rifle for 200yds

[M-Cameron]

im thinking of building a rifle for offhand target shooting out to 200yds...and need a bit of help deciding a good caliber and platform....

my only requirements are:
+ that the rifle/ ammo be readily available
+ be reasonably cheap( barreled action ~$500-600)
+ mag fed
+ semi or bolt action are fine (although i prefer bolt action)
+ rimfire or centerfire
+ not be an AR-15


as of right now im thinking of a Savage 93 in 17hmr. my only concern is that its such a light round, that im concerned and wind will throw it around...if anyone has any experience in with the 17 hmr ide love to hear it...

im also contemplating something in .223 rem, im thinking something along the lines of a Remington 700....

any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[timothy75]

Savage makes a 110 package at that price point. As for caliber id say 308 is a good choice if the winds blowing. The accutrigger is pretty good out of the box too. If you go remington make sure you like the trigger before you buy it, the xmark pro trigger only adjusts so far. Good luck

 

[SimplyChad]

Step 1 go to academy/cabela's
Step 2 pick one and play with it
Step 3 have fun.
Really tho any modern centerfire caliber/rifle combo should be fine at that range.

 

[Jim Watson]

There are people working with rimfires at 200 yards but it is a bit of a stretch.
Do you handload?
If so, a .223 would be about right.

The trick is finding a comfortable offhand stock.
You could try a variety of factory hunting and varmint rifles to see if one fits you.
Or you could invest in a purpose made stock for a target shooter's 3-position rifle or for a silhouette rifle which is all offhand.
You could probably strip a plain vanilla Savage or Remington for its barrelled action cheaper than you could buy the barrelled action alone. And sell the factory stock for a few bucks.

 

[HOOfan_1]

When you say magazine fed, do you mean detachable? The Mossberg MVP might be worth looking into, or the CZ 527.

 

[henschman]

You might also consider a .30-30 lever action, like a Marlin 336... they are light, handy, and fun, and the ammo is under $.50/round for good reloadable brass case stuff from Academy. Those rifles are outstanding for offhand shooting.

A lot of the old surplus rifles would fit into that category, too... the M1 garand is my favorite, and you can get one from the CMP for $500. All the bolt action surplus rifles are fun too... Enfields, 1903s, 1917s, Mausers, Nagants, etc. The surplus rifles are cool because they load from the top with stripper clips, which is awesome. All the ones I mentioned have fairly readily available ammo that are at decent prices right now.

If you are into a more modern bolt action, I echo the Savage recommendation. They are highly accurate out of the box, and are a real decent price for what all you get. .223 is a good caliber for 200 yards... it is really cheap right now too. But if you want something with a little more "oomph," they make them in pretty much all of the other commonly available rifle cartridges.

Just throwin some ideas out there.

 

[Captains1911]

Remington 700 in .223 or .243

 

[Clayne_b]

200 yards with a good shooting .22lr is no problem at all!

 

[maskedman504]

CZ-USA has some nice options; I would post a link, however their website is acting up.

 

[Zane]

200 yards is starting to stretch the 17HMR, but it can do it. The bullet is actually more wind resistant than a .22

I have one of the Savage 93-17. It is a fun rifle to shoot. The gun is laser accurate, however the bullet is so small, even 1 MOA groups look bad. For target shooting is isn't a bad choice, but isn't that cheap either.

 

[denton]

Look at the Kel-Tec SU-16C. Never thought I would own that brand, but the engineers there have done quite a job.

It's a 5.56, so ammo is cheap. It's very good at 200. It's a lot of fun to shoot. And it's not an AR-15. Plus it's very light weight, 4.7 pounds, and it folds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8kjK6Fs9AtE

 

[kludge]

Kel-Tec SU-16 .223/5.56
SKS 7.62x39
Savage/Stevens/Marlin bolt action.

What is your expectation of accuracy?

 

[maskedman504]

You would need to add a scope....

http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-527-varmint/

 

[M-Cameron]

thanks for the help so far everyone....

now to answer some questions...

in terms of accuracy, the 10-ring on the targets i will be shooting is 2".....so im looking for a gun that is at least 1 MOA.

i am not currently set up for reloading....so all ammo will have to be production

i also dont want the ammo to be "struggling" at 200 yds.......im not trying to push the ammo to its limits......sure, the .22lr can shoot accurately out to 200-300 yds.....but that a tad past its optimal range.

i would like the rifle to be a fairly common design, so that i can easily find an aftermarket stock for it......as of right now, i am leaning towards a silhouette stock from Richards microfit.


now i have nothing set in stone.....but the way things are looking.....i am leaning towards a Remington 700 in .223

the main reason i was looking into the 17hmr was due to cost of ammo, and ease of shooting at my range ( cannot shoot centerfire rifle at my range, but i do have access to rifle ranges)......

