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Best bang for the buck 1000 yard rifle?

Jason370

Jason370

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Minuteman
Jan 29, 2021
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I've never shot beyond 300 yards, and when I did it was with my 900 dollar Windham AR-15, with 250 dollar Nikon P223 scope. That setup shot fairly accurately at that distance but that's pretty much the max distance for me and that gun, to confidently know I'm going to shoot accurately. This also does double duty as my deer rifle, which in NYS I have no issues with (three big bucks in three years thus far, only one made it 100 yards before he dropped).

I've been wanting to buy or build a longer range bolt action rifle, probably 6.5 creedmor or .308 (I'm unsure which, but I'd like to have this be value play - a gun that gets it done but on the low end of the price range. I'm leaning towards 6.5, because of the flatter travel).

Any recommendations (and explanations) would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking to first educate myself a bit. Reading through some of the threads, this seems to be a very knowledgeable group that I've stumbled upon, thankfully.

Thank you in advance.
 
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Tikkas are nice as well, just not as modular as the Rem 700 platform. This is all if you are talking production rigs.
 
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LOL

You guys are getting good at this :

198162894-2.png
 
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Tikka Super Varmint.
I chose that, only because I prefer "traditional" stocks.
And spend money on a decent scope and rings.
First Focal Plane, and MRAD scope.
Rifle is a bit cheaper, but it will do the goods.
Plus, if you fall down the rabbit hole with the rest of us, the market has lots of Tikka compatible chassis available.
20201119_162217.jpg
 
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Ruger precision rifle, Mine is 1/2 MOA and for the price is hard to beat for an introduction precision rifle. While 6.5 is flatter shooting, 308 ammo is much cheaper, and since this will be a budget play, shooting more will be better. Up to 500 yards, I shoot milsurp 7.62 ammo. Out to 800 yards I shoot match ammo. Past that I go to 6.5CM or other calibers. Best of all once you shoot out the 308 barrel, you can drop a 6.5 barrel in since the rim size is the same.
 
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craigincali said:
Have you checked out Howa?
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I haven't really checked out anything. This is day one, fact finding. From the little I've read thus far, I'm inclined to pay 1600 for the Begara, vs 1000-1200 for the Tikka or Ruger. But that's just on limited info thus far. I suspect there's a lot more I'll need to know before making any clear determination, and that's ok; I enjoy this part of it. I like knowing what I'm talking about, so I'll soak it all up.
 
Simonsza1 said:
Budget?
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Yeah...that's a moving target which is going to change based on what I consider value. On the rifle alone, I think 1500-1600 is my limit, but then of course I'll need to budget for glass, which will possibly be another thread entirely.
 
If I was buying a factory gun I would do the howa package with the krg bravo chassis. Not sure what they are selling for now but at one point you could get them for around a grand. My brother has a the howa hcr. It's an accurate rifle but I prefer the bravo over the hcr chassis.
 
Could always splurge for the arc nucleus complete rifle but that is way above your budget at $2,500 pretty freekin sweet though
 
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Jason370 said:
I've never shot beyond 300 yards, and when I did it was with my 900 dollar Windham AR-15, with 250 dollar Nikon P223 scope. That setup shot fairly accurately at that distance but that's pretty much the max distance for me and that gun, to confidently know I'm going to shoot accurately. This also does double duty as my deer rifle, which in NYS I have no issues with (three big bucks in three years thus far, only one made it 100 yards before he dropped).

I've been wanting to buy or build a longer range bolt action rifle, probably 6.5 creedmor or .308 (I'm unsure which, but I'd like to have this be value play - a gun that gets it done but on the low end of the price range. I'm leaning towards 6.5, because of the flatter travel).

Any recommendations (and explanations) would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking to first educate myself a bit. Reading through some of the threads, this seems to be a very knowledgeable group.

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
I would invest In better glass. you will probably be able to do a lot more with that rifle.
 
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S197 said:
I would invest In better glass. you will probably be able to do a lot more with that rifle.
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How much more? I figure 400, maybe 500 yards, but I wonder about consistency. That extra 100-200 yards seems like a big difference in skill and knowledge. 300 is easy, point and shoot, mostly.

I'm very open to any recommendations on glass, both for the Windham AR (223/556), and this would-be 6.5 creedmor I'm looking to buy.
 
We will need a price range and intended use to get you a good recommendation on the glass.
 
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kennyg said:
We will need a price range and intended use to get you a good recommendation on the glass.
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Understood.

For the AR15 (and really, this should be a separate thread) I'm actually more inclined to go shorter, with a good red dot that can be highly accurate out to 150-200 yards. I don't know if that can deliver the same level of (heart shot) accuracy as a 250 dollar Nikon, but if it can, I'd love to use the Nikon on a 22lr fox/raccoon rifle. The cmmg 22lr conversion kit for the AR is fantastic, but the 22 ammo is filthy, and really gummed up my rifle - to the point that it wouldn't even fire, just from filth (and not that many rounds either!) Red dot price range 350ish

For a 6.5 creedmor, hmmm...
My local range only goes out to 300 yards, and I'd have to drive at least 4 hours to find a 500-600 yard range - which probably ain't going to happen any time soon. It would become my new deer rifle, but I usually hunt under 130 yards. Still, I'd like to be able to have a shot at shooting accurately at 1000 yards, despite the fact that I currently have no idea what that takes (equipment aside), I'm committed to learning and doing whatever it takes. Scope price range, 600 or so, possibly a little higher.
 
For 300-1000 yards Vortex Viper is a good entry point, can be picked up in PX or flipped easily if you decide to trade up.
Athlon Ares are in a similar class. Keep an eye in PX. A bit over 600$ but to get out to 1000 yrds reliably and consistently you need some higher quality glass and either are a good investment that will keep their value.
 
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I really think the best bang for your buck in a long range 1000 yard rifle are the new precision rifle series production class rifles that some builders are making. They are limited to $2500 and some companies have put together a great package for that price. American Rifle Company had the Nucleus that was mentioned. Deep South Tactical has an excellent rifle with 3/8" guarantee. The GAP PPR if you prefer a stock as opposed to a chassis and a 3/8" guarantee. These 3 are off the top of my head but others may be out there. I know these are over your budget but you can hardly buy the parts to build these rifles for 2500. These really are a steal and would have cost over $3500 normally.
 
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Jason370 said:
Any recommendations (and explanations) would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking to first educate myself a bit. Reading through some of the threads, this seems to be a very knowledgeable group that I've stumbled upon, thankfully.

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
You're going to get plenty of good suggestions here, but much is going to depend upon your skills. Manufacturing has improved by leaps and bounds in the past 20 years. There are even a few 600-700 dollar rifles out there that will shoot acceptably accurate to that distance. Just don't skimp on the optics.
 
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My first 1000 yard rifle was a cheap savage in 260 rem with a barrel upgrade, a moderate vortex scope and a 20 moa rail.
0F6B0035-5CB3-4A5C-B345-B985F498A181.jpeg


There’s no voodoo in getting something to do 1000 yards.
Just get a rifle you want and can afford set up in a good cartridge and enough scope and elevation.

Then it’s just on you to do your part.
Something like a tikka or with a Remington 700 footprint is nice for future growth and worth consideration.
 
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