Long range shooting advice needed!!

[hillbilly preacher]

I am going to set up a .300 win mag bolt action for long range shooting. In your opinion is the .300 win mag the choice of caliber (short of the .50 bmg) and if so which bolt action rifle would be most accurate. I am wanting to shoot from 200-1100 yards. Any long rangers out there lets hear your input as to Caliber and Rifle and Scope choice. I will also use it for elk to a distance that can be confidently be hit by lots of practice

Thanks,
Brent

 

[dakotasin]

the best platform would be a custom action to begin w/ - look to see what br shooters are using...

short of that, the remington 700 is the way to go.

300 win mag will work, as will a myriad of other cartridges, especially if 800 is all the further you're going. i would advise you start w/ a 7-08, 308, 7 wsm, or 6.5-284.

the most painless way to 1000 yards is a remington 700 vls chambered to 308, and judicious handloading. if you don't handload, you will have a hard time becoming proficient at long ranges - it just costs too much to keep enough federal match or bha match on hand to become proficient, and to maintain proficiency.

good luck.

 

[ruger270man]

If you want a good base to customize and add to later, go with the remington 700.. if you want a great shooting gun out of the box, that you wont want to add much more than a stock to, get a savage 10fp.

308 is good, but starts to lose its energy after 1000 yards, but if you're shooting paper, it does well.

I'd personally love a 338 lapua (preferably a trg-42), but my budget is a lil short of that..

 

[dakotasin]

i've made hits w/ my 308 in excess of 1100 yards. sometimes, depending on environmental conditions, beyond that becomes awfully difficult as the bullet goes thru transonic stages.

in long range shooting, ballistic coefficient is everything, velocity is secondary, assuming reasonable start-velocity. if your bc's suck (and 30's generally do), then you'll have more trouble, thus the reason for my reccomendation for the 7's and 6.5's... but, in direct answer to your question, yeah, the 300 win mag is capable of doing what you want.

1000 yards and beyond is a whole 'nuther animal than shooting at just a few hundred yards. no comparison to even 600 or 700 yards... you need a serious platform, and everything matters from glass, to trigger, to locktime, to etc etc. 1000 yards is a blast, but it isn't as easy as just holding steady and 'letting her buck'.

 

[hillbilly preacher]

What is the best caliber for 1000 yds to 1500 yds? What is the best setup in your opinion, rifle, scope, trigger, etc..

Thanks,
Brent

 

[Zak Smith]

You need to go over to SnipersHide and SnipersParadise and lurk for a while, reading the archives. You'll learn a lot.

For long range shooting, you want an accurate rifle, good optics with the rifle features, high BC (ballistic coefficient) bullets, and high muzzle velocities.

Suggested calibers include 50BMG, 338LM, 7RM, 6.5-284, 260REM, 300WM, and even 308.

The 190gr SMK, the standard 300WM loading, has a lower BC than the 160gr 7mm's and the 140gr 6.5's, so it'll have a little more wind deflection at 700-1000 yards (a few inches). Of those, barrel life will be longest with 308 and 260REM.

It's certainly possible for someone who knows what's he doing to build a Remington 700-based rifle for about $1200-1500 and have it be accurate. If you're lucky, a stock 700 PSS or Sendero might, but you might also get one that doesn't shoot.

On the other hand, you can buy a custom gun from an outfit like GA Precision (GAP), HD Rifles, Robar, etc.

Or you can buy a "factory" gun in the class of the Sako TRG-42, Accuracy International, etc.

I suggest looking at the Leupold Mark 4 M1 scopes as the "baseline" and moving up from there if you can afford it.

-z

ETA:

By the way, here's a spreadsheet giving drop and wind deflection numbers at 800 yards:
http://www.demigod.org/~zak/tmp/ballistics.html

Sorted best to worst by wind.

 

[redneck2]

I kinda went thru this, trying to get a 1,000 yard gun. As above, the BC on 7mm's is better than the .30's. I ended up getting a 700 Sendero in 7mm Rem Mag. Now, I know it's not the first caliber that comes up in typical discussions, but of the replies that I got, it came the closest to fitting what I wanted. It's got a Burris 8x32 with 20 moa bases

One of the replies said that he got exceptional groups with 162 hornady A-Max, and most got good results with Sierra MK's.

