Long Range Rifle Question

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BE4TNUT

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Hello All,

So I have a couple of rifles (AR, 10/22 and an 8mm Mauser) and want to add a more modern bolt action to set up as more of a long range and larger caliber rifle. I decided that I think the best place for me to start would be a Remington 700 with a scope in .308. The range I am a member of has a 200 yard range so once that is to easy I will be looking for longer ranges, but this is my entry step into the long range shooting.

With that said, I have some questions. First off the Remington 700 comes in many different models that all seem slightly different. Which ones would be best suited for the application I described above? By what I can tell I was looking at the 700 XCR Long Range Tactical, 700 Police, 700 SPS Long Range and 700 SPS Tactical. I was thinking that any of these in .308 should work well but wanted to check with the more experienced on the forum.

Any and all information about getting into long range shooting is appreciated.

P.S. I understand 100, 200 and 300 yards isn't really considered long range shooting but this is my starting point with a long range goal of 1000 yard shooting as long as I can find a range that long somewhere.
 
You'll get lots of opinions. I'm not familiar with the current Remington line, but there's a rifle in the classifieds that might meet your needs.
Have you looked at Savage? They are very accurate and priced very reasonably.
 
Out to 500 yards, you cannot beat a Savage Model 12 VLP in .308 Win. and some careful handloading.
 
Don't rule out the Remington 700 LTR. Out of the box, that gun can easily be 1/2" MOA. Mine has never let me down, and the 20" barrel is really convenient for ease of use.
 
Any of the Remingtons will shoot 200 yards out of the box just fine. None of them will shoot 1000 yards. The action on them is all the same, the differences are in the stock, barrel, trigger, whatever optics you add, and the ammo you use.

I'd suggest you start off with the best deal you can find, and modify as you go along. If you want to learn to shoot 1000 yards, spend your money on ammo and training.
 
TonyDedo said:
None of them will shoot 1000 yards.
Click to expand...

Couldn't be more wrong. They will shoot to 1000 yards, the question is what sort of groups will you be getting. That is a combination of you, the rifle, base, rings, scope, and ammo. People can and do consistently shoot 1000 yards with .308 caliber, as long as you have the proper setup and the ability, the bullet will travel.

If you are interested in long range shooting, and want to see/listen to people that shoot .308 to 1000 yards, go over to the forum for Sniper's Hide. They also have a classified section which is a great place to pick up some very nice long range rifles.
 
Thanks for the information.

dvajda said:
Couldn't be more wrong. They will shoot to 1000 yards, the question is what sort of groups will you be getting. That is a combination of you, the rifle, base, rings, scope, and ammo. People can and do consistently shoot 1000 yards with .308 caliber, as long as you have the proper setup and the ability, the bullet will travel.

If you are interested in long range shooting, and want to see/listen to people that shoot .308 to 1000 yards, go over to the forum for Sniper's Hide. They also have a classified section which is a great place to pick up some very nice long range rifles.
Click to expand...

I will check out the forum you suggested. Like I said 1000 yards is a long term goal (for myself, not necessarily for this rifle) but it is a starting point for me.
 
Well, the first problem is finding a place to shoot 1000 yards. In MA, you are pretty much limited to 100-300 yards. So get whatever you like to shoot b/c if you buy a gun to shoot mostly long range you won't be shooting it much. In MA, a properly set up .308 is pretty much the right caliber, remembering that ammo start getting expensive in the larger calibers. If you are going to reload yourself, then you have more options. Can't go wrong with a Rem 700. They also make a 5R (milspec barrel) which is not listed on the website and is probably overkill, but is said to be very nice and a bit more accurate out of the box. Big advantage of the Rem 700 is availability of aftermarket parts, like stocks (HS and Accuracy Int'l to name a few) and triggers if you are looking for better accuracy and/or like to customize. You might also look at the Savage 10/110 line. Very accurate shooters out of the box (I am told more so than the 700).

