What do you shoot LONG RANGE?

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very interested in what people are using for their "Long Range" rigs.
Specifically:
  1. Caliber (.243, .308, some version of a 6.5mm?)
  2. Make/Model (got something exotic?)
  3. Customization (i.e. trigger, bedding, stock, aftermarket barrel, provisions for free floating, etc...)
  4. What you typically use it for (poking holes in paper, hunting, etc)

I'm in the market. Have been for a while. Options are endless. Prices, as we all know go as high as our imagination and our pocket books allow. [rolleyes] Then come optics - same rules apply.

So, a lot of folk will ask "what do you consider long range?". Honestly, 300-600+ yards is long range, to me. My club has a 200 yard "high power" range. However, that doesn't mean I don't want something that has the ability to do more.

Thank you in advance!

ETA: I do have a budget in mind, but I haven't got to that point yet. Its almost time to get a bigger safe, so I have several options. I am primarily looking at bolt guns, if that wasn't crystal clear.
 
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Mossberg MVP .308
18.5" barrel with 1:9 twist.
Lantac Dragon brake, already has adjustable trigger. Added a Leupold scope. Its a great paper puncher. I use Pmags with it since they feed best. Also polished the bolt etc.
 
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This is still too subjective.
A lot of guys on this board won't consider 300-600 yards "long range" shooting.
There's no reason why an AR in 556 can't be accurate at those distances.

You've got guys on this board who shoot irons out to 1k yards.
 
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Your basic Bushmaster/rock river/windham weaponry/armalite/stag arms .223 caliber A2 AR15.

More than capable out to 600 yds and easily as accurate as the person squeezing the trigger. Can be used out to 1000 yds, but probably not the first one I'd grab for that.
 
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For 300 yards and under I will shoot any bolt gun I own, or an AR.

For 300 - 500, I go to the Rem 700 in .22-250 and .243, both of which are heavy barrel, (but stock configuration). I will also go with a 7mm-08 at 300 -500, (which is another Rem 700 just not a heavy barrel but a da** tack driver) All with handloaded ammo tuned to each rifle. Right now the .243 my favorite

If I was going for something "new to me", I would look for an older Rem 700 with a heavy barrel in .308 or 7mm -08. (Or when I burn out the barrel on the .22 - 250 maybe just rebarrel it to 7mm-08.) Just so many options available to customize the Rem 700

Not saying this is the best thing or even the right thing to be doing. Just what I am doing with what I already own. These rifles are for varmints out to 300, and I just play with what I have at longer ranges.

I have access to a club range to 300, and a range in the Adirondaks to 500. Don't have a chance for longer right now, and until I am solid at 500 don't need it. (although I may have a chance next month to try 1,000 yards in Texas if the weather isn't to bad when I am down there)
 
It almost doesn't matter. "Long range" is mostly knowing your dope: elevation and windage at various distances and wind angles. Past 500y temperature can get important. It's a very mental game.

When I lived in CA I used to compete in a match that started at 200y and ended at 1,000y. Mostly I shot a 30-06, but for fun I shot my sporterized 30-40 Krag a bunch of times. The key is the barrel having enough twist to stabilize a long, low drag bullet, which the Krag had. I would only beat only about 1/3 of the guys with the Krag, but I had 10x the fun when the guys in the target buts couldn't figure how I was hitting paper at 1,000y though they could hear the bullet was subsonic at 800y.

Crap! Now I'm missing shooting at that range in Sacramento.
 
Under 300 stick with an AR. The ammo is cheaper and even as a novice you can learn to hit man sized target readily.

Beyond 300 I'd start looking at .308 because the heavier bullet reduces a lot of the factors that come into play. This assumes you're going to shoot that distance(300+) a lot.

There's no reason you can't shoot an AR at 600 if you have access to locations where it's possible and your trips are going to be infrequent.

If you don't own an AR, you should. So buy that first. If you do, get an AR10 or a decent entry bolt gun like a Savage 10FP.
 
600yds is considered "mid-range" if you ever decide to complete. "long-range" starts @ 1000 (with the exception being palma, shot @ 800/900/1000yds).

UKD matches could be anywhere from 200-2000yds, but we dont have anywhere inside of of 500 miles from here to shoot that kind of stuff (which is a bummer!)


agreed with Pat. out to 600yds, an AR15 with a decent barrel and good ammo can be competitive with damned near anyone. you'll work a little harder for it with the wind, but its doable.

