Decent, entry level long range rifle?

[CNC_Apps_Guy]

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?

I'm going to Raahaugues next Monday late morning(President's Day) if you want to try a .338 Lapua. PM me if you want details.

If you're not in a hurry to buy, Raahaugue's has a shooting expo every year. You can shoot just about everything under the sun. It's not cheap to shoot but you get to try out a really wide range of stuff. It's normally in May I believe. That's where I shot a number of long range rifles and made my decision. I went with a Savage 110BA chambered for .338 Lapua. The high-end guys would call it an entry level long range shooter. I call it fun!

Anyway, with that budget, you should be able to get into something that you will enjoy for years to come. Just don't skimp on glass. I like Leupold scopes and Warne Scope Mounts. They are both customers of mine (no I didn't get a deal on the scope from them, bought it from Turner's and got a deal there.). They both make good stuff.

JM2CFWIW

[TMB 1]

I have a .308 in a 6lb hunting rifle that'll leave your shoulder with a nasty bruise if you don't have it properly gripped all the way to a heavily braked 15 pounder that feels like fluff. If you can't feel any difference among .308's you may have nerve damage.

Yep weight of rifle makes big difference. I have a 6lb 300 Savage and a 5lb 223, let anyone try them and tell me recoil is similar LOL and the 300 has a little less power than a 308.

[JMP]

Its all relative i guess. But in my experiance with multiple 308 ar rifles and bolt actions theyve all been smooth with low recoil. I only use 165gr-180gr normal power rounds. I take my friends, nephews out hunting all the time and theyre ages 11 and 15. The 11yr old is typically mentally scared of harsh recoiled rifles and loves to shoot my 308 compared to their own 243, 270 and 25-06 rifles.

I have a .308 in a 6lb hunting rifle that'll leave your shoulder with a nasty bruise if you don't have it properly gripped all the way to a heavily braked 15 pounder that feels like fluff. If you can't feel any difference among .308's you may have nerve damage.

[ArtP88]

In a factory round, I like the 223 for the purposes mentioned above, 243 as something to graduate to.

You can see there is a considerable recoil (shoulder hit) difference between calibers.

Some recoil numbers borrowed from another site. Condensed to show popular calibers.

Tabs didn't show right. Go here for the spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/folderview?...1E&usp=sharing

Cartridge (Wb@MV) Rifle Weight Recoil energy Recoil velocity


.22 LR (40 at 1165) 4 0.2 n/a
.22 WMR (40 at 1910)* 6.75 0.4 n/a
.223 Rem. (52 at 3300) 8 3.3 5.1
.223 Rem. (55 at 3240)* 8.5 3 4.7
.223 Rem. (55 at 3240) 12 2.1 3.4
.223 Rem. (60 at 3000) 12.5 1.9 3.1
.243 Win. (75 at 3300) 8.5 8.1 8.5
.243 Win. (87 at 3100) 7.25 8.6 8.8
.243 Win. (95 at 3019) 6.75 11.1 10.3
.243 Win. (95 at 3100)* 7.25 11 9.9
.243 Win. (100 at 2960) 7.5 9.9 9.2
.243 Win. (105 at 2900) 8 9 8.5
.243 Win. (105 at 3000) 8 11.5 9.6
.260 Rem. (120 at 2860) 7.5 13 10.6
.260 Rem. (120 at 2860) 8.25 10.2 8.9
.260 Rem. (120 at 2890) 8 10.2 9.1
.260 Rem. (125 at 2860) 7.5 13.7 10.8
.260 Rem. (125 at 2900) 8.25 11.1 9.3
.260 Rem. (129 at 2700) 7.5 12.7 10.4
.260 Rem. (129 at 2800) 7.5 13.7 10.8
.260 Rem. (129 at 2800) 8.25 11.6 9.5
.260 Rem. (129 at 2900) 8.25 12.5 9.9
.260 Rem. (140 at 2360) 8 9.5 8.8
.260 Rem. (140 at 2700) 7.5 14.9 11.3
.260 Rem. (140 at 2750) 8 12.2 9.9
.260 Rem. (140 at 2750)* 8.25 11.9 9.7
.260 Rem. (160 at 2600) 8 17.2 12.2
.270 Win. (110 at 3200) 8 13.3 10.3
.270 Win. (130 at 2600) 7.5 12.3 10.3
.270 Win. (130 at 3060)* 9.25 14.3 10
.270 Win. (130 at 3100) 7 19.2 13.3
.270 Win. (140 at 2950)* 8.75 16.1 10.9
.270 Win. (140 at 3000) 8 17.1 11.7
.270 Win. (150 at 2410) 7.5 11.5 10
.270 Win. (150 at 2800) 8 15.2 11.1
.270 Win. (150 at 2830)* 8.6 15.3 10.7
.270 Win. (150 at 2900) 8 17 11.7
7mm-08 Rem. (120 at 3000) 7.5 12.1 10.2
7mm-08 Rem. (130 at 2950) 7.5 14.2 11
7mm-08 Rem. (139 at 2800) 6.8 15.6 12.1
7mm-08 Rem. (140 at 2860) 7.5 13.5 10.8
7mm-08 Rem. (140 at 2860) 8 12.6 10.1
7mm-08 Rem. (150 at 2750)* 7.5 13.9 10.9
7mm-08 Rem. (154 at 2620) 6.8 14.9 11.9
7mm-08 Rem. (160 at 2600) 8 13.9 10.6
7mm-08 Rem. (175 at 2500) 8 14.9 11
.308 Win. (125 at 2660) 8.5 10 8.7
.308 Win. (150 at 2600) 7.5 14.6 11.2
.308 Win. (150 at 2700) 7.5 16 11.7
.308 Win. (150 at 2700) 8 15 11
.308 Win. (150 at 2760)* 8.75 13 9.9
.308 Win. (150 at 2800) 8 16.3 11.5
.308 Win. (150 at 2800) 9 12.9 9.6
.308 Win. (150 at 2820) 8.5 13.9 10.3
.308 Win. (165 at 2700) 7.5 18.1 12.5
.308 Win. (165 at 2700) 8.5 14.8 10.6
.308 Win. (180 at 2600) 7.5 19.2 12.9
.308 Win. (180 at 2600) 8 17.8 12
.308 Win. (180 at 2620) 8.5 15.8 11
.308 Win. (200 at 2460) 8 20.4 12.8

