Re: Hi new here!
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Most decent factory Varmint rifles will shoot at least as well as their owners could manage with anything custom. Nothing wrong with custom rifles, but maybe some folks expect the gun to do the accuracy part of the work. Seriously, if they shot their factory guns to the gun's actual potential, they'd most of them be plenty happy enough right then and there.
I own a fair number of guns, but as customs go, I have only two. When they were built, their equivalent wasn't available from the factory. Now they make a fairly good target 10/22, and Savage makes good 1Kyd F Class guns; so my needs could be fully covered with something NIB.
Save your money for good ammo, maybe a handloading setup, and refine your optics as the money and opportunities present themselves. If you have a reasonably reliable .22lr to carry the bulk of the training and practice workouts, you'll optimize your costs and have a setup that doesn't need hundreds and hundreds of yards to provide a challenge.
For general all round calibers, the basic .30's (.308 and .30-'06) are hard to beat, and the .223 holds its own until you get really reachy, like out beyond 500yd. I have personal preferences for the .260 Rem, and .222 Rem; and I favor the 20ga over the 12ga for practically anything I'd want a shotgun for. If you can find one, a .44 Mag lever gun makes for a decent brush hunter. I keep several .22's handy so I can take my Grandkids to the range on short notice.
Greg</div></div>
Greg has some good points.
I second the notion to get into handloading if you are not already into it. You have rifles that should do anything you ask them to do based on your experience.
Many of us have fallen into the belief that we have to have the $6,000 dollar rifle to get us to the point to where we could actually hit the target far off every time.
It's actually practice, knowing your rifle, tailoring your load is what will make you hit the mark.
I'm not saying that all rifles will shoot perfect but most will do way better than one may think.
Refine your skills until the rifle does hold you back and then upgrade or buy higher quality.
I definately believe in good optics with great glass with good rings and good bases though. These can always be moved to other rifles if one upgrades.
Hope this helps.
...SmokeRolls
