Relization. Looking at 308

[COgoat]

Well i was out shooting at the range and came to a relization that more trigger time is the best way for me to get into longrange shooting. I would like to become a better shot before dropping alot of money on a custom rig. So i was thinking I would buy a factory .308 to practice with and then later work up to a bigger gun. It seems this would be a good rig to practice with because of all the info. I haven't started reloading yet but plan to. Just wondering if this makes sense? Also what factory rifles would you look at? I would like to keep the cost down but still buy a nice rifle. What glass would you put on it? I was looking at fixed power to be cost effective. Also what range could i take a elk, deer, antelope with a .308? Thanks for the help.

[HUAINAMACHERO]

I have the exact same plan you just described. The availability of the 308 makes it very economic to shoot, and it is a very good caliber to learn how to shoot long range. If I would live in the States I would buy a remington 700 in 308, and then keep on upgrading it as I get better. Because I live in South America, the 308 is the caliber that is more available because that is the caliber the Army uses. But if you want a low priced good rifle then a Savage is a great option, have heard and read only good things about them. For scope my plan is a Bushnell Elite 6500 Tactical 2.5x16x42, with mildot reticle. If you can spend more money then the Nightforce 3.5x15x50 should be one of the best options. There are several articles, and threads in this forum that talk about what is the maximum range for the 308 to make a clean kill, some say around 800 yards, and for practice with steel and paper farther than that. Good luck in your project and keep us updated.

[kiwi3006]

Read this article about the 308 http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/308-winchester-1.php

and then this one about entry level scopes http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/low-priced-long-range-scopes.php

they should be able to answer most of your questions.

[ebd10]

Remington 700 SPS Varmint, 16X Super Sniper, eventually an HS Precision stock, and practice, practice, practice...

[jeff 300]

First place i would be looking at is Savage Arms 12 Series Varmint Model 12BVSS Savage Arms Model 10FP
Savage make some fine shooting rifle and for a great price. i have a 308 savage that i rebarreled my self after shooting out the first one and both shot shoot under 1/2 moa. give savage a try you will be happy. i also have a Super sniper scope 10x40 that has been a great scope for the money. its not my night force but for 299.00 its a great scope with lots of moa to work with.

[Moman]

I think you are making a wise decision to get a .308. I mostly shoot a 300 WM and by the time I really started to figure all of this out and extend my range to the 1,000 yd mark, the barrel went south. I shot and hunted with that gun a lot though. Last spring I picked up a Remington 700 5R Milspec and that gun flat out shoots. It'll go 1,000 + yards and shoot tight groups. Lots of fun and great practice. I really like any of the tactical or varmint 700's. I don't know a thing about the Savage's but pretty much everyone you talk to that shoot these really likes them. Must be something to it.

Another thing with the 308 is that it is an inherently accurate round and very straight forward to load for. You will learn a lot with this gun. Get it.

Good luck.

[Michael Eichele]

Originally Posted by COgoat

Well i was out shooting at the range and came to a relization that more trigger time is the best way for me to get into longrange shooting. I would like to become a better shot before dropping alot of money on a custom rig. So i was thinking I would buy a factory .308 to practice with and then later work up to a bigger gun. It seems this would be a good rig to practice with because of all the info. I haven't started reloading yet but plan to. Just wondering if this makes sense? Also what factory rifles would you look at? I would like to keep the cost down but still buy a nice rifle. What glass would you put on it? I was looking at fixed power to be cost effective. Also what range could i take a elk, deer, antelope with a .308? Thanks for the help.

Youre on the right track. Most shooters who make the leap to the longrange game go from their old hunting rifle straight to a top fuel dragster. One must learn to walk before he can run. Sometimes even then runners (like myself) resort back to walking after the unknown costs asscosiated with running begin to creep up on them.

I just wrote an article about the 308 winchester. The 308 seems to have lost alot of appeal in recent years with many shooters. I wrote the article to reiterate why it is such a usefull and versitle round.

There is also some decent info in there about several bullets and why they work well in the 308. It looks like kiwi3006 already posted a link to it (thanks!).

All in all, you wont be dissapointed.