got a question or two on accuracy shooting...

[bongfoo]

hello all,

well first let me introduce myself. my name is jerryand i'm a shoot-a-holic.

ok that being said lets get down to buisness...

i am a avid shooter and enjoy competition shooting. i've done ipsc/ idpa and i'm ready to move on to more accuracy as opposed to speed/accuracy.

my question is what is a good, versitile, accurate round? i currently reload and am looking for a good small bore centerfire bolt-action rifle.

my current family consists of a kel-tec su-16a, m1 carbine, ruger M77 in 7mm RM (not the MKII), mossberg 500, glock 17, and a SA 1911 a1. now while the rifles i own are great fun to shoot i looking something that i can use for say 100-500 YD shooting/ squirrel plinking. i would post a poll but there are just so many caliber/model combos that it would be a LONG list.

one thing though, i've always liked the remington 700 VL SS rifle. as for a price range i'd like to keep it under 600 but if the rifle is worth it i'd be willing to pay a little more.

thanks in advanced for the input guys!!!

 

[taliv]

welcome

any of them can be accurate enough.
308win is probably most versatile, but not particularly suited to squirrels.
maybe what you're looking for is a varmint caliber like 220swift or 22-250?

those aren't what i'd call 'versatile' but they will put holes in paper at 500 easily enough, and are classic for varmints

 

[THT]

What sort of range are you looking at? .223 is a cheap(er) way to get into precision shooting but it's range is relatively limited. .308 is a popular caliber for the non-reloader however it usually comes under criticism when compared to flatter shooting calibers.

 

[taliv]

i looking something that i can use for say 100-500 YD shooting/

....

 

[THT]

Reading comprehension > me

For that range, .223 would work.

 

[gvnwst]

I personally like the .243 win, but it is a bit of a barrel burner, so a better choice is the .260 rem. Kinda hard to get good brass for though, but you can form it out of lapua .243.

Like THT said though, a .223 with 70+gr bullets does pretty well out to 500.

 

[sscoyote]

I use a 17 Fireball XP-100 handgun for prairie dogs to 500 yds. With a 6-18x Nikon Buckmasters mil-dot reticle we can hit the 500 yd. mark on 1st shot connections sometimes under good conditions.

 

[bongfoo]

ok guys,

i've kinda narrowed it down to rifle choices.

it's between the rem 700 VLSS thumbhole stock and a tika T3.

now it's just down to a caliber. i already own a kel-tek which is in .223.
now i have to ask myself, do i want to keep reloading more .223? seeing as how when i reload for my kel-tek i reload 500 at a time because it's a semi. or do i want to go with a different caliber. i will probably use this rifle for hunting varmits and possibly coyote. so it's got to be able to take down a dog sized animal cleanly.

 

[Art Eatman]

I've always figured the .223 with 50- or 55-grain bullets to be a 200-yard coyote gun, but I've never needed to reach past 100 yards. Head shots? Out to 300, easy ruination. I've used my 77 Mk II .223 on prairie poodles to 300. The Swift and the .22-250 are better for serious Ma Bell visitations.

 

[Karl Hungus]

Out to 300 yds - .223

Out to 500yds - .22-250

The .223 can reach out past 500yds, but the .22-250 is much flatter.

.22-250s also wear out barrels faster and tend to be more finicky.

 

[LTR shooter]

it's between the rem 700 VLSS thumbhole stock and a tika T3.

I have one of the early models of the VLS Thumbhole , later called the VLSS.

Have not fired it yet but if it is anything like my previous 700s in .223 - 700VLS , 700LTR (pictured) and 700SPS - then it should be plenty accurate.

One thing you might keep in mind is the VLSS .223 is a 1 in 12" twist. The Tikka is available in the 1 in 8" twist which will allow heavier bullets to be used which some prefer for longer range target use with the .223.

My 700LTR is a 1 in 9" twist and shoots the 69 grain Sierra MatchKing extremely well.

 

[PT1911]

.223, 22-250,... will reach out several hundred yards and do it quite well and accurately depending on the setup you use.

when you decide to step up to an a larger centerfire... .308 is hard to beat.

 

[gvnwst]

.308 is hard to beat.

Actually, pretty easy to beat. Pretty much all smaller bore .308 based cartridges outperform the .308.