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Long distance, need advise.

2K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  Jim Clarke 
#1 ·
I'm looking to get into some long distance shooting, or what I call long distance since all I shoot now is pistols and I need some advise.

1. Has to be cheap within reason. +/- 1K, with optics i'd spend up to 1300, and a bolt gun.
2. Has to be accurate out to 7-800 yards.
3. Not extremely expensive to reload and avalable projectiles.

Is the criteria I listed even possible? If so recommend something as I know absolutely nothing about bolt guns and their calibers that'll do what I want.
 
#3 ·
I'm looking to get into some long distance shooting, or what I call long distance since all I shoot now is pistols and I need some advise.

1. Has to be cheap within reason. +/- 1K, with optics i'd spend up to 1300, and a bolt gun.
2. Has to be accurate out to 7-800 yards.
3. Not extremely expensive to reload and avalable projectiles.

Is the criteria I listed even possible? If so recommend something as I know absolutely nothing about bolt guns and their calibers that'll do what I want.
Any decent gun will give you 1 MOA, that's an 8" group at 800 yards, if you do your part. Is that accurate enough?
 
#5 ·
Yes it is possible. Educate yourself do some research, read a lot. I suggest you get acquainted with the Savage Shooters forum (Savage will be your best bet for an economical rifle). http://www.savageshooters.com/content.php. With a savage 10/110 or Stevens 200 it is possible to even build your own custom rifle economically. If you go for an off the shelf Rifle make sure you get a heavy barreled gun (varmint contour minimum). Good luck and have fun.
 
#6 ·
Thanks folks, as always good advise. I'll start the reading there Airdale.
 
#7 ·
There are lots of ways to get this done, and there is basically no top end to the possible spending, But a budget of $1000-$1300 can reasonably get this done.

Savage 10/110, Remington 700, Howa 1500, and large-ring Mauser are the only choices. No other rifle models really have the aftermarket parts available. (And many people would remove the Howa and the Mauser from the list.)

The centerfire rifle I'm shooting currently is a Rem 700, and there really isn't a better choice. Savage is perhaps slightly better out of the box, but the 700 has more potential. There are probably as many aftermarket parts for the 700 as for the AR, but Savage has made some changes over the years that have kept some parts makers away. (I'm also working on a Mauser build, and I hope to be shooting that next month.)

Fixed power SWFA scopes can be used out to 1000 yards. I have the 3-15x42 SWFA scope, and it is an excellent value, but it's a $700 scope that would really stretch your budget.

There is a lot of peripheral gear for shooting 800 yards. Range finder, spotting scope, wind gauge, bipod and/or sand bags. Plus you really should be reloading.

As far as caliber, 800 yards is within range for a lot of things. .243, .270, .308, .30-06, .25-06, 7mm Rem Mag, and .300 Win Mag will all work great. The Mauser I'm building for 800 yards is 7x57, and it'll be fine there.
 
#8 ·
I was looking down this same road last year. See I'm mostly a tactical shooter aiming for multi targets under 50yards. Although I did a fair amount of long range shooting with my father when I was younger I didn't really know much. So heres the path I took, I started on google reading reviews on rifles and intros on long range shooting. I found my way to youtube and the Sniper101 video series, I highly recommend these for anyone just starting out, it's the most informative piece of information that I have found on the subject.

As for rifles the Remington 700 is perfect for this. Not only are they the standard issue rifle for the US military snipers and most police forces, but they are like friggen lego blocks. If you don't like anything about it and I mean ANYTHING about it, just change it. They make everything for this rifle in about 5 different ways or more lol, so the possibilities are endless with it. For more info on it just youtube remington 700 review and work from there.

Now caliber is a slippery slope, The Sniper 101 series will aid you in picking a caliber by showing you how to make the proper charts and such to get you and your bullet where you want to go. However there is always the alternative of just picking from the most popular calibers out there, 243, 270, 30-30, 30-06, or 308.

Myself I went with .308win because of its known track record and ease of access to ammo. Its one of the most popular sniper rounds in the USA and is used my police and military alike. I figuer if the SHTF I can still find ammo it in this caliber as well.

Im not even gonna touch the scope topic with a 10ft poll but, remember you get what you pay for with them so don't skimp there, plan to spend about as much on the optic as yiu will on the rifle.

