Newb To long range shooting

M

Mightimyty

Inactive
Yo hey, I'm 17 still in high school, not a ton of money to through around and I was wondering what is a good rifle and a good caliber to start out long range shooting with, keeping tactical and military combat situations in mind.
Any tips on the art of long range stuff and feedback would be much appreciated thank you!
 
Depends what you consider long range but .308 is a good starting point. Low recoil, ammo is everywhere and not overly expensive. Even cheaper if you reload. As for gun, something in heavy barrel, i would look at savage or Howa to start with. Both are Nice, accurate guns at a moderate price.
 
Yes I've heard that, For now I'd like to practice anywhere from 600 to 800 yds with dreams of shooting longer. I know .308 is embraced by the military, but I was slightly frightened by the arc of the trajectory, so I took a look at .270 win because I know it is known for having a much flatter trajectory, but I know nothing about it's accuracy or energy ratings at those distances.
 
I would start out at 100yards with a 22. Not insulting you in any way, I started at 18 and spent a year at 100yr with a 22 to perfect the rifle in every way. I would have serious trouble at 750yards and this is years of practice. Dont get ahead of your self, theres more to it than most think. 270 is a good round for just about anything you could want. Might also want to consider a 243.
 
[I'd like to practice anywhere from 600 to 800 yds /QUOTE]

Wow, are you in for a reality check ! It would be sad to see a new shooter get burnt out trying for the long stuf with out mastering rifle basics first. Start close first. When you learn how to hold a five shot group of less than an inch at 100 yards, then move the target out some. At 100 yards the wind will not be too much of a factor as it will at 5-600 yards. Trying to learn the basics and dope the wind is just too much to start.

I've had three .270s and the best of the lot would group only around 1 1//4 inches. I've got three .308s and the worst groups 0.60" .308 has much better bullets available and more load combinations already figured out. Assuming you're gonna start out with factory ammo, Target loads for the .308 are easy to find, not so the .270.
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keeping tactical and military combat situations in mind.
Any tips on the art of long range stuff and feedback would be much appreciated thank you!
Click to expand...

My recommendation is to finish your high school degree, join the military (Army or Marines) and see if you have what it takes for precision shooting. You'll have your chance to learn the basics of shooting through basic training. If you don't have the skills/qualities for long-range shooting, at least it will be on the government's dime, earn some money, and learn "tactical and military combat" for real.

If not, get a .22LR rifle (or borrow one) to see if you can master 100 yards shooting. Don't waste your money on a bigger caliber rifle/ammo till you're comfortable with the .22LR.
 
I get the impression you want to join the military and feel the need to get some practice in before you do.

My suggestion, get a Ruger 10/22, put some TechSights on it and get some proper training with it, not just 'Uncle Bob' that goes hunting in the fall.

Also, don't limit yourself to the Army or Marines. I was in the Air Force and it's a very good outfit, depending on your career choice. And yes...you can choose your job. Be careful doing so, it'll affect the rest of your life.
 
Thank you for all the advice so far, but I feel like I've given the wrong impression. I'm not a newb to guns, In fact I was born and raised around them, and would consider myself familiar with most common civilian weapon systems, But I am no where near close to becoming accomplished at longer ranges, this is just an effort to expand my skill set with firearms for yes the purpose of joining the Army (hopefully the Rangers but there is no guarantee for anything in the military) and becoming a sniper.

Once again thank you for you'r feedback.
Ty
 
+1 for the .308, you cant go wrong. I have also found my 7mm WSM to be very accurate at long distances
 
Mightimyty said:
I know .308 is embraced by the military, but I was slightly frightened by the arc of the trajectory, so I took a look at .270 win because I know it is known for having a much flatter trajectory, but I know nothing about it's accuracy or energy ratings at those distances.
Click to expand...

I'm not a newb to guns, In fact I was born and raised around them, and would consider myself familiar with most common civilian weapon systems
Click to expand...

Perhaps not so familiar, if you know this little about two of the most common "civilian" chamberings around...

If you're determined to get a rifle in a larger caliber, .308 would be a reasonable starting point, as you can do more or less anything with the right rifle in .308, especially if you reload.

But if you're still, as a shooter, "frightened by the arc of the trajectory," you really would be better off following the advice of twins and chris in va and getting a .22, especially since you say you're on a pretty tight budget. Not only will the .22 be cheaper up front, it'll be far less expensive to shoot.

