I'm new to shooting. I don't know what drew me in, but I think it was one of Dr. Jim Clary's F-Class articles. There's a 500 yard cornfield in front of our house and I've always thought it would be cool to hit a pop can or something on the other side of it in the fall when the field is bare. So after spending some time reading about target shooting, learning about F-Class, Benchrest, Palma, 3 Gun, High Power, etc... I decided I really wanted a rifle of my own that was capable of pulling off a long shot. I had set myself on a Savage F/TR in .308. That looked perfect. A moderately priced ready-to-go long distance rifle. However, I'm poor, and even if I could afford the rifle, I wouldn't be able to afford everything, like a quality scope, getting into reloading, and whatever else that comes with it.
So, I settled for a Savage .17 HMR. I picked it up this Spring. Cheap gun, cheap scope, cheap ammunition. I love it! I've been having a blast with it. I've learned how difficult it actually is to place shot after shot in the same spot. So far, I think my best 5 shot group was on a target with a center ring about the size of a dime. 4 shots hit the ring itself, none fully inside the ring though, but there was that one flyer an inch away from the rest. There's ALWAYS one flyer with me... I think I’ve got to work on my flinching (don’t poke fun for flinching at a .17).
Anyways, my friends go out to South Dakota and shoot some Prairie Dogs every year. They invited me along and I absolutely loved it. Though I didn't hit many at all, it was still a lot of fun. It was pretty windy, and almost all shots were beyond 150 or 200 yards. I'm not that good a shooter yet, but I think if I had a level shooting bullet I could have done much better.
So, I've decided that I want a new center fire. I'm not ready yet for 1000 yards, but I want something that will do better with Prairie Dogs, as well as possibly some Coyotes closer to home. I'm looking for help deciding what to get. I've done a lot of looking and realized that it's probably best to just go and get one because I could spend years looking at everything that's available. It's so overwhelming. I'm looking at a .22 caliber round, either .223 or 22-250. I've looked at other rounds too, I kind of like the sound of the 6.5 rounds.
I've narrowed it down to 2 rifles that I'm really looking into now. I like the Savage 12 low profile that has a detachable mag and a 26” bull barrel. I also like the DPMS Bull 24. 2 completely different guns… The Savage would be in .223 or 22-250, and I think it should be the more accurate of the two. I look at it as almost the magazine version of the F/TR. I really was wishing I had a semi auto though when shooting at prairie dogs. Cycling the bolt threw my hold off every time. So I also like the DPMS. If I went that route, I’d most likely go .223, but I’ve also been looking at the 6.5 Creedmoor. From what I’ve read, the DPMS rifles are as or almost as accurate as a bolt action.
I’m sure you all know how a guy can talk himself dizzy in a circle thinking about this stuff. Such as: “If I went with the Savage, it would be because it should have an edge on accuracy. That being the case, I’d probably go with the 22-250, as it should be a more accurate round. Then, maybe later I could get the DPMS in 6.5, since I’ve got the .22 covered with the Savage. However, I’d like to have a rifle that fires cheap ammo, so maybe I should get one in .223. If I got the DPMS in .223, then I’d have two guns in a .22 caliber. If I did it with the Savage then I’d have the less accurate round in the more accurate gun.” AHHH!
What do you think? I’d probably mostly shoot targets. Once or twice a year I’ll go out and find some prairie dogs. I may get into coyote hunting. It’d even be nice to at least have the option to take a deer too, though I don’t see myself deer hunting any time soon. What do I do? Throw out any ideas/recommendations you may have. I’d like to keep the price of the piece to at or under $1300.
So, I settled for a Savage .17 HMR. I picked it up this Spring. Cheap gun, cheap scope, cheap ammunition. I love it! I've been having a blast with it. I've learned how difficult it actually is to place shot after shot in the same spot. So far, I think my best 5 shot group was on a target with a center ring about the size of a dime. 4 shots hit the ring itself, none fully inside the ring though, but there was that one flyer an inch away from the rest. There's ALWAYS one flyer with me... I think I’ve got to work on my flinching (don’t poke fun for flinching at a .17).
Anyways, my friends go out to South Dakota and shoot some Prairie Dogs every year. They invited me along and I absolutely loved it. Though I didn't hit many at all, it was still a lot of fun. It was pretty windy, and almost all shots were beyond 150 or 200 yards. I'm not that good a shooter yet, but I think if I had a level shooting bullet I could have done much better.
So, I've decided that I want a new center fire. I'm not ready yet for 1000 yards, but I want something that will do better with Prairie Dogs, as well as possibly some Coyotes closer to home. I'm looking for help deciding what to get. I've done a lot of looking and realized that it's probably best to just go and get one because I could spend years looking at everything that's available. It's so overwhelming. I'm looking at a .22 caliber round, either .223 or 22-250. I've looked at other rounds too, I kind of like the sound of the 6.5 rounds.
I've narrowed it down to 2 rifles that I'm really looking into now. I like the Savage 12 low profile that has a detachable mag and a 26” bull barrel. I also like the DPMS Bull 24. 2 completely different guns… The Savage would be in .223 or 22-250, and I think it should be the more accurate of the two. I look at it as almost the magazine version of the F/TR. I really was wishing I had a semi auto though when shooting at prairie dogs. Cycling the bolt threw my hold off every time. So I also like the DPMS. If I went that route, I’d most likely go .223, but I’ve also been looking at the 6.5 Creedmoor. From what I’ve read, the DPMS rifles are as or almost as accurate as a bolt action.
I’m sure you all know how a guy can talk himself dizzy in a circle thinking about this stuff. Such as: “If I went with the Savage, it would be because it should have an edge on accuracy. That being the case, I’d probably go with the 22-250, as it should be a more accurate round. Then, maybe later I could get the DPMS in 6.5, since I’ve got the .22 covered with the Savage. However, I’d like to have a rifle that fires cheap ammo, so maybe I should get one in .223. If I got the DPMS in .223, then I’d have two guns in a .22 caliber. If I did it with the Savage then I’d have the less accurate round in the more accurate gun.” AHHH!
What do you think? I’d probably mostly shoot targets. Once or twice a year I’ll go out and find some prairie dogs. I may get into coyote hunting. It’d even be nice to at least have the option to take a deer too, though I don’t see myself deer hunting any time soon. What do I do? Throw out any ideas/recommendations you may have. I’d like to keep the price of the piece to at or under $1300.