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Long range shooting

Keeneav
If you were starting out long range (500 yards)shooting what would you use?
Gun? Caliber? Scope?
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11 comments

Date Votes
  • Keeneav
    I was at the range this weekend and took my first long range shots. I was using a Rock River .223 with a 20" barrel and a bi-pod. I sighted in my new scope at 100 yds and then shot the rifle at 200 yds hitting all in the black on the target.

    I then went to the 550 yd range and was able to put 8 out of 15 on the target with one in the black. Since this was my first attempt at shooting anything over 100 yds I was pleased with the results. Problem is my thoughts since Friday have only been with ways to improve my long range shooting. Not only at the 550 yd range but I want to shoot at the 1000 yd range.

    So after that background my question...

    What would be appropriate calibers and rifles for target shooting at 1000 yards.

    Also any pointers are appreciated
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  • Mort4570
    I"d find out what various police depts. use,and go with that.Those guys get the good stuff usually.
    Remington 700's I think a lot of them use.

    Unless I was good at 200.I would not start out at 500, WAY too many variables that far out..wind,mirage,etc
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  • beantownshootah
    I'd use the 8mm Mauser in my closet.
    Cause its cheap, I already have it, and it would work.

    It would help quite a bit if you indicated exactly what you wanted to shoot at 500 yards, and what your budget is, but as a first guideline, consider a bolt-action .308 rifle, with a quality optic with a top magnification of not less than 7x.

    If you are really serious about accurate shooting at distance, you're going to have to shell out a bit for a nice rifle, good glass, and consider taking up reloading your own ammo.

    Edit: Remington 700 in .308 (or another caliber) would be a great choice, though there are probably about 50 other makes/models that are relatively common that could work also. Again, comes down to your budget. Also, while budgeting, don't forget to include the cost of match ammo. . .which isn't cheap.
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  • cpermd
    7mm WSM Bartlein or Brux barrel
    Blueprinted Remington 700 long receiver
    AICS chassis
    Nightforce 5.5X22 scope

    CP
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  • Tailgunner1954
    In racing they say "Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go"
    In shooting they say "Accuracy costs money........."
    You get the point.
    Target shooting at 500yd is well within the capabilities of anything from 223 on up. The 308 Winchester round is a good one for the mid ranges, as are a whole host of other non-magnum cartridges.

    Questions
    Are you thinking about shooting anything other than paper at that (or longer) distance?
    How good a trigger yanker are you?
    What's your budget?
    What's your time frame (how soon do you want to hit the range with this rifle)?
    Do you reload now?
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  • iwannausername
    Savage makes a nice F class ready to go rifle, relatively inexpensive. Spend lots of $$ on good glass...
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  • quickmajik
    Inside 500 yards I would Look at a gun chambered in 6.8x43remington or something similar that will give you a good barrel life and the ability to reload the round to its potential.

    a step up from that would be the .260 remington or .308winchester, these chamberings will give you superb accuracy and a good barrel life...

    From there would be a magnum chambering like the .300WM or .325WSM... these rounds generally are barrel burners, so keep that in mind if you plan to shoot high volume often..


    Rifles, generally a good rifle is either built around a trued remington 700 receiver, Or a custom blueprinted action of some sort..


    If I had to choose a rifle I would probably go with a carbon steel remington 40x in .308win or .260rem..... a leupold 3.5-10 first focal plane scope, Harris bi-pod combo...
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  • Hawk Carse
    A good .223 and good ammo of the right type will, as the saying goes, "hammer" at 500 yards. Which, by NRA standards is mid-range. Long Range starts at 800.
    But the safe bet is .308. So much of the work has been done for you in terms of rifles and ammo.
    And if you want something hotter down the road, well, that .308 barrel isn't going to last forever and you can replace it with a new one in any of the many calibers with the same head diameter.
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  • Radar
    308 or 30-06 because i have the gun and ammo for it already.
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  • Mobuck
    The question is way too vague for a real answer. 500 yards is not really long range for a quality rifle. How much accuracy do you expect at 500 yards? Savage has several models that will satisfy most shooters at 500 yards and about any cartridge from 25/06 on up will provide adequate power for medium size game at 500 yards.
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  • skychaser53
    Armalite AR10 SASS
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