Suggestions/Recommendations

[LDHunter]

I'm over 60 and have been handloading over 40 years so please forgive my ignorance but is there even one source for factory loaded ammo that will yield the kind of performance that a $2000 rig can deliver?

I'm thinking that bypassing loading your own unless you can get a friend to load for you is not a negotiable item here.

I'm also a Remington guy and had very poor luck with the 5 Savages I've owned but then a lot of people like them. The best thing about Remingtons is that parts are cheap as dirt and everyone and his brother can work on them and these days most of them are pretty darn accurate right out of the box with a good stock such as a McMillan that's bedded properly.

Don't scrimp on your stock or your scope.

Also you really need to take a look at how much you'll be shooting and realize that having a long range rifle and the ammo to feed one and the gas to drive it around to good places to shoot can be a drain.

I'm not meaning to rain on your parade but even on the cheap, long distance shooting and hunting can be expensive.

On the other hand it's the most rewarding and satisfying hobby I've ever had and don't regret even one penny I've ever spent on it and I'm certainly not a rich man.

$bob$

 

[liltank]

Hi Bob,
There are some pretty good factory options to shoot competitively. Lapua, Hornady Match, Federal Match, and Black Hills offer some pretty consistent stuff. Sometimes factories and magazine authors will use this ammunition as a standard for accuracy. But not all rifles like it. It's a game of cat and mouse. The big thing, is finding a good factory offering, and getting a bunch of it in the same lot for consistencies sake. That is one draw back. Lot to lot can give different results.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Nosler Custom ammo is good stuff. If I'mmnot mistaken, Nosler also will sell custom loaded ammo.

 

[roninflag]

left hand remington action 400, krieger( or equivalent) barrel 300 , cham /thread 125, stock of your choice 200-500 from stockys . if you are shooting targets get a target barrel.

 

[TallTx]

I'm not meaning to rain on your parade but even on the cheap, long distance shooting and hunting can be expensive.

No worries, LDH, you havent. I realize that not reloading my own will be my achilles in all this and I'm hoping that store bought match grade will work well enough.

On the other hand it's the most rewarding and satisfying hobby I've ever had and don't regret even one penny I've ever spent on it

And that is what it's all about.

In all actuallity, I'll probably spend more time on the range punching paper than I will out in the sticks looking for that elusive B&C record breaker but I do hope to go on an occational hunt now and again so I don't want something thats strickly a range gun. I've settled on a LH Remington 700 Varment 308 Win.

Lets talk optics, bases and rings. MOA or Mil Dot? As a biginning long range shooter, which is easier to pick up and learn or does it really matter? Based on the poll in here on MOA or Mil Dot, it sounds like the one to use is which ever one that works for me, which is true of all things but getting advice can't hurt.

I've thought about learnig to shoot right handed but I've got 55 yrs of habbit and instinct to unlearn inorder to make that work, however its not completely out of the question.

 

[TallTx]

After a little research and much cussing and discussing with myself, I've decided on the Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I have Mil-Dot scopes, but I prefer MOA since learning how to judge yardage with the MOA reticle. Plus, the equation is very simple, as compared to learning the Milradian equation, which is not necessarily hard, just time consuming, IMO.

 

[clemens]

Some really good deals in the classifieds as well.