good long range rifle.

[dukeboy_318]

I'd take a bolt gun in 300 win mag, will get you out there in the 1200+ yd range rather well, with practice of course. 1 mile is a lofty goal, even the best snipers have trouble doing that consistantly, especially cold bore. I personally have shot that far, can't say if I hit it, we were at Atterbury, just shooting at destroyed Patton Tanks with .338 lapua rifles that the EOD unit training with us happened to have. It was just for giggles pretty much. At a mile, wind, temperature, pressure, everything comes into effect. Plus, there's limited ranges in Indiana where you can even get out passed 500 yds, let alone a mile. 300 win mag will do you fine, it will give you a beating. .308 win will do as well, out to about 800 to a point, 1000+ to an area target such as a tank sized target


This is who built my rifle. Best shooting rifle I have by far. Worth every penny.

http://www.superiortactical.com/index.php

 

[mrproc1]

Where do you plan on shooting.. what part of the state do you live?

 

[mstr.litamacwolf]

Ok my targets are just paper on plywood boards.

No I dont reload yet, but I have been reading some reloading books with my free time.

For now just looking for something to do on weekends. I dont hurt. Wish I did but dont know how to.

I know one mile is far out there, that is just a goal i would like to reach some day. But for now I well be happy at 200 yards.

I'm north of Indy. The only rifle range I know of is up in Winamac, IN. I go there to fire my rifle.

And final I am just looking to add to my little collection of guns. I dont own a bolt action rifle and all I have is my Springfield M1A scout squad rifle. I do own a 9MM beretta handgun, but I am more into rifles then handguns.

 

[mrproc1]

Whats the name of the place in Winamac... Id like to check the place out....

 

[Enkrypter]

Any savage bolty in .223 or .308 would be a good inexpensive place to start and have money left over to get a good vortex scope from AA optics.

Welcome to the long range addiction! There's always something better that shoots farther.

 

[mstr.litamacwolf]

the range is called the Winamac DNR range. it is at 1493 West 500 North, winamac, IN.

I think i have a pretty good idea on a rifle. now i need to learn about scopes.

 

[whitetailbowhunter]

the range is called the Winamac DNR range. it is at 1493 West 500 North, winamac, IN.

I think i have a pretty good idea on a rifle. now i need to learn about scopes.

Talk to alan at AA Optics.. he should be around here soon enough. He Knows exactly what he is talking about..

 

[mstr.litamacwolf]

Talk to alan at AA Optics.. he should be around here soon enough. He Knows exactly what he is talking about..

Thanks. I can use some help picking out a good scope for a long range rifle. I dont need anything fancy. Just something that is simple to use and can help me reach goal at 250 yards. Also how to use and understand the scope.

 

[42769vette]

Thanks. I can use some help picking out a good scope for a long range rifle. I dont need anything fancy. Just something that is simple to use and can help me reach goal at 250 yards. Also how to use and understand the scope.

What style shooting at 250? I would make a diffrent recomendation for a man wanting to shoot groups vs somone hunting/shooting steel.

I know you wanted to stay under 1300 and thats more than likely doable, but what protion of is left over after the purchase of rifle.

The first thing you should start studying for your purpose is AO, or PA. You will want a adjustable objective, or a parallax adjustment for shooting 250 yards. Its not a 100% must have, but for your distance's you will be sorry if you dont get it.

Feel free to call me at 765-580-0986. I can further your scope knowlege alot more in a 15 minute call than 2 hours of typing

 

[mstr.litamacwolf]

What style shooting at 250? I would make a diffrent recomendation for a man wanting to shoot groups vs somone hunting/shooting steel.

I know you wanted to stay under 1300 and thats more than likely doable, but what protion of is left over after the purchase of rifle.

The first thing you should start studying for your purpose is AO, or PA. You will want a adjustable objective, or a parallax adjustment for shooting 250 yards. Its not a 100% must have, but for your distance's you will be sorry if you dont get it.

Feel free to call me at 765-580-0986. I can further your scope knowlege alot more in a 15 minute call than 2 hours of typing

I am just looking to do group shooting. I never been hurting. But I would hope I can take the same scope for group shooting and apply it to hurting or moving steel targets.

From the prices I have seen I may not pay no more then $950, maybe more with taxes. So that can leave me around $350.

What is the differences between AO and PA?

My only free time to call would be Fridays evening. I am a 3rd shifter.

