What is the best rifle I can get in the $1500 or less range

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alex_m

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What is the best rifle I can get in the $1500 or less range. I would prefer a large caliber and for it to be very customizable. I enjoy hunting but mostly I just like hitting targets at long ranges. I am fairly new and don't own any firearms but I do have experience with rifles. I dont want a starter gun, I want something I can keep and use for many years to come while upgrading/ customizing it. Please post your suggestions and any good stores you know in the Toronto Area.
Thank You
 
A Savage or a Remington 700 are probably the two best choices in the "very customizable" front. I kind of prefer Savages myself - easier to work on, and most of the work I can do myself without having to pay a gunsmith. Also, Savages are reputedly the most accurate "out of the box" gun on the planet. Either of the two can be had in a myriad of configurations, so just pick the one with the setup closest to what you're looking for, and have fun. :)
 
Got your PAL?
"...I want something with a bit more power..." A Rem 700 is the rifle, not the cartridge. Comes in calibres starting from .17 Fireball up to .300 Rem Ultra Mag, 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag.
For a new shooter, go with a .308 Win. Perferably with a heavy barrel for targets. A regular barrel for hunting.
 
Read the threads here to learn about various calibers. Power is relative. You will not be doing much target shooting with calibers in the higher power categories such as .338 win mag. Bad habits will develop such as flinching and you will shoot less.

Distance need not be directly linked to power. Many less powerful rounds such as 223 and 243 reach way out there with minimal recoil. And cost less to shoot. Welcome aboard.
 
You did not mention a scope in your post.

From one who has made the mistake, don't buy a cheap scope. Get a good one.
They can be fairly expensive but well worth it especially for long range shooting.
 
Well this is the thing. I know I'm that uneducated person who wants more power than he needs. But I just want something big, reliable and customizable. And scope wise I am looking at something simple, cheap, to start with. The gun will be the focus until I truly understand more account guns. Then I will focus on scopes ect... Thank You for asking though.
 
sunray said:
Got your PAL?
"...I want something with a bit more power..." A Rem 700 is the rifle, not the cartridge. Comes in calibres starting from .17 Fireball up to .300 Rem Ultra Mag, 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag.
For a new shooter, go with a .308 Win. Perferably with a heavy barrel for targets. A regular barrel for hunting.
Click to expand...

I know that, I used my friends .17 and he recommended something will a bit more bang. Of course, I am not that stupid to think Rem 700 was a caliber,(its a gun). LOL but thanks for trying to educate me.
:sniper:
 
throback's suggestion about a .223 is something to consider. Look for a rifle with a fast twist 1:9 or faster (Tikka T3's have a 1:8) and shoot heavy bullets in the 75-80 gr range. This combination will get you in the V bull at 1000 yards without a problem. Stay away from the big boomers until you wear out the barrel on your .223 while learning how to shoot long range and how to read the wind. (somewhere around 8000-9000 rounds) A good wind reader shooting a .223 will beat a poor wind reader shooting a 6.5-.284 every time at long range.
As far as customizing goes, there are very few things you can do to a stock rifle to make to shoot any better. Yes bedding, recrowning a trigger job and good handloads will help.

I don't remember who said it but it is true, "it takes a rich man to buy a cheap scope". Buy cheap-buy twice.
 
For customizing, the best option is the Rem 700 by far. Its the 10/22 of boltguns in that regard. More aftermarket parts and they're easiest to find.

243 Win. is an amazing, yet often overlooked cartridge. You may find these of general interest:
http://www.6mmbr.com/norcaltactical.html
http://demigodllc.com/articles/practical-long-range-rifle-shooting-equipment/
http://demigodllc.com/articles/practical-long-range-rifle-shooting-optics/
http://demigodllc.com/articles/practical-long-range-rifle-shooting-shooting/
 
Uhhhh... you should probably reconsider that.. The glass you put on the gun can be more important then the actual gun. How are you gonna be on target if you cant see what your shooting at?

alex_m said:
Well this is the thing. I know I'm that uneducated person who wants more power than he needs. But I just want something big, reliable and customizable. And scope wise I am looking at something simple, cheap, to start with. The gun will be the focus until I truly understand more account guns. Then I will focus on scopes ect... Thank You for asking though.
Click to expand...
 
