Rifle Accuracy

[bogie]

How much do you want to spend?

How heavy a rifle are you willing to deal with?

What diameter/length of bullet are you looking to propel?

To what degree are you willing to mess with it?

I shoot a 6PPC:

Stolle Panda action, Shilen Select Match barrel, chambered with a .262 neck by Ron Hoehn, with a Shilen match trigger, bedded by Jerry Johnson in a Lee Six glass stock, with a 36x Weaver on top. I use formed and turned Lapua .220 Russian brass and Bart's Ultra 68 grain bullets. I get all bent out of shape and start muttering about the cost of new barrels when it averages greater than a quarter MOA. A barrel will last maybe 1,500 rounds.

If you want a rifle that'll shoot better than anything you can buy from a factory, give Bob White at Shooter's Corner (look at www.benchrest.com under "complete rifles") a call, and tell him what you're looking for. Granted it'll be a "used rifle," but it'll have been worked...

 

[bogie]

The "shoot one shot per range trip" exercise is flawed.

Different weather conditions, etc...

Plus, a gust of wind, and it takes a lot less than many folks would believe, can move a bullet a half inch at 100 yards.

And I ain't shootin' .22 rimfires... I'm running 68 grain match bullets at about 3420 fps...

 

[bogie]

You can get a decent aftermarket trigger for the Remington 700 and the Savage 11x/1x rifles. You can't for the others.

You can swap barrels on the Savage without special tools (but you're gonna want a way to clamp the barrel in a vise).

Get the Savage with a ".308" boltface. Next year, you may want a .22-250 or a .35 Whelen - you can go either way...

 

[308win]

For $800 plus tax (two years ago) I bought a new 700BDL with the 5R barrel that shot under 1moa out of box. I haven't shot my best groups yet (I hope) but my best to date is 3/8" with hand loads. The rifle with scope, mounts, and sling weighs over 15lbs so it isn't your best hunting rifle candidate although I use it for groundhogs and yotes but I wouldn't want to carry it around all day at my age.

 

[itgoesboom]

What's my budget? (asked by Bogie).

This time around, I was originally looking at a Cetme and extra mags. Around $400. So my initial budget is $400. But I know that I am going to go over that.

I figure my total budget can hit $600, maybe $700. I know, real low. And the initial amount can really only be about $450, I might be able to go up to $500, but that would be a stretch, especially since I need ammo too.

So I could do a NEF handirifle (I know I said it was out of the running, but its back in) in .223, get a good Leupold Rifleman or Nikon 3-9X40 scope and be at about $400-$450. I hear they shoot white box .223 pretty decently too. Shoot that for a couple months, save up an extra $100, and get the .308. Then I would have a decent deer rifle, and a decent varmint/target rifle. If the SHTF and zombie bear aliens from the U.N. under Hilary Clintons control ever invade than I would have a decent stand off rifle.

Or I could go to wallyworld, and get a savage 11fxp3, for just under $400, save an extra $150-$200 for a new scope to replace the other one. If I did that, I would have just one caliber, probably .308, and that would cost a little more.

I might be able to go up to the Savage 10fple, at around $500. The problem would ofcourse be that I would also need a scope and bases and rings, and that would put me well over $700, probably closer to $800.

The other option is a Weatherby vanguard for $400, and then $200 or so for scope and rings. Also probably in .308.

I am not too concerned about weight, since I am used to carrying 30-60lbs on my back on an almost daily basis. So a 10lbs rifle really doesn't faze me at all.

On one hand I think that a standard hunting rifle would be a good choice, but then I go back to the idea of a nice heavy bbl rifle. I still have a certain part of me that wants to get something the will probably be banned, or that they will try to ban, and I know that heavy bbl "sniper rifles" are next on the list.

Too many choices, not enough money.

I.G.B.