 

[kludge]

now i have nothing set in stone.....but the way things are looking.....i am leaning towards a Remington 700 in .223

I think you're headed in the right direction for your needs.

Also check out the bolt rifles I mentioned.

 

[denton]

i am leaning towards a Remington 700 in .223

A good choice of rifle and cartridge. 223 is zippy enough to be fun, but mild enough that you can go through 100 rounds and wonder why you didn't bring more ammo.

With a crappy scope, I was getting 1 1/2" groups out of my SU-16C. I just mounted a good scope on it, and this afternoon will find out if it will do 1" at 100.

 

[chrome_austex]

What kind of hold do you use for offhand? Rifle fit can be a big deal for offhand.

* Lots of viable calibers from 223 and up (fwiw 308 holes are easier to see at 200y).
* more than the usual comb drop and/or an adjustable cheek riser
* anschutz rail on the bottom to fit a palm rest OR go with a very high scope mount and a high cheek rest.
* adjustable buttstocks end plates are nice for offhand shooting. Even something with a hook.

 

[tuj]

The 17HMR is a great round, very accurate. I get better results at 100 yards with 17HMR than with the Model 700 in .223 in terms of tight groups.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

Are you looking at this with the intent of doing some kind of organized target shooting or just for personal enjoyment/practice?

If you are thinking or intending to head to some kind of competition, you may want to look at the rules for that organization and pick something that will at least allow you to compete.

Have you thought two rifles? Use the rimfire for closer range practice at your range and then a centerfire for full distance practice at other ranges.

 

[M-Cameron]

What kind of hold do you use for offhand? Rifle fit can be a big deal for offhand.

* Lots of viable calibers from 223 and up (fwiw 308 holes are easier to see at 200y).
* more than the usual comb drop and/or an adjustable cheek riser
* anschutz rail on the bottom to fit a palm rest OR go with a very high scope mount and a high cheek rest.
* adjustable buttstocks end plates are nice for offhand shooting. Even something with a hook.

for off hand....i suppose i use a 'standard' 3P offhand hold...

for the stock, im not too concerned...ive done plenty of stock work and know how to get a properly fitting stock for the job..

Are you looking at this with the intent of doing some kind of organized target shooting or just for personal enjoyment/practice?

If you are thinking or intending to head to some kind of competition, you may want to look at the rules for that organization and pick something that will at least allow you to compete.

Have you thought two rifles? Use the rimfire for closer range practice at your range and then a centerfire for full distance practice at other ranges.

this is for a summer league....its nothing super competitive.....but there are some outstanding shooters there...

as i understand it, there arent too many rules, they allow rimfire and centerfire....scope and no scope....pretty much if you have it...you can shoot it.


and as for 2 rifles.....i have a smallbore rifle that i use for 3P already....so i get plenty of practice with that.....its just i like having familiarity with my different rifles......and that mostly happens for me through shooting them....but its honestly not a huge issue.

 

[gamestalker]

A .243 win. is an excellent 200 yd. cartridge and will even satisfy your need to go much further.
A good action that can be had in the $500 - $600 range is pretty wide spread. There are some 700's and Sav. 110 out there that will easily meet your financial guidlines.
If it were me, I would find a used $300 bolt action Sav. or Rem. are pretty easy to find. Then I would spend the other $300 on a Leupold scope. This is a good starting point, and with some practice and load tuning you'll be very satisfied.
I have standard production actions with good glass, Leupold to be specific, that consistently shoot sub moa.

 

[IsaacCarlson]

200 yards is not pushing the limit for 22LR. It is fairly easy to hit a 2" target at 200 yards with good subsonic ammo. Wolf makes some good stuff that shoots very well.

I have shot to 300 yards with my CZ455 American. It will hold MOA the whole way on a decent day. I like to use a pop can/peanut butter jar sized target for off hand at 2-300 yards. Talk about fun!!!

22LR can be much more accurate than folks give it credit for. You need a good rifle, good scope, and good ammo. I challenged a guy to set a pack of cigarettes or chew at 300 yards and let me take 5 shots, he could keep what was left. He never took me up on it. Maybe my father-in-law will......

 

[Chasing Crow]

I have a surplus Chec 8mm Mauser that is very accurate at 200yd. Ammo is not a problem and the rifle is well balanced and a pleasure to shoot. Prices are reasonable too!

 

[IsaacCarlson]

For offhand practice, the 22 would be cheap and would give you more experience reading the wind. There is a reason there are a lot of military trainers in 22lr.

 

[kalashnikov74]

A saiga is easy enough for hits to 200 yds, only costs $300 at j and g for a 7.62x39 a 5.45x39 or a .223 (which is actually chambered for 5.56x45). I bring my .223 out to 400 yds regularly and torsos offhand are easy enough out to 300 yds.