Looking to get into long range

[ExtremeX]

That is a pretty good budget for just the rifle and optic… but it doesn’t stop there. Don’t forget to allocate some of that to your support equipment as well.

Spotting scope
Laser range finder
Tripod
Anemometer
Single stage reloader
Chronograph

Aside from the optic, I have found my support equipment to be pretty important in getting the results I want… at least far more important than just my choice of rifle. Reloading alone has allowed me to achieve things far beyond what I thought was capable with just a regular out of the box rifle like a R700 with some tasteful upgrades like trigger and stock.

[samrob77]

What do you marksmen think of one of these? It's in the op's budget.

https://masterpiecearms.com/shop/mpa-6-5ba-creedmoor-bolt-action-rifle/

[Citadelgrad87]

If you say so. But it sounds like a different kind of person that makes condescending posts about how their form of shooting is inferior.

I think you might be looking for something that isnt there. He is correct, people have different ideas about what long range is, and what accuracy is.

It doesnt make any comment on whether that is accurate enough, or identify or criticize any form or type of shooting.

I think he was trying to say if you ask 10 people what long range shooting is, you get way different answers.

Maybe not. I can tell you i have had nothing but good experience as a newbie at a match.

[kevins750]

[smoothy8500]

Attitude like this is why newbies don't want to come out to long range matches.

If you say so. But it sounds like a different kind of person that makes condescending posts about how their form of shooting is inferior.

Not inferior, just uninformed. I think you might have had a bad experience at a match sometime in your formative years. Here, point on the doll where the bad match director touched you.

Unfortunately, some of these uninformed shooters are ones giving "advice" like needing XYZ caliber, custom receivers, Kestrels, or ballistic computers before the newbie ever goes out to fire a single round.

[longrange1]

Not inferior, just uninformed. I think you might have had a bad experience at a match sometime in your formative years. Here, point on the doll where the bad match director touched you

[longrange1]

What do you marksmen think of one of these? It's in the op's budget.

https://masterpiecearms.com/shop/mpa...-action-rifle/

[longrange1]

4 minutes of angle to plink
2 minutes of angle is good
1 minute of angle to be a top competitor
1/2 minute of angle is outstanding

[rudigan]

I know nothing. Just started reading Cleckner's book, what's discussed in vid seems like a pretty reasonable/logical approach for us rookies.

[Fjold]

You don't need a $5,000 rifle to shoot long range and enjoy it.

I don't shoot a dedicated F class rifle with a custom action and I enjoy shooting matches every time that I go out. A really good machinist/gunsmith can build most actions to shoot less than MOA. I get my actions built by good gunsmiths with custom barrels and put on aftermarket stocks. My 6.5x284 has shot a 399/400 before so any time I shoot a bad score it's my fault. But, I don't have to shoot a 395 score, it's fun and I enjoy shooting.

My long range guns are all varminting/hunting rifles and have killed prairie dogs, ground squirrels, coyotes, deer, antelope, etc.. To me, long range shooting isn't the goal. I shoot long range to keep in practice for hunting, which is my real passion.

[rudigan]

Agree, lol

[smoothy8500]

[QUOTE=rudigan;23768735]I know nothing. Just started reading Cleckner's book, what's discussed in vid seems like a pretty reasonable/logical approach for us rookies.

I just watched a couple of his videos...I like how he presents stuff. He's saying what a few of us here are trying to point out. Thanks for posting that.

[r8dr rider]

[LynnJr]

Attitude like this is why newbies don't want to come out to long range matches.

SigSigSig
You won't find any matches where they shoot a cow sized target at 1000 yards let alone 600 yards.
Any modern rifle with factory ammo that shoots 1 moa should hit a 12 inch gong fairly regularly at 600 yards in decent weather.
I am a rarity in that I like to compete in anything and I like when people use my gear and see what accuracy is all about.
Most of those guys/gals outshoot me using my own gear.
It sounds like he is shooting from a bench and doesn't reload so he doesn't need a full tilt PRS rifle a full tilt Benchrest rifle a full tilt F-Class rifle or a full tilt Varmint rifle.
He would be best served to go to some matches check out what they are doing along with the gear being used and then base his decision on whatever closest matches his intended purpose.

For going to public ranges and making all your buddies look like rookies it's hard to beat a factory Savage 6BR when shot from a bench using factory ammo. 5 inch groups at 600 yards are actually not that difficult but most here will never do that.
Why most shooters don't shoot matches is because it's new to them which means it's scary. They don't know anybody they don't know the rules or the protocol and they don't want to do poorly.
The guys/gals that do show up usually find out that the events like new shooters and that the veterans like showing off all there neat stuff.
There are of course exceptions to everything.

[Meety Peety]

As others have pointed out, with your budget, you could build a custom rifle. That road isn't for everyone though, and you certainly dont "need" to do anything. I have had a lot of people ask me for advice on how to get into long range shooting over the past couple years and what I've come to find out is that most people have somewhat of a predetermined idea of what they want to do and are more so looking for refined guidance and confirmation of their choices. I have told people "go build a nice custom" before and ultimately what they really wanted to hear was "dont worry, you can buy a production rifle, itll be okay".

And that really is true in most cases. It really will be okay. If you stick with it for a long period of time, it may or may not work out to be the most efficient way to spend your money, but that can be hard to see when you are new and dont know if you will even stick around long enough to shoot out your first barrel. Fact of the matter is, a lot of people dont.

That being said, OP, if you are the type that leans more towards a factory rifle, I would look at Masterpiece arms production class offerings. I say this because your budget is high, but that doesnt necessarily mean you will want to build a custom. These are "semi custom" production rifles which offer you some nicer features like a custom action, a better than average barrel, a chassis, trigger, etc. You can get one in the ballpark of $2k which leaves you a healthy budget for decent optics. If you end up deciding you dont like shooting long range, the rifle will be easier to sell used. If you do stick with it, you can continue to rebarrel that custom action. I have seen a lot of people go out and buy a remington factory rifle, swap the barrel, get a new trigger, drop it in a chassis. At the end of the day, you'll still end up with a nice rifle, but you'll likely pay the same or similar and you'll still have a remington action. I'm not knocking them, I have one that has had a lot of work done to it, but it is what it is.

If you are the type of person who wants to hand pick every aspect of the rifle, build a custom. Understand that doing so might shift the fulcrum point in your budget a little bit putting more weight on the rifle and less into the scope. Building a rifle can be a hard thing to do when you are new, since sometimes you just dont know what you like until you've tried a few different options. If this is you, or even if it's not, I would highly recommend going out to a few local matches and checking out guys rifles. Ask questions, seek advice, ask "why" guys choose the things that they do. You'll get a ton of information and you'll also get a lot of offers to let you get down behind their rifle and check it out.

The last thing I will say is that when we talk about "custom rifles", there are a lot of different options. You can have a full service gunsmith build you a true custom, which can be pretty pricey and sometimes the lead times are long. You can buy a barreled action and drop it in a stock or chassis. You can get shouldered or barrel nut prefit barrels and do it yourself. Prices can fluctuate greatly. I will say that until you establish solid fundamentals, you aren't likely going to be able to shoot the difference between many of the options listed above. Something to consider when making your decision is to understand the fact that if you plan to get serious about long range shooting, you are likely going to put a lot of rounds down range just learning the fundamentals and depending on the caliber, you'll be moving onto a new barrel quicker than you'd think. You'll also learn a lot about what you like and dislike during that process.