Long range rifle

[ATN082268]

I have been building up my firearms collection and, with the exception of the AR-15, most are close range weapons. I was looking to get into a really long range rifle. I'm open to semi or bolt action and any caliber. I'd say my maximum budget for the rifle and scope would be around 1,500-2,000 dollars. I'd appreciate any suggestions for the rifle and/or scope. Thank you.

[emcon5]

What does "Long Range" mean to you?

[ATN082268]

Originally Posted by emcon5

What does "Long Range" mean to you?

Out to around a 1000 yards or so. But hey, if there's rifle/scope combo that can only go out to 800-900 yards or so but the price is right, I'm in

[emcon5]

Ruger Precision Rifle, Ruger American Predator, Savage 10T in 6.5 CM. The RPR is at the high end of your budget. For glass, lots of people like Vortex.

[PlatinumCore16]

Read an article about the Savage Long Range Hunter in 300win plus a scope that was about $1000. Guy was hitting mile long shots with a coach. Obviously he'd had quite a bit of experience shooting rifles, but it was really neat.

Found it: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/sho...ust-one-grand/

Edit: at some point I would like such a gun in 300win but $1000 of disposable income is a long way down the road not to mention as far as guns go it's definitely a luxury (in my opinion/philosophy).

[MarkCO]

Even with stating 1,000 yards or so, still a pretty open ended question.

What size and type of target do you want to hit at 800-1000 yards. Deer, varmints, paper, steel? At the range, natural terrain? Many of these guys on Youtube are shooting targets the size of storage sheds, very few 10" targets, at 1000.

I have at least 10 rifles in my safe that I have shot out to 1000 and beyond. Some you might like and some not. Some are a reloading only proposition.

[CDR_Glock]

Ruger Precision gets my vote. 6.5 Creedmor gets my vote. Too bad I don't have a place longer than 250 yards


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[the possum]

What kind of place are you gonna be shooting at? Out here I can plink at long ranges in the fields behind Dad's house, and have had some long range fun with pretty much all my centerfire rifles. Just pick out a dark spot on a distant hillside & walk my shots onto the target. This is not the same thing as consistently hitting a small target at the same range, and I readily admit that. BUT, it does teach ya how to shoot to your rifle's full potential, which is a worthy goal in its own right. Even if yer gun is only capable of shooting 3 MOA, try for a 3 MOA group at any range, from any position, in any conditions, and you'll see what I mean.

[the possum]

I noticed a couple votes for the Ruger Precision Rifle. Are you guys getting good accuracy from 'em? I've only seen one review so far (on the .308) and the dude was getting groups around 1"-2" at 100 yards with match ammo. None of the ammo he tried turned it into a tack driver. http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/201...le-in-308-win/

That doesn't inspire me to want one. Not at all.

[T. O'Heir]

"...What does "Long Range" mean to you?..." And what are you planning on doing with said rifle? As in what kind of long range shooting? Formal target shooting is one thing, but hunting anything at long range target shooting distances requires a great deal of skill.
"...very few 10" targets, at 1000...." Yep. The bull on a 600 plus yard NRA High Power target is 24". And that's on an 8' x 8' frame.
Any heavy barreled, .308, target rifle will do 1,000 with ease. Your budget might be light though. The Ruger PR's MSRP is $1599 with no sights. A Savage M12 Long Range Precision runs $1288 with no sights. Plus rings, bases and the scope itself.

[precision_shooter]

Savage 12 LRP in 6.5 Creedmoor. Shop around and you should find one for less than $1k new. I like the Burris Veracity scopes. 4-20 or 5-25 should get the job done. You'll want a 20moa base as well. Should be able to get all right around your $2k max including shipping, tax if applicable, and/or ffl transfer fee.

[ATN082268]

Originally Posted by MarkCO

What size and type of target do you want to hit at 800-1000 yards. Deer, varmints, paper, steel? At the range, natural terrain?

I was thinking of paper type targets roughly a couple of feet in diameter over open field type terrain. I don't currently plan on hunting but I want something that may be useful to that end should I change my mind.

[MarkCO]

With that update and your pretty tight budget, I would probably steer you in the direction of the Ruger American Predator in 6.5CM: http://www.ruger.com/products/americ...or/models.html

With a SWFA scope on top: https://swfa.com/swfa-ss-3-15x42-tac...e-scope-4.html

That is going to put you at about $1.2K.

Then, when the MagPul Hunter stock is released for that this summer, add that for $300.

I own a few of the RPRs and while I shoot matches with them, I do not want to hunt with them. The Ruger American Predator (I have one in .243 Win) is a silly accurate rifle for the price and does not need any smithing. The stock is not great, but MagPul is inexpensively fixing that in a few months.

[MarkCO]

I noticed a couple votes for the Ruger Precision Rifle. Are you guys getting good accuracy from 'em? I've only seen one review so far (on the .308) and the dude was getting groups around 1"-2" at 100 yards with match ammo. None of the ammo he tried turned it into a tack driver. http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/201...le-in-308-win/

That doesn't inspire me to want one. Not at all.

Don't worry, they shoot. I have yet to shoot one (over a dozen in all 4 calibers) that is not sub-MOA. Sure, I have seen people who can not shoot them sub-MOA, but that is not a hardware problem. I don't put much stock in gun writer/blogger groups or accuracy assessments.

