Lee Loader

I bought a new Remington 783 in 308 Winchester a couple weeks ago and I am actually shocked at how well it shoots. I compared 'combo' rifles and stand alone rifles all in the 3 - 5 hundred dollar range because I was looking for an 'entry level' rifle in 308 Winchester or .223 as a range gun. The gun was on sale for $299 as a scoped combo.

I have rifles (mostly old military) but none that are new and none in 308 Winchester, until now. The trigger is great and the scope is actually decent for what I am doing. If you wanted to do longer range target shooting a new scope would be in order. The cross hairs are too fat for any target shooting past say 200 yards. If you can approximate where to hold on the target you can go farther but the cross hairs are too thick at long distance.

I wanted it for range shooting and reloading. I can also shoot deer with it if needed. Definitely a really good, inexpensive hunting rifle in my opinion. I don't expect half MOA with it even with hand loads, but I am certain I can keep it around 1 MOA with the right hand load.

So far it likes the lighter factory bullets (150 grain Winchester soft points especially). I need to get better with the gun but have gotten inch and half at 100 yards 5 shot groups so far. A better rifle rest and better technique and the groups will shrink. One box of factory Winchester 180 grain hunting bullets I got - I almost called to complain because the quality of the bullet seating is so poor. Some have the cannelure totally out of the case some the cannelure is buried in the case. Even the crimp looks different on some of the cartridges, like the machine was not set correctly. This is why we load our own.

The 168 grain Federal Gold Medal match with Sierra Match kings actually gave me the worst results so far. I will need to get more and try them again I think.

I got the Lee Ultimate 4 die rifle set for 308 Winchester today. I ordered some 150 grain Hornady FMJ bullets from Grafs. So I will be working on 308 Winchester loads soon. I will be buying Varget too.

I was very skeptical and compared it to the Thompson center compass and the Savage Axis. The Remington stock felt better to me than both of those, the bolt was smoother on the Remington than the compass by a long shot. The axis was more money and had a chintzy scope. The more expensive Savages ($500 and up) seemed to be made a lot nicer then the cheaper ones. For the money this thing is a winner and it is made in the USA. I never thought I would like a cheap Remington rifle but this one has made me a fan. I may buy another one in .223.

Good for you and it sounds that you are generating some brass! You did good with the Varget.

Pictures?

It has an adjustable trigger that I really like the feel of already, and I am not adjusting it. The glass is good enough for now, if I have the will, I will get a nice scope for it IF I determine the gun is worth it. Right now I just need to start loading for it and making sure I have it zeroed well. Basically a target range toy. It will take deer all day long too. I like it. It has 60 shots through it now. Out of the box when I clenaed it brand new I did get a bot of copper out of it with Hoppe's #9 so whatever they clean htem with at the factory after test firing it leaves copper behind.No big deal because I am going to shoot it alot. My 16 year old son shot it and loves it too. Luckily I am still a better shooter than him. = ]

It sounds good! I remember as a kid when I moved up to the 308 Win from the 30-30 Win; I was living the dream! When I went into the Army, I was disappointed that I was issued an M16 over the 14. Haven't liked the 223 Rem since.

Ranch Dog wrote:It sounds good! I remember as a kid when I moved up to the 308 Win from the 30-30 Win; I was living the dream! When I went into the Army, I was disappointed that I was issued an M16 over the 14. Haven't liked the 223 Rem since.

There was something comforting about the thump in the arm from a 7.62 round launched from. FAL (FNC1). Of course I hated carrying it on a route march .

I always have wanted to shoot a FAL, no doubt mo better than the M14 and it would have been better had the US kept their fingers off that design's cartridge.

Alas, I move

This rifle now has over 300 rounds through it, the majority have been my handloads. The 783 is very accurate and I am glad I bought it. I went through a can of Varget and 2 types of Hornady FMJ bullets. Also started testing homemade cast, powder coated, gas checked, lead, Lee 150 F bullets. I have tested a bunch of loads and different powders and love this thing.

It has done exactly what I needed and wanted it for. A test bed for my handloads and a target trainer for my shooting. I can hit steel targets at 400 yards with two different loads (168 grain Amax and 150 grain FMJBT) estimating my drop and using holdover. The Amax load is beautiful, consistent 100 yard 1.25 inch groups of 7 shots with 3 and 4 shot clusters making one hole. My shooting technique and setup are probably the biggest reason the groups are not smaller.

I am working on my Lead cast load now based on the cast load data in "Modern Reloading 2nd edition" by Richard Lee. He has Varget loads listed for 150 grain bullets and the newest one I tested has 33 grains and is gas checked, powder coated, and water quenched. The load is listed at 2250 fps and it produces great groups. The only issue I have is the bullet drop seems to be about 3 inches at 75 yards. So I am waiting for snow to clear so I can tinker with the lead load a bit and see how much drop I get at 100 yards and what changes I can make to the load. I need to find my ceiling with the lead bullet and I think I am close. I have not had any issues with leading or problems with the bullets at all. I just don't want to push it too hard. I also need to test some other powders that are known to be good with cast rifle loads. I am very happy with the results with Varget just not sure about the bullet drop.

I am leaving the stock glass on it for now. The money I don't spend on a new optic can buy me a nicer gun, like maybe a Savage 110 eventually. Who knows. I told my son I will wear this gun out. I love it.

Glad you are getting so much enjoyment out of your rifle. The 168 grain A-Max are great bullets. I use them in several 30's. Are you using the shake and bake method for powder coating?

Yes, cool whip container with black air soft bbs. I have done it without the bbs and it works much better with the bbs. Much more even coating with no big clumps. Better powder makes all the difference too. I should probably do a post in the cast bullet section about the process. I have done a considerable amount of playing with powder coating ever since I started casting. Originally with harbor freight red and no bbs. Works well enough till humidity gets to the powder then it does not cover as well. Better powder covers much better even without bbs, but is smoother and more even with the bbs.