Don't listen to these guys. They probably only have 400 years of experience between them all. Get a 300 PRC custom built on an extremely expensive action. Put a 25x nightforce scope on it. Make sure it weighs at least 12 pounds and doesn't have swivel studs on it to put a sling on it. You'll only ever be packing it extremely long distances in your Stony Creek pack or eberlestock with a scabbard. That sling probably weights 6 ounces and with a 12 pound rifle you'll want to save every ounce you can by eliminating useless stuff like rifle slings. Ounces make pounds and pounds make pain they say. Make sure you get a range finder. It's important to buy the cheapest one you can find because you already dumped $4000 into the rifle build before you even consider the glass. Get something that the manufacturer says it good to 800 yards. They'd never lie to you. You just didn't notice the part that said "reflective targets". Plus if it actually ranged out to 1200 plus it would just tempt you to take unethical shots at those longer ranges. For practice at longer ranges you can just figure out your distances from Google Earth or the cheap app installed on your phone. Learn how to use it later. Don't worry about cell service either. I wouldn't worry about reloading either. With such an expensive rifle it'll be such a precision piece of equipment that you'll only need to fire half a box of factory ammo (whenever that shows up for the 300 PRC) to get it dialed in and then it'll always be dead on. Make sure you pick a gunsmith locally in town no one has ever heard of before to build this rifle. He'll be faster to finish the build plus you'll be keeping your money in the local economy. Besides someone probably told you he used to build guns for (insert the name of whatever custom shop is hip these days). Whatever else you do, don't practice more than 3 times a year. Ammo is expensive. You're probably best off to just go learn on your own too. Definitely don't ask any of the guys at the local range for any help. They're weird. And smell. They might even have wood stocks on their rifles. You'll be elite and they just won't understand.
All kidding aside. When I wanted to learn to shoot longer range all I had was a 270. I went out with a co-worker who practiced a lot and had a good safe area and we set up some targets and some steel. It's staggering what most rifles are capable of. The biggest limitations by far are your own knowledge and skills. Learn how the equipment works and learn to use it properly. That 270 and 300 WSM are capable of doing things at ranges you won't believe until you learn how to do it. It's education more than equipment. Learn to reload if you don't already. And then when you have learned and made mistakes and learned some more. Pass the knowledge on to those who also want to learn.
All kidding aside. When I wanted to learn to shoot longer range all I had was a 270. I went out with a co-worker who practiced a lot and had a good safe area and we set up some targets and some steel. It's staggering what most rifles are capable of. The biggest limitations by far are your own knowledge and skills. Learn how the equipment works and learn to use it properly. That 270 and 300 WSM are capable of doing things at ranges you won't believe until you learn how to do it. It's education more than equipment. Learn to reload if you don't already. And then when you have learned and made mistakes and learned some more. Pass the knowledge on to those who also want to learn.
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