LR? thats a different game. I shoot out to 1k with irons and scopes, prone with slings (the competitions we shoot dont allow bipods/bags).

the favorite is easy my T2K's. got a pair of them...built by McMillan to be a true switch-barrel setup. both are chambered in 6XC (22-250 necked up to 6mm, and fireformed to an ackley profile). spits out a 108gr berger @ ~ 3150FPS. its a laser, but the barrel life is brutal (1500 rounds of acceptable accuracy out to 1k, maybe pushing 2000rounds for 600, but it definitely shows its age at that point)
next up would be the Barnard P-action with a Bartlein 1:13, sitting in an Eliseo tube stock, chambered as a palma rifle (308). spitting out 155gr Sierras @ 3000fps. the gun is easily 1/2MOA elevation @ 600, although I havent shot it @ 1000 yet.
old trusty is a Remington 700 that I did some work to. stock barrel/chamber (that may change soon), bedded stock, NF scope, and tuned ammo til it shot 1/4MOA @ 200yds. bench/bipod shooting doesnt get my excited, so it doesnt see as much use as it should.



if you want a "long range" gun.....do yourself a favor and pick a game. if youre gonna plink and just have to have it, go hog wild. if you want to compete, pick a discipline and build to that. its way cheaper in the end (rather than buy, then rebuild when you realize what you have isnt allowed by the rules)
 
600yds is considered "mid-range" if you ever decide to complete. "long-range" starts @ 1000 (with the exception being palma, shot @ 800/900/1000yds).

UKD matches could be anywhere from 200-2000yds, but we dont have anywhere inside of of 500 miles from here to shoot that kind of stuff (which is a bummer!)


agreed with Pat. out to 600yds, an AR15 with a decent barrel and good ammo can be competitive with damned near anyone. you'll work a little harder for it with the wind, but its doable.

LR? thats a different game. I shoot out to 1k with irons and scopes, prone with slings (the competitions we shoot dont allow bipods/bags).

the favorite is easy my T2K's. got a pair of them...built by McMillan to be a true switch-barrel setup. both are chambered in 6XC (22-250 necked up to 6mm, and fireformed to an ackley profile). spits out a 108gr berger @ ~ 3150FPS. its a laser, but the barrel life is brutal (1500 rounds of acceptable accuracy out to 1k, maybe pushing 2000rounds for 600, but it definitely shows its age at that point)
next up would be the Barnard P-action with a Bartlein 1:13, sitting in an Eliseo tube stock, chambered as a palma rifle (308). spitting out 155gr Sierras @ 3000fps. the gun is easily 1/2MOA elevation @ 600, although I havent shot it @ 1000 yet.
old trusty is a Remington 700 that I did some work to. stock barrel/chamber (that may change soon), bedded stock, NF scope, and tuned ammo til it shot 1/4MOA @ 200yds. bench/bipod shooting doesnt get my excited, so it doesnt see as much use as it should.



if you want a "long range" gun.....do yourself a favor and pick a game. if youre gonna plink and just have to have it, go hog wild. if you want to compete, pick a discipline and build to that. its way cheaper in the end (rather than buy, then rebuild when you realize what you have isnt allowed by the rules)


So if you were an acceptable shooter wanting to shoot at 600 yards on your own (no competition), what would you suggest with a $2k budget? A Rem 700 build?
 
2k all in? you already reload? cause ammo is probably 50% of the battle here.

depends on what you do for glass really. honestly, i'm debating selling my remington 700 (as I rarely shoot it anyways), and building the dream rig (eventually for PRS)...but seeing as that'll be north of 5k, gotta sell a couple to finance it.
 
For a Bolt Action rifle a lot of people will point you to the Remington 700. When I was looking for a similar setup, after some research, I went with a FN Special Police rifle in .308. Rifle is dead accurate for me, but it all comes down to the glass you attach for the longer range shots. I spent just as much on the glass as I did on the rifle. Chromed heavy bbl, McMillan Stock, 1/2 MOA guaranteed at 100 yards,etc'. Shot it up at Reading at their 600 yard range and after figuring out the right settings on my scope, kept it in a good group. (Good group for me anyway) I'm not doing the rifle justice as it's much more accurate then I am.
 
I'm nowhere near the ability of Pat or others here, but my 10FP let me shoot 3" groups at 300, which is pretty awesome.

That rifle was better than me, which is all you really need from a rifle. Personally I'd aim at $2k total for a .308 rifle setup and spend anything else on ammo. When you out grow that rifle, then go full retard on budget for something more special.
 
Why the Savage over the 700, the new Ruger, or an FN?

Only because I've never heard of a stock FP10 shooting bigger than sub MOA out of the box. Plus the trigger is sweet.

I'm trying to keep the cost down on a recommendation, but provide a solution you can grow a decent amount with.
 
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I shoot a remington 700 tactical in .308, blueprinted with aac sdn-6 can sitting in a custom usmc solicitation sample accurate mag chassis. Running an atlas bipod with Timney trigger and topped with bushnell elite tactical hdmr 3.5-21x50 with h-59 reticle. Gun is stupid easy to shoot up to 600 yards. With hand loads I've shot 1,200 with it. Very economical setup as far as med-long range go. If going over a grand I recomend getting into the 6mm range game. .308 is a great round for those that don't reload or want the ability to buy certain over the counter match rounds, but not great for long days of punching tight groups at long range
 
Only because I've never heard of a stock FP10 shooting bigger than sub MOA out of the box. Plus the trigger is sweet.

I'm trying to keep the cost down on a recommendation, but provide a solution you can grow a decent amount with.


I get that and I appreciate it. I ask because the 700's seem to have a good reputation and they are cheap. Perhaps it takes work that I don't know about to make them as accurate as the Savage.

