Sorry to say this. But don't waste more money buying better ammo or a better scope yet.
Sell the rifle. It will probably benefit you so much more and save you a Of time, money and effort.
Missberg nightrade rifles are not what I feel should be attempted to be used in the Long range precision world. Just my two.
Save cash, and your hair falling out trying to make a it work.
I would disagree, he's going to need a better scope and ammo anyways - unless you're suggesting he mounts the barska on to a Remington/Savage and shoot norinco ammo out of it.
Now that would be a waste of money.
I wish those that are always bragging about the benefits of the cheap guns would show up in threads like this. They like to point out how great these guns are at getting more people into shooting but forget they only frustrate and discourage a new shooter. A cheap gun with cheap scope is no consolation when you can't hit what you're aiming for.
There are "cheap guns" and there are inexpensive guns. I have a Stevens 200 in .308 Win with an old Bushnell Scopechief 4X on it. This rifle shoots consistent 1.5" groups and all I've done to it was to change to an old three screw Savage trigger that I got for $10 at a gun show. My total cost is about $400, that would make it an inexpensive gun but it sure isn't cheap junk!
There are "cheap guns" and there are inexpensive guns. I have a Stevens 200 in .308 Win with an old Bushnell Scopechief 4X on it. This rifle shoots consistent 1.5" groups and all I've done to it was to change to an old three screw Savage trigger that I got for $10 at a gun show. My total cost is about $400, that would make it an inexpensive gun but it sure isn't cheap junk!
That's great accuracy from a $400 gun and fine if you're happy with 1.5" and all you're doing is shooting at 100yds. But this is a precision forum, take your gun out to 800-1000yds and suddenly your 1.5" group is 15" at least and that 4x scope without parallax is not going to do you any favors not to mention the stock. I got a stock Rem 5R that shoots 1/2"-5/8" out of the box with a Nikon 10x Tactical, not exactly high end kit but it's a solid set up and punches well above it's price point when you compare it to custom rifles. Not saying the Savages/Stevens are bad, but to bring them up to scratch will likely cost as much as a new 5R by the time you get a new stock-barrel-trigger. Tikka's are nice too but a little more pricey, another plus is the Rem is scalable as you improve with lots of aftermarket support. It's up to the OP and his budget, my only advice is if he's getting into precision shooting is to save more money and get some decent kit and look at reloading (do the math on buying vs. reloading 1000rnds and it's almost a wash including the equipment).
Nothing more satisfying having worked hard to purchase good kit, putting it all together properly, working on reloads, then watching the results as you bang holes into tiny groups or make steel ring from stupid distances. It's either that or posting here about the troubles you're having with a POS rifle one of the manufacturers marketing team suckered a new shooter into buying. It really sucks to say that but it's the OP's reality, and I feel as more experienced shooters it's our responsibility to guide a new shooter as best we can with good advice even if it's not something they may not want to hear.
That's great accuracy from a $400 gun and fine if you're happy with 1.5" and all you're doing is shooting at 100yds. But this is a precision forum, take your gun out to 800-1000yds and suddenly your 1.5" group is 15" at least and that 4x scope without parallax is not going to do you any favors not to mention the stock. I got a stock Rem 5R that shoots 1/2"-5/8" out of the box with a Nikon 10x Tactical, not exactly high end kit but it's a solid set up and punches well above it's price point when you compare it to custom rifles. Not saying the Savages/Stevens are bad, but to bring them up to scratch will likely cost as much as a new 5R by the time you get a new stock-barrel-trigger. Tikka's are nice too but a little more pricey, another plus is the Rem is scalable as you improve with lots of aftermarket support. It's up to the OP and his budget, my only advice is if he's getting into precision shooting is to save more money and get some decent kit and look at reloading (do the math on buying vs. reloading 1000rnds and it's almost a wash including the equipment).
Nothing more satisfying having worked hard to purchase good kit, putting it all together properly, working on reloads, then watching the results as you bang holes into tiny groups or make steel ring from stupid distances. It's either that or posting here about the troubles you're having with a POS rifle one of the manufacturers marketing team suckered a new shooter into buying. It really sucks to say that but it's the OP's reality, and I feel as more experienced shooters it's our responsibility to guide a new shooter as best we can with good advice even if it's not something they may not want to hear.
They're not cheap shots but points of fact. There is a difference between a $400 and a $1000 rifle, figure out all the changes you have to make to the $400 rifle to bring it up to par to the $1000 one and you'll likely be around $600 more between barrel/stock/trigger, perhaps even more. To make a $400 rifle compromises in parts and quality have to be made, there's no getting around it, and those compromises do affect the performance of the rifle. As a hunting rifle or plinker 1.5" groups are great, but the OP bought the Nightrain set up more as a precision rifle and the performance of his rifle/scope/ammo commensurate with the amount of money he spent. He can spend his time (the equivalent of money from a manufacturing standpoint) and more money getting this dog to work, or start from scratch with a system that will perform to his expectations. Money is a factor in performance, and there's an exponential correlation between accuracy and cost to achieve it. The smaller and more consistent you expect your groups to be the more it's going to cost you.
I have owned this Mossberg night train 2 for over a year now and is my first real attempt at longer range accuracy shooting.
Whats so good about the 5r anyway? The stock is stiff but, other than that.... whats so great about a 5r?