What kind of rifle do I want for accurate target shooting?

[ryan3030]

I'd prefer something that starts relatively cheap - sub $500 (sub 400 would be even better). I'll add expensive customizations like a nice scope later.

Do I want .223 or .308? I assume .223 is cheaper to shoot, but cheaper ammo isn't really a concern.

So, in your opinion, what would be the best riffle in my price range for accuracy?

 

[Jeremiah]

HOWA Model 1500 Varmint .223 REM Rifle 223 : Bolt Action at GunBroker.com

probably that for the price range. if you save up to the $1,000-$1,600 dollar range Remington and Savage make some excelent production guns that are target ready. it depends mainly on your budget and what game you want to play.

 

[ryan3030]

What kind of specs do I want to look for? What degree of twist? Barrel length?

 

[Jtgarner]

My dad got a 30-06 Remington 700 from walmart for about your price range

 

[ruger7722]

i got a ruger 77 223 varmint target grey hb,two stage trigger which is great.made in 2001.shoots w/ my tikka t3 tactical.like new.has a leopold vx 111

 

[DocIndy]

What distance??

How far out do you want to reach? That should determine caliber for a paper puncher. I picked up a Howa 20" heavy barreled .308 here on the classifieds for $500 including a Bushnell 10X 3200 scope and Leupold bases and rings. Howa actions are smooth like butter and the factory trigger can be adjusted down nice and light and to break like glass. I would give them a real hard lookand would buy another in a heartbeat. If your not looking for a heavy barrel, I also have a Stevens 200 in .223 that is set up as my coyote/varmint blaster. Rifle only cost me $289 new from Dick's. I added Burris XTR Tactical bases and rings and a Bushnell 6-18x50 scope and bedded the action myself. I've got right at $500 in it before the new trigger and its a shooter. There are good duns out there that fit your budget. You can always rebarrel a Savage/Stevens to a heavy barrel and change calibers depending on action length.

 

[ShelbyCo.]

I have a howa in 22-250 and love it. I use it for yotes and target however dont do much target. I have also had savage and liked it also.

 

[42769vette]

you might look into the tc venture. sub moa garenteed for 450ish

 

[paperboy]

I would say a nice 223 or 22-250 would fit the bill nicely. You can shoot those calibers all day long because of the pretty much nonexisitent recoil. The 22-250 would be a little more expensive to shoot but it is a great round. Whatever route you go though, you could start thinking about reloading as well. This gives you the opportunity to play around with customizing laods which can be fun in itself. You can pick up single stage presses fairly cheaply.

 

[ryan3030]

How far out do you want to reach?

Probably no more than 200-300 yards. The majority will probably be done at 100 yards or less - I'll probably sight for 100 yds.

 

[ryan3030]

I would say a nice 223 or 22-250 would fit the bill nicely. You can shoot those calibers all day long because of the pretty much nonexisitent recoil. The 22-250 would be a little more expensive to shoot but it is a great round. Whatever route you go though, you could start thinking about reloading as well. This gives you the opportunity to play around with customizing laods which can be fun in itself. You can pick up single stage presses fairly cheaply.

Will the difference between those calibers make a difference in accuracy from say, 100 yards? I like the idea of shooting .223 for cheap rounds and low recoil,[STRIKE] but at the same time I want a caliber large to take down small game if I decide to use my riffle for hunting[/STRIKE].

Scratch that, I can use my .30-30 for small game if I want to hunt. .223 or .22-250 seem like good calibers.

 

[Zoub]

If you are shooting Iron sights only, I would go .223 for a little less muzzle jump.

It is a sin to have a 22-250 with no scope, but if you handload pet loads, 22-250 is more fun.

 

[ryan3030]

If you are shooting Iron sights only, I would go .223 for a little less muzzle jump.

It is a sin to have a 22-250 with no scope, but if you handload pet loads, 22-250 is more fun.

I will definitely be buying a nice scope as soon as I can. Iron sight shooting will be very little, if any at all.

 

[Zoub]

Will the difference between those calibers make a difference in accuracy from say, 100 yards? I like the idea of shooting .223 for cheap rounds and low recoil, but at the same time I want a caliber large to take down small game if I decide to use my riffle for hunting.

No, and both are killers. The issue is at longer range. If you want to zap Prairie dogs at 400, you go 22-250. (that is how I started when I lived in North Dakota)

I take deer at 125 yards and under with .223 in KY, one shot kills. 200 yards and under, those 2 calibers are equal in effectiveness.

Go .223. You will have access to more ammo and more "local knowledge" on the caliber. The gun will be easier to sell than a 22-250 if you walk away from it.

 

[redneckmedic]

I am a huge Savage fan, recommend them all day long. Here is one in .223 for $299 and FFL for $35 They have remade the "edge" into the "axis" but its basically the same gun, great shooter. This is about all I will ever buy in bolt guns ever again.

HTH RNM

 

[malern28us]

How about a left over Tikka target rifle in 7.62x54 at centerfire systems or pick up a mosin and get an aftermarket stock and bed it yourself......just saying.

 

[kludge]

You can always shoot light bullets in a .308 for less recoil, I think they make a 135gr SMK now, and there are some very good 125gr too. And at ranges up to 300 yards it's all you need. But just about any centerfire will be good out to 300. The .223 will be cheaper to feed though.

For the most accurate rifle in your price range the first place I would look is Marlin XL7 or XS7 or a Stevens 200.

The Marlin will have the better stock, bedding, and trigger, than the Stevens, IMO. It pains me to say it because I'm such a Savage fan. The Savage Axis (previously Edge) might run $50 or so less than the Marlin, but I think the $50 is well worth it for what you get.

