Please help me select a caliber/rifle!!!

[nubcake29]

Hello all, first post here. I'm young and just starting my collection, but I have loved shooting all my life. I thought some of you who have been at this longer than I have could help me make a decision on my next rifle. I want to get the best advice possible, so please bear with me on the details as this may get lengthy.

Basically, I'm looking for an inexpensive rifle that has great accuracy, durability, and range. I don't care too much about weight or looks. I want to use it for target shooting (1-2 times weekly) and hunting (maybe twice per year). I want the capability of taking large game (elk) at long distances (800 or more yards). Targets at my range go out to 800 yards and I want to be able to reliably hit a silhouette at that range 9 times out of 10 or better. I want to be able to take a buck at whatever range I see it at (I don't want to see a buck 1000 yards out and hike up one mountain and down another just to find that it's gone).

I have decided to go with a Remington 700, because funds are limited, and I want to be able to customize my rifle as I can afford to do so. From what I understand, remmys have the most available aftermarket parts and are easy to gunsmith. Also, the basic actions and everything are the same, so I want to go with a low end one for now (i.e. ADL) and when I can I want to restock, put a new trigger in, possibly rebarrel, etc. I will, however, be receptive to other suggestions such as Savage or others in my price range.

My dilemma lies mainly in two things
1) Caliber
2) Barrel contour
All the rifles I've looked at either don't have the heavy barrel I'm looking for or don't come in larger calibers for the range I want.

So I guess my question is, which is a better sacrifice between barrel contour and large calibers for range? I've been looking at the following 3 rifles:
1)700 ADL Varmint, which goes up to .308 and has the heavy contour barrel,
2) the 700 ADL wood tech which goes up to 7mm Rem. Mag, comes with Bushnell Banner 3-9x40 scope, but has normal barrel,
3) The regular 700 ADL which goes up to .300 Win. Mag with regular barrel contour. Comes with throwaway scope, but is the cheapest of all three.

All of these are under $500 (I.e. within my budget). They all have 26" barrels.

So between those three, given that I will be using for long range target shooting and hunting which do you all think I should go with? Is the .308 large enough for my needs, or should I move up to the 7mm rem. mag or .300 win mag? I've been thinking and researching for months, this is the first time I've asked for help. If you made it this far into my post and are willing to help, God Bless you.

Also, I plan to buy a reloading kit soon, so hopefully that will help with ammo cost if I choose the larger calibers.

Thanks!

 

[roninflag]

if you are going shoot long range including elk you will want remington sendero or a remington 5-r in 300 win mag. if those are too much money then you can start with a rem 700 varmint in 308 .

 

[roninflag]

Heavier is better for targets. the heavy barrels are less fincky to load for and more comfortable to shoot. the 308 was not made to be an 800 elk rifle . you are better off with a 300 win mag. that is why i suggest the 5-r or sendero. sporter weights generally do not do as well as heavy barrels for target shooting.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Hello all, first post here. I'm young and just starting my collection, but I have loved shooting all my life. I thought some of you who have been at this longer than I have could help me make a decision on my next rifle. I want to get the best advice possible, so please bear with me on the details as this may get lengthy.

Basically, I'm looking for an inexpensive rifle that has great accuracy, durability, and range. I don't care too much about weight or looks. I want to use it for target shooting (1-2 times weekly) and hunting (maybe twice per year). I want the capability of taking large game (elk) at long distances (800 or more yards). Targets at my range go out to 800 yards and I want to be able to reliably hit a silhouette at that range 9 times out of 10 or better. I want to be able to take a buck at whatever range I see it at (I don't want to see a buck 1000 yards out and hike up one mountain and down another just to find that it's gone).

I have decided to go with a Remington 700, because funds are limited, and I want to be able to customize my rifle as I can afford to do so. From what I understand, remmys have the most available aftermarket parts and are easy to gunsmith. Also, the basic actions and everything are the same, so I want to go with a low end one for now (i.e. ADL) and when I can I want to restock, put a new trigger in, possibly rebarrel, etc. I will, however, be receptive to other suggestions such as Savage or others in my price range.

