If you want to shoot 500-1000 yards

UNtoldfox

UNtoldfox

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If you wanted to shot 500-1000 yards (which most of you do I'm sure... I don't - yet!) What kind of gun would you buy? Ie. .330? 308? 30-06? make/ model?

I owned a .223 Savage 10FP, but I want something with a little bit more power and something that will drain the bank account a little bit more :( ....

I'm thinking a .308 cause thats what snipers use, and there has to be a reason for that..

I don't want the BEST OF THE BEST, but I would like to look into a gun that I will keep for many years to come. so, in your opinion, what would you buy if you were on a budget.

Thanks again guys,
Curtis
 
probably 1200 - 1400 bucks. thats like max right now. I know its not much.

like I said, I'd like a supersniper 10X ( I know you can't get those in Canada. so whatever is close to it. is Falken?.. or something along those lines?..)
 
Get a Savage in .223 and spend the extra on a good stock. If the .223 is too boring a quick barrel and boltface change and you have a different caliber to shoot. Change it back and forth to any caliber as you please. Add different calibers as money allows.
 
I have a Remington 700 VS with an HS stock that wears a Falcon Merlin 10x scope. Caliber .308 win. I also own a 10x Supersniper. I have used both scopes out to 600 yards and prefer the Merlin and the mp20 retical for better holdover. The scopes are easliy comparable one being just as good as the other. The newer Menace series should be a bit clearer than the SS, but its also a bit more money. I have more than enough elevation adjustments left to get me out to 1000 yards without slanted bases or rings in both scopes.

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The 700 platform is an awesome place to start with great accuracy out of the box. Easily upgradable and the triggers are home-tunable to break excellent with a bit of know how. Any "personalized custom" work you put into the rifle makes it that much harder to part with. I put the time an effort into bedding the action and polishing up the raceways for a very smooth bolt throw. I spent a lot of time developing loads for long distance shooting and calculating ballistics.

There are better choices for long distance cartridges than the .308. Its popular because of its availability. You'll never have a problem finding .308 ammo. That being said, you really need to handload to get the best out of any rifle. The selection of bullets is huge for 30 cals.
I have a custom built 6mmBR that was built inside the budget you mentioned. I used a former 700 action that I had. I built it for short range shooting, but they have been demolishing records left and right for 600 and 1000 yards competitions. Just build it that way.

Personally, I think if its something you want to "keep" for a while, build it yourself. Buy used, shoot it, get to know the cartridge and then build when the time is right. Or if the deal is right on an action, build now.
 
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UNtoldfox said:
If you wanted to shot 500-1000 yards (which most of you do I'm sure... I don't - yet!) What kind of gun would you buy? Ie. .330? 308? 30-06? make/ model?

I owned a .223 Savage 10FP, but I want something with a little bit more power and something that will drain the bank account a little bit more :( ....

I'm thinking a .308 cause thats what snipers use, and there has to be a reason for that..

I don't want the BEST OF THE BEST, but I would like to look into a gun that I will keep for many years to come. so, in your opinion, what would you buy if you were on a budget.

Thanks again guys,
Curtis
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I would venture to guess very few shooters here actually shoot from 500-1,000 yds. on a regular basis. That's a bit of speculation on my part but I'm willing to bet it's true.

Well, you might not want the BEST OF THE BEST but you've definitely owned the BEST OF THE WORST with the Savage FP. I'm not slamming Savages as I've owned several. However, there are better choices out there.

Yes, there is a reason why sniper's use 7.62x51mm cartirdges. The reason is simple. It's a standard NATO round that is commonly available in the military supply system. Sure, it's a great cartridge, however, there are far better intermediate range cartridges in which to choose from. Military snipers usually don't have the luxury of choosing issued weapons, so 7.62x51mm it is.

If your $1,200-$1,400 budget is for the rifle only, I'd buy a Rem 700 milspec 5R rifle in .308 Winchester. Great cartridge/barrelcombination and a good, solid platform that will alow you the flexibility to customize your rifle in the future, if you wish to do so.
 
Grizzlypeg said:
At those distances, would a cartridge like 300WM be better suited?
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If you want more knockdown power on paper.......I guess!?!? The .308 isn't the flattest shooting cartridge out there, but why subject yourself to the abusive recoil of bigger magnum rounds when it's unneccesary. My assumption here is that we're shooting targets. NOT people or game.

It stands to reason why the fast twist .223s are doing so well. People tend to shoot them better because of the lack of recoil.
 
Its discontinued now, but I have a single shot Wichita 1375 LH port, LH bolt action in 308 winchester. (Thank you Peter!!)
It has a 30 inch Kreiger SS barrel and bedded action/canjar trigger, with a rail, and thumbhole custom stock. (I am a just little too cheap for 6.5/284)

This is going to be my 500-1000 yard gun, be it, F-Class or Full Bore TR.
Yes certainly a 6.5/284 would be more competitive/better at the longer ranges, but barrel changes will probably be more often than a 308.
Those prior mentioned Remingtons would be an excellent start, in my humble opinion.

I imagine the 6BR & 6.5, F-Class shooters are just about to fall onto my head, so stay away from me!
 
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Barks said:
If you want more knockdown power on paper.......I guess!?!? The .308 isn't the flattest shooting cartridge out there, but why subject yourself to the abusive recoil of bigger magnum rounds when it's unneccesary. My assumption here is that we're shooting targets. NOT people or game.

It stands to reason why the fast twist .223s are doing so well. People tend to shoot them better because of the lack of recoil.
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I brought this up because it looked like from my cursory research on 1000 yard competition, that 300WM was always one of the more popular cartridges, and the most popular of any factory offering. The others in the top five were 300 Ackley, 6.5x284, 300WM, 300wby... going on down the list
 
I highly doubt any of these other cartridges mentioned will be of any benefit to the original poster. Seriously, who the Hell is going to recommend a .300 Winnie to a guy who just finished shooting a .223 Remington? Get real. That'd be like recommending a Ferrari to a Honda Civic buyer.
 
i own a 700p in .300wm and there really isnt much of a kick its more of a push. it hurts less than my dads ar15. gives a good shove and thats about it.

now i have shot a .300wm in a hunting rifle form. and they do kick badly in that form. light barrel light stock. (it made me see stars, but thats because the beavertail on the stock caught my jaw on the recoil and jammed it.. having TMJ makes it even worse)
 
Obtunded said:
The fellow only wants to spend a grand on his gun. He'll spend that on 350 rounds of 300WM factory ammo...
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+1

Get a .308 Win. and buy some of that South African surplus ammo that CanAm is rumored to be bringing in for $299/1,000 rds. It reportedly gets 1 MOA in most Remington 700P's that I've heard people use it in. That'll buy him very decent, affordable practice ammo.
 
Since you have a 9 twist 223, why not just load with 75gr Amax and have at it. More then adequate to reach the distances you wish with equal ballistics to the 308.

All with 1/3 the recoil and 1/2 the cost. Put that $1400 towards better optics and reloading components.

When you learnt enough and want to go to a 'better' cal, consider the 6.5.

Jerry
 
UNtoldfox said:
I want something with a little bit more power and something that will drain the bank account a little bit more :( ....
Click to expand...

+1 for the 308 from the list UNtoldfox offered. Ballistically, it is very similar to the 223 80g using 155's in the 308 and cheap on ammo, both buying and reloading.

Beyond 800 there are better choices than the 308 and I hate to say this since I have shot 308 for 20+ yrs. Long Range (Beyond 800 yds) is all about BC and using a case with the capacity to push that high VLD high BC bullet at a good clip. The 308 is limit case wise to about the 175g were the 300WM can push the 220g nicely. Comparing wind driff from 3 oclock (full value) of the 308 vs 300WM both using the 175g SMK at their listed velocities (2600 and 3100) at 500 and 1000 yds, then adding a 2 mph wind change (from 10 to 12 mph) at 500 yds the 300 WM will driff .81" less than the 308 ((21.55-17.96)-(16.68-13.9)) and at 1000 yds it is only 4.2" less (103.76-86.47) - (78.59-65.5), but at 1000 yds that is a outer 5 for the 308 and an inner 5 for the 300WM. Even using a 7mm in 284 Win at 3040 fps with a .625BC 162g AMax (highest BC bullet I know of UNDER a 338) you would still shot a inner 5 (64.81-54.01) = 10.8" from the 2 mph gust so a move so from dead center to a inner 5, about a 5" miss of the V.

No matter that you shoot, you have to see the change and hold off or click for it or you will loss to the guy that does. And depending on your rifle, either you hold off 10" or 20" for that 2 mph change at 1000 yds, so a guess it is your call. Cost wise the bigger the case and bullet the more it will cost you in the end. If we (Canada) ever go to 1/2 moa X and a 10 ring target like in the USA uses, then the bigger boomers will pick up a few points in an equally missed condition.
 
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Kodiak, have a look at the 180gr 7mm Bergers. Listed at 0.684 with real world feedback around 0.67.

Not bad if you can handle the recoil.

Personally, 0.615 using a 139gr Scenar at 2900fps is all the fun my shoulder wants.

Jerry
 
About 2 years ago now I bought a never fired but older Rem 700-P in 223 for $600.00 then installed a new demo never fired Bushnell Elite 4200 6X - 24X mil-dot scope that I bought for $400.00 I used plain jane Leupold 2 piece bases and medium rings for a grand total of about $1100.00 plus tax.

To finish it off I downloaded a how to adjust the Rem trigger link and adjusted the trigger.

I haven't had a chance to shoot 500 -1000 yards with it yet but here is a pic of a 300 yard group that this gun gave me with my 60gr H322 reloads. You can see 2 shots a bit low which gave me the drop and another 8 shots that followed resulted in a 1 3/8" x 2" group.

You can put a nice set up together right in the price range you are looking at if you keep your eyes open. :D

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