least as important as bedding; maybe more depending on who you ask.
          So that’s glass bedding 101. Others will add their experience.
          Hope this helps.

          • Steve April 12, 2021 at 16:35

            Damn, I do have a bit of homework to do! But seriously, thanks for taking the time to explain this to me as it gives me a starting point for my project.

        • Johnny Paratrooper April 7, 2021 at 18:46

          I have a post on this topic going up tomorrow the 8th of April.

  10. Mas Casa March 29, 2021 at 20:05

    Nice write-up; I got a good sense of gear meeting skill while reading it. Had a good look at a Bergara B14 Ridge in .308 a couple months ago. Passed it up but that is a nice rifle too.

    • NC Scout March 29, 2021 at 21:44

      Bergara is doing Remington better than Remington did in the last decade.

  11. Chris March 29, 2021 at 22:41

    Ruger american hunter, spittimg 308 BH 168’(S) some inexpensive vortex hash marked 3-9
    This combo got it done to 478 lased.
    She’ll do a K with the appropriate glass and a Fundements Savy shooter

    • NC Scout March 29, 2021 at 22:52

      Great rifle right there. Ruger is really doing great things, especially for the money.

  12. Yankee March 29, 2021 at 23:48

    A PVS30? Damn, I wish I could afford one of those. I’m about to get a thermal optic, and those are plenty expensive enough, but ever since I got to use yours in class, I know I needed one.

  13. Anonymous March 30, 2021 at 00:11

    4.5

  14. hmfic March 30, 2021 at 07:52

    I’m in full agreement with everything you mentioned. .308 win is easy ammo to get and cost isn’t bad even if some other calibers outperform it. I built mine in stainless and a vortex hst 2nd focal plane mrad reticle. It get you choices though. Never put much thought into the rings. May have to revisit that

  15. Phillip Bromley April 1, 2021 at 17:09

    Another thing about .308 is that it works better with shorter barrels (~16″) than 6.5 Creedmoor. If you’re building a light, compact, handy rifle, .308 is a great way to go.

  16. coelacanth April 1, 2021 at 17:17

    I have an ATN X-sight in 5-20. Interesting piece. Significant low light capabilities, at least as good as that Sionyx low light camera. Could definitely spot a friend moving in half full moonlight at 200 yards. A bit on the heavy side, not waterproof. But-give it the particulars of the round you’re using and it’s characteristics in your rifle (chronograph your load) and it’s eerie how easy it is. Haven’t picked up the laser rangefinder for it yet. That should make it even more interesting. You do have to be able to charge it or it’s external battery an I do no know how far it’s internal Bluetooth could be detected.

  17. BRUTHA JOHN April 2, 2021 at 16:57

    Nice Gun! Don’t keep everything at home. While i was off in the military a anti gun relative threw my first ever purchased rifle away, along with the ammo. Fast forward to 2021, keep a decent truck and STUFF at a different address. Voting for T really P-O some KIN.

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