long range set up help new at this

[Guyton]

As I look into learning about the long range shooting, I see all different types of this and that. As far as a box gun to start from say for example Rem 700 .308 5R or savage or anything along the price as them for accuracy… what is a starting point. gun and optics?? money is hard to come by but I would like to get something decent even if i have to buy a little along the way… please any advise is greatly appreciated. I know I will need a mat, bipod, wind meter, some sort of ballistics calculator, spotting scopes, and what ever else some can lean me in the direction to have a nice set up for my son and I. I have read forms of all sorts and more confused than ever…

 

[Barrelnut]

If I were starting out again, this is what I would have gotten:

Rifle: Savage 12 LRP (you pick the caliber 260 or 6.5 Creedmoor) - about $950.00
Scope: Vortex PST 6-24x50 SFP - about $750.00
Harris Bipod -Harris Engineering Bipod Rotating Black Leg Notch 9"-13" SLM - about $100.00
Bushnell Legend 1200 ARC range finder - About $300.00
Caldwell Wind Meter - about $40.00

You can always use a blanket for a prone shooting pad for a while.

I would get the .260 if you are a reloader, If you are going to shoot factory ammo for a while, I would definitely get the 6.5 Creedmoor. Hornady makes very good reasonably priced match grade ammo for the CreedMoor and this rifle shoots it very well. Get the 140 AMax - Note: These two cartridges are hotly debated but in the end, they are practically equals

This would be a setup that would take you a long ways. Then later on, if you wanted to get a custom barrel and change cartridges to .243, .308, .260, or 6.5 Creedmoor, just order the barrel and install it yourself.

 

[Brewer]

OK. Welcome, you are in good company here. there are a few questions you have to ask yourself as you get started. how far do you want to shoot? (500-800-1000-1250 yards). the further out you go, the more $$ it takes. second, what are you shooting at (animals or paper: what kind of animals?) how much money are you able to invest up front and how much are you able to set aside monthly/yearly for improvements and practice. these are a couple of MY rules of thumb.

Start with a Remington 700 action (stainless is my preference) in a caliber that is close to what you are wanting to be at. (question#2)

Start reloading with good tools (RCBS, Hornady, Wilson...)

scrap the spotting scope up front an put the money into a better scope.

If you buy cheap stuff, you will always kick yourself for not saving a little longer to get something decent.

once you have a gun, get a good trigger (just spend the $200 on a jewel)
Next, port your barrel.
Next, get a heaver stock.
then get a custom barrel put on it by a reputable gunsmith (you will have to wait)
then get that really expensive scope because now your rifle desperately needs it)

once you get shooting for a while and you stay connected to this and other communities, you will know what you want.

Not to be redundant, but if I had to start over again, this is what I would do.

Buy a Remington 700 SPS for $550-$650 (the stainless one with plastic stock)
Buy a Jewel trigger
Port the barrel
Buy a Burris FullFeild II or a Nikon Monarch 5-20x50 ish scope in the $500 range
this gets you started for $1500 in Gun.
Buy 5 boxes of factory ammo for $150.00
shoot all those rounds to site the gun in and get a feeling for it. start at 100 yards and by the time you are done shooting the first 50, you should move to 200 and then to 300 yards. note your accuracy and shooting technique, breathing, flinching, eye closing.... all the stuff you need to watch to shoot correctly.
buy the RCBS or Hornady Reloading kit for $300.
After you get those rounds shot, reload them 20 at a time with some different loads to get some kind of an idea what kind of loads your gun likes. then, till you get through that second 100 rounds, you will know a lot more of what you are doing.

 

[Barrelnut]

Oh.. And just get the Shooter ballistics app for you iPhone or Android. Not expensive at all and worth every penny.

 

[Trever]

Do you have a rifle already?

 

[Guyton]

Thanks for the fast replies. To answer some of these. I have bought nothing yet. I currently own a lee loader with several die combinations. Working on the bench as we speak. Shooting big game is what I'm after. My son loves to target shoot also and would like to shoot up to the 1000 mark. Why as to the questions for set up is because I have been looking at rifles and scopes. Like the 5r but can't see the difference in that and any savage or custom gun. Optics are huge and like night force is $2300. I see people spending that but is it worth it?? What is semilar to these high end models. Example. GA precision. $4750. It's a rem 700 base with aftermarket barrell, stock and magazine ?? Same ole 1/2 MOA claim as others. Why the $$ difference ?? Same with optics?? Some people have the funds to spend but being a single parent trying to introduce something different to my kids gets expensive quick. Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions.

 

[Guyton]

As far as iPhone apps does anybody use one over the other??

 

[Brewer]

So I am a big night force fan so my opinions are going to be biased. when you buy a scope, you start at $100 and get lousy glass and lousy mechanism (repeatability and shot dialing). so then you move to the $250 range and you get some acceptable glass and you will hold zero if you don't move it too much. then you go to $500 and you get some decient glass and you can start dialing and actually not have to fiddle with the dials too much and hit where you aim. go to $750 or $1000 and the glass gets better again and you start getting pretty good (lifetime) repeatability with your dials and absolute zero hold. goto $1500-2000 and you get just about the best glass and lots of it (56MM), (in my opinion what you need for 1000 yards) great repeatability with dials, and you probably get an illuminated reticle which is nice. go higher and you are getting better glass, the guts don't get much better than what Ziess, steiner and Nightforce as well as the other big guys. when you buy a scope that's less than the $1000 mark, in my opinion, its like pulling a big load with a small underpowered truck. you can do it, and it will work for a time (2000 rounds) but after you drive a truck with 625HP, you will never go back, never. the longest confirmed kill in the world was made with a Nightforce scope. even for my .22's I but scopes that cost $350. I don't have a bunch of cash sitting around, I have to save for them, but I do save for them.

I would build my own rifle, not one that is already built. that way you are paying only for what you want. I have heard several reputable gunsmiths say that the Remington 700 action is the best factory action to buy because of how it is built. you can have a good smith put a bare bones ported bull barrel on it for $750. you can get a nice aftermarket heavy stock with aluminum bedding block for$400. out a jewel trigger on it and you have yourself a less than 1/2MOA 1500 yard gun that will be better than you are for at least the first 1000 rounds. add a Nightforce and you have everything you need.

Some gun makers charge more because people will pay it. some charge more because they make good guns. you have to do the research and find out. a good smith doesn't need to guarantee anything, his reputation preceded him and if he makes something that is substandard, he will absolutely replace it for free.

if you want to do something on the cheap, go with a Remington 700 in that 6.5 Creedmoor or the 260, and put a Nikon Monarch on it for $500. get a trigger spring kit from brownells for $20 and you are going to be good for 600 yards. and you could probably kill deer out to 750 yards if you get really good. this gets you in for a little more than $1000. I have used a setup like this to kill Whitetail deer at 500 yards. you will need a range finder too if you plan to do any real long-range hunting. Bushnell makes a good enough one for reasonable money. Good luck.