My dilemma lies mainly in two things
1) Caliber
2) Barrel contour
All the rifles I've looked at either don't have the heavy barrel I'm looking for or don't come in larger calibers for the range I want.

So I guess my question is, which is a better sacrifice between barrel contour and large calibers for range? I've been looking at the following 3 rifles:
1)700 ADL Varmint, which goes up to .308 and has the heavy contour barrel,
2) the 700 ADL wood tech which goes up to 7mm Rem. Mag, comes with Bushnell Banner 3-9x40 scope, but has normal barrel,
3) The regular 700 ADL which goes up to .300 Win. Mag with regular barrel contour. Comes with throwaway scope, but is the cheapest of all three.

All of these are under $500 (I.e. within my budget). They all have 26" barrels.

So between those three, given that I will be using for long range target shooting and hunting which do you all think I should go with? Is the .308 large enough for my needs, or should I move up to the 7mm rem. mag or .300 win mag? I've been thinking and researching for months, this is the first time I've asked for help. If you made it this far into my post and are willing to help, God Bless you.

Also, I plan to buy a reloading kit soon, so hopefully that will help with ammo cost if I choose the larger calibers.

Thanks!

I'd go with option 2, in a 7mm RM.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Yet another of those 'I want a cheap gun that does everything' posts.

Hate to break it to you but cheap and long range don't cohabitate too well.

 

[nubcake29]

Yet another of those 'I want a cheap gun that does everything' posts.

Hate to break it to you but cheap and long range don't cohabitate too well.

Well like I said, as I can afford it, I entirely intend to rebarrel, restock, etc. whichever gun I buy. Not all of us are blessed with thousands of dollars to spend on rifles. And that wasn't my question anyway. My question was directed at caliber and barrel contour among the rifles listed that are in my price range.

I chose the 700 because it is so easily upgradeable. As far as I know, The ADL varmint has the same action and barrel as the 700p in 308, with the main difference being in the stock and possibly the rifling? I'm not sure if the 700p's have 5r rifling.

Anyway, I'm leaning toward the ADL Varmint in .308. I think I will forgo 800+ yard capability for now, and focus on improving my close-intermediate range skills until I can afford a rifle more suited for long range. Ammunition cost is also a factor, since my local shop has match grade ammo for .308 for about $22/box vs. $32 for 7mm and $36 for .300 win mag. I don't have reloading equipment yet although it will be my first purchase after this rifle and scope, and after I have a few hundred rounds through it so I have brass.

Thank you all for your input and if anyone has any more suggestions, I still haven't decided for sure

 

[1whocanshoot]

Yet another of those 'I want a cheap gun that does everything' posts.

Hate to break it to you but cheap and long range don't cohabitate too well.

If you don't have anything positive to say why don't you just shut up.

We are so sick of your stupid posts all the time trying to make yourself sound smart and tuff.

 

[Sully2]

If you don't have anything positive to say why don't you just shut up.

We are so sick of your stupid posts all the time trying to make yourself sound smart and tuff.

Thats more than we can grant to you.....you havent made hardly any posts at all. And the positive thing in this posting of yours is???????

 

[nubcake29]

Thats more than we can grant to you.....you havent made hardly any posts at all. And the positive thing in this posting of yours is???????

I would appreciate if you all would take your bashing elsewhere. Good god, it's an Internet forum and you don't know each other. If you aren't responding to my question please don't post in my thread

 

[nubcake29]

I'd go with option 2, in a 7mm RM.

Mud Runner, why do you think that is the best option?

 

[nubcake29]

Also, what is the maximum range at which the .308 is capable of taking deer? And possibly elk? This is, of course, assuming the shooter and rifle do their part. I'm thinking 600-800 and 400 or so, respectively

 

[MudRunner2005]

Well like I said, as I can afford it, I entirely intend to rebarrel, restock, etc. whichever gun I buy. Not all of us are blessed with thousands of dollars to spend on rifles. And that wasn't my question anyway. My question was directed at caliber and barrel contour among the rifles listed that are in my price range.