If you go to the Sierra site, you can compare the BC's of the various bullets available. 6.5's are maybe ideal, but probably light for elk at extended ranges. One thing to consider is that, the best rifle for long range is going to be way heavy to carry for elk.

 

[Zak Smith]

The 162gr AMAX's blow up when the muzzle velocity is around 3100fps.

In both 7mm and 6.5mm, look at the Berger VLD bullets for high BC.

 

[ALS]

I'm a 30 Cal guy. I have two custom Remington .308's that were built for 1000 yard work and they do their job very well. Also I have a Blaser LRS2 in 300 WinMag that will punch holes very accurately out to 1200 yards. With the .308's they are running 2650 fps muzzle velocity with 175 Sierra Match Kings. The 300 Win Mag is running 2900 FPS muzzle with 190 Sierra Match Kings.
I think a Remington 700 in 300 winmag with a quality barrel and properly bedded would work very well. I also like Leupold and NightForce scopes a lot.
Although a little pricey they are well worth the money in the long run.
Also if your planning to go for a long distance gun make sure you get a scope mount with 20 MOA built in to start with. I love going to school with the LE / Military guys and watching them run out of elevation between 800 and 900 yards. Then watching the check book / charge card come out so they can buy one of these for their guns.
Here is a link to a Gunsmith that sells mounts and rings set up for Remington's made specifically for long distance shooting.
Scope Mount

 

[valkyrie.rider]

I was looking for a 1000+ yd rifle a few years ago. I did a ton of research on the subject and talked to numerous custom long range gunsmiths. My primary objective was a long range varmint rifle, but I was also toying with 1000 yd competition. I came up with what I think is about as good a combination as you can get. The rifle is custom built, but the price wasn't off the charts. I started with a tuned Remington 700 ADL action. Sako extractors, Hart 30 inch stainless barrel with 1-9 twist. Pillar bedded laminated stock.

The rifle is chambered in 7-300 Wby. Very simple to reload. Just neck 300 Wby down to 7mm and fire form. My best loads would launch a 168 gr SMK at 3250 fps. Incredibly accurate. I have shot sub 1 inch groups at 400 yards. I agree with a previous poster that said 1000 yards is a whole different animal. I have never developed my skill to be competitive at that range, but I know the rifle is capable.

Hope you find this helpful.

 

[Zak Smith]

How long does that 7-300Wby barrel last?

 

[valkyrie.rider]

I cant say as I know for sure. There is something magical about 3200-3400 fps velocity. Many rifles do their best in that range and it minimizes barrel erosion. The hot rod rounds will eat a barrel much faster. I have about 1000 rounds through my gun now and it shows absolutely zero throat erosion. Hart makes a very high quality barrel, too.

 

[Zak Smith]

You're saying that a 308 barrel won't last as long as barrel that shoots 160gr bullets at 3200fps??

(ie, "Minimizes")

 

[valkyrie.rider]

Zak: I just noticed some of your qualifications. Im sure my previous post wasn't news to you. By the way, Im a CSU alum. Class of 76. The area has sure changed since I was there.

 

[259ghost]

Long Guns

Preacher, I favor the Ruger mdl. 77, 300 winmag 190 for 1000 or better. I have it in 7mm also, but the 300 is like a 10 sec. machine vs the 10.5 , and yea it has more kick, but unless yer realy slight of frame and don't wanna, convert it to a heavy barrel, it's a nice one. but if kick is a problem, a 270 is easier on yer body, even a 264 but they are not as steady out at 800 + yards.

 

[Zak Smith]

even a 264 but they are not as steady out at 800 + yards.

6.5mm and 7mm dominate 1000-yard F-class competition
http://www.6mmbr.com/fclass06.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek063.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/Fclass.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek028.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/7mm284.html

 

[knights_armorer]

For long range shooting, you want an accurate rifle

I would have to say this is probably very good advice.

lol, sorry, i had to do it.