 

[42769vette]

I am just looking to do group shooting. I never been hurting. But I would hope I can take the same scope for group shooting and apply it to hurting or moving steel targets.

From the prices I have seen I may not pay no more then $950, maybe more with taxes. So that can leave me around $350.

What is the differences between AO and PA?

My only free time to call would be Fridays evening. I am a 3rd shifter.

Basically the diffrence is where the parallax adjustment is. You will get a better setup spending less on the gun and more on the optics. Most guns are more accurate than the shooter, the optic deals with the biggest varible in shooting. HUMAN ERROR

You can get a scope that is for both hunting and group shooting, typically group shooting calls for a higher zoom range than a hunting scope.

Call me friday evening. Im aviable for phone calls from 7am-9pm 7 days a week.

 

[RedThunder]

Lot of good bolt action choices. And with a decent scope, you can reach out much further. I like the Remington's. one small piece of advice about bolt actions...don't skimp on the glass.

 

[cwillour]

I am just looking to do group shooting. I never been hurting. But I would hope I can take the same scope for group shooting and apply it to hurting or moving steel targets.

From the prices I have seen I may not pay no more then $950, maybe more with taxes. So that can leave me around $350.

You've probably heard this plenty, but with a $1300 budget I would suggest putting no more than $5-600 into the base rifle and leave the rest for the base, rings, and scope. I often find that decent quality base and rings start out around $150-200 (I have been using more Warne lately to save a few $$ over the Badger, LaRue, Nightforce, and others.)

The difference between a $3-350 scope and a $5-600 scope is huge. What you start to get for your extra $$ isn't just glass (which may actually be the same within certain scope lines) but 30mm tube for extra travel (which will allow for adjustments to longer ranges) and increased magnification range to better balance your target vs hunting needs. Also, the migration to a side-focus from an AO typically increases speed adjusting for hunting shots when done well, but is near worthless when done poorly - as on some of the less expensive scopes.

You should still be able to find a nice Savage, Remington, etc in that range, particularly if you are willing to consider a used rifle.

 

[ghostdncr]

I've got an old Winchester M70 SA HB .308 that's had a lot of the upgrades common to the USMC's M40A1, and I love it pretty dearly. It's one boringly accurate stick and I don't have $1300 tied up in it.

I found the rifle at a gun shop in Seymour with a very low round count. It's got the heavy synthetic stock and a factory 26" stainless barrel. I fitted it with a canted Picatinney rail base, heavy 6-screw rings, and an SWFA 10x42SS scope. M118SB and Federal Gold Medal Match are relatively easy to find, and this outfit does a "passable" job with either all the way out to absurd range.

 

[teddy12b]

I'm kind of surprised that nobody's mentioned this yet, but for just some plain old target shooting fun at 250 - 300 yards why not just get a nice 22lr. Honestly if all you're going to do is shoot targets, AND learn the fundamentals of long range shooting I'd start with a 22lr.

With shooting at distances of 300 yards or less any centerfire caliber out there is more than capable and to be honest it's really not going to be that big of a challenge. On the other hand if you undertake the same challenge, but use a 22lr you're going to find yourself in a smaller group of shooters who really know how to shoot. Any schmuck out there can hit a target at 300 with 223 or whatever, but not everyone can do it with a match subsonic 22lr. If you're in that club, then you've learned much more and benefited from the practice much more than the guy who showed up with his new $4000 AI sporting a $2500 nightforce firing ammo at $1 a trigger pull.

Buy a little gun for the short range shooting and learn how to do it, then save your money for something huge & awesome for the 1 mile gun. For example you can get a $250 savage fv-sr and a $250 scope from 42769Vette (who I've dealt with and personally recommend) along with 500rds of match ammo for about $80 and you're going to be able to shoot & learn all day long. You'll get a better feel for the effects of the wind and the practice quality will be incredible. "They" say that making a hit at 1000 yards with a 308 is about as difficult as a 300 yard hit with a 22lr.

Don't let a manly man ego talk into bigger calibers and costs than you need. I'm more worried about a guy who hits a target at 300 yards with a 22lr than I am with a 308 without question.

 

[ghostdncr]

Don't let a manly man ego talk into bigger calibers and costs than you need. I'm more worried about a guy who hits a target at 300 yards with a 22lr than I am with a 308 without question.

Wise words, and I can't remember who said it: "Hitting a man at 1000 yards with a 7.62? That ain't sniping. Crawling to within 200 yards of your target, killing him with a .22, and then crawling back out while trained men and dogs are looking for you? THAT'S a sniper."

