Just a couple more things. You asked something about factory ammo and will it shoot well. Might and might not. Only way your gonna know is to try it. Something I think hurt's a lot of people is chashing the accuracy handloader's talk about all the time, I am guilty of that also. See generally we don't go buy a box of bullet's and load them up and get 3/4" groups right off the bat. takes some work adjusting the brand bullet's and other parts of the load. And even more, we never fail to mentiong the best loads we get but for hunting that is mostly an ego thing. You don't need a rifle to shoot under an inch to have a good hunting rifle. Warren Page wrote one time that 1 1/2" groups were good for his hunting rifle! Imagine that!
next is trigger's, seem's we just can't get enough of recommending after market trigger's. and they should be set so you breathe on it and it fires. I have several 700's with the old walker trigger's in them. Each is set at 3# and I have never had a problem with any of them; I think the problems came from people adjusting their own that messed it up, just my thought. I have a 1903 Springfield custom that the builder tuned up the two stage military trigger on. No idea where it breaks but it is about my favorite trigger on any rifle I've ever had. My mod 70 has an adjustable trigger on it and I have it set to break at 5#, doesn't bother me a bit! Actually learn trigger control and use about that 5# trigger and I think it's good as it get's. Not sure any gun smith today could do to an old two stage trigger what was done to my 1903! Don't rely on a custom trigger to improve your shooting, might and might not. Simply having a light trigger doesn't work, you still need to be able to control it! If the smith was still alive that did my 1903 I'd have him put the same type trigger on every rifle I own, it's that nice! As for scopes, don't get caught up in that. You will find at some at point a scope brand that you like that works for you and every maker is gonna let one get out with a problem now and then. Yet the biggest problem I find with them is people wanting more power in them than they actually need. You really don't need a 6-18x scope to shoot well at a target the size of a deer at 300 yds! And that high power scope people often keep set on to high a power, you know, just in case. Then they get what is a shot at more normal range, throw up the rifle and can't find the taregt in the scope! Much easier to make a good shot at a deer at 300 yds with a fixed 2 3/4x scope than it is a deer st 50 yds with a 3-9x set on 9x! I keep hearing about the scopes of choice for the west but I suspect the truth is the range of the average shot is much closer to an average of under 200yds than over 300! If the target is a deer that's an awfully big target even at 300 yds! I got a 4 1/2 to 14x scope origionally for my 6.5x06. Was thinking I wanted a long range rifle. What I found with it was the longest shot I ever took at game was 330yds and I didn't need to do it. Shooting practice I never shot the thing past 500 yds and never needed more than 8X and the target was about 4". Go figure, had a lot more scope than I needed which ment I was adding unnecessary weight and bulK to the rifle.
I lived and hunted Montana about 5 yrs, Alaska about 1 1/2 yrs and Central Oregon 32 yrs and something I finally discovered was the only shot you have to take is the one at the charging Grizzly at 20yds bent on killing you, I have never seen that! And for something like that imagine throwing up youR 6-18x scope on higher power and trying to find the target! My favorite hunting scope is a fixed 2 3/4x. My son shot his first deer at about 250yds with it and never saw the deer fall, one shot! he got the scope with that rifle and decided he needed more scope so got a 3-9x and has never used it on 9X! Probably as good a deal on the power of a scope you can get is about 2-7x and keep it on 2X! And you don't need to spend more on the scope than on the rifle, that is BS. I'm sure those expensive scope's are very nice but generally speaking, it's not people that need them that use them, it's people that can afford them! People have good luck with a lot of different brands of scopes and opinion's that vary depending on the success they have had with this or that brand. And yep some people have had problems with this of that brand and lot of time's if they think it was to inexpensive, one problem and blame the brand and bad mouth it again for life.
Not to pick on any brand in particular but what do you do if your $1500 scope has a problem? Send it in for repair! Where you gonna find a more expensive scope that is obviously better? And if you really believe that the scope should cost more than the gun and you have a custom you have $3500 into, where you gonna find a scope for it. My 1903 Springfield was appraised in 1992 at $7500, where in the world will I find a scope cost's more than that? It has a 50+ yr old Redfield on it and doing very well! Scope should cost more than the gun, neat saying that bears no truth! I have a Bushnell Banner on a 25-06, a 2 3/4x Redfield on the 30-06 and a 1-4x Redfield, on a 308, scope's on rifles that are older than a lot of guy's on this site and still working very well. The Redfields are oldest and the adjustment knobs work with pressure not clicks. Not as neat as clicks but work well just the same and have been working for over 50 yrs! How long does a scope have to last? I've got a couple new leupold/Redfields, couple Nikons and about a year ago got a new Vortex. Not a bad word to say about any of them. Know what the best scope you can put on your rifle is? One you can afford!
