building my first long range rifle

T

theMOSTnovice1

Inactive
okay!!! first things first!
before i start going on. please know. as my user name states i am a complete newby at the long distance shooting.this being said I'm going to try not to sound like other posts i have read about long range shooting 900+"on the cheap"i know it won't be cheap however i don't have an endless budget and also hunting at those ranges i know its unethical so here goes.
so far i think i chose my round of preference. 308 and thats about it..
my budget is roughly 3,700$ the thing is i don't want to spend it all and have something so so. i want the best bang for my buck so where can i go cheap and where do i go big. obviously the scope is included in the budget. and I'm thinking on spending 1000 to 1500 on it. and the rest on the gun.so any help on which scope and barrel length,brand,twist.. which action and all the other things that will help me punch holes on paper ring metal and what not. i know ima get get all kinds of crap from more experienced shooters so bring it along as you leave some useful information about the gun building. thanks !!:)
 
With the budget you mentioned you should be able to do what you want.

Rather than putting one together, I would consider purchasing a whole rifle such as the one listed on Buds

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/84286

Yes, it is in 300 Win mag instead of 308, but you will be better off with that caliber for the range you want to shoot. (especially for hunting)

The only thing then is the scope.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-viper-pst-6-24x50-ffp-riflescope.html

That would bring you to about $3,500 you will still need to get rings or a mount for the scope.

But this should do the job for you.

Jim
 
What is your accuracy requirements at 900 yards? Size of a circle all your shots will go into.

Or, what's the most you'll accept missing your point of aim at 900 yards?

Here's some barrel life numbers to expect for best accuracy at 900:

308 Win, 3000 rounds.

300 Win mag, 1200 rounds.

264 Win mag, 600 rounds.
 
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Check out the spec on a .264 Win Mag.
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I agree on the bore size, but my ideal long range target rifle (if I can ever afford to build one) would be a 6.5x284

The OP's choice of .308 is fine too, I just believe there are better long range cartridges out there. The long 6.5 bullets have better BC's than any other bore size.
 
26 caliber longest bullets aren't blessed with the highest BC. Check out Sierra's 30 caliber 240-gr HPMK.

6.5x284 barrel life is about 800 rounds.
 
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Check out Sierra's 30 caliber 240-gr HPMK.
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Would the OP be able to shoot that bullet very well in .308 or would he need to step up to .300 win mag? I'd say that bullet also needs a pretty fast twist like 1:9?
 
Sierra's 240 HPMK shot from a 308 case at 2150 fps in a 1:8 twist 28" barrel bucks the wind better than others from that cartridge.

Biggest problem with longest bullets in any caliber is making jackets uniformly thick. Jackets with uneven dimensions are a bit heavier on one side. They're not perfectly balanced. Sierra made their first 6.5mm 140-gr HPMK's in 1970. Best accuracy at 1000 yards was about 2 feet. It wasn't until the mid 1990's that good jacket metal was available to make that bullet shoot under 6 inches at 1000 yards. That's when the 6.5x 284 became popular for long range matches.
 
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Being a "Newbe" (or even oldbe) I don't think you can go wrong with the 308 Win.

The round has a history at long range. Maybe not as romantic as the big magnums or the fancy wiz bang 6 & 6.5,s but it works.

Tons of Match bullets, and loading date and factory match ammo available.

And IT DOES WORK at 1000 yards. And its easier to shoot.

During a team match at 29 Palms, I was scoring for the AMU team who shot a 799/800 using 180 SMKs (before the 175s came out) using their Match M14s.


As a side note; The poor kid who dropped a point caught heck from the other team members though a 199/200 out of a M14 at 1000 is respectable in anyone's book.
 
I don't know a whole lot on this subject, but seems to me that I would either get a used rifle in a reduced-barrel-burner chambering (.308 win, .308 AI, .30-'06, 7mm-08, .260 rem, 6.5mm creedmoor, 6.5x47 lapua) - this will represent your better value (but you need to know what you're looking for of course).

