Out of the Box: Best Long Range Target Rifle/Caliber/Ammo Combo?
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SWFA make a 16x and 20 power as well. They have something like 33 mils(110 moa) of internal adjustment so you probably don't even need a canted rail.
Don't worry, you will want to buy another one before long if you read a lot of articles on this website.
He would probably be spending a lot on ammo since he is only going to shoot factory ammo.
DakotaGlockGuy
Well-Known Member
Yes. Both those calibers are out due to ammo cost and no desire to reload at this point.
DakotaGlockGuy
Well-Known Member
THAT is what I'm afraid of!!!
DakotaGlockGuy
Well-Known Member
Is a .223 an option inside of 500 yards?
OK I was re-reading these threads and missed something someone posted early on. Let me ask this question if I may:
Q: If the majority of my shooting is going to be inside of 500 yards, is a .223 now a good option for my goal of 1/4 - 1/2 moa gun out of the box (even though the upper end of 1K yards probably negates this caliber?)
OK I was re-reading these threads and missed something someone posted early on. Let me ask this question if I may:
Q: If the majority of my shooting is going to be inside of 500 yards, is a .223 now a good option for my goal of 1/4 - 1/2 moa gun out of the box (even though the upper end of 1K yards probably negates this caliber?)
benchracer
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Re: Is a .223 an option inside of 500 yards?
A fast twist .223 will get you out to 600 yards or so. I have shot beside guys using them in F-T/R matches who did very well. IIRC, the F-T/R winner at the last match I was able to shoot was using a .223 shooting 69g SMK's.
Like the .308, there is such a large variety of match ammo for the .223 that your odds of finding something that shoots really well in your rifle go up tremendously.
1/2 MOA is doable. You are not going to better that by very much with a factory rifle and factory ammo.
A fast twist .223 will get you out to 600 yards or so. I have shot beside guys using them in F-T/R matches who did very well. IIRC, the F-T/R winner at the last match I was able to shoot was using a .223 shooting 69g SMK's.
Like the .308, there is such a large variety of match ammo for the .223 that your odds of finding something that shoots really well in your rifle go up tremendously.
1/2 MOA is doable. You are not going to better that by very much with a factory rifle and factory ammo.
Since you are buying factory ammo it is not going to save you anything shooting a .223 except for recoil. Might as well stick to 308 because you can get a factory barrel and start shooting and then get a 6.5 creed when you can make good groups with the 308.
I thought about suggesting the .223 but it really didn't save you anything. If you were reloading you would save on powder, bullets, and brass because it is all so abundant. But buying factory ammo is going to make it irrelevant.
The fact is that factory ammo in any gun is just not going to yield optimal results. You could buy a $5000 gun and run factory ammo, but it isn't guaranteed to shoot any better. Like running e85 in a formula 1 racer.
I am not going to say I have some great amount of knowledge or skill, but I bought a .223 bolt action pretty much straight factory, first gun, that I started reloading for with my first reloads. It took some time fiddling with reloads and other accuracy enhancing projects like bedding the stock, but I shot my first 1/2 moa groups with a center fire.
I think you might be over estimating the time it takes to make decent reloads. I spent about $300 plus dies and I am making accurate enough ammo to shoot a .385 group at 150 yards. I spent some time making different loads, but once that was done it took much less time to crank out some good(enough) rounds. They cost about 25 cent per round to make where you are spending about 1.25 per round to buy. Larger calibers cost more to reload but they are still more accurate than factory and under 50 cent per round. You might be surprised at how much time you might save with hand loads over trying lots of different factory loads.
Bottom line, go with the 308 or 6.5 creedmore if you really only want to buy one gun and one barrel with factory ammo.
I thought about suggesting the .223 but it really didn't save you anything. If you were reloading you would save on powder, bullets, and brass because it is all so abundant. But buying factory ammo is going to make it irrelevant.
The fact is that factory ammo in any gun is just not going to yield optimal results. You could buy a $5000 gun and run factory ammo, but it isn't guaranteed to shoot any better. Like running e85 in a formula 1 racer.
I am not going to say I have some great amount of knowledge or skill, but I bought a .223 bolt action pretty much straight factory, first gun, that I started reloading for with my first reloads. It took some time fiddling with reloads and other accuracy enhancing projects like bedding the stock, but I shot my first 1/2 moa groups with a center fire.
I think you might be over estimating the time it takes to make decent reloads. I spent about $300 plus dies and I am making accurate enough ammo to shoot a .385 group at 150 yards. I spent some time making different loads, but once that was done it took much less time to crank out some good(enough) rounds. They cost about 25 cent per round to make where you are spending about 1.25 per round to buy. Larger calibers cost more to reload but they are still more accurate than factory and under 50 cent per round. You might be surprised at how much time you might save with hand loads over trying lots of different factory loads.
Bottom line, go with the 308 or 6.5 creedmore if you really only want to buy one gun and one barrel with factory ammo.
D
Deleted member 46119
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I think there have been a lot of good responses.
