Need advice, 200yd. target rifle

[iostorm]

Looking for a rifle and caliber for 200yd target shooting. A scope is a must so it will need to be able to accept a scope.

My initial thoughts were a Remington 700 in 30.06?

Open for suggestions.......

 

[AnthonyC.]

you dont need a 30-06 for 200yards a .223, or 243 could probibly be just as good, but I am not a long range target shooter so find out what the other guys have to say about this...




also what are you willing to spend? On the rifle....and what are you willing to spend on a scope?

 

[SASS#23149]

punching paper,or?

 

[birdbustr]

Maybe a 25-06 even. If I didn't care about weight I would be sure to look at the Remington 700 Sendero. It is more of a long range rifle. Heavy Fluted barrel and aluminum bedding block. I have one in 7mm STW(no longer available) that is very accurate at 200 yards.
No matter what, a Remington 700 is a good place to start. Savage may be a better choice if you want to save a few dollars. Regardless, if you want to become a serious target shooter you are going to have to replace most of any rifle for new parts such as a trigger and a target stock to start with.

 

[Shawnee]

.22/250.

 

[iostorm]

Yes its just paper targets, is the remington 700 ready to take a scope?

As for price I could see up to about 600-700 bucks for the rifle.

 

[rangerruck]

if you are shooting under 300 yds, 223 is all you need, heck I would even look at a hornet or a 221 fireball, or 17 fireball, or the least reach at 200 would be a 17hmr.

 

[taliv]

if you're just looking for paper, try a 700 in a varmint cartridge, like 220 swift

 

[Jim Watson]

There are folks having a lot of fun with .22s at 200 yards. They say it is about like a .45-70 BPCR at 500 or a .308 at 1000. You need a GOOD .22 and really good .22 ammo will cost more than you might think (but less than centerfire match ammo) but it is one approach. I'll probably try some this year.

 

[dakotasin]

a 22 at 200 yards is a riot - but i would not suggest it in this application. my picks would be 22 centerfires, 222 remington and hotter.

(and if you want to have a laugh parade w/ 22's, shoot 22 subsonics at 200 yards)

 

[AnthonyC.]

(group of guys at range) "Ok guys lets see what we can get out to 200 yards......."

"well ok, I have a .22lr with a 3-9 scope"

"and I have a .22short without any sights..."

"and I have my sons airsoft gun"


alright enuff goofing off, He said that he wanted to get a 30-06, I wouldnt go any higher caliber than that.

The next question I have for you is, how much do you want to spend on ammo? Do you want to shoot match grade? or are you reloading? or are you going to shoot some cheap stuff?

 

[ArmedBear]

.223 ammo is a lot cheaper and will shoot nearly dead-flat past 200 yards. Very accurate match grade ammo is available, and heavy-barrel rifles that will be better for accurate shooting of more than a few rounds at a time are readily available.

That's what I'd get for target shooting. .30-06 is great if you want to hunt deer and elk with the gun, but a total waste of money and recoil for paper punching at medium range.

 

[Outlaws]

223 is the only realistic choice for punching paper at 200 yards, based on the impression I got from the OP. Every other cartridge is no doubt better for certain objectives, but the only ones better at punching paper will need an extremely expensive rifle. Get a 223 and don't even waste your time with the oddball rounds. Its wasted money shooting most any other round.

Really, some of the rounds suggested are....not for punching paper...

 

[tnieto2004]

.223 cheap and fun

 

[fernie kazam]

I would suggest a 243WIN. Very flat shooting, bucks the wind and has small recoil. If you get sick of shooting paper with it then you have something to go varmiting or Deer hunting with. If you want cheap ammo I suggest you buy a lee Loader.

 

[Firepower!]

You cannot go wrong with Remington 700 and 30-06. However, for 200 yds I think it’s over powered rifle. If you really like target shooting and want a gun which will do an immaculate job in terms of flat bullet trajectory (upto to 600 yards) then I would go with .243 Winchester and for the rifle I recommend Winchester or BRNO. I use BRNO and it’s damn good. Beyond 600 then I prefer .308 first, followed by (not in particular order) 30-06 and 7mm Rem. Mag. For less than 500 yards, one cartridge whcih is really ignored and not mentioned enough (since it's not a US cartridge like 243/270/30-06), yet I think it's VERY good is 7x57 or as they called it 7mm Mauser. In 7mm Mauser if you can find a good Zastava rifle from Old Yogu time (I have one from 60's in mint condition) nothing beats thats- VERY well balanced gun and bullet.

 

[cgv69]

Without a doubt .223 and if you really want it to be fun, shoot it out of an AR-15 pattern rifle with a flatop upper! If I wasn't going to use an AR-15 then my next choice would be a Remington M700

.223 is more then enough for targets (both living and paper) at 200 yards. 223 is one of the most widely available and lowest cost center-fire rifle calibers available and the recoil is very mild. Both of those attributes lead to longer, more productive and enjoyable range times.

 

[ar10]

I'd look at the CZ 527 carbine. I shot the .223 model and bought the 7.62x39 and the ammo's cheap. It has the floating barrel and a 6lb/1lb trigger pull. The trigger is very nice, all I have to do is push the trigger forward. I also mounted a pretty cheap scope on it at am getting 1~2" at 100 and 200yds. It also has the Mauser bolt action which is a lot easier to use for me. I can't remember the spiraling but it's pretty tight compared to my other riflles.

 

[boomvark]

Ditto on the CZ527 carbine. Mine is a .223, and gets more use than any of my other rifles except the TOZ-78. I've got a 6x Leopold scope on the CZ, and with the right ammo it'll go into .75" easily at 100 yards.

As far as I know, the current production CZ .223 bolties have a 1/9 twist. Mine does, and I've had it for a couple of years.

 

[cmidkiff]

I enjoy 100-300 yard shooting very much... High power rifles are great for these distances, but it gets tiring absorbing .308 recoil all day. My only .223 is an iron sighted AR carbine. Wonderful rifle, but not really ideal for tiny groups from a bench. For mid-range target shooting, I wanted something easy on the shoulder, preferably easy enough that I could watch impact through the scope, fast enough to fly straight, and common enough components that reloading wouldn't be a challenge. Barrel life was also a concern.

I ended up with a Savage in .204ruger topped with a Weaver KT15. Couldn't be happier with my choice.

Whatever you get... Enjoy it

 

[glockman19]

You cannot go wrong with Remington 700 and 30-06.

I have one, (Remington 700 CDL in .30-06), and it's good to punch paper out to 600 yards. It has a Bushnell Elite 3200 scope.

It is light, accurate and if you ever decide to hunt the .30-06 will take any game on the N. American Continent.

 

[strat81]

.223. Cheaper to feed.
Rem 700 is fine. Look at CZ and Savage too.

 

[The-Fly]

Heck, I use a 223 for target shooting out to 400 yards. If your just punching paper or steel at 200 yards, 223 will work just fine.

 

[30Cal]

.223. Cheap to feed and extremely accurate. Many of the exotic calibers (besides being expensive) are known to eat up barrels in fairly short order.

 

[GunTech]

Take a look at one of the Remington 223 varmint or tactical rifles. Out of the box, most are more than accurate enough. 22 caliober, 243, 6.5 or 30 are you best choices as there is a huge selection of match grade bullets available for these.

Check out Sierra, Berger and Lapua bulets.