Basic characteristics of a long range rifle
- Thread starter lewiss009
- Start date
Depends on what you are trying to do with it. Precision (sniper style matches), Target Rifle, F Class, hunt, long range benchrest, shoot steel gongs, shoot rocks way out there?
The basic characteristics are a barrel, trigger, stock and some kind of sighting system.
The basic characteristics are a barrel, trigger, stock and some kind of sighting system.
well I'm looking for a long range hunting rifle that will also double as a long range target rifle. I understand that it would be best to have a bedded rifle, and a solid stock that doesn't shift, having a heavy barrel would be good. But I'm curious about what characteristics you guys think makes a good long range rifle and why? I'm wanting to understand how you've decided to go with certain barrels or stocks or actions.
Research the bullet weight you want to shoot in that calibre, and make sure you get a barrel with the proper twist rate for it. I'd say if you have the money, avoid the crapshoot of a factory barrel, and have a quality barrel installed by a gunsmith on a trued action. If you don't have a good barrel and action, you've got a poor foundation for accuracy. You can always upgrade stocks as your needs dictate.
ultimate_monkey
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- victoria BC
quality action - why, tight tolerances and machine work aid accuacy
quality barrel - once again a good barrel is machine with little tollerance changes and aids accuracy
quaility scope - being repeatable to dial up and back down to you zero is critical to make those long shots
quality stock - a filmsy POS stock will flex and contort under recoil making consistancy almost imposible
crisp clean trigger - triggers that are to heavy or have alot of creep make consistant trigger pull difficult
are the basics charicteristics of a GOOD long range rifle... in THEORY any rifle can be shot a long distance, but hitting your target is a whole other ball game
quality barrel - once again a good barrel is machine with little tollerance changes and aids accuracy
quaility scope - being repeatable to dial up and back down to you zero is critical to make those long shots
quality stock - a filmsy POS stock will flex and contort under recoil making consistancy almost imposible
crisp clean trigger - triggers that are to heavy or have alot of creep make consistant trigger pull difficult
are the basics charicteristics of a GOOD long range rifle... in THEORY any rifle can be shot a long distance, but hitting your target is a whole other ball game
The action does not mean as much as the barrel. Next would be bedding/stock then the trigger. A $2000 scope will not turn a 3 MOA rifle into a 1/4 MOA rifle.
On a long range hunting rifle you want something that will make a humane kill. Target rifles only need enough juice to stay supersonic out to 1000 yards and poke through paper.
On a long range hunting rifle you want something that will make a humane kill. Target rifles only need enough juice to stay supersonic out to 1000 yards and poke through paper.
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Again- It depends.
I see your point, but not everyone will be a professional competitor. Most people cannot afford to have multiple specialized rifles. I think a well planned multi purpose rifle is a great idea for the average person who wants to be able to participate in certain disciplines within the shooting community.
You won’t win any medals, but you will still have fun.
ok well I've been considering the remington 700 5r. I feel that this rifle has many of the qualities you have brought up and discussed. I was thinking about shooting barnes out of it. I'm particularly interested in the LTX 175 grains that they came out with this year. The only caliber offered in the model of the remington 700 5r that I can buy is a .308 I'm not sure if it's possible to get it in different calibers since I'm not wanting to state something that is false. I'm also curious, has the rifling in that milspec barrel been replicated by machine shops? Could I go out and buy a barrel with that rifling done to it ? or would I have to purchase another milspec barrel? Is it possible to purchase a milspec barrel?
The ‘Milspec’ part is marketing. 5R rifling was made popular by a barrel maker named Obermeyer. It has a loyal following, but so does three groove and six groove… etc… Broughton (another barrel maker) has a style called 5C. If you do some research on types of barrel rifling (aka: lands and grooves) you will read all sorts of advantages and disadvantages and many opinions concerning the different variations.
Going back to ‘Milspec:’ It comes from the fact that the US Army’s issued rifle to Snipers, the M24, is a modified Remington 700 with a barrel that uses 5R rifling. I think now they are slowly switching to a gas gun though…?
The 5R is a very good rifle. They are known to be accurate rifles ‘out of the box.’ They also have a slightly faster barrel twist than the other rifles in Remington Law Enforcement line. The 5R is 1/11.25 instead of the traditional 1/12. Faster twists are generally better for stabilizing heavier bullets. So the faster twist, the more bullets your rifle has the potential to shoot well.
The 5R also comes in .300 Mag (rare.), and 223. They also have a model with a twenty inch barrel now.
As for barrels, any competent gunsmith can change a Remington barrel to whatever barrel you want. There are lots of companies (McLennen, Kreiger, Bartlein, Shilen, Pacnor, Rock, etc…) offering a lot of options.
The 5R is a great rifle to start with and should last you a long time. Don’t worry too much about barrels now. A 308 can go thousands of rounds before needing a new barrel. I would look into reloading before a new barrel.
Start reading up!
Going back to ‘Milspec:’ It comes from the fact that the US Army’s issued rifle to Snipers, the M24, is a modified Remington 700 with a barrel that uses 5R rifling. I think now they are slowly switching to a gas gun though…?
The 5R is a very good rifle. They are known to be accurate rifles ‘out of the box.’ They also have a slightly faster barrel twist than the other rifles in Remington Law Enforcement line. The 5R is 1/11.25 instead of the traditional 1/12. Faster twists are generally better for stabilizing heavier bullets. So the faster twist, the more bullets your rifle has the potential to shoot well.
The 5R also comes in .300 Mag (rare.), and 223. They also have a model with a twenty inch barrel now.
As for barrels, any competent gunsmith can change a Remington barrel to whatever barrel you want. There are lots of companies (McLennen, Kreiger, Bartlein, Shilen, Pacnor, Rock, etc…) offering a lot of options.
The 5R is a great rifle to start with and should last you a long time. Don’t worry too much about barrels now. A 308 can go thousands of rounds before needing a new barrel. I would look into reloading before a new barrel.
Start reading up!
milspec tolerances are not that tight! military are happy with 1 mao grouping. if you go with a competition barrel the chambering, action will have tighter tolerances and in hunting / hard use situations dirt can pose a problem with the rifle functioning properly. thus the reason for looser tolerances with "milspec" must work in the sand type of thinking.
- Location
- Halifax, NS
How has no one mentioned a bubble level or angle cosine indicator?
Unless you're talking about benchrest shooting on a "golf course range" you should not look over this very important concept.
Lucky for you it's possible to cheap out it and buy the Horus Vision ASLI for like $70.
As far as why this is important, well, I'll leave that to you to figure it out
Unless you're talking about benchrest shooting on a "golf course range" you should not look over this very important concept.
Lucky for you it's possible to cheap out it and buy the Horus Vision ASLI for like $70.
As far as why this is important, well, I'll leave that to you to figure it out
6mm Shooter
CGN Regular
- Location
- White City, SK
Expensive is the most common characteristic
How has no one mentioned a bubble level or angle cosine indicator?
Unless you're talking about benchrest shooting on a "golf course range" you should not look over this very important concept.
Lucky for you it's possible to cheap out it and buy the Horus Vision ASLI for like $70.
As far as why this is important, well, I'll leave that to you to figure it out
Ooooo u got a link for that unit?
- Location
- Halifax, NS
Good luck finding a retailer in Canada. I bought mine directly from their site and had no issues with importing. The shipping was reasonable too.
I'd advise that you get the scope mounted option, not the rail mounted. While the rail mounted option has a lower overal profile and is imposible to mess up the instalation, I found my bubble level is off center when the rifle is level. If you get the scope mounted option, it'll stick out more but you will be able to fine tune the angle it's mounted at and get the bubble level reading properly.
For me, it's not a big deal; I just need to remember where the bubble is at when the rifle is actually level.
I'd advise that you get the scope mounted option, not the rail mounted. While the rail mounted option has a lower overal profile and is imposible to mess up the instalation, I found my bubble level is off center when the rifle is level. If you get the scope mounted option, it'll stick out more but you will be able to fine tune the angle it's mounted at and get the bubble level reading properly.
For me, it's not a big deal; I just need to remember where the bubble is at when the rifle is actually level.