 

[ghostdncr]

I think for the money, they are absolutely unbeatable. SWFA sells them direct and completely eliminates all the supply chain middlemen. They'll get you to 800 yards.

SWFA Riflescopes SWFA SS Rifle Scopes SWFA SS Scopes SWFA SS MOA Scopes

 

[teddy12b]

here'in lies my frustration...sure you can get a nice .308 for $500...but reach out to 800m....you need $800 in glass

Look, I'm all for good quality glass but the guys who say that you can't hit anything past XXX yards without spending $XX,XXX on a scope are full of crap. You just have to be completely honest with yourself about what your scope is about.

For Example:
Bushnell 3200 elite 10X scope runs about $150 on ebay or they used to anyway. It's a scope that tracks pretty good, but the glass isn't quite crystal clear, and the build quality isn't something you'd want to go to war with unless you had to. For a guy just casually shooting at the range who isn't too serious about the hobby or is just learning then this is a great option.

SWFA 10X scopes start at $300 or $400 depending on if you want the side focus or not. They track almost as good as anything out there and the glass is much better than the Bushnell 10X and the build is tougher quality. Only gripes about these scopes are usually that they're a fixed power scope. Otherwise these are some of the best bang for you buck scope out there.

Nikon Buckmasters are in the $200 - $300 range. I've owned both the 4.5-14 & the 6-18 and used them both at 1000 yards. They work just fine, but the tracking isn't quite as good as it could be and the view is clear but could be better as well.

The scope I've listed above are scopes I've owned and used out to 1,000 yards. They aren't the most expensive on the market, but they worked. Didn't work the best, but they were servicable for a guy just going out to the range to screw around.

On the other hand I wouldn't try to talk a guy out of buying a higher quality scope if he wanted to either. I was really on the fence about this for many years. Finally I ended up pulling the trigger and buying a Vortex Viper PST 6-24 FFP from 42769VETTE after taking up a whole bunch of his time asking questions. I can honestly say that to me it was absolultely worth the money to buy that scope because I've been shooting long range for 5 years now give or take a few and I was finally ready to really commit more resources to the sport. That scope is simply outstanding and makes long range shooting so much more enjoyable, but that all came at a price.

All I'm trying to say is to not get too caught up on spending the big bucks on a high dollar scope because you got told by some clown on the internet that you can't shoot past a certain range without one.

Talk to 42769vette and he'll set you up with some good gear and wise adivce. This sunday I'm going to be shooting 300 yards with my 22lr using a crossfire scope he recommended that I absolutely love, and I'll be shooting 1000 yards with PST scope that he recommended that I absolutely love.

 

[mwagner]

I just picked me up a Beretta Tikka T3 in .30-06 and put a Vortex Crossfire II 4-12x40 and I love it. When I was looking at all the different rifles I noticed that the Beretta had by far the smoothest bolt and was very comfortable looking down the scope for a period of time. I know it's a probably a bit of a drive but I got mine down at Whittakers. They have a huge selection and I ended up getting my setup for around 800, and if their not swamped in all this craziness they will bore sight it for you.

 

[tacdriver]

Take your time save your money and continue to ask questions. The price range you have illustrated gives you good flexibility for various rifle manufactures but here’s something’s to ask if you haven’t asked yourself already.

What do want out of the rig;
• Do you want a rifle that you can hunt with as well as punch paper with?
• Do you reload or plan to and does that play a factor in your purchase?
• Does overall weight or length of pull play an effect in your purchase
• Are you looking for upgradability or out of the box performance or both?
• Heavy barrel, moderate or standard light weight barrel?
• Free floating barrel or are you willing to look past that and do something to enhance accuracy later?
• Do you care for large bolt handles for ease of bolt manipulation?
• Magazine or top feed or does that matter to you?
• Scope mounting options; fixed rail, picatinny, drilled and tapped source mounts or something else?

These are just a few questions I put forth to folks looking to step into a rig. You may have hit on a few of these questions already, some of the folks here did as well, but it’s worth repeating for you want all the FREE advice you can get before you part with all those Benjamin’s .

I do the same grocery list when I look at scopes... but that's another subject

As for me, when it came to rifles like this I went with the Steyr SSG-69. It had everything I had on my grocery list of what a marksmen rifle needs out of the box, however that’s just me and what I was looking for within a rig.