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Decisions decisions... New to long range shooting

B

BlakeLee423

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
May 16, 2013
12
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Chattanooga, Tennessee
im 18 and want a good long range target rifle. I currently have a Remington 700 sps that I hunt/target shoot with, its pretty accurate but I want a solely target gun, I just now started reloading and have some pretty good groups and loads going (probably not compared to anyone on here) , should I buy a 26 inch barrel rifle to deck out (muzzle brake, detachable mag, high dollar scope, stock, bed, etc.) any suggestions or ideas? open to anything. Pictures would be greatly appreciated.
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Your gun looks like it already shoots pretty well with your custom loads. I'd say just go and shoot farther out. If your scope isn't up to snuff, that would be the thing to replace.

Usually what I find is when shooting farther out, my auxiliary equipment becomes my limiting factor. For example, when I started shooting at 200 and 300, I found my $99 spotting scope wasn't good enough to spot hits and that was what I needed to upgrade to take my game to the next level. Also get a Chrony so you can measure the velocity of your loads. Once you have that information, you can plug it into various ballistic calculators and figure out your dope without too much trial and error.

I've gone done the route of building multi thousand dollar tacticool rifles with multi thousand dollar scopes but the real limiting factor was again me and my auxiliary equipment. And building new equipment resulted in time lost relearning how to shoot the new gun and developing new loads. Looking back, the incremental return on money spent wasn't really worth it.

I'll bet you if I was using my spotter and Chrony with your rifle and load, I can be ringing the gong at 600 yards in very little time.
 
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Youre just starting man, start building the one you have into a better rifle. Try out soem different stocks/chassis, new glass, rebarrel it, but the biggest thing is just shoot bro. You dont need to go dump the money on a new rig when you can do the work to that one.
 
If it shoots that well consistently, leave it alone. No need for a new rifle. Spend the money on components and spend more time shooting. You'll quickly learn what is holding you back.
 
I've been told on more than one occasion, if it works, then don't dick with it. I like to tinker with stuff, so I haven't listened to the advice i've been given. If I could do it over again, i would just stick with one basic rifle and figure things out from there. I agree with just not doing anything to it and seeing how far you can stretch it out. At some point you'll figure out which part of the rifle needs to be upgraded, and start there. Reloading will help quite a bit. Then you may need a better scope to get further out. Then maybe add an aftermarket trigger. Maybe a stock next. And eventually get a custom barrel to go with your existing action. At that point you will have put together a custom rifle piece by piece. You'll know what you did and did not like. So when you do finally get that truly custom rifle, you'll know exactly what you want.
 
I gotta jump in and say "don't touch that thing!!!" If it works that well go take a class and get yourself educated first. I wish I had done that first, you are a young guy and I know when I was your age I liked to dick with things and it just cost me more money to find out I didn't like something. Some classes will let you rent equipment from them as well the instructors will let you try their gear. Get your gun out to longer distances and figure out where to go from there.
 
the Rem 700 is perhaps the best to learn on in that it is the Lego of the LR world. They work and are a great platform to start with without breaking the bank. if you like it then build from there.

If I did it over I would go to a AI mkIII or a TRG for an out of the box platform.

For for glass; Vortex is my flavor

LOTS and LOTS of ammo....learn how to reload

and Classes.....learn GOOD skills as opposed have to unlearn bad ones
 
Yeah thats my problem, i have a decent job so saving a paycheck or two will get me pretty much what i want! seeing these nice rifles on here gets my brain a going and i get too many ideas at once. i shoot pretty well, my dad is a cop and i did my senior project on the SWAT team (my profile picture) and i got to shoot with them and was putting up just as good or better groups than them. I absolutely love long range shooting and i need to find a good range around here to shoot at. Im just wondering if i should buy a 26 inch for more accuracy/velocity? I want to get out to longer distances to see what my rifle will do and get some dope for my rifle.
 
Yeah I'm new to long range too (thats why its my name) but I'm 4 years younger than you but heres my budget build cause I don't got a lot of $ because I'm not old enough for a job. I don't got a camera to post pics to post pics but I can say what I got. I got hs precision varmint stock, rem 700 action with 28in custom made barrel by a local barrel smith (he makes the whole barrel) in 260 rem with 1:8 twist, soon to have a timney trigger and a vortex viper pst 6-24 but for now I got a burris just to get to shoot it. I mean lets see I got like $1,300 in it and i'm going to shoot it for the first time this weekend since got it 2 weeks ago. But all in all the rifle looks sweet and hopefully shoots sweet
 
Build what you have and shoot along the way. First thing I'd do with your set up is ditch the stock. Don't necessary go top dollar (unless you absolutely love a particular stock) and get a timney or jewell for it. It will be MUCH more comfortable and will help with your consistency.

I'd see if I could get behind some of those SWAT rifles with your connections and see if something fits you well, than base a build of your 700 off of that.
 
My two cents... The scope and the person make the biggest difference. Off the shelf rem700 from Wal-Mart with reloads will shoot submoa all day long if the scope is good enough to hold zero and crisp enough for the shooter to hold on the bullseye....and if the shooter can stay steady. Later if you want to compete or go extended long range like 1k or beyond, a custom build rem700 is a good way to go. With a supplied action you should be able to get a custom build for under $1500. As for scopes...I prefer nightforce. No regrets upgrading to the NXS.
 
