I am looking for a rifle that I can shoot long range with. I am going to get a Night Force scope and was thinking either a 7mm or some 30 caliber (300 Win Mag, 300 Wby, 300 RUM). Anyone have any suggestions on make/model? I am a stickler on accuracy and I would think that you would want it to be 1/2 MOA or better to consider taking animals out to 600-700 yards with it. Anyone have any suggestions? I would prefer to stay under $2,500 with the gun. I also do not hand load. Would this be a pre-req for long range shooting?
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There are so many to choose from in that price range it could be like a BH thread.
I recently made a steal on a used Cooper Mod 52 and love it. Shoots less than .5 moa with three different types of factory ammo and two different weights. One bullet the Fed Trophy Tipped 160 has consistently shot .25 or less for 5 groups of 3.
Additionally the customer service is above and beyond. I had a broken firing pin back in early Nov. I called them and advised that I'm the second owner...no problem send it in, here's our FedEx account number. I also asked them to fix a scratch in the paint on the magazine and lap the scope rings...again no problem and NO CHARGE for any of the work or shipping.
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300 win 5r Remington 300 ultra sendero both shoot great with factory loads.Comment
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For your price range I'd build one and it's hard to go wrong with the .284Comment
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no ideas here, I would like to get into it as well. I would prob have to cut down on the number of Dr Peppers I drink though.Comment
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Originally posted by cb4128 View PostI am looking for a rifle that I can shoot long range with. I am going to get a Night Force scope and was thinking either a 7mm or some 30 caliber (300 Win Mag, 300 Wby, 300 RUM). Anyone have any suggestions on make/model? I am a stickler on accuracy and I would think that you would want it to be 1/2 MOA or better to consider taking animals out to 600-700 yards with it. Anyone have any suggestions? I would prefer to stay under $2,500 with the gun. I also do not hand load.
Would this be a pre-req for long range shooting?
you can shoot factory loaded ammo but hand loading will drastically reduce your group size ; especially at long range.
your scenario reminds me of the analogy .... " I wanna build a funny car , yet only plan to use 87 octane gas ... " Gotta run the jet fuel if you wanna be competitive.
additionally, you cannot control the consistency of factory loaded rounds. One lot of ammo might be accurate, and another lot of ammo might be slower and less accurate. Hand loading allows you to dial-in for optimum accuracy and YOU are in charge of the quality control.
If I were in your shoes , I'd do my research and buy a used LR rifle to have fun with. A used gun that cost $3000 to build can be picked up for $2000 or less if you have cash and are in the right spot at the right time.
you can even build a custom rifle on a trued 700 action for $2000Comment
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Savage 110 BA 338 lapua $2100 at cabelasComment
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A build would Probally be in your budgetComment
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Find a good used Remington Long Action and buy the parts to build a 300 RUM. Then give Pete Pieper a call at Precision Barrel Works in Hempstead and have him put it together for you.
I had him build my 300RUM and has also done work on several other rifles for me. Great guy to work with and does great work!Comment
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for those who have PM'd me .... a million ways to skin this cat
it's all based on how much $$$ is in your budget
my background with custom rifles and precision accuracy started in 1991 when I got out of treatment and went back to college. I worked for a local gunshop and helped sight in factory rifles. From there I was introduced to hand loading by a benchrest shooter to improve accuracy. I played around in the gunshop and tweaked rifles by blueprinting factory actions , installing custom match grade barrels, pillar and glass bedding McMillan stocks, and fine tuning triggers.
I soon came to realize that my factory rifles could not achieve the accuracy I was striving for. I sold all my factory guns and went with full blown custom rifles. I started shooting benchrest and got to know some of the best gunsmiths in the country. I was like a sponge as my addiction changed from drugs/alcohol to shooting 1 hole groups.
before any rifle purchase or project, you need to decide on a budget and define what your expectations are.
- Is this going to be a deer hunting rifle ?
- Shooting at ranges less than 300 yds , or perhaps out to 1000 yds. ?
- Factory cartridge or wildcat that you have to hand load for ?
- 8 lb carry rifle, or a beanfield rifle weighing up to 12 lbs ?
- Proven accuracy to shoot a deer in the earhole, of just 1" groups at 100 yds ?
Most out of the box factory rifles can range from $500 to $1200. Some cost more and some a little less. Dollar for Dollar , hard to beat a Savage as they flat out shoot. Honestly, I think they're UGLY and have never owned one. During "factory rifle" class shooting competitions, Savage rifles bring home lots of wood.
Rem 700's also shoot well and they have a million aftermarket accessories ... triggers, stocks, etc...
Cooper rifles cost $1500 - $2000 and are scary accurate. I've owned at least a dozen over the years , mainly in small varmint calibers. Cooper only started with long action cartridges about 6-8 yrs ago. From 1999 to around 2005, it was primarily small action wildcat type cartridges ... 17 HeBee , 218 Ackley Bee, 223 AI , 257 AI, etc..... Cooper now makes factory cartridges such as :25-06, 270, 30-06, 280 AI, 300 WM.
Here's the ballpark +/- cost breakdown on building a custom rifle, regardless of caliber:
700 donor action - $ 375 ~ $450
Complete True / blueprint factory action - $ 150 + .... true bolt and recvr face - $100
Custom action - $ 850 ~ $1200 (Stiller, Stolle, Borden, BAT, )
Match grade stainless steel barrel - $ 325 ~ $450 , fluting will add another $ 125.
Thread, chamber, crown barrel onto action - $ 225
Jewell trigger - $ 225
Tune factory trigger to 1.5 ~ 3.0 lbs - $50
Stock ... HS Precison/Bell & Carlson - $ 250 ~ $325 ... McMillan $ 450 + ... Manners $ 650 ~ 1000
Pillar & glass bed stock to action - $200
bottom metal - $ 75 to $ 300+
Also of note .... some gunsmiths take pride in their name and will charge $4500 for the same rifle that can be built by another gunsmith for $2000. Doesn't mean it will shoot any better because "Joe Schmoo" built your rifle.
Additionally, do your homework and ask lots of questions. I've seen some custom rifles that looked like "dung" and wouldn't shoot 1 MOA and the customer paid several thousand dollars.
As far as caliber..... that's your choice. I'm into small caliber wildcats and have to handload for all my stuff. I have close to a dozen 17 and 20 caliber builds. They all shoot tiny groups - "minute of crow's head"
I'm not a fan of magnum calibers , but that's me. Some love the big bore 300's and have no problem loading 80 - 100 grs of powder per shot.
The 6mm's (BR , Dasher, BRX, 6x47L, etc...) are extremely competitive at 600 - 1000 yds and very accurate . They have hardly any recoil especially when shooting a 12 lb rifle from the bench.
Stock design is another topic. Thumbhole stocks feel great to some ppl on hunting rifles. They are not the most accurate from the bench. They get the job done for snipers ... i.e. Accuracy International stocks . The McMillan HTG , or A3-5 series of stocks feel real good and are most common on police/sniper weapons.
enough of my ramblingComment
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Great info Cajun Blake.Comment
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As usual Blake nailed it.
I'm hoping $2500 is for the gun only. If you are expecting to get gun AND optics capable of repeatable shooting at long distances, then you are likely under budgeted.Comment
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