+1 on Sniper's Hide forums. Great resources over there, although it's pretty hard core and you can drown in detailed info pretty fast.
 
You will get several recommendations for rifles. I myself am partial to Barrett 50 BMG rifles as they will shoot 500 yards when NIB. With you in Milford, I believe the New Bedford Rifle Range (http://www.newbedford-ma.gov/commserv/riflerange.html) will be your closest range out to 500 yards.

Pemigewasset in NH is in the process of building a 100 yard range, http://www.pemi.org/ but it's not yet done.

The next closest 1000 yd. range will be shooting a FCSA (http://www.fcsa.org/wwwroot/index.php) match at Quantico, USMC Base in Virgina. FCSA folks are really nice and have a good time at their matches. Look into joining them if you want to work on your 1000 yard groups. Some of theirs are 4-5" groups with 50 BMG [wink].
 
dvajda said:
Couldn't be more wrong. They will shoot to 1000 yards, the question is what sort of groups will you be getting. That is a combination of you, the rifle, base, rings, scope, and ammo. People can and do consistently shoot 1000 yards with .308 caliber, as long as you have the proper setup and the ability, the bullet will travel.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying you can't shoot 1000 yards with a .308, I'm saying you can't do it with one of the out-of-the-box Rem 700s listed above (or at least not with any measurable amount of accuracy).

But you hit on the key component of being able to shoot 1000 yards - the shooter. OP would be much better off buying a cheap 700 and investing his time and money on training & ammo, rather than buying a tack driver off Sniper's Hide and having to cut back on ammo and training...
 
I just picked up a Remginton 700 aac-sd it has a 20" barrel with 1 in 10 twist for $659.00 at State Line in Mason . I am bedding the stock at the recoil lug this weekend , changing the trigger guard over to metal from polymer one that came on it, and i am going to bed a 20 moa scope base. I am trying to decide on glass but i want to stay in the mid price range becuase I want to put together a gun to play with between 500 to 800 yards under for 1k .. I will post a report when it is done and try it out hopefully before i have to go in for a repair surgery.
 
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Any of the factory heavy/varmint barreled bolt guns that are out there can be reasonable performers at long range. Ammunition selection is critical though. I would expect most of them to do at least 1 moa or a little bigger as long as it's in a decent stock with some kind of bedding (either an aluminum block or conventional).

B
 
.50 would be a terrible idea, especially for a beginner. The cost alone for ammo is prohibitive, not to mention finding it. In this state, that rifle is a lame duck. The recoil would basically make it hard for you to learn to become a good shooter, it would annoy the hell out of anyone next to you on the range (if the range even allowed it due to noise pollution), you might get kicked out for busting up their metal targets, you'd shoot it 10x before your shoulder hurt, plus you'd be out of money, plus your friends would shoot it 1x and then refuse to come with you. Plus it weights a ton. But you'd look cool.

A .308 or even a .223 bolt action is the way to go. Ammo is available everywhere, in every gun store and even sporting stores. It isn't horribly expensive. The recoil is nothing. It won't annoy people at the range, plus all rifle ranges will allow it. It won't bust up the metal targets. Your friends will enjoy shooting it. And you won't look like an idiot shooting your .50 at 100 yards.

A year ago, I was with my .308 LTR shooting at the 100 yard range. Bunch of guys showed up with a .50 Barrett. They put a short log out at 100 yards standing vertical and put some clays on it. They then spent the next 30 minutes shooting at it and hooting and hollering. I had no idea what they were shooting at, as none of the clays broke on the log, and the log didn't fall over. So finally after about an hour I went over (kindly declined offer to shoot the .50, possibly killing someone two miles away while possibly detaching my retina), and asked what they were shooting at. They told me they were shooting at the log but "the bullets are soooo big and sooo fast they are passing through the log".

I almost died inside.

