Decent, entry level long range rifle?

[MotoriousRacing]

I'm a newb, so flame away, but this Ballistic Chart seems useful. The very last column is Trajectory Tables and shows drop at 500 yards.

What I see is the 204 Ruger shows the least drop, closely followed by 22-250, 243 and a few others, not looking above 338.

To maximize energy with a low drop (for below 338), it seems 300 Win Mag may be the winner. 223, 30-06 and 308 seem well suited as well, and more common.

[NorCalFocus]

I'm a newb, so flame away, but this Ballistic Chart seems useful. The very last column is Trajectory Tables and shows drop at 500 yards.

What I see is the 204 Ruger shows the least drop, closely followed by 22-250, 243 and a few others, not looking above 338.

To maximize energy with a low drop (for below 338), it seems 300 Win Mag may be the winner. 223, 30-06 and 308 seem well suited as well, and more common.

Here's the thing with drop. It happens at a known rate. So we can calculate for it pretty easily. Whats harder to know and control is the wind. When shooting past 500 yards you really want a bullet that the wind isn't going to effect as much. So while the .204 Ruger doesn't drop much, it also would be much harder to keep the bullet on target with that 50 grain bullet. While a 308 shooting a 168 or 175 grain bullet may drop more it will be easier to keep on target.

You often hear hunters say thats a flat shooting gun. Well that is true they get a gun with a round that they zero in at 200 yards and it shoots flat from 100 to 300 yards. I've never heard a long distance shooter say thats a flat shooting gun. Thats because at the distance they shoot, they are going to have drop no matter what round it is.

Now back to the OP if your worried about recoil but want to be able to shoot a heavier bullet still. The .243 is a good choice, as long as your shooting the 100 grain stuff. You wont find much off the shelf match ammo, like you will with the .243, but you can get ammo pretty easily still.

[<IXOYE><]

Rem 700 SPS-V. Im biased. I love mine.

[MotoriousRacing]

Here's the thing with drop. It happens at a known rate. So we can calculate for it pretty easily. Whats harder to know and control is the wind. When shooting past 500 yards you really want a bullet that the wind isn't going to effect as much. So while the .204 Ruger doesn't drop much, it also would be much harder to keep the bullet on target with that 50 grain bullet. While a 308 shooting a 168 or 175 grain bullet may drop more it will be easier to keep on target.

You often hear hunters say thats a flat shooting gun. Well that is true they get a gun with a round that they zero in at 200 yards and it shoots flat from 100 to 300 yards. I've never heard a long distance shooter say thats a flat shooting gun. Thats because at the distance they shoot, they are going to have drop no matter what round it is.

Now back to the OP if your worried about recoil but want to be able to shoot a heavier bullet still. The .243 is a good choice, as long as your shooting the 100 grain stuff. You wont find much off the shelf match ammo, like you will with the .243, but you can get ammo pretty easily still.

Good stuff. I wish I had a hunting mentor growing up.

[RobG]

If you want decent get a rem 700. If you want better than decent get a savage, howa or tikka in that order based on cost and quality. By the time you get rem 700 above decent youve already spent 3-5k to fix the problems from the factory.

3-5k to make a 700 shoot decent?

I'm a newb, so flame away, but this Ballistic Chart seems useful. The very last column is Trajectory Tables and shows drop at 500 yards.

What I see is the 204 Ruger shows the least drop, closely followed by 22-250, 243 and a few others, not looking above 338.

To maximize energy with a low drop (for below 338), it seems 300 Win Mag may be the winner. 223, 30-06 and 308 seem well suited as well, and more common.

One word; wind. Calculate a 5 and 10 mph full value wind and see how that little 204 does. A drop table is only part of the equation.

[damndave]

Forget the R700. Get a Tikka T3 Varmint in 308. Add decent glass and you got a .5moa rifle with match ammo and no mods.

[shooterfpga]

Forget the R700. Get a Tikka T3 Varmint in 308. Add decent glass and you got a .5moa rifle with match ammo and no mods.

Exactly. +1000.

[6mmintl]

You can shoot 200-500 meter steel animal silhouettes at Gonzales and Sacramento prone or off the bench, 200 meters chicken, 300 meters pigs, 385 meters turkeys, 500 meters rams, hit them and knock them over then reset.

Military rifle, hunting rifle, target/tactical rifle.

[crufflers]

My two cents.

Rem 700P or another model with a 26" barrel and decent stock included on it in 308win or 300Win Mag. Savage 10FP or 110FP with similar specs and a decent stock included.

Spend at least $300 on a scope, better yet, $600 with a well liked, researched, and reviewed mount/rings professionally installed.

That would be a decent entry level to me, but I am pretty cheap. Forget the .223.

[thatryan]

Ok, that you for all the great info!

I am seeing that budget may be a constraint, so I can go up to $2k. I really have no budget, just do not want to get into super high dollars if I can help it

I had not heard of Savage or Tikka, will have to look into them.

I would like to have a bipod as well, Harris seems to be a good quality people talk about.

As for scopes, not sure where to begin there, are there good "go-to"brands?

Also, what is the shoulder hit like on a 308 round? Anybody going to a range soon (USI maybe?) that would let me fire one?

[shooterfpga]

Ok, that you for all the great info!

I am seeing that budget may be a constraint, so I can go up to $2k. I really have no budget, just do not want to get into super high dollars if I can help it

I had not heard of Savage or Tikka, will have to look into them.

I would like to have a bipod as well, Harris seems to be a good quality people talk about.

As for scopes, not sure where to begin there, are there good "go-to"brands?

Also, what is the shoulder hit like on a 308 round? Anybody going to a range soon (USI maybe?) that would let me fire one?

Similar to a hotter 223. Fairly light.

[ElvenSoul]

Tikka or Savage will do the job

[Altahick]

ive always wanted a mossberg mvp in .223. i think in your situation it would be perfect.

here take a look.

https://www.mossberg.com/products/rifles/mvp-series/mvp-varmint

that with a bi-pod. there are a ton of good scopes out there. i like the swfa 10x its a high quality scope that has been tested by many and they are $299 which is really cheap for a scope as some can sell for thousands.

[blkside]

Don't count out Howa... I had a .308 I bedded in a Bell and Carlson stock and put a Millet on top and was easy .5 MOA with little effort...

[NorCalFocus]

I'll be at Tumey Hills on March 1st. If you can't get out with someone else before then shoot me a PM.