My exposure to exactly your criteria resulting in my friend choosing a Savage Model: 12 Long Range Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor with Vortex Razor optics.
If fits your budget.
It is a very fine long range rifle.
Your optics choice is yours. I like Sightron, many like Nightforce and Vortex is making progress. Of course Leupold will always work.
Factory Hornady ammo shoots very fine and will easily make 1k.
Proven combination.
That said any of the Savage target rifle series will do what you want very well. I have shot them to 700 on 6" steel and can make 5 shot strings with 5 hits. If you might compete in F/TR go with the 308.
All the best
My exposure to exactly your criteria resulting in my friend choosing a Savage Model: 12 Long Range Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor with Vortex Razor optics.
If fits your budget.
It is a very fine long range rifle.
Your optics choice is yours. I like Sightron, many like Nightforce and Vortex is making progress. Of course Leupold will always work.
Factory Hornady ammo shoots very fine and will easily make 1k.
Proven combination.
That said any of the Savage target rifle series will do what you want very well. I have shot them to 700 on 6" steel and can make 5 shot strings with 5 hits. If you might compete in F/TR go with the 308.
All the best
DakotaGlockGuy
Well-Known Member
Yes I have gotten a wealth of info here, and it is greatly appreciated.
Even after posting the .223 question I thought it was a bad idea since now I don't have the distance I need, and like jbone said, I won't be saving much if anything in the process. That caliber is out.
I have it down to either the .308 or the 6.5 Creedmoor, and I don't think either is a bad choice. I know there are FAR MORE ammo choices with the .308.
Thanks for this info, and you are probably right as well. I may look at reloading later on as there is probably enough of a learning curve to tackle with just long range shooting. The biggest factor for me was not the money but the time involved. It looks like that might not be as big a chunk of time as I had imagined, so I'll probably focus on the shooting using factory ammo, save all my brass then I'll leave the reloading for the colder months!
Even after posting the .223 question I thought it was a bad idea since now I don't have the distance I need, and like jbone said, I won't be saving much if anything in the process. That caliber is out.
I have it down to either the .308 or the 6.5 Creedmoor, and I don't think either is a bad choice. I know there are FAR MORE ammo choices with the .308.
Thanks for this info, and you are probably right as well. I may look at reloading later on as there is probably enough of a learning curve to tackle with just long range shooting. The biggest factor for me was not the money but the time involved. It looks like that might not be as big a chunk of time as I had imagined, so I'll probably focus on the shooting using factory ammo, save all my brass then I'll leave the reloading for the colder months!
Yeah get your gun and factory rounds for matching brass and really it doesn't take too long to throw some rounds together.
DakotaGlockGuy
Well-Known Member
Is the 22-250 an option???
After doing a bit more looking around, and back through this thread, I noticed the 22-250 only came up a couple times, but one of them was on one of the most wicked accurate box stock rifles a respected member here had read about.
Is there something I'm missing on the 22-250 that's NOT fitting in my criteria? Will it not do 1k yards, or is there some other reason I should not be considering it?
After doing a bit more looking around, and back through this thread, I noticed the 22-250 only came up a couple times, but one of them was on one of the most wicked accurate box stock rifles a respected member here had read about.
Is there something I'm missing on the 22-250 that's NOT fitting in my criteria? Will it not do 1k yards, or is there some other reason I should not be considering it?
If you reload a 22-250 is claimed to do pretty well with the heavy high BBC bullets but good luck finding factory ammo that will do 1000. Of course I must say that I can't really say I have ever looked.
With the factory ammo consideration, for 1000 yards, the two that are going to be best are the 6.5 creed or 308 win.
If you are only shooting reload a 22-250 would make it to 1000 but not nearly as we'll. if you go up to a 22-243 you get enough velocity with the heavy 224 bullets to make it the distance. Of course this is what I have come to understand from what others have said, I have no personal experience with either.
With the factory ammo consideration, for 1000 yards, the two that are going to be best are the 6.5 creed or 308 win.
If you are only shooting reload a 22-250 would make it to 1000 but not nearly as we'll. if you go up to a 22-243 you get enough velocity with the heavy 224 bullets to make it the distance. Of course this is what I have come to understand from what others have said, I have no personal experience with either.
TracySes23
Well-Known Member
Re: Mag or no mag... that is the question!
Sorry I didn't see your question about the 6 oz to 1.5lb trigger sooner. It is an option from Savage & it is the Accu-Trigger. I'm not sure, but I think another Accu-Trigger is available from 1.5 lbs to around 4.5 lbs, not that I'd want it.
Years ago I modified the trigger on my 788 to have a 1.5lb pull. At the time, it helped my shooting considerably.
Spencer
Sorry I didn't see your question about the 6 oz to 1.5lb trigger sooner. It is an option from Savage & it is the Accu-Trigger. I'm not sure, but I think another Accu-Trigger is available from 1.5 lbs to around 4.5 lbs, not that I'd want it.
Years ago I modified the trigger on my 788 to have a 1.5lb pull. At the time, it helped my shooting considerably.
Spencer
