Rookie looking for great help

[dkweeks]

I am new to long range shooting and I am looking for a rifle to handle 500 - 1000 yard shots. I am interested in the Remington 700 CDL 7mm ultra mag, but open to suggestions for the best caliber and rifle. I know that this will need some work to achieve the accuracy that I am looking for. I am looking to know what parts may need to be upgraded;ie. barrel, trigger, etc. as well as what scope and mounts to use. If there are any gunsmithing issues that need to be addressed, please let me know. I have heard of so many things (bedding the stock/barrel?, muzzle brakes, etc.) and don't know what I will need. How long should I expect a rifle to last and what may wear out? Any help for a rookie would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lovdasnow]

thats a lot of questions, and a lot of them you'll have to decide from just researching this site.

first things first...get the trigger done, and put a good scope on it, and see how it shoots. Then go from there if you need more work done to achieve your level of expected accuracy...ie...new barrel, trued action and so on.

SO get your gun, get a trigger job and some good glass, and start working up your loads.

there is a TON of info on this site, so use the search button and start studying, alot of your questions will get answered as you do that....have fun..

 

[wadevb1]

I was in the same boat last year, interested in long range shooting and hunting. I saved up the extra money and bought a slightly used custom remington from the classified section. I didn't want to take any chances on a factory barrel or chamber. After working up some loads, I knew I made the right decision.

 

[Centre Punch]

dkweeks,
Welcome to the forum. I'm with lovdasnow on this, plus a muzzel brake.
That Ultramag in a CDL is going to pound your shoulder.
When you are comfortable and confident shooting your Ultramag, step up for a re-barrel, action job, stock etc but get a muzzel brake straight away.

Ian.

 

[Meister]

Just about everyone here know's I'm a fan of the more conventional rounds for new shooters, just to make it cheaper for a new shooter to get as much trigger time as possible. For your uses a 308 would be more than adequate for 1000 yards, cheap to shoot, easy to maintain, and the barrel will last virtually forever. Most of my rifles use the wal-mart rule, if I'm on a hunting trip and run out of ammo I can go to walmart and find it there. A great starter gun would be a Rem 700 pss, it can be customized at will later if you want to. Luvdasnow and myself are cut from the same cloth, so his advice carries great weight with me as well.

There is an unbelievable amount of knowledge stored in these pages, you'd be well served to look at as much as you can before asking some questions. Being more specific in your questions will help us better answer them to the best of our ability. For instance, not knowing what you want to shoot at 600- 1000 yards made me guess that you want to punch paper to learn to shoot. If you wanted to take a bull moose at 1000 I would direct you to Kirby Allen Aka Fiftydriver for his input on the 338 monster he's building.

I have learned a great deal in my year here, I can only hope you are as well served with info as I was. Welcome to the board and good luck in your new addiction!

 

[dkweeks]

Thanks for the help. So far, I have been reading alot of the pages about different rifles and I believe the 700 is a good choice, but I don't see alot about the 7mm ultra mag as far as a highly recommended caliber. I don't know if this is true. I call myself looking at ballistics charts and that is why I am thinking about the 7rum. Is there a reason that people stay away from this caliber? Or am I just not finding the right thread?
I am interested in shooting paper, but the deer that I shoot taste alot better.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I'm with Meister on this one. The 308 will give you plenty of trigger time and there is plenty of factory (match) ammo around if you wnt to compare it to your handloads.

I know its hard to the think of the .308 as a longrange cartridge when so many hunters are using it to shoot whitetails at 150yds but it is an amazing little cartridge. If you just can't bring yourself to use the .308 then I'd suggest a 300WM. It is a proven performer that will last much longer than a 7RUM. There is also nearly an unlimited choice of bullets available for the .308 bore cartridges.

 

[bailey1474]

Buy a Savage 112BVSS in 300 win or 7mm Rem. No trigger work needed and all you need to to is have it bedded and put a brake on it if you wish (I would).

Take the money that you would have spent on a trigger job, action work etc and put it on a scope. You'll have just as accurate of a firearm (if not more accurate) and a much nicer scope. Then go out watch it shoot .5 MOA all day!!!

 

[roninflag]

DK- the 700 CDL is one of the better looking wood stocked guns for the money in my opinion. they feel a little light to me for any amount of target work; which is necessary to become proficient. i would want a heavier gun /barrel for 500-100yard shooting . for regular 0-500 shots i think the CDL IS NICE. it is my understanding the rum's (7mm and 300 )can't be loaded to touch the lands and still fit in the magazine. the rum;'s don't have lapua brass available. i would get a 7mm short or 7 rem mag or a 300 short or a 300 win.. a vais, and adjust the trigger. ron

 

[dkweeks]

I am going to be hunting whitetail the most with this rifle. I also want it to be a good rifle for larger game if I can ever go hunting for elk or bear like I want to. I still want to be able to take a long range shot if it presents itself. The 308 doesn't sound bad. I am reading about rate of twist at the moment and want to know what would be best for a light weight bullet. Should I just go with the 1-12 that comes on the 700? Should I buy a 700 action and add a custom barrel and stock?

 

[Michael Eichele]

I am with other on the 308 option. Yes a 308 will kill elk and bears. Shot placment is key but an easy key to obtain with the 308. When you learn more about accuracy and shooting then move to a bigger gun based on a more educated guess and NOT by looking at ballistic tables. Bullets in mid air dont read ballistics tables. Ballistic tables are generated by way of manufacturers published BC's and published velocity which they get in a VERY controlled enviornment. What they dont tell you is how fast one caliber might burn out the barrel or how bad it hurts when it goes BANG! or how accurate a given round is. Start with the 308 and learn for yourself by experiance and that of others what is going to be your ultimate cartridge. Who knows a couple years from now you may still want a 7RUM or you might want a hot 6.5 or even a 300.


Good luck!

PS a 12 twist works very well in 308 win. Handles anything from 125's to 190's. 155's, 168's and 175,178,180's all work the best in the 12x. 26" 12x and the 178 AMAX under 45 grains of VARGET is very tough to beat for dear and matches. 180 ACCUBOND and you have an elk/moose/bear slayer. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Meister]

A light weight bullet won't get you to 1000 in the 308, goes subsonic too soon. The 175 Sierra MatckKing is my choice for my rigs. I shoot 1 bullet all the time, load it to how the rifle likes it, and go. The charts are the same so it makes range work so much easier. I have 3 rifles in 308- three different twists, a savage 1-10, a custom remington 1-11.25, and a Rem LTR 1-12. All shoot the 175 SMK very well, and their fav loads are within 200 fps of each other. I have the savage primarily for shooting subsonic ammo for my quiet shooting, 1-10 will stabilize the heavy bullets required.
Your wants seem to require more power than the 308, sounds like you might upgrade to a 300wm in the future. 1-10 is a good twist for that round. Anything larger starts to get expensive and punishing without a brake. A deer pops out at 750 and I'll grab my 308, deer pops out at 1000 I'll take my 338 lapua out of the truck. That is my escalation of force since I sold my 300wm Sendero. 308-.37 cents per round, 338LM- 2.10 per round.

 

[FnSpr1akid]

Find a Remington R5 hard to beat from what I have seen. My shoots like a DREAM.

 

[magicofmt]

I'm with Bill, BVSS 112 Savage, they come with a great trigger at 1.5 lbs, laminated stock and pillar bedded. I bought one and put a brake on it, Leupold 4.5x14 Mark 4 and am shooting to 1200 yds now and love it!