"...used my friends .17..." Ever shoot anything bigger? Not that it's a big deal really. The felt recoil is heavier with a .308, but it's not terrible. Although, a .223 will be less expensive to shoot.
What do you call 'long range'? You thinking about formal competition or just shooting because it's fun? 300 yards is short range for DCRA competitive shooting.
Do you have your PAL? If you don't, you have to start there.
There's all kinds of aftermarket stuff for the Rem 700. Everything from stocks to custom barrels. Priced, of course, accordingly. Moreso than for any Savage. Mind you, it's very hard to beat the out-of-the-box accuracy of a Savage.
Epp's is listing a 24" heavy barrel Savage 10FP 'LE' in .308 for $689.24. Oddly the same rifle in .223 runs $698.24. Likely more demand for varmint calibre rifles this time of year.
They're listing a Rem 700 'Police' with a 26" heavy barrel in .308 for $1005.90. It's a bit more gussied up. Don't think it's $400 bucks worth of gussying though. A Remington 700 SPS in .223 runs $581.25. Same rifle with a lighter barrel and a different finish.
Take the drive up there if you can. Sell a kidney to buy some gas and go up the 400, past Barrie and 10 minutes past Orillia on Hwy 11.
 
Merllin said:
Uhhhh... you should probably reconsider that.. The glass you put on the gun can be more important then the actual gun. How are you gonna be on target if you cant see what your shooting at?
Click to expand...

+1

I'd invest in a good scope before spending more on the rifle. The gains in consistency and accuracy from good optics will get you further than shrinking your 100 yard groups a couple 0.1"s.

Good dies are another thing I'd get before upgrading the rifle.

See what the gun can do with good optics and good ammo and then decide what you want to upgrade.
 
The Remington 5R milspec .308, stainless with HS stock. 24 inch stainless Bull barrel with 5R milspec rifling.

This rifle is excellent, especially for starting out. Factory target ammo will shoot very well. You don't need to reload which is a bonus for starting out.
The barrel is also a 11.25 twist rate. So 168 and 175 grain bullets are very good in this rig.

It's a very accurate and practical all around rifle. If you wanted to hunt with it, you can. With mine I didn't even have to resight when going from 165 grain fusion hunting ammo to 168 grain Fedral gold medal.

I bought one for $1000. The only add on you'll want to consider is having the trigger lowered to 3 pounds. Otherwise it's crisp with no creep.

If I was only allowed to keep one of my rifles, my 5R would be it.
 
Optics:
There are very few sub $1000 sporting optics that I would even consider. They are:

1) Burris, 2) Falcon 3) Bushnell Elite 6500

You'd have to check out which one you like. I personally don't care for the Bushnell Elite. They are decent, I just don't like them.
 
my vote is for the 700p.

a small note on the elite 6500 if your looking into one, it seems like bushnell didn't bother to put revolution indicator marks on the elevation or windage turrets, so its easy to get lost on the dial.

also you can usually find a used leupold mk4 for under a grand, i think theres 3 or 4 of them in the EE right now.
 
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Thank You All You Have Been So Helpful. I think ill go with the Rem 700 but I would like a tactical version. Isn't there a Rem 700 police? Can I get it?
 
"...Isn't there a Rem 700 police? Can I get it?..." Like I said, Epp's has 'em in .308 Win with a heavy 26" barrel at $1005.90. Parkerized, pillar bedded, HS Precision stock(Doesn't say what colour). Scoped and taxed, you're looking at nearly 2 grand.
It's not the ideal rifle for lugging around while hunting(weighs 9 pounds without a scope), but it'd be great for hunting from a blind. Dandy target rifle too.
 
Check out the Exchange forums first you may just find a better deal then buying new, Rem or Sav are a great start, Recommend 308win, or 223 if you on a budget. As others have said and will say again do yourself a favor and don't skimp out on the optics, get what you can afford and life is good. Enjoy, have fun.
 
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