How to buy the right gun.

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utoronto

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I want to learn the art of long distance shooting but I don't want to constantly upgrade guns and optics as i progress so what would you say would be a good start package and how much am I looking at spending. I want to practice for a couple of years before I buy my Accuracy International :)

So
Rifle?
scope?
rings?----Whats the best I dont want to compromise
Base?---- Whats the best I dont want to compromise
 
I just got into it myself. I bought a remington 700 SS 5R fro $1200. An AICS stock for $1000, and a bushnell elite 6500 4.5-30x scope $1000. All plus tax of course. You don't need the AICS stock, but dam it looks and feels good. So for a good factory rifle and scope I would say around $2000. I recommend a remington 700 as they are very easily upgraded. So as you get better (and save more money) you can rebarrel them easily.
Make sure you handload to as you save money ammo and produce much better ammo.
So far I've managed a 5 shot 3/8" group at a 100 (what a difference an extra "0" makes) yards with my factory set up with handloaded ammo.
 
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How far and how accurate?

You can start with some factory rifles in .223 or .243 or .308, common calibers are easy to find things for.Nothing wrong with a used rifle especially if you will be upgrading it.

But if you wanna buy just one rifle. Go with something in a 700 Remington as this action can be worked with great success as time goes on. You can re-barrel this action also later on.

Optics- The sky is the limit, literally you can spend 10 or 11K on super high end scopes, but for $1000-$2000 you can be competitive and consistent.As for brands . Bushnell 6500, Sightron, Night Force, Zeiss, Leupold, all personal preference after you look through a few.

Rings and bases can be addressed when you purchase and mount your scope. Good bases can be over $100 as can some rings. You optics supplier will recommend items for use with the scope you purchase.

I know that a couple of the fellows who shoot competitively will speak up on this one and they are very knowledgeable, very much worth hearing what they have to say!

Forgot to mention, on a rifle you will be upgrading, it may be a good candidate to practice some stock work also, bedding, floating, etc.........Never know you could tune yourself a real shooter!
 
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I'd start with a savage 10 heavy barrel variation in .223 or .308 Add a farrel steel one-piece base and a bushnell 4200 scope.

Another option for would be to buy a savage 111 package rifle and order an aftermarket 7mm mag heavy barrel and add a timney trigger and the optic and base noted above, would make an awesome LR hunting rig too.

Either way your looking @ $2000, could get it down to $1800 if you start with a Stevens 200
 
I am just waiting for my rifle to be completed. It is a used Savage action, Shilen select match stainless barrel chambered in 260 remington, recoil lug, EGW 0 MOA base and a used B & C Gold Medalist stock. I thought really hard about going to the AI version, but I did not want increased barrel wear or the difficulty in finding dies. So far I have about $1500 invested, and I have yet to add glass or rings. I will be putting a Vortex Viper 6.5-20X50 on it for now until the rings show up for my Vortex Razor 5-20X50 with MRAD reticle.

The sky is the limit on a custom set up. I thought about it and researched it for a LONG time, and I am sure I drove a few guys NUTZ (sorry mysticplayer!) but I ultimatly landed on a Savage action as they are very solid performers with out needing any major surgery to make them shoot well. I have owned lots of very accurate Remingtons, but even the guys at the Canadian Remington warranty department (I know them personally) DONT shoot Remington actions on their own target rifles! What does THAT tell you?
 
You will never learn to be a really good long distance shooter if your rifle and the ammo are not cabable of going exactly where they are pointed. If you want to learn to do it right, I suggest you actually speak with guys that take the long-distance shooting thing very seriously and let them SHOW you what they use and WHY. These sorts of questions appear frequently on this forum and others, and the definition of precision is often quite nebulous. F-Class is a precision long range shooting sport that uses the very sort of rifle you're contemplating.

First of all, master short range shooting first. Effective shooting - particularly long range shooting - is the culmination of skill, ammo and rifle. The rifle is only one third of the picture. When you can consistently match the accuracy of the rifle, then you can learn how to use what the shot is telling you.

If you don't want to keep upgrading (Which is waste of money in my opinion anyway) do it right the first time. Get yourself a good stock, action and barrel and have a precision gunsmith assemble it properly. I would pick a forgiving cartridge such as the 6BR and start mastering the art of 100 and 200 yard shooting.

As to your ambition to own an AI, It is a very nice Sniper Weapon systems with excellent magazines, but you can build a rifle that will out-perform that rifle hands-down for half the money of one of these rifles. It was designed to hit people-sized targets. Precison shooting sports such as Benchrest of F-Class are all about hitting targets FAR smaller.
 
What's your budget?
"...How much would a custom rifle cost me?..." Think in terms of 3 grand plus. Pay very close attention to what Obtunded says. Think in terms of walking before running.
Not all long range shooting involves a scope either.
 
utoronto said:
huh long range no scope.....How does that work I can barely see my target past 300 yards how can you hit it?
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The TR (target rifle) guys use very precise iron sights such as this Central, seen here on a Lee-Enfield:

DSCN4687.jpg


It's used with a globe type foresight such as this, also seen on the same LE:

DSCN4685.jpg


As long as you can see your target, with sights like this you can "walk" your bullets into V-Bull territory. Watching the TR guys do this at long range is truly humbling.
By the way, both sights came off the .308 I use in F-class shooting.
 
utoronto said:
How much would a custom rifle cost me? I would like to use a big caliber no less than a 308.
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If you do not currently shoot, that would be silly. Havy calibers are harder to make shoot accurately, they typically eat barrels, they definitely eat powder and they use expensive bullets. They have harsh recoil which develops terrible shooting habits and they are punishing in long strings.

Long range precision is all about bullets with high ballistic coefficients. 6, 6.5 and 7mm bullets are as good as they get.

As to costs....

Barnard action with rail and trigger - $1500
Barrel 440
Stock 750
Smithing 300

So call it 2 grand before sights/scope and it will be a guaranteed tight shooter.
 
Obtunded said:
If you do not currently shoot, that would be silly. Havy calibers are harder to make shoot accurately, they typically eat barrels, they definitely eat powder and they use expensive bullets. They have harsh recoil which develops terrible shooting habits and they are punishing in long strings.
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Although I'm by no means a precision shooter, I'm considering getting into it, and I completely agree... I jumped into my first rifle purchase, and now I'm starting to reconsider. I ended up getting a Savage 110 in .30-06, as the price was right (for me) and I was considering getting into hunting. The first time I took it out, I destroyed my shoulder by putting 30 rounds through it. Not a good day out.

Since then, I've put a Limbsaver pad on it, which helps immensely with recoil, but I still don't shoot it too often. I tend to go with another person when I shoot, and it's a bit of a heavy caliber for her as well. Instead, I'm debating whether to put it up on the EE and try to trade it for a basic Stevens in .223. If I decide to hunt in the future, I'll find another .30 caliber, but for now it's unnecessary (and impractical) for a day at the range.
 
Barnard action with rail and trigger - $1500
Barrel 440
Stock 750
Smithing 300

So call it 2 grand before sights/scope and it will be a guaranteed tight shooter.
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2 grand seemed low when I read it,the total is more like 3 grand.By the way,your $300 for smithing is a deal,in that it is about 1/2 what I was quoted from a few gunbuilders.
 
With a bedded action and stock from Robertson, you need only mount the barrel. 300 is top dollar for a chambering and mounting, and yes, I meant 3 grand :)
 
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