Am an inexperienced long-range shooter wannabe, who's been wanting to do this for a long time, and now at 55 (after kids, divorce, a few jobs, etc) seems I am having a chance to learn. My plan so far is to purchase a heavy-barrel rifle in .223, a scope and after learning the shooting basics, start to reload. I picked the .223 as my starter rifle, due to the lower cost of ammo and versatility. I was wondering if some of you could comment back on my choices below, especially if I should consider something else.
I have done a bit of reading in this very informative forum, and elsewhere in the 'net, and am sort of settled in a Savage 12 LRPV with a 7-inch twist so I can eventually work my way to shooting at longer distances with the heavier bullets. One doubt I have is if the 7" twist is going to work. I've read that this twist rate is only good for bullets in the 80gr and above (which I will eventually want to shoot), and that it will over-stabilize smaller bullets. Will this be a "real" problem ? Is there a lower limit of bullet weight I will be able to shoot ? Will I be able to progress from shooting at less than 300 yards, to shooting to 600+ yards later ? I've read that I may not be able to shoo the same bullet weight accurately at 100-300 and 600+, so would have to try a lighter bullet for the smaller distances -- all this due to the 7" twist not stabilizing heavy bullets within 300 yards, and perhaps over-stabilizing lighter bullets...
My other question relates to scopes. If it seems I have sufficient ability to shoot, eventually I would find me a good decent scope, but at the beginning I am hesitant to spend the 1,000+ in a scope, and wondering if there are good enough cheaper alternatives ? Is there a consensus amongst the rest of you on two or three econo-line scopes that I could use to learn that have turrets to dial windage and elevation corrections the sort one needs to do for long range target shooting ? I am in Canada and hear that SWFA scopes are not available here.
Anyways, any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated !
I have done a bit of reading in this very informative forum, and elsewhere in the 'net, and am sort of settled in a Savage 12 LRPV with a 7-inch twist so I can eventually work my way to shooting at longer distances with the heavier bullets. One doubt I have is if the 7" twist is going to work. I've read that this twist rate is only good for bullets in the 80gr and above (which I will eventually want to shoot), and that it will over-stabilize smaller bullets. Will this be a "real" problem ? Is there a lower limit of bullet weight I will be able to shoot ? Will I be able to progress from shooting at less than 300 yards, to shooting to 600+ yards later ? I've read that I may not be able to shoo the same bullet weight accurately at 100-300 and 600+, so would have to try a lighter bullet for the smaller distances -- all this due to the 7" twist not stabilizing heavy bullets within 300 yards, and perhaps over-stabilizing lighter bullets...
My other question relates to scopes. If it seems I have sufficient ability to shoot, eventually I would find me a good decent scope, but at the beginning I am hesitant to spend the 1,000+ in a scope, and wondering if there are good enough cheaper alternatives ? Is there a consensus amongst the rest of you on two or three econo-line scopes that I could use to learn that have turrets to dial windage and elevation corrections the sort one needs to do for long range target shooting ? I am in Canada and hear that SWFA scopes are not available here.
Anyways, any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated !