Long Range Rifle

[DaCoach]

Good afternoon. I am looking for some advice in the long range rifle arena. I am looking to purchase a good starter gun. I want something that is a good base platform that will allow me to upgrade in the future. I am also looking for advice on caliber choice. Thank you for your help.

 

[RichardR]

It's really hard to go wrong with a Remington 700 chambered in .308

 

[EvilBlackGun]

WOW!

You won't get a better reply than this:

It's really hard to go wrong with a Remington 700 chambered in .308

 

[paintman]

It's really hard to go wrong with a Remington 700 chambered in .308

i dont have any really long range but i have a few friends that have these guns and love them. they swear by them in accuracy.

 

[longshooter]

You could take a look at the really nice Remy 700 in .300 RUM I have listed in the classifieds...

 

[IndyGunworks]

for an entry level caliber .308 is the best choice hands down for availability, cost, accuracy and a few others.

remingtons are nice, but dont count savages out, my savage will outshoot many custom remmys.

long range shooting is more about the shooter than the equipment. 500 on a rifle 800 on a nice scope, and 2k in ammo will make you a better long range shooter than a 3k rifle 4k scope and 10 dollars in ammo.

if you are going to cut corners the rifle is the first corner to cut. the optics is the second place to try and save money, and ammo is the last.

range time, range time, range time.

 

[sgreen3]

If your wanting a rifle that you can upgrade along the way check out the Steven's 200 rifles, Its a Savage model 10 but with out accutrigger. So all upgrade for the model 10 will work with thte Steven's action, Very good starter gun for the money.

 

[RichardR]

for an entry level caliber .308 is the best choice hands down for availability, cost, accuracy and a few others.

Agreed.

remingtons are nice, but dont count savages out, my savage will outshoot many custom remmys.

Agreed, Savages, Weatherby's, CZ's, Winchesters, Enfields, Ruger's, etc can all shoot fairly well.

long range shooting is more about the shooter than the equipment. 500 on a rifle 800 on a nice scope, and 2k in ammo will make you a better long range shooter than a 3k rifle 4k scope and 10 dollars in ammo.

Aside from the very first sentence I am not sure that I follow exactly what you are saying you there.

if you are going to cut corners the rifle is the first corner to cut. the optics is the second place to try and save money, and ammo is the last.

I have to disagree here, I would cut optics first, 20 years ago you really had to pay through the nose for good glass, these days you can get really good optics at really good prices.

range time, range time, range time.

Yes, again agreed, range time is the most important aspect in long range shooting, as they say, practice makes perfect but not just blasting away willy-nilly, you really have to keep a shooters log & be anal about shooting technique.

 

[IndyGunworks]

I dont keep much of a shooters log, but i do write down what i learn in a range trip.


If you cut optics first, then i think you are going to be sadly disapointed. when you get into long range shooting you need a scope that is accurate and repeatable, something that you will not find in the less expensive scopes.

You are asking about long range shooting, which implies that you dont know a ton about it (if you did you wouldnt have to ask) so take if from the guys who have been there and done that, you need to get a quality optic if you want to have any degree of success at the longer ranges.

 

[sgreen3]

I dont keep much of a shooters log, but i do write down what i learn in a range trip.


If you cut optics first, then i think you are going to be sadly disapointed. when you get into long range shooting you need a scope that is accurate and repeatable, something that you will not find in the less expensive scopes.

You are asking about long range shooting, which implies that you dont know a ton about it (if you did you wouldnt have to ask) so take if from the guys who have been there and done that, you need to get a quality optic if you want to have any degree of success at the longer ranges.

I agree

Your going to end up buying it any way, might as well only buy it once!

 

[RichardR]

I dont keep much of a shooters log, but i do write down what i learn in a range trip.


If you cut optics first, then i think you are going to be sadly disapointed. when you get into long range shooting you need a scope that is accurate and repeatable, something that you will not find in the less expensive scopes.

You are asking about long range shooting, which implies that you dont know a ton about it (if you did you wouldnt have to ask) so take if from the guys who have been there and done that, you need to get a quality optic if you want to have any degree of success at the longer ranges.

