Help with choosing my first long-distance rifle?

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ProudPhoenician

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I've been thinking about getting a rifle for years. I originally wanted a Norinco M305, but that got banned, I would then think about other rifles and they got all the same treatment. So I decided that owning a semi-auto rifle isn't going to feasible for a while, so I started looking into bolt-action rifles, since those appear to be safe for now safe (albeit some have already been put on the chopping block due to some poorly written laws).

I'm going to be putting a budget for the rifle around 3000$ (I am probably not going to buy another centerfire rifle, so I'm going for broke), and I am very interested in 6.5mm creedmoor. I've been to Dante's gun store and CRAFM and they've shown me a lot of options, some with a nice scope included. But I am interested in buying the scope separately, ditto any bipods/mounts. Any suggestions on what I should be looking for when looking for a long-distance rifle? I've read (and forgotten) articles about them, but I found them a bit unsatisfactory, but I have a feeling I would be missing something if I just went by them.

Also anyone living in Quebec can give me some information on rifle ranges within an hour or so drive from Montreal? I hope there are some, otherwise I'd be stuck shooting at 50 yards at CRAFM, and that's a very poor use of a fancy rifle.
 
gorby said:
I would get a heavy barrel Howa 1500, a 20 moa rail, and a nice scope if your budget includes scope. Then, I would upgrade to an XRS chassis on black Friday.

If it is $3000 without the scope, I would grab a Tikka Ace Target.

Currently, I own the Howa in 6.5CM and am thinking of upgrading to the Tikka, haha.
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So the 3000$ is for the rifle only. I will budget for the scope and everything else differently. I might want to watch some videos on long-distance scopes and scopes in general (I already saw some and they're great). I probably would set my budget for a scope at 2000 to 2500$. This is because while I would like a crazy fancy scope, the higher up you go, the less return you get.

Again, this is a once in a lifetime purchase, the whole platform I want to get will be the stuff I am going to use for decades.

Edit: I've been hearing nothing but good about Tikka and Howa, so I am probably going to be looking more for those.
 
Any recommendation is highly dependent on what you want to shoot with it (plinking, target shooting, competition, hunting - and any combination thereof), and ranges you are looking to shoot at.
Not knowing the specifics of the above, I'd still recommend something in .223. It is a fantastic introductory round suitable for many things including introductory precision hand loading, and it is about the cheapest center-fire round you can shoot. A Tikka CTR would be a good all-around bet, but other models might be more suitable to specific tasks.
 
milkbone96 said:
Tikka Varmint in a chassis. Mine is in a KRG Bravo, and about to get a Timney 2-stage trigger upgrade. Its a solid sub-MOA performer straight out of the box for ≈$2000-2500 + whatever glass tickles your fancy.
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beltfed said:
Any recommendation is highly dependent on what you want to shoot with it (plinking, target shooting, competition, hunting - and any combination thereof), and ranges you are looking to shoot at.
Not knowing the specifics of the above, I'd still recommend something in .223. It is a fantastic introductory round suitable for many things including introductory precision hand loading, and it is about the cheapest center-fire round you can shoot. A Tikka CTR would be a good all-around bet, but other models might be more suitable to specific tasks.
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So I am kinda aiming for the moon (not literally) but I would say I would want something I might be able to shoot at 1000+ meters. I'm just being ambitious here. Better to aim for the moon and miss than aim for the mud and hit.

I never entered a shooting competition, but if things go well I might do so. It'll be primarily target shooting. I thought about hunting a long time ago, but then I decided against it, so I settled on target shooting.
 
ProudPhoenician said:
So I am kinda aiming for the moon (not literally) but I would say I would want something I might be able to shoot at 1000+ meters. I'm just being ambitious here. Better to aim for the moon and miss than aim for the mud and hit.

I never entered a shooting competition, but if things go well I might do so. It'll be primarily target shooting. I thought about hunting a long time ago, but then I decided against it, so I settled on target shooting.
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I get half-decent groups at 600y with my setup. Glass is a PST Gen 2 5-25x50 FFP. Could probably do better with better glass, but its still pretty decent.
 
gorby said:
I would get a heavy barrel Howa 1500, a 20 moa rail, and a nice scope if your budget includes scope. Then, I would upgrade to an XRS chassis on black Friday.

If it is $3000 without the scope, I would grab a Tikka Ace Target.

Currently, I own the Howa in 6.5CM and am thinking of upgrading to the Tikka, haha.
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Howa 1500 + Oryx + Viper + magpul bipod
 
I’d personally be looking at a custom action (origin $1500 ish)and a prefit barrel (PVA from go big is $1000) then have a look at some decent stocks or LSS chassis in the EE for $600 or less.

If you ever get bored of the 6.5creed just buy a different caliber prefit.
 
Tikka ACE Target in 24/26inch barrel.
But do consider the ammo cost and how many rounds you will shoot a year, cause 308 could last 2-3 times longer in terms of barrel life.
 
There are lot of good suggestions here, but Maynard's is by far the best.
Get to a range , take an introductory course, try and shoot some different rifles, and talk to people shooting them before jumping in.
If there are any matches near you such as PRS , straight steel, or Fclass, I would strongly encourage you to attend them as a spectator and watch.
You may just find that you will find a rifle discipline that you like that does not require the rifle the rifles that have been suggested.
Or, you may find that you can buy a used rig and be very happy at the same time.
Cat
 
ProudPhoenician said:
I've been thinking about getting a rifle for years. I originally wanted a Norinco M305, but that got banned, I would then think about other rifles and they got all the same treatment. So I decided that owning a semi-auto rifle isn't going to feasible for a while, so I started looking into bolt-action rifles, since those appear to be safe for now safe (albeit some have already been put on the chopping block due to some poorly written laws).

I'm going to be putting a budget for the rifle around 3000$ (I am probably not going to buy another centerfire rifle, so I'm going for broke), and I am very interested in 6.5mm creedmoor. I've been to Dante's gun store and CRAFM and they've shown me a lot of options, some with a nice scope included. But I am interested in buying the scope separately, ditto any bipods/mounts. Any suggestions on what I should be looking for when looking for a long-distance rifle? I've read (and forgotten) articles about them, but I found them a bit unsatisfactory, but I have a feeling I would be missing something if I just went by them.

Also anyone living in Quebec can give me some information on rifle ranges within an hour or so drive from Montreal? I hope there are some, otherwise I'd be stuck shooting at 50 yards at CRAFM, and that's a very poor use of a fancy rifle.
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Welcome!! And have fun choosing a rifle!

Your first mistake is to rely on store staff for all your selection and purchase decisions! Coming here will get different answers based on wider experience and knowledge.

To my knowledge the selection of ranges near Montreal is very limited, and most are short distance. They also have a no-blue-sky restriction that requires baffles that keep bullets from leaving the range. (I never understood the idea of putting a very hard object just slightly out of the line of fire - it is a ricochet hazard.) These are something the SQ's range inspectors insist on, while the CFOs from other provinces don't care about. The only approved ranges that don't have this silly restriction are military bases.
- Farnham has a 300m range for the recruits and apparently there is a military rifle association or base club that has access. You'll have to do some digging to understand who, what, how and when.
- That said, the Province of Quebec Rifle Association (PQRA - ATQ) has access to the long ranges are Valcartier. Those fellows think 200yds is too easy! There is a class for scoped rested rifles called F-Class, for George Farquharson (RIP). Research the cartridge limitations for military ranges if you want to compete. Something that is a bang up match winner in the gun press, may be too powerful for the approved safety template, and ineligible to compete. You'd waste your money.
- The next closest 200yd range is probably EOSC in Cheney, Ontario. If you live on the West Island, EOSC is 15-minutes off the 417. There aren't any organized matches to my knowledge, but at least you can stretch things out.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
Welcome!! And have fun choosing a rifle!

Your first mistake is to rely on store staff for all your selection and purchase decisions! Coming here will get different answers based on wider experience and knowledge.

To my knowledge the selection of ranges near Montreal is very limited, and most are short distance. They also have a no-blue-sky restriction that requires baffles that keep bullets from leaving the range. (I never understood the idea of putting a very hard object just slightly out of the line of fire - it is a ricochet hazard.) These are something the SQ's range inspectors insist on, while the CFOs from other provinces don't care about. The only approved ranges that don't have this silly restriction are military bases.
- Farnham has a 300m range for the recruits and apparently there is a military rifle association or base club that has access. You'll have to do some digging to understand who, what, how and when.
- That said, the Province of Quebec Rifle Association (PQRA - ATQ) has access to the long ranges are Valcartier. Those fellows think 200yds is too easy! There is a class for scoped rested rifles called F-Class, for George Farquharson (RIP). Research the cartridge limitations for military ranges if you want to compete. Something that is a bang up match winner in the gun press, may be too powerful for the approved safety template, and ineligible to compete. You'd waste your money.
- The next closest 200yd range is probably EOSC in Cheney, Ontario. If you live on the West Island, EOSC is 15-minutes off the 417. There aren't any organized matches to my knowledge, but at least you can stretch things out.
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Wow. I was hoping for a good long distance range, but seems like despite Canada being a huge country, those are hard to find... I'll save that comment. The PQRA-ATQ you mentioned might be my best best. The Ontario range is a little far off and it will mean a very long drive.