The Marlin comes in .243, .25-06, .270, 7mm-08, .308, .30-06. The best for target shooting will be the .243, 7mm-08, or .308. If you reload go for the 7mm-08, it's the most versatile for hunting. If you don't reload the .270 is the most versatile. They shoots flatter than the .308, retain more velocity and downrange energy. Within 300 yards though, flip a coin. The 7mm-08 is less affected by the wind than the .243. If you might use the rifle for hunting purposes, and you lean toward varmints, then go for the .243. The 7mm-08 and .270 will do varmints to elk with the right bullet. The .308 and .30-06 are much less of a varmint rifle. In Indiana you can't hunt deer with any of them, for whatever that's worth. If varmints aren't a consideration, eliminate the .243 as a hunting rifle, but as a target rifle it is still very good.

If you want a .223 or .22-250 look at Stevens 200. If you want to hunt anything other than varmints or predators with the .22-250 then avoid the pretty much universal 1:12" twist. A 1:9" twist will let you use appropriate 60-69grain (maybe up to 75gr) for larger game -- where legal. Most .223's are 1:9" twist from the factory, but "varmint" .223 Rem's might still have the 1:12" twist, so know what you are getting.

The only reason to get the .22-250 over the .223 is range. The .22-250 is faster, flatter and gets you out there further on varmints. At 300 yards, you might justify the .22-250. Within 200 yards, I can't justify it at all. Beyond 300 yards the .22-250 is decisively better.

Since you have a .30-30 I'll agree with some of the others here; I think the .223 will fit your needs perfectly.

 

[ryan3030]

No, and both are killers. The issue is at longer range. If you want to zap Prairie dogs at 400, you go 22-250. (that is how I started when I lived in North Dakota)

I take deer at 125 yards and under with .223 in KY, one shot kills. 200 yards and under, those 2 calibers are equal in effectiveness.

Go .223. You will have access to more ammo and more "local knowledge" on the caliber. The gun will be easier to sell than a 22-250 if you walk away from it.

Thanks Zoub, this is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. +rep for you

 

[ryan3030]

You can always shoot light bullets in a .308 for less recoil, I think they make a 135gr SMK now, and there are some very good 125gr too. And at ranges up to 300 yards it's all you need. But just about any centerfire will be good out to 300. The .223 will be cheaper to feed though.

For the most accurate rifle in your price range the first place I would look is Marlin XL7 or XS7 or a Stevens 200.

The Marlin will have the better stock, bedding, and trigger, than the Stevens, IMO. It pains me to say it because I'm such a Savage fan. The Savage Axis (previously Edge) might run $50 or so less than the Marlin, but I think the $50 is well worth it for what you get.

The Marlin comes in .243, .25-06, .270, 7mm-08, .308, .30-06. The best for target shooting will be the .243, 7mm-08, or .308. If you reload go for the 7mm-08, it's the most versatile for hunting. If you don't reload the .270 is the most versatile. They shoots flatter than the .308, retain more velocity and downrange energy. Within 300 yards though, flip a coin. The 7mm-08 is less affected by the wind than the .243. If you might use the rifle for hunting purposes, and you lean toward varmints, then go for the .243. The 7mm-08 and .270 will do varmints to elk with the right bullet. The .308 and .30-06 are much less of a varmint rifle. In Indiana you can't hunt deer with any of them, for whatever that's worth. If varmints aren't a consideration, eliminate the .243 as a hunting rifle, but as a target rifle it is still very good.

If you want a .223 or .22-250 look at Stevens 200. If you want to hunt anything other than varmints or predators with the .22-250 then avoid the pretty much universal 1:12" twist. A 1:9" twist will let you use appropriate 60-69grain (maybe up to 75gr) for larger game -- where legal. Most .223's are 1:9" twist from the factory, but "varmint" .223 Rem's might still have the 1:12" twist, so know what you are getting.

The only reason to get the .22-250 over the .223 is range. The .22-250 is faster, flatter and gets you out there further on varmints. At 300 yards, you might justify the .22-250. Within 200 yards, I can't justify it at all. Beyond 300 yards the .22-250 is decisively better.

Since you have a .30-30 I'll agree with some of the others here; I think the .223 will fit your needs perfectly.

Awesome advice kludge, I appreciate the effort you put into this. +rep

Question for you - do you have any recommended reading that might help me understand ballistics as well as you do?

 

[Zoub]

Back before the internet we just read, reread and memorized ballistic tables like the one in the annual Remington catalog.

Now you just go to their web site and compare calibers online.

If you really want to learn ballistics, you need to understand ft/Lbs (foot pounds) and the transference of ft/lbs to the target. Many good shooters get their facts wrong and continue to pass on legends and crap about most calibers.

So once you understand trajectory and retained ft/lbs at any given distance then the issue is how do you transfer all or as much as possible of those ft/lbs to your intended target.

Here is a crazy made up example: At 100 yards one bullet has 1000 ft/lbs, the other 100 ft/lbs. The bullet with 1000 ft/lbs blows through the target and out the other side transfering 90 lbs to the target before exiting, retaining 910 ft/lbs. The bullet with 100 ft/lbs enters target and never exits. It transfered 100% of its retained energy to the target.

The big bullet transfered 9% and even less then the smaller, slower bullet.

Bullet selction is the issue within any caliber. Start with the desired end result and work backwards.

What are you shooting at?
What do you want to happen when the bullet hits the target?
How far are you shooting from?
What caliber/calibers do you have to choose from?

Now you go from there.

By the way Ft/lbs is a result of mass and velocity. Go compare common calibers at the Remington site and you will see it real quick.