Long range shooting

[BigFoot]

I used to be able to hit a gnats *** at 500 yards with a .243. That was in the 80's, I was in my teens and 20's. My long range shooting now is either a Remington Scoremaster that belonged to my Grandfather or a Marlin 39A. Both are quite accurate at 50 yards with open sights off a rest.

OK that did nothing to answer your question. Good luck on finding what you want, Ed.

 

[Esox]

I used to be able to hit a gnats *** at 500 yards with a .243.

The .243 and the 6mm I really liked. I shot a .243 Remington pump for a while fox hunting but the muzzle blast was, wow. I almost bought a Remington 40XB in 6mmBR. Another one I regret not buying so, naturally, I just checked the local gun shop that had it years ago and whatdoyaknow...

REMINGTON 40X 6MM REM BR (.266"NECK) BENCH REST RIFLE

REMINGTON 40X 6MM REM BR (.266"NECK) BENCH REST RIFLE

www.gobles.ca

The one I looked at had an 18" barrel but was the same rifle.

 

[nortac]

A custom AR can be very accurate, perhaps not as accurate as a bolt gun, but close. A couple of mine will shoot sub-MOA. But that requires match grade barrel, trigger, glass and ammo. Don't expect much better than 1.5 MOA with a "rack grade" AR.

 

[nortac]

AR

AR 10 6.5 Creedmoor, Hornady factory ammo, 5 shots at 100 yds. Shows some potential, I haven't shot it at distance yet, nor have I developed any handloads for it, but soon will.

 

[Esox]

ARView attachment 1551945

AR 10 6.5 Creedmoor, Hornady factory ammo, 5 shots at 100 yds. Shows some potential, I haven't shot it at distance yet, nor have I developed any handloads for it, but soon will.

I'm impressed. That looks as accurate as my Browning B78 single shot with a hexagon barrel. Thats a 1" red dot.

 

[Eben Stone]

The .243 and the 6mm I really liked. I shot a .243 Remington pump for a while fox hunting but the muzzle blast was, wow. I almost bought a Remington 40XB in 6mmBR. Another one I regret not buying so, naturally, I just checked the local gun shop that had it years ago and whatdoyaknow...

REMINGTON 40X 6MM REM BR (.266"NECK) BENCH REST RIFLE

REMINGTON 40X 6MM REM BR (.266"NECK) BENCH REST RIFLE

www.gobles.ca

The one I looked at had an 18" barrel but was the same rifle.

Me, if my local gun store actually had that in stock...

 

[Esox]

Me, if my local gun store actually had that in stock...

A 40XB or XBBR shouldnt be that hard to come by used. The particular one I looked at also had a 2oz Jewel trigger. That takes a bit of getting use to when you're use to field guns lol.

 

[Esox]

Me, if my local gun store actually had that in stock...

I should mention that Wayne Goble, the owner, has been a friend of the family since I was born. I still remember when my father bought the two Browning B78's from him when I was 8 or 10. I wouldnt be surprised if they'd ship to a US FFL holder.

 

[Jbird45]

I don't know if you are considering an AR for the customization or just because you want an AR, but have you considered a chassis rifle? With that you get the accuracy of a bolt gun and it opens the door to building a custom rig.

If your budget conscious howa makes a .308 or 6.5 creedmoor for about $1000, which leaves room for a decent scope and rings.

Or Ruger makes the precision rifle. They are at gen 3 now for about $1500, but if they go on sale or find a good used one that's something to consider too.

Just something to think about.

 

[Eben Stone]

Since my original post, I have been to a gun show and the shooting range. Some of my goals might have changed.

• .224 Valkyrie might be great on paper but its difficult impossible to find in bulk.
• 6mm ARC was recommended by a guy at the gun store, but it has the same supply/demand issues as .224
• I want to buy ammo in bulk (quantities of 1000).
• .308 is cheaper and more available than all other popular rounds (except .223), but all those other rounds both shoot flatter and are less affected by wind.
• .308 should be just as accurate as any other popular round, provided there's no unexpected gusts of wind (correct me if I'm wrong).
• The longest distance at my local shooting range is 400 yards. I should not ignore this. I should take this into consideration as the most common distance I will actually shoot.
• Going to the desert and shooting 1000 yards is possible, and cheaper than going to the shooting range. But the shooting range is more convenient.

I'm probably going to get a Remington 700 (.308 or 6.5 Creedmoor) with a 24" barrel, and a Vortex Venom 5-25x56. That will cost me about $1000. That leaves me about $1000 to spend on other stuff, like ammo and gadgets.

