Advice on a Long Range Gun!

matt_3479

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I want a caliber for long range varmint hunting and target shooting. Now i want something that will be pretty comfortable taking shots from all day. I dont want a 223. I was thinking of possibly making it customed or even customizing some of it.

Originally i wanted just a straight up normal 22-250 Remington which is still a great caliber but then i realized i wanted a gun i could hunt varmints out to long ranges, and target shooting at even longer ranges.

After talking with my neighbor and his friend that i bought my last gun off that does a lot of reloading and does long range shooting i think i might just want to stick with a popular caliber like a 243. win or even make it a 243. AI. That way it will buck the wind better and have a little more power way out there. I know its no long range caliber but it can be good for pretty decent ranges.

I dont know much about long range shooting seeing this will be my first long range rifle. I would be really interested in making a custom rifle but i dont know where to start. Help please.

I was looking at a Defiance action, a 26" hart barrel (somewhere around a 1-7 to 1-9" twist) , a Macmillan A5 stock (maybe), Jewel Trigger and no idea from there? any ideas? any other stocks out there that work good? Recommendations on twist rates?
 
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Matt, what other guns do you have in your arsenal? I like the .243, but there are a ton of 6,6.5 and even 7mm options. Do you reload? 25-06 is a good round also.
 
Let me steer you in this direction:22BR Basics -- Reloading, 22BR case forming, .223 Bullets, Free Load Manual, Lapua 6mm BR Norma Brass, Varmint loads on 6mmBR.com It is a known accurate cartridge and still able to push 90VLD's to 3000+fps. I think this would be an excellent cartridge for target and varmint hunting.

Another option the 6mmbr. It is available in the Savage F-Class and Varmint precision hunter:Savage Arms Firearms > 12 LRPV DBM, Savage Arms Firearms > 12 F Class. Here is some info on the cartridge.

6mmBR Cartridge Guide

I think these cartridges being of bench made pedigree will be very accurate and fill your need for unique and availability. I personally have changed from 243 and leaning toward the 6mmbr. The 6BR offers great ballistics and less powder usage and still maintaining great speed and accuracy.

If you are stuck on the .243, it is a great caliber. I think it is a great caliber and very versatile. That being said the 243 AI would also be great for really reaching out and quickly. Some others to consider would be the 260, 257Roberts, 6.5x55 Swede, 6.5x47Lapua, 6x47Lapua, and 6.8 SPC.

Tank
 
I do not have a 6mm BR so I can't comment on that one but I think it would be good to consider. Quite a few years ago I started the same search and built over 20 rifles until I was satisfied I had the one I liked best. The 243 AI is the best I have shot for your purpose. Long barrel life and incredible accuracy out to 1000 yards. Easy and cheap to load for. My 6mm-06 imp, 240 wby and 240 gibbs are faster but the barrels don't last as long either. I can do anything with the 243 AI that the bigger ones will do, just a couple more clicks. My varmint rifle in 243 AI will consistently shoot 5/8"-3/4" groups at 300 yards. It is hard to miss a head shot on a prarie dog out to a quarter mile with it. It shoots light bullets and heavy vld bullets well. That would be my vote. Since then the 6mm BR came out and I haven't worked with it but I think it is mostly best for shorter range targets and not as a 1000 yard rifle. Liltank might could correct me on that if I am wrong. My 1000 yard 243 AI rifle will shoot the 107 matchking in the 3300's fps extremely accurately for a deadly 1000 yard rifle.
 
Liltank might could correct me on that if I am wrong.


Not a definitive source on the BR, but they are stretching them out. A lot of what I have read, guys use them to the 600 mark on a regular basis, but there are some records set at 1000yrds by 6BR shooters. I just like that it is easier on barrels, accuracy is almost a given, and uses a small primer which is more readily available than large rifle right now. We use the term "Inherent Accuracy" a lot on this sight. If there has been a caliber that has had that quality from its inception, it is the 6mmBR. It won't push the heavies as fast as a .243 of .243AI, but will definitely hold its own against vermin. I have read some guys are seeking the 6BR for varmints because of its accuracy. This is one of the many reasons it peaks my interest. Other qualities are lower powder charges, efficiency, and ease of finding loads, and especially barrel life.

Tank
 
Originally i wanted just a straight up normal 22-250 Remington which is still a great caliber but then i realized i wanted a gun i could hunt varmints out to long ranges, and target shooting at even longer ranges.

Don't rule out the .22-250 Rem. With a fast twist barrel that could handle 69-77 grain bullets (or even heavier), it should be able to reach out as far as you probably want to. My .22-250 is just a 1 in 12 twist, so I don't have experience with heavier bullets in it, but I'd guess a 77 grainer could make it to 1,000 yards easy enough.

Of course, many of the 6mm cartridges can reach out that far as well.
 
matt,
All these guys have good suggestions. In a 10lb + rifle the .243 is comfortable off the bench and can be shot and cleaned all day. I have one in this weight range but I must confess I lust after the AI version. It is more of a good thing. The plain, vanilla .243 is very capable of taking varmints at 600yds, and farther with good optics, lots of practice, favorable conditions and a little luck.
Thw 6mmBR is a great little cartridge. Once you shoot one it's hard not to fall in love with it. It is more efficient and more economical. About 35gn of powder is the most you will ever get in the case with the lighter pills (55gn). It will flat out make the trip to 600yds quicker than you can blink and is eerily accurate to that range. It holds its own in 600yds BR.
Look at the 6.5X284 also. It is very popular in 1000yd competition because of a few attributes. One it is very accurate in the majority of rifles (inherently accurate), two; the 6.5 (.264") bullets have great BC's and three; it is low in recoil.
I picked up a Savage in 6.5X284 in March and just shot it today for the first time. The first two groups at 100yds measured .327" and .452". The first one was with 100gn Nosler Ballistic Tip with 54.5gn of AA3100/w BR2's. The second group was with the 120gn SMK, 50.0gn of same powder and primer. This is my barrel break-in load. Saturday I will stretch it out to 500yds and see what it can do. JohnnyK.
 
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