cheap, low recoil, long range, readily available round?

U

uchi

CGN frequent flyer
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niagara falls
i think i may treat myself to a christmas present this year, another rifle. now as much as i love shooting my r700 in 30.06. at a little over a buck a shot it drains the wallet fast. im not a rich man, and having just bought a new house and new truck i dont want to have each range day cost me 100+ for ammo. reloading is the way to go, i know, everyone says it, theres just so much to learn so for now im taking my time and learning before i start buying and doing it. so im curious what you guys would recommend as a relatively in expensive round, that doesnt have nearly the recoil of the 30.06, for accuracy, and that would be accurate up to say 600 yards. and something i could get at the range or at a gun store. basically a fun weekend gun so that i can still enjoy the sport without it hurting the bank account too much on each outing. i dont mind buying another gun because i love adding new toys to it when funding permits, but im thinking long term use. i already snagged a .22 just for screwing around because of how cheap it is to shoot, but on days i wanna shoot over 75 yards id like something a little bigger.

this is also partially a im bored post and i cant sleep and my mind is all over the place and my wife is sick with the flu so i cant clean guns because the smell might make her puke post. :)
 
I am going to be the first to give the obvious answer, a .223! Mystic Precision on this board is famous for pushing it out to a mile or something like that if I am not mistaken. It will easily do 600 yards but if you want a bit more boom you could always look into something like a .243 although ammo won't be much cheaper than your 30.06.

But for your purposes the .223 is the obvious answer because you can shoot it all day for pretty cheap and almost no recoil and it is a very accurate round.
 
excellent thanks for the answer. for anything that far id likely end up just using my r700 but im years and years away form being that good and i have no place to shoot out that far without several hours of driving.

thanks again
 
Yup the .223 is a great round.

Reloading is not as hard it may seem, you can get into it for less than a case of military surplus ammo and have twice as much fun doing it.

Was hitting a 4"x4" rock at 900yds in Saskatchewan this summer, great fun.
 
oh man i wish we had stuff like that here in niagara falls area. sadly we dont have too many open spaces here and none that id shoot on legally, shotguns are ok but i dont think id want to let a rifle go out here.

im sure once i start it wouldn't be bad, but all the reading ive done just makes my head spin a little, measuring weighing trimming etc etc etc. what i need to do is make friends with a local who reloads and have him help me out :D
 
another vote for .223..

as far as the reloading yes there is lots of reading to do but when you break it down its super simple

clean
size/deprime
trim and debur
prime
powder
seat bullet

see, simple!!
 
uchi said:
what i need to do is make friends with a local who reloads and have him help me out :D
Click to expand...

That is EXACTLY what you should do.

Once you do the steps once it is easy as pie. I was intimidated to start reloading until a friend showed me the ropes.
 
this is good to know. ive got a buddy whos starting to learn aswell and he bought some fancy thing that puts in the primers and drops in the powder and seats the bullet with just a few handle pulls. something like that seems like it would make the most sense to me, set it up and be done with it. hes just having an issue with his setup, sometimes the primers dont fall into place, sometimes the bullets sit in there loosely. with reloading is it worth buying used equipment or is it something you should try to buy new?
 
To start in reloading, get a single stage press and don't worry about all that set up. Get a hand priming tool and an RCBS kit, a set of 223 dies, bullets and powder and get at it.

The kit comes with a Speer manual which will cover the basics of how to reload. The kit will have everything you need except a powder tickler (maybe).

Get a 223 with 1:8 or 1:7 twist (if you want to go long) as these will easily spin 75 gn bullets or heavier. 1:9 can work too for 75s.... or not, depending on the actual twist rate (they do vary a bit)

With time and patients at developing your process, you can load a good amount of rounds in pretty short time. Plus a single stage press gives you control over every step of the process. I still use only my single stage press and regularly attend events that require 100-200 loaded rounds. Just takes some time be easy to do in manageable chunks (1/2-1 hour a day). My wife does kind of look at me funny when she sees the time I spend but she understands that it is my passion.

As for places to shoot, check out the ORA and give that a try. Access to military ranges with distances between 300-1000 yards.

Just get out and do it. It's fun.
 
You don't have to drive a half day to get shooting. The ORA shoots at Winona which is only 300m, but if you want to drive a little farther Borden has 1000 yards. The ORA also uses Cedar Springs which is only 17 km from my house but again only 400m. Yes I drive a little over 4 hours each way to shoot 1000 yards in Borden, but thats what you have to do if you want to shoot that distance.
 
What Maynard and Bolivar said! It's the truth!

Once you get hooked on shooting out to 700, 800, or 100 yards; one will realize that all the internet hype about LR shooting will be just THAT! Experience is the BEST teacher and you will rub elbows with some super experienced LR shooters in the ORA. :D

That experience will quickly accumulate and become your best Bzllshzt filter from the internet and wannabees!

Hope this helps fuel the addiction!

Cheers,
Barney
 
Uchi,
the best thing you can do if you like to shoot is start reloading. Agreed, it can seem like a lot to learn initially but it really is very straight forward if you apply common sense. Mind you it likely will not save you money. Its a hobby in itself and you can spend as much as you want on components and equipment. Good thing is you get to shoot your produce. You learn more than just how to make bullets when reloading.

Reloading drives your shooting which in turn drives your reloading which drives your shooting etc. :D
 
great info and thats for all the help guys. ive been to the ora sight and borden caught my attention aswell, the drive out there deters me a little but maybe i can convince my wife to make a weekend out of it, i just need to get my hands on a better spotting scope.

ive never heard of cedar springs but google maps doesnt place it that far out of reach. im gonna have to look into that place some more. id love to stretch my guns legs out past that pesky 200y mark with my r700.

ill take the reloading advice and start looking for components and collecting over the next little while. theres a guy that goes to a local gun show we have a few times a year that sells i believe lee kits, complete kits at a decent price. i think next time i see him ill get the kit and the dies i need and go from there. ill just need to find a guinea pig to try my first batch :D

thanks for all the help and advice guys
 
uchi, if you drive to Borden from Niagara Falls you will also be driving right past Winona. You can see it from the QEW on the righthand side just before you get to 50 Point Road.
 
maynard said:
uchi, if you drive to Borden from Niagara Falls you will also be driving right past Winona. You can see it from the QEW on the righthand side just before you get to 50 Point Road.
Click to expand...

winona as in by beamsville? the other town i looked at showed it being out in the oakville area or so.

regardless it seems closer than borden. i think i trip is needed. is that an open range to anyone or do i need to be a member to shoot there?
 
Winona is a DND range used by the ORA. You can only shoot there on days that are booked by the ORA (same as Borden, Cedar Springs and Kingston). I believe Winona is considered part of Hamilton. If you take the exit for 50 Point Conservation Area and take the road to the Conservation Area, the range is another 500-600m up the road. The range faces out on to Lake Ontario.
 
perfect thanks bud, im gonna look into it and once able to drive take a trip out there and check it out. im always up for seeing new ranges, theres only so many times i can visit silverdale, lol
 
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