newby questions

[hunter129]

Greetings All
New here, been lurking a few days. I have several questions and didnt really know where to post so I decidedto post them all here.
First of all I must say I'm very impressed with some of you guys and your knowledge of subject and obvious dedication to your sport. Untill I ran across this site I had never given much thought to longrange shooting, much less longrange hunting. Your skills are very admirable.(Enough smoochin)
I may be starting a little late in the game,but I sure would like to play with you guys. I'm 45 years old, and have been hunting most of those years. My hunting began as an unquenchable desire and over the years has only gotten
worse. My true obsession is the whitetail. I think my neck even swells a little every fall. But anyway, as far as my shooting skills are concerned I'm an average shooter at best. I shoot enough to maintain my zeros. I'm comfortable at 200yds and have never really tried to reach out any further. I group 3 shots in 2" at 200. I realize this is no great feat, but it is certainly adequate for my purpose. Herein,lies the basis for my post. I feel I would like to step up to the challenge of longrange hunting.
I have 3 rifles that I hunt with, a win. mod. 70 featherweight in 30-06,a rem.mod.7 in .308 and a husquvarna in 6.5x55. As I stated they all shoot very adequately. I should say I shoot them adequately. I'm sure they are capable of more than I have done with them. Of these 3, my favorite is the .308 followed by the 6.5 and the '06. I really like the way the mod.7 feels. I've noticed that the .308 is mentioned quite often on this site and the 6.5x55 and the '06 are rarely mentioned. Why?
I personally feel that a fine piece of dark walnut with an eggshell finish is truly a work of art. I see from other posts that most of you lean toward the composites. Is there no place in this sport for wood?
And lastly, of the 3 rifles I mentioned above,which would you suggest for a base to begin my lonerange shooting and hunting. I thank you for your time and look forward to any replies.

 

[458win]

Welcome to the forum! Its always nice to have "lurkers" become contributors. Never is it to late to get started shooting at long range. You didn't state how far you would like to shoot but if the biggest animal your going to go after is a whitetail I would take your Rem model 7 308 and have it sent to a competent gunsmith. Have him install a custom barrel in 260Rem or 7mm-08, also while its there have him true the action and rework the trigger down to around 3lbs.

At long range you need every accuracy advantage that you can get. A fancy walnut stock is prone to warpage and shifting according to the elements. A laminate is much more stable but a composite is the taj mahol of them all. If you really like walnut there is a custom stock maker who makes a laminated walnut stock that is a work of art. (he can be found at 6mmbr.com)
You did not state weather or not your reloaded but for top accuracy at long range and to take advantage of the avaliable bullets you have to reload.
When you get the rifle built a good scope is a necesity! Without good optics and a solid base doesnt matter what rifle it is only medicore accuracy will exist. Good luck with your project!

 

[hunter129]

458win thanx for the reply
I think I would like to shoot accurately out to 500yds. I think thats an obtainable goal for the present. I would eventually like to become proficient at that range with all 3 rifles but the one thing that really stuck with me about lrh is the time and money involved. So i think I'll concentrate on one rifle for now.
I'm not at all familiar with the .260 and only vaguely so with the 7mm08. Roughly the same as my .308, right? And if so, why bother with the change.
Kinda figured as much on the wood, not very stable in wet conditions. Probably the best scope I have is on the .308, a leupold varixII in 3-9x40. How adequate would it be at 500?
At the present I do not reload, which is one reason I considered staying with the .308 and all the available ammo.
There is certainly alot to consider. Again, thanx for the reply

 

[458win]

The .308 in the proper rifle will work fine out to a 1000yds or so. The reason I suggested rebarreling was to put a heavier and longer tube on your rifle. The 20inch slim barrel you have now may or not be up to the task of LRH. The advantages of switching to a 260 or 7-08 are because they can launch a relativly high BC bullet at a decent velocity. The 308 doesnt have the powder capacity to lauch a comparable BC 30 cal bullet at a respectable velocity.
For 500yd shooting in your 308 I would go with the 168gr A-max or the 165gr Ballistic tip. You should be able to achive 2700fps with these.
The 3-9 leupold you have is a good scope but for shooting at 500yds I would prefer at least 12x. Is there any chance you will shoot varmints with this rifle? If so I would put the leupy on another rifle and get a weaver grand slam 4.5-14 or a bushnell 3200 5-15 if your trying to keep cost down.
Like you said through LRH can get expensive. You have to pay to play.
With your present rig and a lot of practice I think you can become proficent enough to make a whitetail within 500yds a sure thing (or closest thing to it as when hunting nothing is ever a sure thing). I hope this helps and I am sure some others will chime in. Good luck

 

[Buffalobob]

12960

You can improve the stability of a walnut stock by freefloating the barrel and glass bedding the action and by applying a couple of coats of wood sealer to all of the inside areas of the wood.

Accuracy is relative to the size of the target and the distance to be shot. Deer shooting accuracy to 500yds should be no problem with a walnut stock. If you really like a nice walnut stock then I would say, shoot what you like. Just check your zero a little more frequently than people with a laminated or synthetic stock.

 

[hunter129]

thanx for the replies. a few more questions . how many rounds between cleaning and to what extent do you clean?(barrels). reading the posts around this site i kinda get the feeling that bigger is better. i have a few more rifles other than the ones i mentioned above including a ruger 77 in 300 win mag and a ruger #1 in 7mag. theyve collected dust for a few years because of the xs recoil and weight and honestly i just didnt think i needed that much gun for whitetails at 200yds. have given thought to some of the reduced recoil loads now available but havent tried any so far. maybe i need to start reloading. probably do. so what do you guys think, would i be better served in my attempt to reach 500yds with custom loads in a larger round or stick with my .308 for now. sorry if i rambled. thanx

 

[458win]

Stick with your 308 for now. Once you are wringing all the accuracy out if it then go for a custom built rifle. 500yds is definitly attainable with a stock 308. Get a new scope(Nikon buckmaster 4.5-14 defies all logic when it comes to getting what you pay for), have the trigger lightened and the action bedded. For bullets I would start with the 165gr Ballistic tip if your going to be using this for deer at that range. Also start reloading its the only way to achieve top accuracy in YOUR rifle. One other requirement for shooting long range is a accurate rangefinder....for cheap and good your going to have to ask around. I bought a swaro first off to save myself the money of buying a cheapo now and then a swaro later.
Far as cleaning goes you will get mixed opinions but I really dont like running more the 20-25rds through a rifle without cleaning the barrel. I notice a slight drop in accuracy after this many rounds.

 

[youarenotcrazy]

I would clean when you "notice a slight drop in accuracy".