@Willus
I got started from ZERO.
Bought an old TR setup - Omark 44B action, 27 1/2" bbl, 13 twist, '79 NZ Palma Team stock, work identified as being done by Mike Collings by his brother Ross (later in the story), plus some other very handy bits for $550.
With few 'canny' purchases' off fellow forum members - 20MOA EGW rail, 6-24 x 56 Nikko Stirling NightEater, an ex-NZ Army Armourer mate to do the initial machining/set up. Smithing work for a few beers and motorcycling BS, bits for about $450 approx.
Bipod (knock off of an up market unit), interchangeable from the Smallbore practice rifle to the Full bore set up - $0 as I got this from my armourer mate, with the Smallbore set up.
Reloading gear - complete Hornady Classic kit, Hornady 308 die set, $1200 - you've probably got reloading gear and dies.
Brass, bullets, primers, powder, Lee Neck Size die, Hornady Modified case (minus the depth rod and screw in holder) - various sources, including my club - estimate $400+.
Club membership and range fees for season just finished - $150.
Palma stock kicked the crap out of me, so bought Ross Collings TR stock (adjustable everything), from his Ballinger Belt win in '93 - $350.
Machining work/bedding, Collings & Bradey (stock originally designed for single screw Omark 44A action) - $500. That's when the barrel/action/bedding work was ID'd by Ross as his brother's work.
For 'shits & giggles', I bought a Waitaki Engineering 30 cal Magnum suppressor, M18 x 1 thread, which my mate machined the thread for plus made a thread cap to fit - $400 for suppressor, beers and $250 'guilt money' (for all the work he'd done for me at no charge).
As I only shoot for the fun, not the stress of competition, the set up doesn't comply with NRANZ/ICFRS? rifle specifications.
Have shot 155gn Dyer HBC mainly, with 168gn TMK, 168gn Berger Hybrid Target as alternates. Have some Hornady 168gn Match to try out, but barrel definitely prefers 155gn bullets.
Have my eye on an untouched 10 twist barrel from another forum member that I've met, and see quite regularly at Trentham.
Was dead keen on @keenbloke's Sightron, but both these will have to wait until I've got some more 'brownie points' built up - after a couple of o'seas trips this year and early next year.
It's a strange 'bug' to catch at my age, but the intricacies of reloading the 'perfect load' for the current barrel/sight set up, and the f##cking wind, have got hold of me - much to the missus' puzzlement.
Have even thought of getting rid of the BMW motorcycle to give me more $$$$'s to buy some of the gear for sale by other forum members, but the missus has been quite clear on the non-negotiable status of the bike - *sigh*.
Just my story - hope you get something useful out of it.
Cheers
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