Most accurate target rifle out to 300 yards

[roc1]

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First of all MERRY CHRISTMAS too all.I was thinking I already have a 243 and a 223 and 22-250.I have always heard the 308 is the most accurate out at long distances.I would like a very accurate target rifle for just plain fun and was wondering if the 308 is a lot more accurate than the calibers I already have?
Thanks for any input as
to caliber and brand of rifle
roc1

 

[Bartkowski]

I don't think that the caliber has much to do with accuracy. It is more about the quality of the compenents used in the ammo, the barrel quality, and the ability of the shooter. The .308 won't be anymore accurate than the other guns you own unless you get a better gun and use better components.

 

[Kind of Blued]

There's very little accuracy inherent in a cartridge design itself. Accuracy can be improved by consistency through handloading or buying quality ammunition, but still, that isn't "cartridge design". Some cartridges have more potential for accuracy, but that potential is actuated by many things, mainly the barrel and the consistency of the gun's action.

So, to answer your question, no. The .308 is no more accurate than any of the cartridges you currently shoot, and neither is any other cartridge.

The most accurate .308 target rifle would cost you thousands of dollars. How much money do you have to spend on the rifle and the scope?

Or better yet, what do you have already? Any of those cartridges can be shot out to 300 yards very accurately.

 

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

Well, in a lot of cases you'll find that accuracy is relative to price. Are you asking about a target rifle, tactical rifle or a hunting rifle? Custom builder or brand name mass produced?

So, you might do yourself a little favor by being a bit more specific with your question. Within what price range, and under/over what weight?

I bet you'll get a bunch of Remington and Savage responses.

-Steve

 

[Big Bill]

The best gun $ for $ for accuracy is a Savage and for flat shooting get a .300 wsm, if you can stand the recoil.

 

[CZ223]

well this is pretty wide open right now

I think you would be better off narrowing things down a bit. The most accurate rifle at 300 yards is probably going to be something in 6mmBR and it may well cost several thousand dollars. The 308 can be quite accurate but, as the other poster said, it depends on many things including the rifle and the ammo. There are many good factory rifles out there right now that are capable of fantastic accuracy but still, they are not going to win any bench rest matches. I am a big Savage fan and I have shot many sub 1/2MOA groups with all of my model 12s. I have a new F-class in 6mm BR that I probably won't get to shoot till spring. You might try their f-class rifles in 6mmBR, 6.5x284 or the FTR in 308. For under a thousand you will have a rifle that will be competitive in F-class competition and be very impressive off the bench as well. I have read 2 seperate reviews on the 308 rifle that resulted in 5 shot groups of under 1 inch at 500 yards. That is pretty impressive.

 

[rangerruck]

if using factory ammo, i would say your 223 is the most accurate of your rifles, and will be more accurate than a 308 as well.

 

[rangerruck]

In other words, handloading, with a mild cartridge , is going to be your most accurate rifle/cartridge setup. a 20 tactical, 6br, 6ppc, and others like it, are going to be real accurate out to 300 yds, but you will have to pay for it. If looking for something real accurate, that is factory, and fires factory stuff accurate, that means you are looking for a factory accurate rifle, damn the ammo. About as accurate as you can get right now, for under 1000 bucks, is the Savage f class stuff , and their varminter line. A team savage dude recently pulled one out of the box, at a National competition, and pulled something like a .675 group, at something like 500 yds, and won the competition. Very impressive.

 

[Afy]

Custom weapons: 6PPC, 6XTC, 6BR, 30 BR, 22 BR

Off the shelf types: .260 Remington, 6.5x47 Lapua, 6.5 Creedmore will out perform .308 for accuracy.
I believe Tikka has T3 Varmint chambered for .260 Remington. Add a little handloaded Scenar based ammo and you will out perform most .308's etc.
Or get a Savage 110FP and rebarrel it with any of wide variety of barrels available.


Rangerruck: a .675 group at 500 yards is under .2 MOA. That is incredible.

 

[plinky]

A common factor of most inherantly accurate cartridges is a short squat case. Evidently, this helps with burning consistancy (accuracy) and efficiency. Efficiency is good because it means the same performance with less drama.

The .308 is generally considered an inherantly accurate design as factory rounds go and benchrest competition results seem to support this. Most custom bench cartridges are shorter with less powder for bore size than the .308. The newer 6.5mms go the other way sitting right between the .243 and 7mm-08, both fine rounds but not usually considered ideal as a bench round. The 6.5s do feature some nice sleek bullets (with less weight than a .30 cal) which is good for longer ranges.

I've come to believe that with some work and a little luck almost any cartridge can shoot "good" but if we are looking for general traits of a great shooting cartridge, think short, fat and not too overbore.

Any of the rifles you have should be capable of "good" accuracy with the right load. Good enough to satisfy you for informal target shooting. In fact good enough to dazzle casual shooters. I think only in competition does cartridge design become a real factor.