Maybe a couple hours drive for you to get Ottawa, Connaught Ranges out to 900m. Contact the NCRRA, National Capital Region Rifle Association. They run Introductory Days there and I would suggest taking one of these days before spending any money on a rifle.
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Duly noted. Ontario is very far off as I said, but if I can get some real distance it might be worth the trip. It will have to be something I plan well ahead of time and probably for more than one day (speaking of which I will need to review the laws on how that works).
 
ProudPhoenician said:
they've shown me a lot of options, some with a nice scope included.
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If a scope is included, it is almost never a good scope.

65 Creed is an OK round. Personally I didn't really gel with it. My favourite round has to be 6BR. It is just effortlessly accurate and holds 1000 yd benchrest records.

FWIW, the plastic Magpul bipods are garbage.
 
Since you're from Montreal, I'd suggest going to the Pionniers gun range in l'Assomption. Their rifle range goes to 300M. They also have a gun store. Lots of selection, Tikka Ace Target or CZ600 Range would be good choices. Both available in 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 win.
The people are nice also. Good selection of Scopes. You'll find everything you need there, bipods, ammo, scopes...
As for longer ranges, ValCartier military base has up to 1400M on their Trois-Rivières range (not the city, actually in Shannon, Qc) and the Batoche range for F-Class style shooting on electronic targets.
The Valcartier ranges are accesible to members of the ATPQ association.
 
If you are dead set on buying new, I would recommend a Tikka in a MDT stock. It's hard to beat that combo for cost-effectiveness. Do consider .308 over 6.5CM, for a variety of reasons.

All that being said - I am currently selling a Savage 10TR in .308 as a package. It comes with a decent scope, a Harris bipod and 2x 10-rd mags - but there is also potential there for further upgrades. I've frequently seen 0.5MOA with good ammo. This could be agreat first rifle for you.

Take a look if you're interested.

https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...te-long-range-precision-package-2500.2557208/
 
If I can echo what others have said here, I would strongly encourage you to hold off on purchasing anything until you figure out where you're going to shoot, and what sort of shooting you'll be doing. And then buy a rifle and optic suited to that discipline. I might also suggest that putting the idea of a "once in a lifetime purchase" out of the way for a bit, and looking for a used setup that has depreciated as much as it's likely to, and should be resalable for more or less what you payed when you decide it's time to upgrade.

Access to ranges and/or competitions is going to be your biggest limitation. My calculus is as follows:

0-300m: unless you're going to be playing a short range bench rest game, stick with 22 lr. (Though some ranges may not let you shoot 22 out that far). You can shoot quality ammo for $0.12-$0.25/shot, wind is a big factor at 50 and beyond, and it's a great way to have fun and build shooting fundamentals (aside from recoil management). There are also lots of match opportunities if you don't have a membership somewhere.

300-600m: This is where the 223 shines. Factory ammo is plentiful, and I can shoot factory match ammo for $1.50-$2.25 per round. There is enough going on with wind to make it interesting, and recoil is a consideration, but it's still forgiving.

600m+: this is where the 6.5CM class of cartridges are going to shine (with the rifle setup and glass to match). It's an absolute blast ringing steel at these further distances, but the opportunity to do it in southern Ontario is painfully limited (assuming Quebec is similar). If I didn't have access to a range on private land a few times a year, I wouldn't even bother (and even then, we're taking a full weekend to shoot 20-40 shots at 600-1000m by the time we get back there and set up). Ammo is going to run you $2.75-$4.00 for factory match ammo in the 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 class, and only get pricier as you get into more exotic cartridges.


At the end of the day, if your dream is to own a long range precision rifle, then don't let me or anyone else stop you. But I would definitely be thinking about what kind of shooting I was going to be doing, and where I would be doing it before dropping my hard earned money on a new gun.
 
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