So I told them that wasn't possible (having shot many things made of wood before, but I won't incriminate myself). They insisted it was hitting the log and passing through because "it is soooo powerful." I told them to hold on a minute, 1 shot. I walked over to my .308, aimed at a clay on the log, shot it, broke the clay, and the log tipped over.

Most likely with the down angle on the rail and god knows how they had scope set up (cheapo scope, which was hilarious on an 8K gun), those rounds were over the berm. And just flying out to god knows where behind the range, luckily all wooded (except for that occasional house).

Not saying .50 isn't awesome, but that is more of an expert's tool, something you get after years of shooting, and something you don't expect to shoot much, or perhaps not at all. And not something that makes sense in MA. Even if you lived in AZ or someplace, I'd tell you to get a .338 because that is far more useful and affordable, and basically does everything you need. Do not get a .338 here, you will be wasting your money.
 
dvajda said:
.50 would be a terrible idea, especially for a beginner. The cost alone for ammo is prohibitive, not to mention finding it. In this state, that rifle is a lame duck. The recoil would basically make it hard for you to learn to become a good shooter, it would annoy the hell out of anyone next to you on the range (if the range even allowed it due to noise pollution), you might get kicked out for busting up their metal targets, you'd shoot it 10x before your shoulder hurt, plus you'd be out of money, plus your friends would shoot it 1x and then refuse to come with you. Plus it weights a ton. But you'd look cool.

A .308 or even a .223 bolt action is the way to go. Ammo is available everywhere, in every gun store and even sporting stores. It isn't horribly expensive. The recoil is nothing. It won't annoy people at the range, plus all rifle ranges will allow it. It won't bust up the metal targets. Your friends will enjoy shooting it. And you won't look like an idiot shooting your .50 at 100 yards.

A year ago, I was with my .308 LTR shooting at the 100 yard range. Bunch of guys showed up with a .50 Barrett. They put a short log out at 100 yards standing vertical and put some clays on it. They then spent the next 30 minutes shooting at it and hooting and hollering. I had no idea what they were shooting at, as none of the clays broke on the log, and the log didn't fall over. So finally after about an hour I went over (kindly declined offer to shoot the .50, possibly killing someone two miles away while possibly detaching my retina), and asked what they were shooting at. They told me they were shooting at the log but "the bullets are soooo big and sooo fast they are passing through the log".

I almost died inside.

So I told them that wasn't possible (having shot many things made of wood before, but I won't incriminate myself). They insisted it was hitting the log and passing through because "it is soooo powerful." I told them to hold on a minute, 1 shot. I walked over to my .308, aimed at a clay on the log, shot it, broke the clay, and the log tipped over.

Most likely with the down angle on the rail and god knows how they had scope set up (cheapo scope, which was hilarious on an 8K gun), those rounds were over the berm. And just flying out to god knows where behind the range, luckily all wooded (except for that occasional house).

Not saying .50 isn't awesome, but that is more of an expert's tool, something you get after years of shooting, and something you don't expect to shoot much, or perhaps not at all. And not something that makes sense in MA. Even if you lived in AZ or someplace, I'd tell you to get a .338 because that is far more useful and affordable, and basically does everything you need. Do not get a .338 here, you will be wasting your money.
Click to expand...

Yeah I couldn't justify a .50 even if every shot made me the happiest guy in the world, but I can't decline an invitation to try one. I have been wanting to try one for a long time now but never came across anyone with one.

I have an AR in 5.56/.223 with a 4x scope I like to play with, but I love bolt-actions, they are just a lot of fun for some reason. So I was thinking of going to the .308 caliber, getting proficient with that and start stepping out my distance until I hit the MA range limitations. At that point I would want o start traveling around from time to time for instruction on longer ranges. That is where my thoughts are right now.

I do know that I need a good scope also for long range, and that it often is as expensive or some cases more expensive than a mass produced rifle depending on your needs. Want to get the rifle, and then get a good Leupold crop to put on it.
 
dvajda said:
.50 would be a terrible idea, especially for a beginner. The cost alone for ammo is prohibitive, not to mention finding it. In this state, that rifle is a lame duck. The recoil would basically make it hard for you to learn to become a good shooter, it would annoy the hell out of anyone next to you on the range (if the range even allowed it due to noise pollution), you might get kicked out for busting up their metal targets, you'd shoot it 10x before your shoulder hurt, plus you'd be out of money, plus your friends would shoot it 1x and then refuse to come with you. Plus it weights a ton. But you'd look cool.

A .308 or even a .223 bolt action is the way to go. Ammo is available everywhere, in every gun store and even sporting stores. It isn't horribly expensive. The recoil is nothing. It won't annoy people at the range, plus all rifle ranges will allow it. It won't bust up the metal targets. Your friends will enjoy shooting it. And you won't look like an idiot shooting your .50 at 100 yards.

A year ago, I was with my .308 LTR shooting at the 100 yard range. Bunch of guys showed up with a .50 Barrett. They put a short log out at 100 yards standing vertical and put some clays on it. They then spent the next 30 minutes shooting at it and hooting and hollering. I had no idea what they were shooting at, as none of the clays broke on the log, and the log didn't fall over. So finally after about an hour I went over (kindly declined offer to shoot the .50, possibly killing someone two miles away while possibly detaching my retina), and asked what they were shooting at. They told me they were shooting at the log but "the bullets are soooo big and sooo fast they are passing through the log".

I almost died inside.

So I told them that wasn't possible (having shot many things made of wood before, but I won't incriminate myself). They insisted it was hitting the log and passing through because "it is soooo powerful." I told them to hold on a minute, 1 shot. I walked over to my .308, aimed at a clay on the log, shot it, broke the clay, and the log tipped over.

Most likely with the down angle on the rail and god knows how they had scope set up (cheapo scope, which was hilarious on an 8K gun), those rounds were over the berm. And just flying out to god knows where behind the range, luckily all wooded (except for that occasional house).

Not saying .50 isn't awesome, but that is more of an expert's tool, something you get after years of shooting, and something you don't expect to shoot much, or perhaps not at all. And not something that makes sense in MA. Even if you lived in AZ or someplace, I'd tell you to get a .338 because that is far more useful and affordable, and basically does everything you need. Do not get a .338 here, you will be wasting your money.
Click to expand...

50 BMG rifle is good for a beginner because it is fun and precise.
Finding 50 BMG ammo is easy. It depends on whether a shop wants to carry it but there is plenty of it out there.
The 50 BMG rifle is not a lame duck. NB has 500 yards, Harvard has 300(?) yards.
Recoil isn't as bad as you think. Have you shot a 50 BMG rifle or is this just what you imagine?
Everyone who has been near me at any range that we have brought a Barrett to hasn't been annoyed, rather they have been VERY interested in them.
Our friends are very willing to come shoot the Barrett's we have and are willing to help move stuff, but either Nicole or I can do it all by ourselves.
The shooter wouldn't kill something 2 miles away if they know what they are doing and they won't detach their retina. Ask AbbyOakley here if she has a detached retina after shooting one, which she has more than once. BTW, the FCSA has a Junior division.
We do shoot our often and frequently and the range right in my own town is good with 50 BMG rifles being shot there. Your opinion that it doesn't make sense tells me that you have a closed mind. I have a new term to describe you, a 50 FUDD.

@BE4TNUT,
Get what YOU want and can afford.
Nicole and I are happy to meet/take you to NB for some shooting. And dvajda is welcome also and I promise he won't detach his retina unless there is something wrong with his retina already.
 
Speaking of long range rifles, this caught my eye. Remington Sendero, .300 Win Mag, custom stock w/detachable mags:

http://m14forum.com/bx/108740-remington-sendero-300-win-mag.html

I'm not sure of the value of the stock, but it seems a decent price, and it'll shoot the balls off a parakeet at 1000 yards. Of course, the recoil may rip your balls off in the process, but hey, that's the tradeoff for shooting .300 win mag.
 
