what to look for in 100-200M rifle ?

[bellwilliam]

Thanks all. Just to answer some questions.

1. I do reload.
2. I have other rifles for longer range shooting (700 and Ruger Precision and few others)
3. My question isn't really about the rifle but more about the caliber, bullet weight choices. But I appreciate rifle recommendations. As I am not sure where to buy rifles for some of calibers mentioned. I guess rebarrel is a must then.

Basically looking for rounds good for short range bench shooting. Relatively cheap, easy to reload for, most important of all - accurate under 200m

[JMP]

Since it sounds like you already have some capable bolt rifles for medium to long range, you may want to consider a good bolt action rimfire like an Anschutz. They are wicked accurate and much cheaper to run in terms of ammo and barrel wear. While the 22lr isn't great past 100m, you can still get it to 200m with some challenge. While you can't reload 22lr, the labels that shoot with high accuracy tend to be in stock as you pay a bit more for ammunition ($0.20 to $0.40 per round), and you can get decent stuff in the $0.10 to $0.20 range.

With a .22, you don't need a long barrel since it doesn't have that much power and can start decelerating in a long barrel and recoil isn't an issue.

[pennstater]

Hmmm. IF you can find GOOD .22LR ammo at a reasonable price. Just my thinking, but, a good .223 would seem to work rather well. Choose the action of your choice.[Bolt].

[JMP]

Hmmm. IF you can find GOOD .22LR ammo at a reasonable price. Just my thinking, but, a good .223 would seem to work rather well. Choose the action of your choice.[Bolt].

Pretty much all the good 22lr ammo for target shooting is in stock, Eley, Lapua, RWS, SK, etc. It's the cheaper bulk sub-sonic ammo that can be hard to find or at excessive prices. Of course, it'll be a hassle if the ammo permit laws come into effect since most of the local brick and mortar don't carry good 22lr ammo.

Just about any centerfire cartridge will get you to 100-200 yards. The .223 is a natural contender. I disagree with the above post to get a 1:9" .223. I'd stick with a 1:12" twist and shoot 50gr bullets for 100-200 yard shooting. You gain from a heavier bullet in order get more range from a .223. The 77gr+ .224 bullets get rather expensive if it is pure casual shooting at these distances.

[eric n]

I would get a 6 br if I were in your shoes. 12 or 14 tw if you plan on shooting inside of 200 all the time, 8tw if you will ever shoot farther.
6ppc is the king, no doubt about it. However, without having bags properly tuned and proper stock fit to bags, along with understanding conditions completely, you may not see any benefit.
.223 will work but is much harder to tune to keep small groups consistently.
Go 6br and don't look back. Excellent bullets and brass available, super easy to tune, great brass life, eats lots of different powders well, and has mountains of info available on it.
You can find excellent used gear as well for good prices because it's so common. If you can find a short range br match in your area, go and ask a few questions. I think you will find people are happy to answer any question you may have if they aren't busy.

[ar15barrels]

Thanks all. Just to answer some questions.

1. I do reload.
2. I have other rifles for longer range shooting (700 and Ruger Precision and few others)
3. My question isn't really about the rifle but more about the caliber, bullet weight choices. But I appreciate rifle recommendations. As I am not sure where to buy rifles for some of calibers mentioned. I guess rebarrel is a must then.

Basically looking for rounds good for short range bench shooting. Relatively cheap, easy to reload for, most important of all - accurate under 200m

Build a 221 or a 222 on one of the $325 Remington model 7 receivers.

[LynnJr]

Thanks all. Just to answer some questions.

1. I do reload.
2. I have other rifles for longer range shooting (700 and Ruger Precision and few others)
3. My question isn't really about the rifle but more about the caliber, bullet weight choices. But I appreciate rifle recommendations. As I am not sure where to buy rifles for some of calibers mentioned. I guess rebarrel is a must then.

Basically looking for rounds good for short range bench shooting. Relatively cheap, easy to reload for, most important of all - accurate under 200m

Since you reload already get either a 6PPC or 6BR which are both 243 caliber cartridges.
For 100-200 yards use a 65-70 grain bullet and Lapua brass.
Yes you will need to rebarrel unless you can find a Sako or Savage chambered in one of those chamberings.

[TMB 1]

Build a 221 or a 222 on one of the $325 Remington model 7 receivers.

That in 222 would be really cool.

[FishnHunt]

223 bolt is my favorite new toy.
So much I might be selling my AR.

[killshot44]

Unless your "longer range" R700 has a magnum boltface, all you need is a 6mm barrel chambered in 6BR and you're on your way.

24-26" barrel, Palma or straight 1.25 contour, 12 twist for 68gr bullets. Add powder, primers and dies and you'll make smaller groups than 99% of the range rats.

[bellwilliam]

Is there a reason many of you recommend 22"-26" barrel length ? I've always though shorter barrel means a stiffer barrel ?

[JMP]

Is there a reason many of you recommend 22"-26" barrel length ? I've always though shorter barrel means a stiffer barrel ?

Yes, there is a degree of truth to that, but it has been mostly perpetuated by internet psuedo-physicists. The quality and thickness of a barrel helps a lot. So long as you have a heavy barrel, it shouldn't make that much difference, and you will be tuning the load in any event. Since you plan on shooting a small cartridge, the barrel should have plenty of meat left.

This is one thing that people often over-look, but if you have a 6mm bore on a 1.25" in contour, you have quite a bit more steel than if you are shooting a .338 with the same contour. That said, if you never shoot it past 200 yards, there is no problem with a 20" barrel.

[ElvenSoul]

Hmmm 30BR or it's Tactical Cousin. 300BLK

[LynnJr]

http://riflebarrels.com/a-look-at-th...hrest-barrels/

Here is an article written by Dan Lilja about barrel stiffness.
The picture is of one of my 6BR rifles built on a sleeved 600 Remington action. The barrel is 1.350 inches at the muzzle and it shoots very small groups at 200 yards. That muzzle is a larger diameter than most custom barrels at the receiver.
By comparison the blue gun is set up for 1000 yards on a Remington 700 action and the barrel is only 0.930 at the muzzle because of the 17 pound weight restriction.
The advantage to the 6BR or 6 PPC is world class accuracy low recoil extremely long brass life and 1800 rounds per jug of powder.
In a decent rifle a bad reloader would have a hard time making one shoot as poorly as some here would consider to be good groups from a factory 308.
The last picture shows a factory 700 next to a real barrel.
Well only two pictures showed up and they are out of order but the post is still okay for the most part.

[russ69]

Build a 221 or a 222 on one of the $325 Remington model 7 receivers.

That in 222 would be really cool.

The 222 is a cool little cartridge but for resale the 223 is much more practical. We'll never know how good a 223 can be because the bench guys moved to the 6mms and quit working on the 22s (except for a few bohemians).