Good luck and let us know when you pick something up.
 
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#9 ·
#10 ·
That's three of us that recommended the Sniper 101 videos. You better get watching. Rex put out 70 something of them andI don't think any are under 30 minutes. From the 1st to the last you'll learn something about long range shoot. Don't worry, tthere's nothing about ghillie suits and stuff. Just the firing part of being a sniper.
 
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#12 ·
You could go in any direction with this......

A close friend of mine works for KBR as a sniper on supply trains, yep, 'over there'.
He builds everything on a Remington 700, and I'm not sure if he is ADL or BDL specific.
It is [for him] a project of several months when he does build a new one......
and his funds are never an issue. I have one of his previous 'builds' and it IS awesome,[ADL]
but it's a 30/06 and if you don't shoot that caliber regularly, trust me......the gun
DON'T make the shooter!!!!

My solution, to the OP ?????, and for/from my own research, the one I love most,.......
survey says........
Savage 12VSS in 22.250........now wearing a Pulsar N750
To me, it fits the bill perfectly.
A toy? Maybe, but a SERIOUS toy.
One helluva a serious rifle, and she really doesn't need 'this' scope,
but she needs a VERY good one to reach her potential.
Originally, I set it up like Jeff did, with the Leupold VX-III and it simply
kicked ass. Only reason for the Pulsar, a new toy at a price I could not refuse.[promotion]

http://gunblast.com/Savage_12VSS.htm

http://www.opticsplanet.com/pulsar-...m_term=ZA-NR-PL76312&utm_campaign=Pulsar-US-S
 
#13 ·
What is your end game? Competition? Long range hunting/ varminting? Just to say you can? Field positions or off of a bench? Can it be done sure, but in my opinion not the way to start out. Get a decent rifle, learn how to make small groups at 100 then start pushing your ranges out there, you can always upgrade your equipment as skill level increases.
 
#14 ·
I think everyone can agree your best 2 choices are either a 700 or a Savage. To choose between those, it depends on what you want to do with the rifle. If you want to heavily modify it, I'd go with the 700. If you want to leave it mostly factory, get a Savage. 1 reason I say this... Accu-trigger. If you get a 700, a Timney is almost a must unless you're just hunting. Also, if you go the 700 route and want to modify heavily, I'd recommend an ADL model for its price. Either one I'd recommend a heavy barrel like mentioned.
 
#15 ·
All the information dropped so far has been spot on and the beauty about guns is even if this style of shooting isnt for you, you can always resell the rifle and get your money back out of it. Hell you may even make a little profit in the process as well.
 
#18 ·
Firefighter,
If you want a package that, upon receipt, you can take the rifle to the range go to Sniper Central. He offers Semi Custom packages that are
delivered scope mounted and sighted in. They come to you in a decent case and range ready. These are nice packages (I have one) You have the option of 700 or Howa, both excellent guns. Should you go this route I highly recommend you opt for the MKII stock and my personal preference is the green and black webbing. I would suggest .308 for your caliber (don't even consider .223). The nice thing about the Howa is it comes with a 24" barrel which I consider optimal for the .308. I never talked to Mel on the phone but he always answered my emails quickly and delivered a very nice product. He offers lots of options which can, in some cases, run the price up quickly. If interested go here http://www.snipercentral.com/
and click the SC Rifles and training tab. If you join the site you get the discount price (worth It). The Howa starts at $1,175 the 700 $1275.

Oh, BTW, he uses both of these in his training classes out to a 1000 yds.
 
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#20 ·
I'm looking to get into some long distance shooting, or what I call long distance since all I shoot now is pistols and I need some advise.

1. Has to be cheap within reason. +/- 1K, with optics i'd spend up to 1300, and a bolt gun.
2. Has to be accurate out to 7-800 yards.
3. Not extremely expensive to reload and avalable projectiles.

Is the criteria I listed even possible? If so recommend something as I know absolutely nothing about bolt guns and their calibers that'll do what I want.
Savage 10 FP-SR 308 heavy barrel will run about $750, Then drop a ($400) SWFA SS 10x42 or 16x42 MIL/MIL on it. It will be a great LR shooter and 308 brass and bullets are plentiful.
 
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