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there is a nice little package here
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vb...n-700-XCR-Compact-Tactical-Custom-in-308-(MA)
the .308 will do 1000 yards the question is can you. Personally I think of the .308 as a 600yd weapon but for paper you can go much further. I like the .50 but the cost of ammo makes it prohibitive to my shooting.

The Savage line is also good for long range bolt actions that will be sub MOA out of the box look at the 10fp (law enforcement series)
 
I have a Savage 110 BA (law enf model) in 300 win mag. It is not particularly practical around here but it is a joy to shoot. Less recoil than my 308. Ammo much less expensive than 338 Lapua and only a little more expensive than 308. I am reloading for it too. Never had a Savage before but so far great value for what you pay ($1900-ish). Not that much aftermarket stuff if bling is your thing. For that, you should stick to the Rem 700. As long as you are responsible and not a goon at the range, you should get what you will enjoy shooting.
 
Acme.Armament said:
50 BMG rifle is good for a beginner because it is fun and precise.
Finding 50 BMG ammo is easy. It depends on whether a shop wants to carry it but there is plenty of it out there.
The 50 BMG rifle is not a lame duck. NB has 500 yards, Harvard has 300(?) yards.
Recoil isn't as bad as you think. Have you shot a 50 BMG rifle or is this just what you imagine?
Everyone who has been near me at any range that we have brought a Barrett to hasn't been annoyed, rather they have been VERY interested in them.
Our friends are very willing to come shoot the Barrett's we have and are willing to help move stuff, but either Nicole or I can do it all by ourselves.
The shooter wouldn't kill something 2 miles away if they know what they are doing and they won't detach their retina. Ask AbbyOakley here if she has a detached retina after shooting one, which she has more than once. BTW, the FCSA has a Junior division.
We do shoot our often and frequently and the range right in my own town is good with 50 BMG rifles being shot there. Your opinion that it doesn't make sense tells me that you have a closed mind. I have a new term to describe you, a 50 FUDD.

@BE4TNUT,
Get what YOU want and can afford.
Nicole and I are happy to meet/take you to NB for some shooting. And dvajda is welcome also and I promise he won't detach his retina unless there is something wrong with his retina already.
Click to expand...

Look, you seriously must be joking if you LEGITIMATELY recommended a .50 Barrett for a guy who is getting into longer range shooting in MA. Like completely off your chain. I can understand you love it, and it is a hell of a good time to shoot for sure (I have before, during some Army training). But as a valid recommendation you must be completely out of touch with reality. The guy wants to shoot 100 yards to 300 yards in MA, and get good at it, starting from a beginner level, working on fundamentals.

And you think that he should go and get a .50? Call me a FUDD all you want, at least I'm giving the guy good advice. You are just basically talking up your favorite rifle, not actually helping the guy out. The end result would be the guy saddled with way more rifle he needs that costs way more than necessary. How is dealing with .50 recoil/noise going to HELP someone work on fundamentals when in fact he could be going with a soft .308, making it much easier? It's not like he'd lose any accuracy. The .50 doesn't give him anything he needs, but basically screws him over.

Actually listen and be helpful, not make wild recommendations. It would have been wild to recommend the guy get .338, but you jumped right to .50, unbelievable. For a scope, be sure to recommend the guy buy a S&B 5-25x56m mil/mil military-contract scope with the 2000m+ Horus reticle for $4000 too. That should really get him off on the right foot...
 
dvajda said:
.50 would be a terrible idea, especially for a beginner. The cost alone for ammo is prohibitive, not to mention finding it. In this state, that rifle is a lame duck. The recoil would basically make it hard for you to learn to become a good shooter, it would annoy the hell out of anyone next to you on the range (if the range even allowed it due to noise pollution), you might get kicked out for busting up their metal targets, you'd shoot it 10x before your shoulder hurt, plus you'd be out of money, plus your friends would shoot it 1x and then refuse to come with you. Plus it weights a ton. But you'd look cool.

