Explain why a sporter/precision hybrid rifle is a bad idea

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GunNewb

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as someone who wants to

a) do moderately serious informal target practice to improve as a shooter. Mostly at 100 yards but eventually the odd trip out to crown land for some long range work. 200-300 yards.

b) hunt

the concept of owning one centerfire rifle is appealing. Since Im not competing I'm not sure if I need a 12lb bull barrel rifle. but I would still like to be able to shoot targets the size of a deer's vitals out to longer ranges eventually. I understand heat stringing with a thin bbl will show its face here during my practice sessions but is it THAT big a factor? can I just keep shooting and compensate for the stringing or does it just go all over the place?


Rifles Im considering are sako's 85, rem 700.(my favorite left hand options) these are 7.5lb guns and I should be able to load down my calibre 30-06 or .308(I reload) to accomodate for longer practice sessions with recoil. For hunting Im thinking of picking up a macmillan stock which would drop the weight down about a LB, making the rifles easier to carry.

thanks for reading! how much of this is a bad idea?
 
Should not be a problem for your intended purpose. A sporter rifle should be more then sufficent for what you want. If you get a good example with a good load for it, you might be even able to shoot further then you expect with great accuracy.

Nothing wrong with a good "jack of all trades" rifle, but it won't be amazing at any one task, so accept some compromise.

Remember, for a lot of people on this thread, 300 meters is very close range.
 
You should bear in mind that the average sporting rifle, with the right ammo, can outshoot the average gunnewb. So the person is the limiting factor for accuracy, not the rifle. Get out and start shooting.
 
I have a completly accurized mod 70 that i shoot to 1000 yards with,my specs are
Mod 70 action crf accurized
Kieger 1-9.5twist fwt contour 23.5" long .560" at the muzzle
mcmillan Win fwt stock with snabel foerend
Atlas bipod rail attached to stock
Centershot 3 port muzzle brake
March 2x25 hunting scope with duples reticle
Jewel trigger at 1.3lbs
The gun weighs about 9lbs as is and I shoot regularly out to 600yards
and if i do my part i do 3inch groups with it. So yes you can have a very accurate
light gun for hunting close and far if needed.
Elmer
 
As a fellow lefty I can feel your pain in the lack of options available to us (although it is getting better). I started with a Remington SPS-V in 308, and for me it was a good platform to build from. You could likely just change out the stock and have a little trigger work done and have a very serviceable hunting/informal target rifle. The factory varmint barrel is heavy enough to stand up to some competition use so you wouldn't need to change it out right away.

The other one I would be looking at is the Tikka T3 Varmint HB, but for a little more money and a little more weight it would be hard to find anything that shoots as well as the T3 Sporter. Personally I just don't care for the stock on it.
 
Kevin M. said:
Should not be a problem for your intended purpose. A sporter rifle should be more then sufficent for what you want. If you get a good example with a good load for it, you might be even able to shoot further then you expect with great accuracy.

Nothing wrong with a good "jack of all trades" rifle, but it won't be amazing at any one task, so accept some compromise.

Remember, for a lot of people on this thread, 300 meters is very close range.
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+1

Absolutely.

Nearly any factory rifle made these days will shoot fine out to 300 yards. Either of those mentioned in the OP would be excellent.
 
stick with one gun, practice and then look at reloading . No need for 2 guns now, and no point branching into all sorts of guns until you can reload. Have fun, ignore free anonymous advice :)
 
I'd say heat is the enemy for thin barrels. At the range my sako a7, once heated up, would shoot absolute garbage groups. You have to let it cool if you want to see how accurate you really are shooting. Waiting for a hunting rifle to cool takes so long! Or it seems like it does. A bull bbl does not have that problem. Also, I heard that bull bbls are instrinsicly accurate. More steel, can take more heat, less flex.

I hunt with my 13lb rifle. I don't mind the extra weight. I have an eberlestock backpack with a scabbard that I can put my rifle in if I have to walk a serious distance.
 
dero338 said:
you can shoot target very acurately with a light barrel
just keep it cold
I use a 12v camping inflator with some 1/2 clear ose to cool down my rifles
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You are right the f**k out of er buds.....

Most dudes in this forum shoot 300Y for warmup.... just sayin...
You shoot a light barrel? Good for you, as long as it is a challenge, and you are learning, its a win win for ya. Just keep shooting, and enjoy what you do.
 
There's no reason a precision target rifle can't be used to hunt with providing it's a big enough caliber for your game AND your willing to carry a heavier rifle. If you don't mind carrying the weight, get a 5-20ish power scope and your good to go.
 
Why not consider a tactical tyle rifle with a 20" heavy barrel - should still be light enough to carry on a hunt and will be perfect for your precision out to 300 and beyond.
 
There is no good reason why a sporting weight rifle cannot be very accurate.
It might not be good for competition though, if there is a time limit for a number of shots to be fired; the barrel would get really hot.
 
Tomochan said:
Why not consider a tactical tyle rifle with a 20" heavy barrel - should still be light enough to carry on a hunt and will be perfect for your precision out to 300 and beyond.
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That is a really good idea too.

Might not be amazing for LR shooting past 500 unless you know your gear to a T, but that appears not to be a huge problem for the OP.

That said, I have personally witnessed a mod on this forum who has made a clean, cold bore shot at one mile on a 2'x2' steel with a 20" .308 build. Probably one of the more impressive bits of shooting I have ever seen in my life.
 
Kevin M. said:
:confused:

I sure would like to see a pic of the peoples faces around you when you fire up a mattress inflator at your gun.

:p
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:D The times I have seen these suggestions posted, I think, yeah cool idea.
Then I wonder what the other guys at the range would say. :D
 
This sounds like a thin veiled Stevens 200 thread...;)

No good reason NOT to own an accurate leight weight sporter rifle. Everyone should have at LEAST one.

Don't kid yourself though. They're definitely not considered precision rifles.
 
I have a 223 Tikka T3 sporter weight barrel that doubles as a hunting rifle and long range target play toy. With a VXII scope with M1 elevation dial. Shoots MOA or even better at 600 yards. I even stretched it out to 800 yards and was consistently hitting a 5 gallon bucket. I don't compete but I wanted to improve my rifle skills and this combo has been excellent for that.
 
Not a bad idea at all. There are even slots in competition for that slightly heavier barreled gun. (See Burns Lake 1000 yd Shoot) The guys who use those for hunting do some hiking with a 40 pound backpack and then the day of the hunt throw the 9 Lb gun over their shoulder without the backpack and think its a piece of cake. Preparation is the key. Practice with the heavier gun as well. Standing, prone, bench rest and tree branches.
Have fun.
 
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