Are the Savage box mags proprietary or can you do something like put a Magpul stock on it for AICS mags?
 
I get that and I appreciate it. I ask because the 700's seem to have a good reputation and they are cheap. Perhaps it takes work that I don't know about to make them as accurate as the Savage.

Are the Savage box mags proprietary or can you do something like put a Magpul stock on it for AICS mags?

Yup.

https://www.facebook.com/Atlasworxs/

Personally, I'd just build a long barrel AR10 if you want mags and accuracy. Then you can run 25rd PMAGs.
 
Why the Savage over the 700, the new Ruger, or an FN?

The biggest advantage the Savage has over those two is using a barrel nut instead of shouldered barrels. It allows barrel replacement and caliber changes to be a DIY project instead of paying a gunsmith. It does need some specialized tools to accomplish. As others have said, the stock Savage barrel is pretty damn good, too.

Not every aftermarket manufacturer that makes bolt action parts produces Savage parts, but I've not run across anything I couldn't get - just didn't have the same choices in who made those bits.
 
So if you were an acceptable shooter wanting to shoot at 600 yards on your own (no competition), what would you suggest with a $2k budget? A Rem 700 build?

An AR in .223 with an upper from White Oak, Compass Lake, or Keystone Arms. Use the leftover money make good ammo. $2000 bucks really isn't much if you shoot a lot. I probably spend $2000 a year just in ammo components....
 
Yup.

https://www.facebook.com/Atlasworxs/

Personally, I'd just build a long barrel AR10 if you want mags and accuracy. Then you can run 25rd PMAGs.

"Some inletting will be required." = gunsmith?

AR10 accuracy compared to bolt gun accuracy @600m? inches? feet?

Is .308 still the round of choice for a bolt gun or does that depend on whether I buy the dies and reload it on my 650?

An AR in .223 with an upper from White Oak, Compass Lake, or Keystone Arms. Use the leftover money make good ammo. $2000 bucks really isn't much if you shoot a lot. I probably spend $2000 a year just in ammo components....

So do I. However, it is easier to obfuscate those costs in with others and thus from the wife. A $5k rifle isn't going to be a grey area.

A WO upper is on the list for sure. I currently have two unbuilt uppers in need of barrels so I may throw a Criterion on one of those instead of buying the whole upper. I have been looking at CLE recently though and am unsure what to choose from all of these options.

The .223 would still be used inside 400m and primarily at 200m, not at 600m. I know it can and I might but I wanted to focus these questions on larger caliber guns.
 
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The biggest advantage the Savage has over those two is using a barrel nut instead of shouldered barrels. It allows barrel replacement and caliber changes to be a DIY project instead of paying a gunsmith. It does need some specialized tools to accomplish. As others have said, the stock Savage barrel is pretty damn good, too.

Not every aftermarket manufacturer that makes bolt action parts produces Savage parts, but I've not run across anything I couldn't get - just didn't have the same choices in who made those bits.
Plus, there's something about Savage's floating head bolt. At least that's what many people say is part of their outstanding out of the box accuracy.
 
Is .308 still the round of choice for a bolt gun or does that depend on whether I buy the dies and reload it on my 650?

Depends on who's doing the choosing. No serious competitive long range rifle shooters shoot .308. (With the exception of Palma and that's only because they have to.) On the plus side, it's common and you can buy good .308 ammo off the shelf, so it's good if you're just looking to have fun.

FWIW, my .240 Tomahawk (which fits in a standard AR-15 mag) will shoot inside a .308 all day, at least out to 6 or 800 yards. Maybe longer. Then again you can't buy it commercially.

As for accuracy, a properly built AR-whatever should be competitive. The real drawback is the trigger. It's hard to beat a good bolt gun trigger....
 
The biggest advantage the Savage has over those two is using a barrel nut instead of shouldered barrels. It allows barrel replacement and caliber changes to be a DIY project instead of paying a gunsmith. It does need some specialized tools to accomplish. As others have said, the stock Savage barrel is pretty damn good, too.

The new Ruger Precision Rifle has a similar barrel setup. Also takes pmags and is all around awesome. I got one in 6.5 recently - out the door was well under MSRP and the store was able to get one within a week.
 
The new Ruger Precision Rifle has a similar barrel setup. Also takes pmags and is all around awesome. I got one in 6.5 recently - out the door was well under MSRP and the store was able to get one within a week.


How far have you shot it and what is the accuracy like? Trigger?
 
200 yards with factory Hornady ammo (the 120 GR, not the 140 which is supposed to be even better).

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That is at 200 yards, gun straight out of the box not even wiped of packing grease, with a cheap Nikon 3-9 where the reticle was bigger than the Pasters. And I only shoot rifle 5-6 times / year.

Trigger felt like a nice S&W in Single Action. I haven't put the gauge on it but it feels like less than 2#.

I do not have enough good things to say about this gun. I think the gun with the $800 scope of your choosing is a sweet $2K combo.
 
Springfield m1a iron sights, for competition
GA Precision 308 Rock with Vortex Razor HD 5-20x50.
this is for F-class when I get off my butt and drive to another competition or two or maybe I will start one at our club.
 
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