[shooterfpga]

Its all relative i guess. But in my experiance with multiple 308 ar rifles and bolt actions theyve all been smooth with low recoil. I only use 165gr-180gr normal power rounds. I take my friends, nephews out hunting all the time and theyre ages 11 and 15. The 11yr old is typically mentally scared of harsh recoiled rifles and loves to shoot my 308 compared to their own 243, 270 and 25-06 rifles.

[crufflers]

I have never heard of any .308 as shooting fairly light. I would consider a .223 as fairly light, but a .308 definitely has a kick.

My .308 CZ 550 American with a wood stock definitely kicks hard. A Tikka T3 Lite kicks even harder.

*disclaimer* I've never shot a .223 round in a bolt action so I can't directly compare.

OP, spend a decent amount on quality glass. A lot of serious precision guys will dump the same amount if not more money than their rifle into high quality scopes. Not saying you have too do that but don't skimp. You can't hit what you can't see.

I agree. I never shot any .223 that felt close to a 700P in .308. It isn't like it is a light hunting rifle either - heavy 26" barrel, heavy HS Precision stock. No AR's I have shot could hurt my shoulder. I have a limit to how many rounds are fun to shoot out of the 700P in a day unlike an AR. I haven't shot a bolt action .223 either, but I have shot a few .308 semi-autos and full autos. They are not like .223's.

[8mmFMJ]

I have the Remington 770 30.06 and I can hit a 10" steel plate out to 400 yards every shot. It's a lot more fun, cheaper, and relaxing then dumping 500 out of a semi auto. 60 rounds can last hours depending on the targets your aiming at. Sighting in is fun too.

[Jel]

Where can I find info on this?

Check out this thread.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=884217

Good luck!!

[thatryan]

Get out to Sac Valley this weekend. They have a match going both days.

Where can I find info on this?

[dk94044]

I have to agree wtih the tikka love. I have a tikka t3 lite in .308 with Zeiss Conquest optics, limbsaver recoil pad, use range bag stuffed with old phone book and t-shirts as rest) (under $1000 setup), easy .5 MOA, but with the fluted light barrel I really have to wait about 5 min between shots for the barrel to cool. There is noticeable warm barrel flex round drifting in quick consecutive shots approx after 4-5 rds in 65-70 degree weather.

[NorCalFocus]

Get out to Sac Valley this weekend. They have a match going both days.

[milotrain]

Shooting position is both personal and variable depending on what you are trying to do with the gun. Everything from slung up so tight that the rifle doesn't move in your shoulder but your butt moves 3" to free recoil where you "catch" the rifle in recoil with your shoulder after the bullet has left the gun.

You really want to head out to a match, even as just an observer.

Don't discount JMPs .223 argument either. It's a fairly good arguement. You have to work a lot harder with .223 but there is good (expensive) match ammo out there. You'll also have to either build the rifle or buy Savage's .223 Palma offering (which is not magazine fed, only single load). If you want a .223 then you need to make sure the twist rate is 1:7 and you need a 30" barrel if you don't want a ground fight at 600 yards an beyond.

[thatryan]

I have been trying to search for the proper way to hold said rifle, where exactly on the shoulder is the butt supposed to go? Between the upper arm and pectoral? Right at the clavicle?

[X-NewYawker]

Savage 308. Great barrel and trigger. crappy stock. Will outshoot most of us.

[JMP]

Similar to a hotter 223. Fairly light.

BS. .308 bucks much harder, even with a break. It isn't a huge issue, but OP specifically has MD, which is not trivial. I say dabble first with a .223, more than ample to reach the desired range.