Most accurate rifle I've ever shot was a Rem 40X in .22/250. It goes against the traits that I listed but it would shoot around .25" with the right load which happened to be pretty warm. With any old ammo it was nothing special.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Well, it depends on whether you are talking custom, semi-custom, or factory. I'll assume you are not talking about custom rifles. The Accuracy International rifles are certainly among the most accurate rifles from the factory - I don't know if you'd call these semi-custom or just factory. Be prepared to drop several thousand.

http://www.accuracyinternational.com/

Steyr rifles and Sako rifles tend to be extremely accurate.

As for poor man's rifles, Savage is good.

Chambering is an entirely different subject.

 

[USSR]

roc1,

Cartridges are NOT inherently accurate. With a factory rifle, a rifle chambered for any of the 3 cartridges you listed may or may not be accurate; it's a crap shoot. A particular rifle may like a certain weight bullet or a certain brand of factory ammo. A well built rifle using a cartridge designed 117 years ago (6.5x55) or 102 years ago (.30-06) will be more accurate than a shoddily built rifle using a more modern inherently accurate cartridge. Buy the best built rifle you can, in a chambering that fits your needs.

Don

 

[Cypress]

I have a Savage with a Shilen 300wsm barrel and Choate stock for sale if your gonna be in NE Texas any time soon. PM me if interested! Price is considerably less than you could build it for.

 

[Javelin]

Benchgun with 6mm BR rounds and a person who knows how to shoot.

 

[Float Pilot]

Swede CG 63 or CG 80 for iron sights. In 6.5 x55 Swede of course.

Cartridges are NOT inherently accurate.

Worms,,,, can,,,,. opener....

 

[browningguy]

No, a .308 is not the most accurate. At 300 yards any of the cartridges you mentioned will do a good job. I shoot a Savage 12 FV in .243 which is a very good gun with handloads.

For a 300 yard gun with factory ammo then you would be better off with a .223 or .308 as match ammo is readily available without handloading and I would suggest a Savage 12 FV in .223 ($499 locally) or the 12 F-TR ($900 locally) in .308. Or if you want to put all the high dollar rifles to shame get a Savage F class in 6.5-284 and go win matches. A stock 12 F-TR won the long range Nationals last year by the way, among the very few times a factory gun has ever won.

 

[Furncliff]

Instead of a new rifle/caliber, consider a good reloading set up for your three caliber's all of which will produce excellent accuracy for the mid range you are asking about. There's a lot to be said for cooking up your own recipes. Consistent, precise hand loads in those three calibers will amaze you.

 

[ar10]

if using factory ammo, i would say your 223 is the most accurate of your rifles, and will be more accurate than a 308 as well.

That's odd. I work at a range that has one of the very few 300yd ranges and I pick up a lot of brass because I reload my own. The large caliber's in 30 caliber outnumber 22X about 100 to 1. I see a lot of .223 shooters at the 100yd and 150ft ranges but never at the 300yd or even the 200yd ranges.
It just seems that .223 is pretty light at longer ranges especially in less than desirable weather conditions.

 

[USSR]

Or if you want to put all the high dollar rifles to shame get a Savage F class in 6.5-284 and go win matches.

Oh, were it that easy.

Don

 

[Martyk]

Range?

AR10, if you don't mind me asking, is the range you're talking about in NJ?

 

[rangerruck]

remember, we are limiting our distance to 300m. that is why I did not include the big 6's and 6.5's or even any 30 cals, allthough the 30 br is a pretty nice choice here as well...

 

[plinky]

Instead of a new rifle/caliber, consider a good reloading set up for your three caliber's all of which will produce excellent accuracy for the mid range you are asking about. There's a lot to be said for cooking up your own recipes. Consistent, precise hand loads in those three calibers will amaze you.

+1

I don't envy anyone trying to do good shooting with factory ammo. It's crap shoot and you may go broke before you find your load. With no guarantee that you'll find that exact load again.

 

[Shawnee]

Assuming you want a regular factory rifle I would say get a Remington 700 VLS in .243.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

On the surface the Original Posters question is simple. However as you read the replies, you see how complicated shooting accurately at some distance can be. This can get very complicated....

Here is my take on it:
If someone is asking this, then they are likely not looking for a rifle of more than 500 - 600 dollars; and they likely do not already reload I.M.O.. Generally you build up an advanced level in any hobby. When you become advanced; you form your own, opinions, skills, preferences, & knowledge and wouldn't be asking....

Here's the question I think the OP asked. Which caliber of "factory" gun should I buy to shoot "factory" loadings at targets out to 300 yds. Someone here should be able to report on how well a model XYZ with a XX" barrel & XX Twist, shoots a XX grain, some manufacturer standard velocity hunting round. (That is the minimum level of detail IMO, it gets much more complicated as many here know, most better than I)

My short answer would have been, a Savage or Remington .308 (Or a .30-06) and try several brands of "off the shelf" rounds to see what it likes, knowing that different ammunition can make a big difference!

 

[jpwilly]

Savage, Remington, Tikka, Howa, Weatherby, etc in 223 or 308 with a good heavy barrel should shoot little groups all day. You also need a decent rest, bright clear optics that hold zero, and good match grade ammo.