ruger varm /target

[ocharry]

hi guys

i want to put something together in 308 that will get me to 800yrds??

i have searched this board and savage is kinda where i want to start,,,BUT i have an old ruger VBZ in 223 that is a nail driver,,,and i really like the action,,so to the question

can i take a 308 in a ruger varm/target out to 800-1000 without having a 20moa base??? kinda hard to do with the ruger ring set up,,,where as the savage i could simply put a 20moa base on and move on

i plan on using a 30mm tube scope,,,does that get me more adjustment in the scope just because the tube is bigger??? and can i get ruger 30mm rings???

price for the two rifles is about the same,, i have both now ruger and savage rifles in other cals. just kinda prefer the ruger a little,,,savage would be easier to rebarrel down the road,,,ruger feels better,,,lol

help me get started,,,i am ready to buy something,,,lol

thanks
ocharry

 

[bamaranger]

800

The answer to most of your questions is "maybe".

Whether or not a Ruger will go to 800 w/o a base will depend alot on how much adjustment is in the particular scope you choose, and how much elevation the load you intend will need to get on target, and how all the variables come together on target. All scopes may enough to get you there with heavy match type slugs. Example: I was very big on the Nikon Monarch Mark X tactical. If I remember, the magnification was 4-16x. That is Nikon's high dollar four figure scope intended to compete with Leupold, Nightforce, etc. and is in fact a 30mm tube. The scope only offers 50 MOA of adjustment. Whether or not that set up would get to 800 w/o a slant base depends in how much adjustment is left vertically once you get the rifle on target. I'd say the combo would do it,...but 1000 might be a real challenge. The heavy bullet match long distance loads...175 gr and up, might not make it. A 150/155 will be flatter by 5 MOA or more, if started fast enough from a long tube, but most believe they don't slip the wind as well.

If you did get to 800 or even beyond you would be operating on the fringes of the adjustment range and the lens system. Not the best optics out on the edges, and the amount of adjustment remaining, both windage and elevation wise might not allow a zero. And that is the advantage of 30mm tubes for long range, there is more adjustment across the board to allow use of the best part of the lens and to allow zero. Yeah, theoretically, a 30mm tube offers more adjustment, than a 1incher, but as above, not always.

By contrast, a Bushnell Elite fixed 10x, sub $200 dollar scope and definitely 1" tube, offers 90 MOA. A good bit more than 50, yeah? A Burris XTR (a 30mm tube) offers 70 MOA (I think). Neither of these are a Mark 4 or Nightforce, but do offer more adjustment. Not saying run out and buy a Bushnell, simply (well maybe not so simple) stating the point.

All that said to finish with....I'd buy a Savage if I really intended to shoot a lot of really long range. Hey, I like Rugers...especially older ones. I like the company, or used to, and think ol' Bill ran a heck of an outfit and offered some unique and special firearms. I own more Rugers than anything. But the modular nature of the Savage, the ease of a barrel swap, bases and rings, and other accessories, makes the Savage more practical and adaptable in long range.