[the possum]

How much sub-MOA? Both my semi auto .308s can do that, and one of 'em cost less than the Ruger. If I were looking to buy a "precision" bolt action, for north of $1100, I'd want bug hole groups.

[MarkCO]

How much sub-MOA? Both my semi auto .308s can do that, and one of 'em cost less than the Ruger. If I were looking to buy a "precision" bolt action, for north of $1100, I'd want bug hole groups.

Don't know for sure. When GMM, Prime or some other match grade factory ammo is not around, hard to tell for sure. Both of mine indoors are around 1/4" at 100 with my handloads. Some of the ones I have shot where the owners were shooting 2" or so, I put into 1/2 to 1" at 100 for 5 shots. But I can not say the ammo was the best for the gun.

To shoot bug holes, you have to have everything right with shooter, ammo gun and optic. Rarely does that occur with Novices. RPRs are cheap for what they are and they draw novices, so taking internet claims on them is not really data collection.

[the possum]

Both of mine indoors are around 1/4" at 100 with my handloads.

Sweet!

[Model12Win]

Ruger precision rifle in 6.5 Creeder.

[precision_shooter]

I see so many people mentioning the RPR, knowing his max budget is $2k. Doesn't leave much at all for decent glass/scope, let alone good glass/scope, for shooting to 1,000. The glass/scope is as important, if not more so than the rifle. Clear glass less mirage distortion, less fatigue on the eye(s), not to mention you'd want repeatable adjustments. The money left over after buying and rpr doesn't get you that. Sure you could find something that "will work for now", or you might suggest he increase his budget/save a little longer...

You can modify a rifle, as you go and get better, to make it more accurate. The same cannot be said for the scope. Start with the scope and work backwards. You know you want to shoot to 1,000 yards. Many many rifles and calibers are capable of this. Not near as many scopes have the same capability. Not much more frustrating than knowing you have a rifle that will shoot "bug holes" only to find that your scope can't be relied on to give you the point of aim you dial into it...

[MarkCO]

^ Agree, that is why I dialed my recomendation back to the RA Predator.

[CalmerThanYou]

The budget is just a hair thin to get what you need buying new. I just got the RPR in 6.5, and added a Bushnell Elite Tactical 6-24x50mm That optic can be had for $860 if you shop well. Throw in a decent mount and you have a super nice set-up right out of the box. I am also new to long range so I started at 100 yrds and practiced until I was putting bullets through the same hole consistently. Now I have moved up to 200 yrds and am getting close to that result. Just going to take my time and move up in distance. The nice thing about the Ruger is the trigger is very good, and I like the adj. stock, although it gets mixed reviews. Point is for $1400 +\- it needs no modification , just a lot of expensive ammo to eat.

[PlatinumCore16]

Please forgive me for my ignorance, but why is the most lauded gun in this thread the RPR? All of these are available in 6.5creedmor or .308 and the LRH is available in 300wsm or 300winmag. I've also read great accuracy from them and some of them are under $1000 leaving the rest for quality optics. And these are just the long range guns I'm familiar with in my research, obviously Remington makes their versions along with offerings from Tikka, CZ, and I'm sure that other forum members could contribute as well. Is it the ability to use AR platform aftermarket accessories? The 10BA Stealth has long rail and the 110 has an even longer rail with an all aluminum chassis and adjustable butt stock.

I'm being serious, please chastise me if I'm just plain ignorant, but I don't see what the RPR has so much over these selections from Savage.

Savage Stealth: https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/....5mm+CREEDMOOR

Savage LRP: http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/s...2248/cat100003

Savage LRH: http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/s...2238/cat100003

[MarkCO]

Some of it aesthetics, some of it is adjustability, some of it is functionality, and some is performance.

To me, the RPR offers a simpler switch barrel method, and that is not insignificant when a guy goes through a barrel a year.

Shooting the RPR and Savage side by side with three brands of match ammo, the RPR was measurably better with all three.

I also wanted 6mm and the RPR came in a caliber I already had dies, guns and bullets for. Not true now, but it was one for me.

The RPR does have more adjustability in the stock system than the Savages.

Having the handguard all around the barrel allows the use of bungee bags and such which the Savages lack.

[PlatinumCore16]

Alrighty, awesome. Thank you, those all make sense. Just didn't know what the difference was myself and it is indeed my own ignorance of long range shooting. I would say that you could just go aftermarket stock, but you could do that with any action, so the RPR makes sense as a stock gun.

[precision_shooter]

The RPR, to me, is the tacticool rifle for tacticool long range matches where you have timed stages, certain round counts needed, fast reloads, etc. for the average casual person just wanting to shoot for fun out to 1000 yards, the ruger offers very little (more preference than necessity) over a conventional stocked medium to heavy barrel rifle. Just starting out, I'd buy a good scope, then a rifle like the Tikka T3 Tactical (there's that word again), savage 12 LRP or even a model 10 in the caliber I wanted (I have both the Tikka and Savage 12 in 6.5 Creedmoor) then practice. No beginner will be consistently hitting targets at 1000 yards. It takes practice and a lot of range time which means a lot of ammo.