Precision Shooting To 500 or so

With 500 yards as your limit for the time being, I would avoid the efficient 6mm's that most like for target shooting. Wind effects are pretty minimal at this distance, and if you're training, you'll want to get the most out of the distance you got. It may be counter-intuitive, but shooting a round that has little recoil and bucks wind easily won't teach you much.

A short barrel 308 would be a good choice since factory ammo is cheap and good, barrel life is great, and the lower velocities will help exaggerate wind conditions. Recoil on a 308 is about perfect in my mind since you still need to manage it, but it's not anything crazy. I've got a 20" AAC-SD that shoots 1/2 MOA groups with factory 175gr FGMM, and I run it out to 1,000 yards without problems. For 500 yards, you might consider the 16.5" barrel version.
Hi there from Australia ,long time lurker who has gained a wealth of information from you guys... greatly appreciated!!! Following this train of thought, ever considered a 22lr??? Mate told me this,very cheap to run, & with decent quality of ammo, how many of us can reliably hit targets @ 200mtrs + without blaming the gun or ammo??? Be honest.... worth considering??? Any way, thanks guys for all the invaluable information & patience that you provide... cheers
 
Hi there from Australia ,long time lurker who has gained a wealth of information from you guys... greatly appreciated!!! Following this train of thought, ever considered a 22lr??? Mate told me this,very cheap to run, & with decent quality of ammo, how many of us can reliably hit targets @ 200mtrs + without blaming the gun or ammo??? Be honest.... worth considering??? Any way, thanks guys for all the invaluable information & patience that you provide... cheers
I would venture to say most of us here in the states that grew up in rural America learned our basic marksmanship as a kid with a .22 . I can't speak for everyone, but we for **** sure reached out there.... I carried a .22 zeroed at 100 yards in my truck for a long long time, it's fun to plink with and shoot crows and such. But not much good for killing past 100.

I will say they're a blast to shoot prairie dogs with! Just lob them out there and walk them in.
 
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Realistically speaking, here in Virginia, especially where I live, shooting to 1k+ is out of the question. I've been thinking about a new rifle, and I'm trying to be "realistic" about it.

Knowing my ranges will usually top 400-500, I'm thinking for me "Precision" practice could be served just fine with a .308. Thinking about something like the 20" Remington SPS Tactical, or the 5R.

I'll keep hunting with my .300 Win Mag, forever probably. But for a range only toy, would I be best served with the smaller powder charges? My goal, as of now, is to be able to hit a skeet, cold bore at 500. I think even the 7mm-08 would be fun, as it's a favorite of mine. You just don't hear much about it for Precision work.

At some point, I'm sure I will take some road trips to shoot farther. But for now, might as well work with what (distance) I have. Any thoughts on this?
I have a 500 yard target that I shoot at from my rear patio. You will be able to learn alot about shooting in wind at that distance with a 308, which is a good thing once you get a feeling for your rifle and what it will do when there is little wind. Too many guys practice only in ideal conditions.
 
On the .22 front, I used to have a railroad track plate hanging in a tree, 125 yards from my back deck. I'd sip on a beer, sit in a lawn chair and have great fun ringing steel with a Marlin 81TS. I had to aim at the right edge of it and about 3 inches high. No idea why it went right. At 40 yards I set it by shooting eggs. I used that to eradicate every stray cat my neighbors dragged in. I had my reasons, but this isnt the place to get I to that.

I'm stuck swaying between the 6mm CM and the 16.5" SPS Tactical.
 
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I have a 500 yard target that I shoot at from my rear patio. You will be able to learn alot about shooting in wind at that distance with a 308, which is a good thing once you get a feeling for your rifle and what it will do when there is little wind. Too many guys practice only in ideal conditions.

I suppose I could just use my pencil barreled. 300 Win Mag. It will shoot 1 hole groups at 100 if I do my part right. Maybe I could just load up some 168 Matchkings at .308 velocity.
 
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