A .308 or even a .223 bolt action is the way to go. Ammo is available everywhere, in every gun store and even sporting stores. It isn't horribly expensive. The recoil is nothing. It won't annoy people at the range, plus all rifle ranges will allow it. It won't bust up the metal targets. Your friends will enjoy shooting it. And you won't look like an idiot shooting your .50 at 100 yards.

A year ago, I was with my .308 LTR shooting at the 100 yard range. Bunch of guys showed up with a .50 Barrett. They put a short log out at 100 yards standing vertical and put some clays on it. They then spent the next 30 minutes shooting at it and hooting and hollering. I had no idea what they were shooting at, as none of the clays broke on the log, and the log didn't fall over. So finally after about an hour I went over (kindly declined offer to shoot the .50, possibly killing someone two miles away while possibly detaching my retina), and asked what they were shooting at. They told me they were shooting at the log but "the bullets are soooo big and sooo fast they are passing through the log".

I almost died inside.

So I told them that wasn't possible (having shot many things made of wood before, but I won't incriminate myself). They insisted it was hitting the log and passing through because "it is soooo powerful." I told them to hold on a minute, 1 shot. I walked over to my .308, aimed at a clay on the log, shot it, broke the clay, and the log tipped over.

Most likely with the down angle on the rail and god knows how they had scope set up (cheapo scope, which was hilarious on an 8K gun), those rounds were over the berm. And just flying out to god knows where behind the range, luckily all wooded (except for that occasional house).

Not saying .50 isn't awesome, but that is more of an expert's tool, something you get after years of shooting, and something you don't expect to shoot much, or perhaps not at all. And not something that makes sense in MA. Even if you lived in AZ or someplace, I'd tell you to get a .338 because that is far more useful and affordable, and basically does everything you need. Do not get a .338 here, you will be wasting your money.
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure but it appears to sound like you're pissed off because you don't own one. [rofl]

The recoil is not really that bad from a braked .50 BMG rifle. If you think a .50 BMG is "severe" you obviously haven't shot a lot of powerful rifles.

I'll probably never own one, simply because I can't afford to feed it on a regular basis, but if someone else wants to... more power to them.

I bet you would be really pissed if you went to some of the pin shoots I went to... where afterwards, some guy who brought a .50 BMG would bring it so we could take turns smoking the leftover bowling pins with it. [laugh] BTW- we did this
often at 100 yards. Or less. [laugh]

Is it economical? Not really. I can't condemn anyone who wants one, though.

ETA: as far as "ranges that don't allow it" there are some that don't, but they're nearly all fudd/urban ranges. Once you get out of that realm, almost no range blocks the .50 in its rules.


-Mike
 
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Did I condemn anyone for owning one? No. I merely said, in the post you quoted and the one following it, that that is a terrible recommendation for what the OP was asking. I don't see why you would recommend that based on what he was asking. It is not a beginners tool.

I highly do recommend the Remington 700 LTR as a great rifle to begin with. Perhaps not even in .308, maybe in .223 as well. Either one. It is very economical to shoot in .223, and Black Hills Match ammo is easy to come by. The rifle will shoot 300 yards no problem, and if you become really good at that range and get bored, sell it and move up to something bigger. I still have my LTR in .223 and my LTR in .308. The goal is too shoot as much as possible till you get good, so the lowest cost for match ammo should be the deciding factor. In fact, I've had amazing results with my Savage .17 HMR, it can do 1/2 inch groups and the ammo cost is amazing. Lets you really work on fundamentals.
 
BE4TNUT said:
The 700LTR being suggested, is that the same as the 700XCR Long Range Tactical on their website?
Click to expand...