 

[nortac]

Relatively cheap bulk .308 ammo (M80 or equivalent) probably won't give you the accuracy you want for shooting 400 yd.s and further. That leaves you with relatively expensive premium target ammo, unless you reload. The cheapest 6.5 Creedmoor "hunting" rounds are still a little pricey and the premium a bit more, but worth it for long-range accuracy.

 

[Possum092]

After many hours on the range and elsewhere, I will say cheap and long range accuracy don't pair well together. I've seen many a shooter throw $150+ worth of ammo into hillside without hitting anything, because they went the cheapest route. I prefer to hit my targets when launching a $4.00 a round shot downrange. I can get great results on cheap mode (.223/.308) out to about 500 yards, after that I need to switch gears to the right weapon system for the job. The right long range kit isn't cheap but no range disappointments either which is worse in my book. Good luck with whatever you decide and have fun.

 

[OkieStubble]

Relatively cheap bulk .308 ammo (M80 or equivalent) probably won't give you the accuracy you want for shooting 400 yd.s and further. That leaves you with relatively expensive premium target ammo, unless you reload. The cheapest 6.5 Creedmoor "hunting" rounds are still a little pricey and the premium a bit more, but worth it for long-range accuracy.

Ya need to reload, am I right?

 

[nortac]

Ya need to reload, am I right?

Or deep pockets and great luck finding what you need. But seriously, you can often improve over premium factory ammo by reloading and certainly tailor loads that may not be commercially available.

 

[nortac]

@Eben Stone, in addition to the Rem. 700, take a look at Savage, particularly the Axis II Precision rifle.

 

[Eben Stone]

@Eben Stone, in addition to the Rem. 700, take a look at Savage, particularly the Axis II Precision rifle.

Wow, the 110 Elite Precision offers a 26" barrel with 6.5 Creed... and its 12.6 lbs! Awesome! Now I just have to decide if that extra 4 inches and extra 4 pounds is worth an extra $800.

 

[nikonNUT]

The MDT ACC chassis is an amazing piece of kit and has tons of adjustabilty and little hidden features that are nice if you need them and un-noticed if you don't. Anyways, that joker is 1300.00 from MDT but if you want a chassis, and it pains me to say this cause I love them so, stay away from Savage. Once you commit there is no going back so to speak. Get a 700 SA and you can slap a Remington in it, any of the brazilian clones that are out there, even the 700 foot print .22s. I say that so that when the time comes you can flip a barreled action, drop another in, and rock on! Savage? Not so much. As for caliber, my LGS just got 3 cases of ELD-M .224 Valk in and nobody has one around here. It's a crap shoot on what the mfgs ship to be honest. If you want avaiablity I would go .308. It's good to 1K, even the M80 stuff should be MOC (Minute of Car) out there and Hornady's ELD-M offering should be able to hit a full sized IPSC silhouette at the same distance. Back when Palma was a thing .308 ruled the roost! Unless you are going crazy and trying to beat the record (4.4 miles with a Barrett .416) a .308 should make you happy! BTW, since I am a ELR junkie here is the video...

 

[nortac]

So, @nikonNUT , the downside of going Savage is that the chassis will only fit the Savage action? Anything else?

 

[nikonNUT]

So, @nikonNUT , the downside of going Savage is that the chassis will only fit the Savage action? Anything else?

Pretty much and I am not hating on Savage (as mentioned before I love mine) but I'm just saying if "I" am dropping that kind of coin on a chassis (MDT ACC is $1300.00) I want to be able to put what ever I want in it (within footprint limitations). The Savage chassis is exclusive and probably why there are few to only one (MDT) offering one. Other than that I have no gripes. Heck, I even like the accu-trigger (The metal one. Not sure about the plastic one.) as it is crisp and will get down to 1.25lbs. It's an impressive package for sure!

 

[OkieStubble]

Pretty much and I am not hating on Savage (as mentioned before I love mine) but I'm just saying if "I" am dropping that kind of coin on a chassis (MDT ACC is $1300.00) I want to be able to put what ever I want in it (within footprint limitations). The Savage chassis is exclusive and probably why there are few to only one (MDT) offering one. Other than that I have no gripes. Heck, I even like the accu-trigger (The metal one. Not sure about the plastic one.) as it is crisp and will get down to 1.25lbs. It's an impressive package for sure!

I love my Savage 110 in .270, I don’t think I have ever shot to 600 with it? Maybe between 4-500 a couple of times? Don’t even remember if I hit what I was aiming at it’s been that long. But I have taken a few deer and hog out to 300 with it and it’s always shown to be much more accurate than I am. I think with my aging eyes, hitting something a thousand yards out is probably never going to be scratched off the bucket list.