I chose the 700 because it is so easily upgradeable. As far as I know, The ADL varmint has the same action and barrel as the 700p in 308, with the main difference being in the stock and possibly the rifling? I'm not sure if the 700p's have 5r rifling.

Anyway, I'm leaning toward the ADL Varmint in .308. I think I will forgo 800+ yard capability for now, and focus on improving my close-intermediate range skills until I can afford a rifle more suited for long range. Ammunition cost is also a factor, since my local shop has match grade ammo for .308 for about $22/box vs. $32 for 7mm and $36 for .300 win mag. I don't have reloading equipment yet although it will be my first purchase after this rifle and scope, and after I have a few hundred rounds through it so I have brass.

Thank you all for your input and if anyone has any more suggestions, I still haven't decided for sure

Don't forget you WILL need to have the action trued or "blueprinted" as some folks call it. Pretty much all factory untouched 700 actions will need truing. Plus, it just adds that extra bit of peace of mind that everything is 100% straight down that invisible datum line.

 

[jkupper]

I may get hung out here by a couple of parties, but I'm okay with that.

Many people on this site believe that it takes a higher end custom, or semi-custom gun to obtain the kind of accuracy needed for long range hunting/shooting. That is not necessarily the case, but as I said, some believe it.

I, for one, have found in my years of shooting that spending money on optics is much more important than spending money on the actual gun. I have three sub $500 dollar guns that all shoot 1/2 MOA or better. They all have $400 or more scopes on them though. In rifle and optics alone you can spend a good deal of money, so the sport is not cheap, even if you take the cheap route.

I appreciate SidecarFlip's posts, and I get his sense of humor, though there are several on this site who may not. He is a wealth of knowledge, and he is willing to help people. He has helped me in the past, so I wouldn't read too much into his post.

It is hard to find one rifle that will do everything, but for the list of things that you have given us I would agree with Mudrunner on the 7 RM. The 7mm's have a good selection of high BC bullets to chose from, and the 7 RM takes less powder than a lot of the larger magnums. Brass can be found, and Ammo is usually available at stores should you forget to bring your own on a trip.

Making the decision to get into reloading will help you to squeeze accuracy from your rifle. I have a 700 SPS in 7 RM that shoots one hole groups at 100 yards, and the best group that I have gotten out of it at 1000 yards is 6 inches. I have tried many different loads through the gun, some shot less than 1/2 MOA, some (mostly manufactured ammunition) have shot as large of groups as 3 MOA. Once you decide on a gun it just takes a lot of work to get it to shoot the way you want it to, and patience to find the loads that it likes.

You can get into a long range rifle with a lower end factory rifle, but you need to be prepared to do your part. From what I have gathered, it is much easier if you chose to go the custom route, though it will cost more. I'm like you, I don't have much money. I had to save for 2 years to buy the scope that is on my 7 RM.

Best of luck. I hope this helps, and I hope it helps to put a couple of fires out too!

Joe

 

[MudRunner2005]

Mud Runner, why do you think that is the best option?

Well, I am a big 7mm fan... I own numerous rifles in .30 caliber to .45 caliber, but my staple will always be a 7mm caliber or a .257 caliber, because I primarily hunt whitetail deer.

The 7mm calibers are quite often overlooked as a viable long range option with proper shot placement. I have never shot an Elk. However, we have numerous members on here who shoot them with 7mm RM, 7mm STW, 7mm Dakota, .280 Rem, .280 Ackley Improved, even the little 7mm-08, and all the various 7mm calibers and have no issues killing them, even at long range. One guy on here killed a HUGE moose @ 900-something yards with a regular old 7mm RM... That tells me that the 7mm is quite capable for long range.

There is nothing wrong with the .300 WM...Hell, I reload for my buddy's. I also reload for a buddy of mine who has a .300 Weatherby Mag. So, it's not like I'm against the bigger calibers, 7mm calibers have just always been my favorite and my go-to.