The LTR is the short-barreled version of the 700 Police rifle. It has a 20" fluted barrel, and is found on Remington's Police/Military website. Usually it isn't a hard rifle to find, I think it took Four Seasons 3 days to get me one, and I got it in the stranger .223 caliber. The .308 should be easier. The key to the LTR is that it comes in an HS-Precision stock, not some of the crappier stocks that many of the other Remingtons come in (like the Hogue ones). That really helps with accuracy, as that is a stick stock with a full bedding block. The shorter and fluted barrel also makes for a rigid combination.

http://www.remingtonle.com/rifles/700pltr.htm
 
dvajda said:
Look, you seriously must be joking if you LEGITIMATELY recommended a .50 Barrett for a guy who is getting into longer range shooting in MA. Like completely off your chain. I can understand you love it, and it is a hell of a good time to shoot for sure (I have before, during some Army training). But as a valid recommendation you must be completely out of touch with reality. The guy wants to shoot 100 yards to 300 yards in MA, and get good at it, starting from a beginner level, working on fundamentals.

And you think that he should go and get a .50? Call me a FUDD all you want, at least I'm giving the guy good advice. You are just basically talking up your favorite rifle, not actually helping the guy out. The end result would be the guy saddled with way more rifle he needs that costs way more than necessary. How is dealing with .50 recoil/noise going to HELP someone work on fundamentals when in fact he could be going with a soft .308, making it much easier? It's not like he'd lose any accuracy. The .50 doesn't give him anything he needs, but basically screws him over.

Actually listen and be helpful, not make wild recommendations. It would have been wild to recommend the guy get .338, but you jumped right to .50, unbelievable. For a scope, be sure to recommend the guy buy a S&B 5-25x56m mil/mil military-contract scope with the 2000m+ Horus reticle for $4000 too. That should really get him off on the right foot...
Click to expand...

Why not recommend one? It's how I got into lange range shooting. I know he's not going to buy one now but I'm not against him buying one. Rather I was discounting all your negativity towards 50 BMG rifles. I like reality very much and am very grounded, but I do shoot 50's [grin]. If BE$TNUT wants to start on the fundamentals, he should with iron sights and maybe a CMP match at a club near him.

As I said, I am discounting your negativity towards to 50's. 75% of your post is nothing but negativity towards the 50 BMG rifles. I am helping him by discounting your thoughts about the 50 BMG rifle and encouraging him to look at all rifles. And I informed him of a 500 yard range about an hour from him, which is only $60/year for non residents.

How will he "be saddled with with way more rifle"? According to you he will be, but why don't we let him answer that than push him into the corner you want him in. A 50 BMG rifle will give him everything he needs and more. You can shoot from 100 yards out to 1000 yards. And it opens him up to a whole new area of competition through the FCSA with competions across the country. Only in your mind would it "screw him over".

For scope recommendations I would have gone with any of the Leupold, Nightforce, Burris, Swarovski, etc. Not a $4000 scope as you recommended.

Actually shooting a 338 Lapua or a 50 BMG will cost the same for ammo and there is a larger market for 50 BMG rilfes than 338 Lapua.
 
A good bolt rifle in .308 or .223 are really the only smart options here. I say "smart" because of quality ammo off-the-shelf availability.
If you already have an AR, a good match-quality upper in .223 is another excellent option.
In bolt remington rifles, I'd go for a regular 700P over the LTR. I want the 26" barrel instead of 20".

At the risk of upsetting some, and that's not my intent, I think the .50's, .338's, etc., are basically novelty toys. Yeah, it's cool to have the biggest gun out there, but they are just not practical for target shooting. It's like taking a limo down to the mailbox at the end of your driveway. If that's what you want, go for it. But not a good option for somebody looking to start out. Hell, I've been shooting at mid-range (technically that's 300-600yds) for several years now and haven't felt handicapped by not having anything other than .223.
 
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