Meh, almost every semi-respectable optics manufacturer manufactures their glass in high-tech factories these days, granted I am specifically referring to mid-tier brands like Bushnell, Nikon, Swfa, Millet etc, not el'cheapo's like Barska, NcStar, Simmons, BSA, etc.

Tasco is iffy, some of their older higher end Japanese glass was really good but their newer Chinese stuff is junk.

Anyway Leapold, Nightforce, US Optics, Swavorski, etc are still worth the extra money but they are not necessarily the "mandatory" glass that they once were, at least not IMHO.

 

[DaCoach]

Thank you for all of your responses. Do you guys have any suggestions as to where to purchase the rifle. I'm sure I will have a lot of questions, I am looking for a place that will provide the help I need.

 

[RichardR]

Thank you for all of your responses. Do you guys have any suggestions as to where to purchase the rifle. I'm sure I will have a lot of questions, I am looking for a place that will provide the help I need.

Where in Indiana are you located?

 

[Litlratt]

A quality optic will not make a rifle more accurate.
Normally, you pay for accuracy in a rifle, starting with a less accurate rifle will not provide you the necessary feedback during range time.
Quality glass is nice, but not necessary at long range target shooting. The scope being mechanically sound is much more critical.
Indiana State 1000 yard championships have been won with fixed power Super Snipers.

 

[DaCoach]

I live in Greenwood.

 

[RichardR]

I live in Greenwood.

Check out Elmores, I don't get down there as often as I would like too but Russ is a heck of a good guy & will do ya right.

 

[IndyGunworks]

A quality optic will not make a rifle more accurate.
Normally, you pay for accuracy in a rifle, starting with a less accurate rifle will not provide you the necessary feedback during range time.
Quality glass is nice, but not necessary at long range target shooting. The scope being mechanically sound is much more critical.
Indiana State 1000 yard championships have been won with fixed power Super Snipers.

Still a decent quality scope though. i didnt say expensive optic, i said quality.

and yes a 1k yard match can be won w/ a barska if conditions are right.

to me long range shooting is not sending rounds down at one distance over and over. long range shooting is being able to determine the distance to the target and know how to use your equipment to make a good shot the first shot no matter what range i am shooting at.

i am not perfect at it, but i dont pick a distance and shoot over and over, i shoot at many unknown distances and when i miss i figure out why and do what it takes not to make that exact mistake again. make enough mistakes and eventually the rounds start hittting where they are supposed to.

 

[Litlratt]

@IGw
Sorry, I forgot you were a junior sniper

 

[RichardR]

Still a decent quality scope though. i didnt say expensive optic, i said quality.

and yes a 1k yard match can be won w/ a barska if conditions are right.

to me long range shooting is not sending rounds down at one distance over and over. long range shooting is being able to determine the distance to the target and know how to use your equipment to make a good shot the first shot no matter what range i am shooting at.

i am not perfect at it, but i dont pick a distance and shoot over and over, i shoot at many unknown distances and when i miss i figure out why and do what it takes not to make that exact mistake again. make enough mistakes and eventually the rounds start hittting where they are supposed to.

I am not picking on ya man, in fact you're one of the few folks on INGO that I actually do respect.

But in this particular instance you really put a lot of emphasis on scope over rifle w/regards on where to fiscally cut corners w/regards to long-range shooting.

That I simply cannot agree with.

Granted that used to be the case when only the most expensive scopes were actually clear at long-distances but these days technology has really brought the mid-tier quality scopes up to useable levels.

Repeatability is important no doubt, but even $200 dollar Millet's or Nikon's hold their zero seemingly forever these days.

In fact I'd be hard pressed to say that Leapold will ever see another dollar from me unless I get a really good deal on one or something.

 

[thegeez]

Agree=optics are the most important=you can do things to a rifle to make it shoot better but once you buy a scope and it doesn't perform the way you want,you can't do anything to make it better.You can easily spend more for a quality scope than the rifle.