I want a "sniper" accurate rifle what do you reccomend?

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superfast61821

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Ok I hesitate using the word sniper to describe what it is i am looking to puchase or build. Really I just want a tactical rifle that shoots groups on paper up to 3/4" or less out to 600 yards. Sorta a varmint rifle on steriods.
Unrealistic I don't know. I have a friend who is a scout sniper and he has said to avoid the rem 700 due to bolt problems and to look at what savage arms has to offer.
I guess my biggest delima has been choosing the caliber.
He says 308 will perform great.
30-06 isn't bad
Or if I wanna spend the money .338 lapua mag.
I know that what i am wanting out of the round is a flat shooting, relativley inexpensive to reload round that has a lot of downrange energy.
Personally I am contemplating these calibers listed below.
300 rem ultra mag
7mm rem ultra mag
243 win
308
30-06

Please provide any adivce or experinces possible. Preferably first hand experience prefrered.
 
Are you only shooting paper or will be doing varmint work as well? My point is will weight/portability be an issue?
 
3/4" groups at 600 yards?

Wow, a 0.125 MOA gun? I don't believe I have seen one of those. That is going to be some amazing ammo to go with it.

The bolt issues on the REM 700s were handled back in the 80s. The guns made since then don't have the problems. REM 700s don't have a 0.125 MOA, however.
 
what you probably ment was a 3/4 MOA rifle which roughly works out to .75 @100, 1.50 @200, 2.25@300, 4.5 inch groups @600 ect. IF and thats a big if, you do your part, the wind cooperates , how much heat mirage you have to shoot through(even with snow on the ground)...which are all factors that cannot be instantly purchased. If you havent shot the bigger end of those calibers....you might want to consider .308 will feel quite tame in comparison to them. If the rifle beats you up, its going to be much harder to learn the basics.
 
Savage

Savage model 10/ 110 (Tactical) or 12/ 112 (Varmint). The 10/ 110's are matte black tactical rifles, the 12/ 112's are either blued or stainless and are varmint rifles. I have a model 12FVSS in .308 that holds close to .75 MOA on average, and I haven't shot it at all since I got the stock bedded. I also recently built a 6.5x47 Lapua on a 112 action with a Shilen barrel that has shot a .211" and a .311" group during load development. (That works out to a 1.266" group at 600) That rifle was less than $1000 WITH optics, and I'm pretty sure that will be very hard to beat!
 
I agree with shooter john, Savage's out-of-the-box accuracy is the best there is. My 17 HMR will shoot 1" groups at 100-125 yards. I have hit groundhogs with it out to 450, even though it didn't kill it. If I was setting one up for whistlepigs and such, I would look into something like the 308 to go out that far. The 220 Swift has sparked my interest lately too, so you might look into it.

300 Rem Ultra Mag is the flattest shooting round I've seen but it will beat your skull in, so be careful with that one.
 
I think I'd spend some time with a local long range club before I bought. Those benchresters might be able to put a good rifle in your hands that has already been tweaked for less than new. The knowledge you'd gain would be most useful before you purchase. I have listed a link that may be helpful. They are not just limited to 6mm, as their name would suggest.

http://www.6mmbr.com/index.html
 
A .308 win bolt action is perfect for this range and purpose. Anything more powerful is just going to beat you up and cost more to shoot. Heck, you could do just fine with a bolt in .223 as well and get by with even less recoil and cost.

For a dedicated range rifle a heavier weight varmint/ tactical config is preferred and there are tons of good choices.

For a walk around rifle weight becomes an issue. No one enjoys lugging around a 12 pound bench rifle in the field.

Rem 700's are the basis for many near custom/ and full custom precision rifles. They are well made and generally accurate out of the box, although you will probably have to spend time with load development and trying many ammo choices before it is consistently .75 MOA or better.

Savage makes a nice rifle and some are very accurate. They are a good rifle for the money.

I also like the Browning A bolt and the weatherby SVM.

Full choke, 450 yards with a .17HMR?!!! It looks like you have worked out that problem with those pesky ground hogs out on the farm......How many feet over them did you have to hold to get a hit at that range?
 
Savage 10FP, in .308w are drying up, but their out of the box accuracy is great.

Also, if you can get one with a decent stock, some like mine came with a Choate Ultimate Varmint stock. (buying like that save yeah some coins down the road.)

With what ever rifle you go with, get a decent scope, otherwise it may not get the best of results at the range.

TG
 
Savage 110

You may want to pick-up a copy of the October 2007 "Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement".
There is an article "Maximized Savage 110 Tactical .308" by Brain Jenson. I think you will find it useful reading based on what you're trying to do.
 
I'm not so sure...........

The 700 should be the platform of choice.... I somewhat pride myself on being objective on firearms issues. Today I'd look long and hard at Savage. With the advent of tremendous triggers ( SSS ) comest to mind and the ease of switching to Premium barrels I see this as a no brainer. Yes, factory stocks tend to suck, but that is an easy remedy. With the Savage I feel what you give up is asthetics and little else. Does anyone else feel the same way I do? Essex
 
For low cost and availability of ammo, the .223 is tough to beat. Their 700 VSSF II (or a used VSSF) would be a great gun for this purpose if your intended target is paper or critters (up to coyote size). They claim it's their most accurate production rifle - I tend to agree as the happy owner of a VSSF that's had a trigger job and the addition of a nice Nikon scope...

I've heard great things about Savage's out of the box performance. The look is something I've not come to terms with, and I'm comfy with Rem 700's so that drove my decision.

LAXPatrick
 
I am assuming you do not mean 3/4" Groups at 600 yards. I've seen it done, but it is so incredibly hard, that not many people are capable of shooting like that.

I will guess you are talking 3/4" at 100 yards... which would be .75 MOA.

Savage 10FP
Savage 12FV
Remington 700 SPS Varmint
Remington 700 SPS Tactical

All of these will shoot 3/4 MOA out of the box... I have heard of groupings as tight as .3 MOA right out of the box. All of these come with pretty crappy stocks. If you have the stock replaced with a quality stock (and replaced correctly...), you can expect minimal groupings.

Howa 1500s can also be had for around that pricing, and have excellent actions. However, most affordable Howas have sporter barrels, so you would need to budget for a new barrel as well. Kreiger could help you with this. They usually charge in the neighborhood of $270. All in all, with the new barrel, you are probably looking at about $700-$800 by going this route.

For about $600-$800, you can also pick up a Tikka T3.


Remember to budget for glass. For precision shooting, your scope, rings, and base are equally as important as your rifle. Otherwise, as the old timers say, "measure it with a micrometer, mark it with a crayon, cut it with an axe."
You'll also have to do your part, but I'm sure you already know that.
 
The link to the 6mmBR.com website was right on. I love to read the articles in "the gun of the week." All different kinds of guns represented there. Something for everybody. I would really like to get one of those 6mmAR's. (6.5 Grendel necked down.) Or that Encore that shoots .2 MOA groups without any load development. That R5 6mmBR repeater is darn cool as well. Talk about precision machining.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweekarchive.html

Gregg
 
I have hit groundhogs with it out to 450, even though it didn't kill it.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: At 200 yards it only has 75 ft/lbs of energy. At 450???????? The ground hog was probably catching them in it's teeth without even chipping a tooth.
 
Your experience?

1) Get a bolt-action rifle in .22LR with open sights. When you can make that rifle dance, you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for.

2) When you go to make that final purchase, ask for a hunting rifle with a synthetic stock and a bipod. Do not ask for a sniper rifle.

Both of these things will make you happier in the long run.
 
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