Or, build what you want on a Savage/Stevens action with gunsmith, in a better-performing chambering (6XC, .243 win, 6mm creedmoor, 6x47, 6.5-.284, 6.5mm-'06, .280 Rem, .280 AI, .284 win, 7mm WSM, 7mm RSAUM, .300 WSM). Pick your smith, barrel, stock, etc. Remember, lots of really good hardcore guys shoot very successfully at 600-1000 yards with the 6mms and a fast twist with heavy bullets, such as taylorce1 on here: 6XC, .243, 6x47, etc. LOW recoil = fun.

Go with a 6mm if shooting targets only (or, I suppose, if its theoretical purpose is SHTF-WROL anti-occupying-force "interdiction").

Go with a 6.5mm or 7mm round if you might actually try your hand at long-range ungulate hunting with the same rifle (with the standard caveat of, please don't ever try to shoot game past 350-400 or so, except in the most perfect of conditions - very unethical). 7mm has a LOT of good hunting bullets, so that'd be my preference if it's this double-use.

Go with a .30 cal if you just like punishment and a thinner wallet (or if you really and truly might try to go beyond 1,250 yards - some of the newer .30 target bullets do have insane BCs, unlike just 10 years ago, where 7mms and .338s had the clear upper hand). Maybe run with a heavier rifle in say, .300 RUM.

On the cheap, yeah - look at Vortex Viper, Bushnell Elite Tactical, or Sightron S3 for very good optics on the budget-y side of things. But try to "reach" Nightforce budget range if you can! Or for really cheap, yet very good, an SWFA Super Sniper fixed power scope.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Bolt-Action-Rifles/BI.aspx?Keywords=custom

Probably the most important thing you can go is pick a good experienced 'smith to guide you along.... Make a long list, then a short list, then talk to the ones on your short list, and go from there.
 
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Build your own

Buy a savage target action and go from there. You can do a lot of the work yourself and save on the cost of labor. I'd go for something in 6.5
 
the reason why i chose the 308 is because i heard its easy on the pocket to reload.
the grouping i intend to get is probably 5 in 6 inch
as for the scope i have another question. is a 40mm tube really necessary or just alot easier to get a grouping i want to get to.
and thank you for all your helpful feedback!:D
 
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6 inches at 900 yards is 2/3 MOA. That's as good as the best long range benchrest rifles shoot at 1000 yards; 2/3 MOA. Record groups are smaller, naturally, but they are only a tiny fraction of thousands of all the rest of them.

You don't have to spend a ton of coins to get a rifle to do that. Get a used Win 70 push feed action, have its bolt and receiver faces squared up, fit a 30 caliber Kreiger barrel of your choice, conventionally epoxy bed it in a low cost wood stock then put a medium price scope on it.

Then get the right tools, knowledge and skills to assemble accurate ammo.

Learn good shooting and marksmanship skills.
 
theMOSTnovice1 said:
i do and I'm willing to spend the time and effort to get there.
am i being realistic though?
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A gun that can do that is (relatively) the easy part. The shooter actually doing it... that's another thing all together.

I applaud the desire and you can make it if you're truly dedicated to doing it but it's going to be a long row to hoe.

What is your experience? How well do you shoot at 1, 2, 300 yards at this point?
 
Go to the nearest match that shoots a rifle similar to what your thinking of.

See what they are using and ask to see the rifles. Match shooters are friendly and want you to join.

One may even have a rifle for sale.

Use the NRA site to find the match.
 
Jim243
Quote:
i do and I'm willing to spend the time and effort to get there.
am i being realistic though?
No
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Shoot for the stars, you might make it to the moon. Your budget is more than I had when I put together my first LR setup. Bottom line is: practice practice practice. I found myself having to upgrade my hardware because I found it was limiting my ability to shoot well (this was not a realization that happened in the first week of practice, or the second, or the third.... etc). It's a personal challenge and an enjoyable one, get the best setup you can afford but be sure there is plenty of budget left for tons of ammo!

IIRC the current IBS record stands at just over 3" at 1K; pretty sure that wasn't done with the shooters first ever long range gun.
 
Another lr gun to consider is the 338 edge. Excellent long range ballistics. It was developed by Shawn Carlock. He is on the long range hunting forum. I think you would be in the ballpark with the 3500.00 it would be close anyway.
 
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