Help me pick a rifle

A new range, for starters...

Looking for a modern rifle? Bolt action, break action?

If you're only permitted one round at a time, a TC might be interesting....buy a couple barrels and change calibers as the mood suits you.
Or a tack-driving boltie in one of the 6-7mm short calibers based off the old PPC family.

Personal taste in guns is as subjective as taste in women....asking what you should get is like asking whether you should date blondes, brunettes, or redheads and why...you'll get a hundred different answers and none of them are necessarily "right".

fromtheplaines said:

Any advice what to look at for?

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A new range? Seriously, those rules sound a bit ridiculous. I'd find somewhere else to shoot!

Anyway, more to the point of your question, why not try a nice accurate bolt gun? I'm a bit partial to them, but I'd tell you to go get a Tikka with a heavy barrel, and add a decent scope to the package. Tikka rifles are exceptionally accurate for the price point, and you can get them in most of the common calibers. With that rig you can practice taking your time and making one-hole groups from the bench or prone... and it's easy enough to throw one round in at a time from the top (they do have magazines though).

Driftertank said:

A new range, for starters...

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Ha! You typed the same advice I did at the same time.

Henry is making a new line of single shots that may be worth a look.

A different range for sure. And don't hesitate to tell the operators of your current range that their restrictions are stupid, offensive, and an insult to the average person's intelligence.

I agree those rules are silly but I would fit right in as half my guns are single shots and my favorite pistol is a 5 shot revolver. I don't really enjoy loading magazines so why not just take that out of the equation? A single shot bolt action is a lot of fun. You can get a single shot magazine follower for lots of bolt guns that will allow you to just drop a round in the action and close the bolt. Single shots like Thompson Center Encores, Contenders, handi rifles, and Ruger number 1's are also a lot of fun to shoot. Lever actions are also very easy to single load

I second looking at (or looking for, as I'm not sure they're out yet) the new Henry line.

Also I can’t hunt with a rifle in my state so I don’t really need it for hunting.

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In what state(s) is hunting with a rifle prohibited?

EDIT: I see now you're in Illinois. That would be one.

fromtheplaines said:

Thankfully I am a RO at our shotgun range so the rifle range is free. There is another one about 30 minuets north that I may check out.

I guess to add a little more to what I was thinking about was maybe a bolt in 223. Maybe a 30-30 but I hear they can be hard to bench rest shoot.

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Cva single shot .223 will amaze you with the accuracy, and the price of ammo is nice as well, moreso if hand loaded.

With those rules, and since you don't need a rifle to hunt, I think a super nice .22 lr or .22 magnum may be the best bet. A CZ, or build a 10/22, or even an Anschutz would let you get your kicks in, would be well within the limits of the range, and could still net pretty darned good accuracy.

Really, it depends on what your goal is.

At 200 yards, a rifle that's even average accuracy is going to get boring to shoot real quick. Esp. if you don't hand load.

If those were my options (and I understand sometimes rules are rules so you just go along to get along) I would opt for a good bolt action with push feed and start hand loading. That will keep things very entertaining. Trying to squeeze out the best groups possible at 200 yards with hand loads will keep you busy for years.

If you don't want to spend a lot, a Savage Axis II with a bipod and Nikon Buckmasters II scope will give you a great platform for testing handloads out to 200 yards for less than $350 if you shop around.

.223 isn't a bad choice if you know you'll never hunt with it, since you can plink with cheap ammo when you run out of handloads or if you want to let someone else just enjoy shooting the rifle.

If there is any chance at all you'll hunt with it, I'd get an Axis in 7mm-08 or .308 if you don't mind recoil.

A nice CZ trainer .22 is also a pretty good option. Would be fun to see what kind of groups you can make at 200 with those excellent open sights.

Agree with Hokkmike. What do you not like about your current rifles? That will help you decide what you might like better.

