[ar15man2009]

hello all,
I have been interested in shooting long range for years but only recently became interested in doing it in competitions. I live in southeastern kentucky and have used firearms my whole life. mostly for hunting,or just to go out and shoot for fun. i reload my own ammunition so i will have plenty to practice with,i am just wondering about a few pretty basic things.

1.Where can i find matches at? there are really no ranges close.

2.What things will i need to start? besides the rifle i mean.

3.What will be a good rifle to start out with? I have no idea so i need to know about bipods,rifles,scopes,the whole 9 yards.however,i am pretty certain on using 308. remember,this will just be a hobby so i dont want to spend 5,000 on a rifle.i would really like to keep it as cheap as possible and still be able to "compete".

thank you in advance for any replies and any help will be greatly appreciated.