Minimalist Rifleperson--What Do I Need?

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Hmm...

1. Why not a spotting scope? It'll be nice to see where I'm hitting without walking 600 feet every time. Am I missing something?

2. As for positions, I may be stuck at the table depending on which range I'm at.
 
Table shooting, is pretty much for load development and maybe for rifle sight-in. Besides, you get hammered more from recoil when you are shooting from the bench.

A spotting scope is good, though metal gongs of various sizes would be just as good, if not better than spotting scopes.

A partner with a pair of binoculars would be good too. Though, if both you and your partner can't range estimate worth a damn....
Me: "How far do you think that rockface is?"
Partner: "Oh, probably 75 yards?"
Me: "I guess its like 85 yards."
...shoot at rockface for a little bit, getting surprised at how much of a holdover is required to hit it...
Me: "I'm gonna go get the laser rangefinder"
... trudge back to the truck and get the rangefinder...
Me: "What did you say how far the rockface is?"
Partner: "mebbe 75 yards?"
... use the rangefinder...
Me: "You are close, you have 2 out of 3 numbers right. Its 275 yards!!!" :what:
 
Should I get a range finder for any reason?

Not looking to do much w/ rifle other than improve my marksmanship. I'll decide what I want to do later, tacticality wise.

(Mall Ninja Support Ops, Snipering, etc.)

Also, if I go Leupold, other than their red dot CQT scope, can I go wrong?
 
If all you want to do is improve your marksmanship, you should probably just get decent sights, if your rifle doesn't have them, and then spend your money on training. I recommend Gunsite.

Books are good too, there are lots of good books on shooting rifles. "The Art of the Rifle" is just one of them.

A rifle, sites (either metal, or optic), and ammo, lots of ammo. If you are taking it seriously, reloading supplies should be on your list too, they allow you to make ammo for a lot less money, which doesn't save you any money... but it does let you shoot more ;)

Everything else is mostly specialized gear, that you can pick up along the way.

-Morgan
 
Skunky... it seems that you are trying to find excuses to buy more gadgets. :D

Rangefinder is optional. If you just want to improve marksmanship, I would start out at a range with known distances, and buy LOTS OF AMMO.

After rifle, magazine, sling and ammo, the next would be floormat, binoculars/spotting scope, chamber flag, shooting jacket, shooting cap, shot timer.

And don't forget the fajitas. :D
 
Skunk,

Please define "this rifle thing" that you want to take seriously. The type of rifle shooting you want to do will determine your needs.

A real rifleman does his thing with iron sights and no range finder, etc, etc.
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Yeah, I hear iron sights are great at 900+ yards.:rolleyes:

To cover all your bases, and to be tactically correct, you'll need a wide array of stuff.:D

No one gun is best suited for all types of riflery. Make sure you have the following in your arsenal:

.50BMG for hard targets at 1500 yards. Also suitable for low-orbit satillites and U2 spy planes.
.300 Win Mag bolt gun for 1000 yard shots at mall parking lot racers.
.308 Lightweight bolt gun rifle for mall sniping and shoplifter takedowns up to 500 yards.
.223 AR with collapsable stock for mall entry and Close Mall Battles.
.22LR plinker since you won't be able to afford any other ammo after buying all this crap.

:D
 
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you forgot...
223 assault weapon, white box truck, and lone disgruntled white male for Wash,DC sniping. :rolleyes:

or is it...
Bushmaster AR15, dark blue Caprice, illegal Jamaican alien minor, and namesake of the last prophet? :uhoh:
 
How about little Asian boy in a silver Honda?

I'll be going back to SGV tomorrow they have a scope I can rent and some sandbags. I'll just use those until I figure out what I need....
 
TechBrute, I wasn't referring to 900+ yards.:rolleyes: My point is that if you can't hit anything within iron sights distance with iron sights, you're no rifleman. Seems to me lots of folks spend tons of cash on scopes, range finders, spotting scopes, and all the other plunder and still can't hit the ground with iron sights.
 
Sir Galahad:

You have hit upon a Truth here.
Many young and not so young men have not had the opportunity to learn how to use open sights as it has been done in days gone by.
I think a lot of it has to do with no mandatory military service and much more urban living, topped off with split up families where DAD just isn't there.

I guess that's a good reason to do new shooters a favor and help them out with some real open sight shooting, no matter how old they are.

;)
 
You know, I've been shooting centerfire rifles since I was 16. What I could afford and afford to shoot was 8mm Mauser, 7.62x54 Mosin, and .303 Enfield milsurps. Just plain ol' iron sights. By the time I went into the army, the .223 was a snap. Recoil? What recoil?:D Qualified as expert. Now I'm 35 and just bought my FIRST scope this year. Put it on my Ruger .308 International. And two nights ago, the scope came right back off and back on went the rear iron sight. I never buy a rifle that doesn't have iron sights. And I have more fun and find more challenge in iron sights. And I hit what I'm aiming at as far as I can see.
 
TechBrute, I wasn't referring to 900+ yards. My point is that if you can't hit anything within iron sights distance with iron sights, you're no rifleman. Seems to me lots of folks spend tons of cash on scopes, range finders, spotting scopes, and all the other plunder and still can't hit the ground with iron sights.
Click to expand...
I agree wholeheartedly, but I also don't think you distinguish them into different disciplines. Just because you can hit an 18" steel plate at 200 yards with iron sights, doesn't mean you can hit the same plate at 800 yards with glass. It's 2 different things. Same fundamentals, but 2 different things.
 
Not knowing what rifle or the intended use I would say:
In order:
Rifle & ammo (one is no good without the other)
Sling
Scope (if you want)

Notice I put a sling above a scope, that is how important I think it is.
 
Notice I put a sling above a scope, that is how important I think it is.
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Luckily, I don't think you'd have to actually choose between the two, but I agree to a point. Offhand, the sling is critical. Prone, it's all but useless.
 
all but useless in prone huh. I'd like to see how you shoot prone.
Click to expand...
Ooops. I meant to say prone with a bipod... but then again, you'd probably want to shoot an iron sight gun with a sling and no bipod. My fingers were traveling faster than my brain.
 
I understand scopes and long distance is an art unto itself. One, which I, admittedly, am not real skilled with.:D I guess I'm an iron sights man all the way around. Just shot that way so long, it's hard for me to get used to a scope. But within iron sight range, I can make my rifles sing.:D
 
thanks for clearing things up. I've never shot prone w/o a sling or with a bipod for that matter. Actually I've never shot prone w/ a scope.

atek3
 
Read the title. Minimalist. That answers the question for you. You NEED the rifle and ammo and a target to practice with. Other than that, there isn't much else.
 
Seems to me that becoming a competent rifleman is a learning process, more than some equipment-related set of acquisitions. Think how many times we of TFL and THR have advocated that a beginner get a .22 bolt-action rimfire and begin to learn.

Eye-finger coordination, proper sight picture, consistency in one's specific actions from shot to shot and the personal discipline to always control the "package" of action.

One then advances with equipment as one advances in skills, just as with any schooling. From rimfire to centerfire; from iron sights to scopes, and/or from general purpose rifles to packages for the specific uses that become of interest.

Art
 
Skunk--if you are pretending to be the "minimalist" then I would suggest a Romanian trainer 22 bolt action with an el cheapo Bushnell scope. Prop her up on some old shirts, rags etc. and put a hold on the expensive spotting scope.:cool:
 
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