[Beanis64]

What is the most accurate gun for that is under $1000.

[Swampy]

Beanis,

For what???

Swampy

[Beanis64]

Mostly for shooting at paper from long distances, but occasionally I might go hunting.

[Art Eatman]

Rifle of $1,000 or less? Or, total budget of $1,000 for rifle, scope/mounts and the old "etc."?

What do you consider "long range"? Do you have access to a firing range that's set up for 500 yards and more, or will you be shooting in your own pasture?

Folks here are happy to help, but it helps us to know more.

Also, knowing something of your background in shooting would help us help you.

:), Art

[Beanis64]

The total budget is $1000. I will be going to a firing range for long distances as in 500ft or more. This will be my first time owning a gun made for long distances, my previous guns have been mostly ar15's, ak's, sks's, and 22's and an occasional handgun. Right now I own a marlin 795 and a beretta 92. I just want to try a long distance gun because I have never had one and I think that I should venture into all of the gun catagories

[Swampy]

Beanis,

Hunting for what??? Chipmunks or Moose??? Big difference in needs there....

Do you want iron sights or scope?? Bolt action or autoloader??? Do you plan on shooting from a bench or from positions??

500 ft is less than 200 yards.... not really what anyone would consider "long distance"....... unless you are talking a .22 rimfire. Anything out to 600 yds is considered "medium range" in Highpower Rifle terminology. The first Highpower target given the "LR" (long range) designator is the 800 yds target.

Can you be a bit more specific to help us help you here??? Tell us EVERYTHING about your wants and intentions of use if you want us to come up with some valid possibilities for your questions....

Best regards,
Swampy

[ojibweindian]

Any off the rack rifle from Remington, Winchester, Savage, et. al with an experienced shooter behind the trigger.

[Art Eatman]

The least expensive ammo for practice or plinking are .223 and .308. If the occasional hunting is for varmints, I'd suggest the .223; for deer or wild hogs, the .308.

Almost any reputable brand will shoot quite accurately. How the rifle fits you, whether you're comfortable with it is more important than brand name. Then, it's cost and aesthetics.

I prefer a medium-weight sporter barrel to a heavy target barrel or a thin "buggy whip" barrel. This latter tends to have the groups open up as the barrel heats with a string of shots.

Scope? I'm like a lot of guys, liking the Leupold. I'm sorta strong for a 3x9x40. My personal opinion is that the 50mm scopes aren't necessary for other than low-light shooting, and they must be mounted rather high in order to clear the barrel.

There are a lot of rifles that sell for under $500 to $600; easy to get a good scope for under $350.

They're not necessarily things of beauty, but I've had zero problems with Weaver mounts and rings for the last 50-some years. :)

Art

[Dave R]

You'll notice no one is jumping in with a particular make and model and claiming it is most accurate...

That's because many of us own multiple brands, and find that there is no huge difference from one to another. Also, rifles are individuals. A particular Remington might be more accurate than a particular Winchester, or vice versa.

Oji got it right. The major brands are generally pretty similar in accuracy.

To get exceptional accuracy, you can have a gunsmith build you a rifle with special barrel, bedding, etc. That'll run over $1k pretty quick. Or you can tweak an off-the-shelf rifle (or have a 'smith do it.) You can do that for under $1k pretty easily.

Or you can handload and tune the load to your particular rifle's harmonics.

On the other hand, some calibers have a repuation for better accuracy than others. Fans of the 6.5X55 Swede seem to think its something special. I don't know. My off-the-shelf Remington 700 ADL in .308 shoots 1" groups at 100 yards pretty regularly, and occasionally better than that. I can't complain about that.

[jar]

Since this is your first long range rifle, and since from the guns you own, you are atleast familar with Surplus firearms, I'd suggest starting out with some of the last generation Military bolt actions.

Take a look at some of the Mausers, Enfields, 06s, MN and such. You can pick up a nice, most likely unissued Mauser, maybe a M-48, for under $100.00. Spend some time with it, and with the old iron sights. Once you are comfortable with it you can either scope it, or look at one of the newer rifles. The price for an old M-48A is so low these days that you can get into it and do quite a bit of shooting for very little investment.

[Black Snowman]

The gun I got for my "long range" shooting was the CZ 550 Varmit Laminate ( .308 ). I chose it for it's reasonable price tag, set trigger, reputation and the fact the .308 is big enough for medium size game but light enough to shoot a lot at the range with little or no discomfort. It's a bit heavy for carrying to field (9.3 lbs) but I need the exersize anyway and rarely hunt.The thing that really sold me was the set trigger though.

YMMV but I think if you're looking for the best bang for the buck check out the CZ rifles. There are better and there are worse but you'll usually pay more for either of them. My .340 Weatherby is a tack driver but it's a bit much and a bit valuable to shoot regularly.

Good luck in your hunt.

[Steve Smith]

Asking for the most accurate rifle under $1K is like asking what the best car is under $100K. Just too may directions to go. Help us help you.