Yeah I'm trying to figure out what to do right now, with my next paycheck I can get the 26 inch barrel and i could build it slowly and just play around with my reloads to see what works best with my other rifle. What is the difference with a 20 and 26 inch barrel though? Like accuracy and range wise. I'm still trying to find a decent scope for around 500 or so until I get back from boot then ill throw a grand that way and get a top dollar one. I'm just weighing options because I can put up good groups but like he^^ said, a stock would most likely help with consistency.
 
You have a nice stick there. Now save your dough for a DTA, and don't mess around with tiny expensive upgrades to get a 1/4 MOA.

Buy is cheap buy it twice. I wish someone told me that when I was 18. I'd have saved a lot of money!
 
I know exactly what I want, I just have to build it slowly.. Remington 700 308 26 inch barrel, Bell and Carlson medalist stock, Wyatt's detachable mag conversion, muzzle brake, weaver 20 MOA base, leupold mark 4 scope and rings, and timney trigger.. Just a little expensive haha
 
Weaver base? Why not a picatinny base? The slots in the weaver are too close together to accept picatinny rings. Weaver rings can fit on picatinny bases but not vice versa.

I've learned this the hard way.
 
Well thanks for the info buddy, we had some at work. Glad I didn't waste my money. I feel that I'm gonna be on here a lot learning new things while I'm building this rifle...
 
Heh...glad to oblige. Many of us had gone down numerous blind alleys when we walked the customization path.

If you got money burning a hole through your wallet, first ask yourself, is your rifle comfortable to shoot currently? One distinct advantage I noticed between my customized tacticool stocks compared to the factory default ones are the comfort to shoot. For many OEM stocks, just shooting 10 rounds would beat me up pretty good and leave a pinched nerve feeling in my shoulder.

The tactical aftermarkets that I bolted on got rid of the pain. They allowed me to shoot 50 magnum rounds in a single range sitting. So best bang for the buck may start there.

As for long range, just how long a distance will you have access to? If you don't have consistent access to ranges past 400 yards, rebarreling with a long barrel might not be worth the bother. Getting good glass that can let you see the holes better would give you the next highest roi.

I have a DTA Covert with a 17" barrel in .308 and I ring the gong consistently at 600. My 100 yard groups are similar to the ones you posted (minus that one flyer). Your barrel doesn't look that short so it should be more than adequate.
 
If I build another .308 off a remington action I would get a 1:10 MTU contour 20" barrel, Timney or Jewell, 20moa rail, whatever DBM suits your fancy, and a Manners T4a. Maybe a little bolt bling too.
 
Yeah my barrel is 20' and I was just thinking for later on I'd want a longer barrel but I may just work on this one a while til I can push it out on further.. Does the velocity affect your adjustments on your scope very much? I just thought a longer barrel could help with the velocity so less adjustments for elevation on your scope would be needed at longer distance. But I may be thinking ahead of myself since 300 is probably all I could push mine to right now. I'm wanting a Bell and Carlson pretty bad right now since what I've read said if you put a little pressure on the front end of the hogue stock it is no longer free floating... Probably my next purchase, along with a detachable mag box
 
Well, for your 300 range, more velocity isn't going to make that much of a difference. Assuming your current scope is MOA and each click is the standard 1/4 MOA, we are looking at just 8 clicks up for 200 and about 15 to 16 clicks up for 300. And it works out the same between my .223 and .308 at those distances give or take a click or 2.

I only really notice the velocity difference at 400 and beyond. No need to over think this or shell out too much money if that's the distance you are shooting at. Your groups at 300 should embarrass most of the guys I see shooting at 100 assuming your scope tracks correctly.
 
I mean I feel like I'm a pretty good shooter for what I'm limited to right now.. But compared to most people on here I'm probably terrible haha ill probably stick with this rifle for a little while and just learn some more of the basics until I get on a longer range
 
You've already got a fine rifle there. You dont' actually -need- to do much to it. I'd get a better stock (Manners/B&C/McMillan/whatever) and a better optic first, then get a DBM for it and call it done.
 
My only thing is a longer barrel for longer range later on but I guess I can do that later when I get to that point. I already have the xmark trigger on it, should I just drop it to 2lbs and keep it? Or get a timney?
 
A reasonably wise former Texas Ranger once told me "It ain't the arrows, Tonto!" I try to keep that in mind.

In dealing with your rifle, get the right optic for the use planned and necessary accessories to use it well. After that, shoot the heck out of it and, when you've worn out the barrel, you'll know what you need.

FH
 
Keep the trigger. Use the money you saved for ammo and training.
 
BlakeLee423 said:
My only thing is a longer barrel for longer range later on but I guess I can do that later when I get to that point. I already have the xmark trigger on it, should I just drop it to 2lbs and keep it? Or get a timney?
Click to expand...

The barrel length won't make much difference. I shoot an 18" .308 out to 6-700 yards with 4-6" groups.

If you have $500 to spend I'd get a new stock and a Timney. Then optics as you start reaching out farther.
 
Yeah that sounds like a good idea, how long does it take to wear out a barrel? Ill order a new stock in the next few weeks and I may even keep the trigger and just drop the pull on it to see what groups I can get then. I plan on shooting the hell out of it at 100 just to get used to everything and see what I can get with my groups
 
I've always been told I'm crazy but I prefer a factory Remington trigger that's been polished and tweaked by a good smith to any "fancy" trigger. I had Brad Stair of what was at the time "Wasatch Precision" work on my trigger to the 6mmAI he built me. It breaks clean at 2 lbs and in the end he didn't charge extra for the trigger work.
 
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