Long Range rifle buy, looking for input

[Hawkeye7br]

A friend has been bitten by the long range rifle bug and looking to buy a rifle. He is not and never will be a competitor, nor shoot prone or anything except from a bench. He has been looking at Savage F-class rifles. He isn't afraid to spend money, but doesn't have but the occasional place to shoot beyond 240 yards. I think he's narrowed it down to a fast twist 6br, or the 6mm & 6.5mm Creedmoor. He prefers conventional stocks. I have a RPR but he doesn't care for all the adjustments. He sometimes shoots my 700 with Criterion barrel, Magpul Hunter stock and is impressed with it. He's not into building his own, having heard a lot of negative things about current 700 receivers.

What else can I tell him? What am I missing? Looking for consistent 1/2 to 3/4 MOA capability, from mostly out of the box rifle. He has good glass.

 

[sloughfoot]

For the short range you specified, just about any modern rifle or centerfire rifle cartridge will do. Many shoot into 1MOA with irons at 240 yards. Is he capable of 1/2 to 3/4 MOA? 240 yards is the battle sight zero for many calibers.

 

[Hawkeye7br]

Yeah, although up in years (70+) he enjoys it. He has a Shilen built 6br in a McMillan MBR stock & full diameter barrel. We play around at shooting golf balls at 240. One time I took him to a private property and he shot a sub 3" group at 400y, and a 6 inch group at 511y with a wind call. His rifle has a typical 14 twist barrel & won't stabilize over 75 grain bullets. I suggested he rebarrel, but he likes that rifle a lot & would rather buy another. Like many others, he wants something to shoot 1000y from a bench.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

My opinion and 10 bucks will get you a nice cup of Starbucks, but someone on here was recently making reference to the ballistics of a 6.5 creedmore vs a .308. I did a little research, and was impressed. You might check it out from that angle.

 

[Areoflyer09]

My opinion and 10 bucks will get you a nice cup of Starbucks, but someone on here was recently making reference to the ballistics of a 6.5 creedmore vs a .308. I did a little research, and was impressed. You might check it out from that angle.

Yep. Same here for the 6.5 CM.

 

[jrh84]

A friend has been bitten by the long range rifle bug and looking to buy a rifle. He is not and never will be a competitor, nor shoot prone or anything except from a bench. He has been looking at Savage F-class rifles. He isn't afraid to spend money, but doesn't have but the occasional place to shoot beyond 240 yards. I think he's narrowed it down to a fast twist 6br, or the 6mm & 6.5mm Creedmoor. He prefers conventional stocks. I have a RPR but he doesn't care for all the adjustments. He sometimes shoots my 700 with Criterion barrel, Magpul Hunter stock and is impressed with it. He's not into building his own, having heard a lot of negative things about current 700 receivers.

What else can I tell him? What am I missing? Looking for consistent 1/2 to 3/4 MOA capability, from mostly out of the box rifle. He has good glass.

From what I know, the Savage F-class, LRP, or benchrest setups aren't a bad way to go. The barrels are maybe a little nicer than your average Savage, but still rough as a cobb....but they shoot. Worst case, you can throw a pre-fit barrel on it for $400-500, and have a very nice setup.

All that being said, there are a lot of factory rifles out there in the $700-1500 range that would fit the bill.