Unless you like pursuing tight groups, though, 200 yards isn't going to challenge any reasonably accurate rifle. Are you allowed to shoot steel targets? Can you shoot from field positions (sitting, kneeling, offhand, etc.) or do you have to shoot from a bench? Shooting four-inch steel plates at 200 yards from field positions can be entertaining ...

Savage Axis II or Ruger American in .223. There are also a few others like Mossberg, Howa and more. The .223 would also be a good choice to go along with your AR. Like said earlier, a nice .22 LR bolt gun can be a lot of fun too. Don't be fooled into thinking you can't hit targets out to 200 yards with a decent .22 LR.

My choice for what you want would be a bolt action rifle in .223. Lots of choices on make but I'd get one without an external magazine. The .223 is cheap to shoot and you won't burn up the barrel quickly. What I like about .223 is the barrel doesn't heat up after a few shots like some of my other rifles.

I used to own a Savage 10fp in .223 and any trip to the range included it. For 200 yards you don't need anything else and you'll enjoy the accuracy that round gives.

A 17hmr is good 200 yard fun too

Hmmm. I'd still say it's hard to make a suggestion. Without knowing what makes you enjoy rifle shooting (or not enjoy shooting the rifles you already have) and understanding WHY you want to shoot whatever it is -- in other words, what's your goal?

It sounds like you actually could shoot for 3-position or precision rifle practice. If one of those seems interesting to you we could advise what gear works well for those disciplines. Or you could do benchrest style work and you'd need different gear for that. Either of those disciplines could become something you can use your range to practice.

Otherwise, it sounds like you're stuck just sitting at the bench pulling triggers, and that can get awfully boring as, once you've got your rifle sighted in it's pretty purposeless to keep plinking away. Just about any rifle would do, in that case, seeing as going through the motions of firing is kind of all there is to it.

Some guys do enjoy picking a rifle and going through a lengthy process of working up reload recipes to endlessly try and find THE best load to shoot the smallest groups. Again, though, it's hard to suggest what rifle would be best for that, seeing as just about any rifle can benefit from a load it likes.

One thing you could do is maximize the challenge that your range can provide by doing what might be called "simulated" long range work: Get an accurate .22LR, find some high-quality ammo it likes, and practice using it out there between 150 and 200 yards. That's a pretty cool challenge and can actually teach you some things that are useful with standard rifles at real long range.

I know the perfect rifle for your range - a used custom bolt 22-250 on a Mauser action with a sled instead of a magazine. There are quite a few used varmint rifles around and they usually shoot pretty flat out to 250+

I know of one that went for $250 not long ago, and you'd cry at the workmanship that went into that build the first time. The scroll work would have been $500, if it was a $1 ... I suspect that the original owner may have had $4,000 into that thing. They can be had. Watch GB and visit all you local Gun Stores, look at their used racks. There are fine single shots out there

Bolt action 223 and see how small of a hole you can shoot into.

Cabels has the Savage 12FV on sale, I think current sale is 369.00, I have seen 319.00 before. There is on top of that a 100.00 rebate through December. Heavy barrel, accutrigger, jeweled bolt.

I bought .223 and .308 great price even for the barreled action.

Russellc

I would suggest getting something good quality that will be accurate right out of the box and something you won't feel the need to upgrade later. I enjoy shooting my Sako .223 rifles and my Anschutz rimfires the most. There is a certain joy you feel when shooting a good quality firearm. My wife's friends shoot with us occasionally. The ladies enjoy shooting the .223s and .22 magnums more than the heavier calibers.

I have two Tikka .223 rifles that shoot lights out! The cartridge is one of the best for using factory ammo at the range, since it's very accurate and ammo is relatively inexpensive, even for target ammo. I really like Tikka's. One is an older 595 in a wood stock and the other, a T3 Lite, which also shoots great. Why not get a great rifle, instead of handicapping yourself with a cheap one?

I also have several Remington 700s, but had to do quite a bit of work on them to get them to shoot as well as the Tikkas. You deserve a really good-shooting rifle!