Breaking into longer range shooting

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ZeSpectre

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I've been fooling around with shooting my .357 Magnum levergun and my SKS rifle at between 50-100 yards and although I'm no prize winner marksman I've hit "pretty decent" territory with my shooting.

Now I have an urge to try some longer (say 200ish yard) shooting BUT the budget is really tight, I'm left handed, and due to past shoulder damage I'm kinda recoil sensitive. So I'd appreciate it if folks could steer me towards decent "entry level" long guns that will get me started but won't break the bank or my shoulder.

Thanks for the suggestions

Ze
 
Would a .357 work at 200 yards? From a rifle it should be roughly the same energy as .223. You'd just see a really long arc, but with better BC?
 
My .357 is a Rossi levergun. It' seems to be darn good out to about 100-120 yards but past that it starts wandering. Might be me, might be the gun, (might be the ammo) I don't know.

Was thinking about a Remington 7600 (or an old 760 if I could find one) in .243 Winchester. Don't know if that'd be a 200 yard target gun though.
 
My friend has a bushmaster AR-15 with a 20" bull barrel, and a good scope, he uses it out to 4-500'. He said that because of the giant recoil spring it has, the recoil is about the same as a .22. That would be my suggestion, just get a quality upper that will reach out that far(accurately), and it would be a good gun. I recently bought a .308 for the same type of shooting, however if you are recoil sensitive then it really is not an option.
 
Long range game...

shoot a .22 lr on a reduced range target at 100 meters with a scope limited to 10x or there abouts...

Reduced range target like the one with designed to represent a human torso at 100 M but shot at 25 m. And in this that 25 M target is placed at 100 M so you should get 4x the simulated range... Good fun.... in teaching you how much you actually suck... or not. In my case its all suckage...
 
Breaking into long range shooting

I have a Savage 10FP in 223 and am very pleased with it. It is the non-accutrigger model and it will shoot 1/2 in groups or better with several loads.

Mine has a very long throat and it lets me seat the 77 & 80 grain Sierras without cramping the powder space. The only thing is they must be single loaded, but there is no need for a speedy reload when shooting for tight groups.

I think there may be a used one or two in the rifle ads here.
 
Another vote for a Savage... .223, .204, .243, .270... Nearly any caliber with more punch than a .22 would serve for 200 yards, any of the above are fairly mild. Even a .308 out of a nice heavy target rifle like a savage BVSS isn't a shoulder bruising proposition.

I was shooting clay pigeons at 260 yards with my .17HMR last fall. It's a long shot, but I was hitting them :) You could probably do OK at that range with a .22WMR, as well.
 
If the shoulder problem is a major concern I vote for the AR 15. It will be a softer shooter than a bolt action rifle. It is not the least expensive platform. In fact it is a moderately priced platform.

They make many versions including the Varmint and National Match w/options like:
A two stage (National Match) trigger
Heavy bbls commonly in 20 and 24" lengths Chrome Moly or Stainless
Variable iron sight and optics platforms
Well, you can go on-and-on. It is a versatile platform that can be modified and adjusted, adjusted and modified. There are dozens of manufacturers that make parts.

It is a rifle that is commonly accurate out to 600 yards plus.

On the down side, it is not a bolt action rifle and, again, there are less expensive products that will do similar things (some better).

Just my 2¢.
 
AR-15 with bull barrel or some type of match upper

you can shoot pop cans easy at 300yards with a decent AR. The recoil is nearly non-existent also. Many many choices of good quality ammo to found, not too expensive either.
 
You might find a used Ruger, Winchester, or Remington bolt in the same price range as a new Savage. Used Savages are around too, of course.

I have bought a lot of used rifles and had good luck doing so.
One of my most accurate rifles is a Ruger 77RL in .250 Savage that I bought used.
 
Service Rifle shooters compete regularly with AR-15's out to 600 yards. 200 yards it what they shoot from the standing position! Find a CMP affiliated club in your area. They will probably have match grade AR's to loan for matches. Try it out. It will thoroughly humble and embarrass you, but after a few matches you will be surprized at how much you can do with a rifle.
 
If you do go with an AR, I would not worry about it being left or right handed. I shoot lefty but have no problem operating a righty AR.
 
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