If you seriously want to learn to shoot a rifle well at longer ranges, you'll be putting thousands of rounds downrange, and it adds up fast if you're shooting pretty much anything but .22 lr: whatever you spend on a rifle in a larger caliber will rapidly be exceeded by what you're spending on ammunition to feed it. A .22 is by far the cheapest way to learn to shoot well, and by the time you can do so consistently with a .22 at 100 yards... you won't be scared of trajectories any more. :)
 
If your goal is to be an Army sniper, get an M4 and practice with it. No unit will send you to sniper school until you prove yourself repeatedly at the M4 range.
 
all things aside you want to try and be an amy sniper good luck but i would say the best thing to do is get a rem 700 in 308 or 30-06 or 300win mag as they are what the army uses and put a nightforce or leupold scope on it as thats what the army uses.

byt let me tell you its not goint to be cheap as the nightforce scope is in the $1100 to $1500 range and the leupold is in the $700 to $1200 range

and the rifle is the the $1000 range

and then reload your own rounds as thats what the amy does

all in all i wish you luck and remimber kept saveing your move and buy one peice at a time and its not that bad
 
i agree vanya yull be amazed how far you can go with a 22 i got my groups down to 10 inches at 200 yards with my hammie down winchester 61
 
I'm a bit of a noob with proper rifles too. I'm good with AK's and shotguns, but I haven't a clue about those of wood and steel. From what I know, a .308Win, 30-06, or .303 British are some of the better calibers.
 
The whole budget part is the hard part, i've been shooting larger center fire rifles for 10 years. If your just starting stay away from something as large as an 06 or 300. These are great rounds, that's why the military uses them but if you try and start with them you will never become great. The recoil of a 300 will more than likely develop a flinch and that is very hard to break.

The financial aspect is outrageous when you break it down. As a reloader it cost me $0.35 more to pull the trigger on 300 Win than on the 06. That means $7 per 20, $35/100, $350/1000. A 308 uses the same bullet, same primer, and same priced brass as 30-06. The powder charge is slightly less making the difference even greater.
 
Well im not to much older and enjoy alot of the same things, its fun to try those long shots but your right it gets pricey and even more so for me being in College working to be a State Cop. If I were you I would look at a Remington 700 SPS Tactical with the bull barrel, for 600 dollars they shoot very well and usually hold the sub moa group in 5 shot groups with handloads and still do well with pricey factory ammo. Most important is the scope you put on it, very good glass helps but for you on a budget you can get a Nikon Buckmaster Long Range with turrets for around 350 bucks and thats real cheap for a quality turret scope. As far as caliber I wouldnt get a .270 for long range, thats what I use for hunting and its not great past a few hundred. The .308 is very accurate but im not a big fan of the .308 caliber. One to consider is the 6.5, or the .260. Much better trajectory and still wont have alot of wind drift. However Remington doesnt carry either of those calibers. So its a tough position. Maybe a T/C Venture 6.5 creedmore would be the way to go, guarented sub moa so at 600 a 6-10 inch group is very doable with that gun plus its less than 500 dollars
 
I agree with the .22 lr. from the practical standpoint of you get a lot more trigger time in with less money spent. That means a lot if you are practicing the basic fundamentals of rifle marksmanship. A step up from there would be a .223 Rem. Ammo cost even reloading is considerably less than .308 .

I learned with a 10/22 and to this day my round count of 22 lr to centerfire is well over 500 to 1. The principles are the same no matter which caliber you are shooting.

Also if you can manage it. Find an apple seed shoot in your area and attend.
 
Venture in 6.5 creedmore?

I see the TC Icon in 6.5 C but not the venture on the TC website. If the Venture comes in it, that would be a great buy.
 
I think its a new round for the Venture, If I remember right when I bought my Pro Hunter the salesman was showing one off unless it was a synthetic Icon and I just didnt look at it right. The 6.5 is a sweet little round, very good trajectory with alot of speed and differnt bullet weights
 
buy a 22. learn the basics of firing the shot. For me, the best place to learn that is at an appleseed. For 5 dollars, a brick of .22, and a modest range fee, you can learn what you need to know to make that 600 yard shot.

www.appleseedinfo.com
 
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