New to the 'Hide.rifle advice please **reposted**

C

cjohns90

Private
Minuteman
Mar 3, 2010
4
0
48
St Petersburg, FL
#1
**Moderator, I hope I am not posting this in the wrong place and I didnt see a "sticky" for a question that has probably been asked 100 times**

...with that being said, I would appreciate any help you all are able to provide. I have been kicking around this site for the last 3-4 months and finally ready to jump in.

I am looking to get into long range shooting/competitions and dont know which way to go regarding rifle. I have no real experience shooting a rifle (except the handful of shots I squeezed off my Dads 30-06), I am not Military trained and have quickly realized, this is a complicated gig!

While I have little to no rifle experience, I have grown up around firearms and am a competitive trap/skeet shooter (I shoot roughly 3000 shells a month). Being said, I have a (what I believe to be) good handle on what mother nature can do to a shot, so I understand conditions, weather, etc yet not really shooting a rifle yet, I dont have any bad habits to break...so I think.

Understanding that shooting a rifle bullet *accurately* 500-1000 yards is far more complicated, complex and nerve racking that shooting a .410 30ft, I believe the right equipment is integral to getting off to a good start...

So...my question is, which way should I go in buying my 1st rifle? Budget is a concern yet I am not interested in buying something that I will soon realize is not that I need and buy another gun.

I am thinking .308?

Remington 700 is a well known carriage to me (Dad's 30-06 is a R700) but it seems that there is alot of aftermarket work needed to make subMOA groups?

I am not opposed to a custom build, I feel like I could speak in another language with all the reading/studying of the 'Hide I have done but I am not interested in spending $4000 for a gun to start.

What about the Remington 700 SS Special 5-R Milspec?

Weatherby boasts 1.5" MOA out of the box but NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE in this fine community of trained professionals has ever mentioned Weatherby...but still good shooter out of box?

Recommendations on a good scope?
 
#2
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

did you cut and paste, if so you did too many times.

you are about to get a ton more questions.........

To answer the question simply, yes a 308 (the R5) is an excellent place to start.

Ammunition is readily available in all sorts of configurations

So you drop a grand +/- for the R5 then 250 on rings and base, then you need a scope and lots of amo.

In recent days there are plenty of scopes to choose from ranging in price from 700-1700 that should fit the bill. You could drop more but that's up to you.

good luck,

K-A
 
#4
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

Buy a scoped .22 and shoot the piss out of it. Weatherby's are great, but lack in the ability to accessorize. Sign up for the online training and dry fire until your finger bleeds.
 
#5
Re: New to the 'Hide.rifle advice please **reposted**

you said long range shooting/competitions. How far are we talking about? up to 1K? beyond 1K? excessively beyond 1K like 2K?

308 is a good caliber to have. Ammo are readily avail. You can reload and it will get even cheaper. Good practice on wind calling with 308. Can't go wrong with it.

243 win is also another good caliber for long range shootin and competition up to 1K easily. Now to really exploit the benefits of the 243 win, you need to use the heavy bullets. Ideally 115 grains. Problem is unless you go custom barrel and all, no out of the box manufacturer barrel that I am aware of will have that fast twist barrel (need about 1:7"). However, you can be content with the 105 grains bullets which have similar BC as the BC of the heavier 30 cal bullets. With the 105 grains, you can shoot it out of the manufacturer's gun. Obviously, you have to handload, because I haven't seen any manufactured ammo that has over 100 grains bullets on it. Another investment to consider.
 
#6
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

First... Weatherby is NOT great. It's a name. Kinda' like Rolex. The Remington 5R in .308 is a good rifle to start with... Hell, it's a good rifle... Period. The 5R 1:11.25 rifling will stabilize heavier bullets for ranges out to 1000yds. Put good glass on it and replace the crappy trigger and once you acquire the skill it will serve you well. My $0.02...
 
#7
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

You mentioned shooting 500-1000. If you want to be proficent at these distances I suggest you learn to handload at some point. 308 is a good choice but not my first. If you think you can learn your way around a rifle and begin reloading from the start, I recomend a 6mmbr Norma. It is easy to load and very accurate. You will probably get less discouraged with this choice.

For the money I am convinced that the new Savage Target actions, available on their Long Range Precison Varminter model, and F class model, are the best bang for the buck.
 
#8
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DaveX</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Buy a scoped .22 and shoot the piss out of it. Weatherby's are great, but lack in the ability to accessorize. Sign up for the online training and dry fire until your finger bleeds. </div></div>

Wow...great advice DaveX! You sound like the kind of guy who offers to buy people drinks at an open bar wedding yelling "put it on my tab" or the guy who says "see you next year" on 12/31...classy.
 
#9
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

Boasting 1.5 moa out of the box is good for a hunting rifle but not a tactical rifle. Almost every remington will give you .75 right out of the box and some of the time even better. You might want to keep your eyes on the for sale forum. There are some great deals available there and sometimes you can get a rifle for a great price with all the work done ie; trigger,threaded barrel, upgraded stock,and rings and base. Purchase the best you can afford and then shoot the hell out of it. Good glass plays a huge role especially reaching out beyond 500. I your shooting 3,000 rounds a month then your probably reloading. Invest in some reloading equipment for the caliber you pick and that will save you a bundle in the long run. You also might want to look to an FN. They have been shooting around .5 moa and come with a good stock and base included. Good Luck.
 
#10
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cjohns</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DaveX</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Buy a scoped .22 and shoot the piss out of it. Weatherby's are great, but lack in the ability to accessorize. Sign up for the online training and dry fire until your finger bleeds. </div></div>

Wow...great advice DaveX! You sound like the kind of guy who offers to buy people drinks at an open bar wedding yelling "put it on my tab" or the guy who says "see you next year" on 12/31...classy.
</div></div>

Way to go pissing on good advice. If you are going to learn something it will be on a .22 trainer and the training forum. Stop being a jerk to people who post decent advice. Go to the rimfire section and look at the trainers thread if you don't believe me. Use the damn search function...or better yet, Google.

Josh
 
#11
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

Thank you all for the advice thus far, I appreciate the informed view.

To clarify, I dont see myself shooting past 1000 anytime soon, rifle ranges are hard to come by in FL where I live and the closest with the farthest is 1000yrd...all the rest are like 50-100FT. I dont see much use in a 100ft rifle range?

My goal is to start shooting 300yrd F class, 565yrd and 1000yrd comps.

I am not hand loading, yet expect to be making some sweet match/weight loads. I currently load all my shotgun shells and am rather finicky when it comes to them so I presume my anal engineer mind will be just as discriminating when it comes to hand weighed, massaged custom loads.
 
#12
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

yes...308. Pick up a new Savage at Walmart for $500-$600 or look around at gun shops and find a 308 used for $300-350. (I found one recently a guy had only shot 40 rounds through.) If you get a super sniper variable scope or one of the Vortex scopes coming out, they are extremely affordable. You can get in the game for less than you think...gun and scope for $1000 investment if you look around.
smile.gif


There is a reason most people say start with a 308. There is a ton of ammo out there and if you shoot a lot you will appreciate that. You can find it anywhere. You'll save money and be able to afford the other things that you will want later in this game.(and it never ends)

Plus the data and knowledge base available on the 308 is unsurpassed. You can buy ammo cheap online in bulk and shoot a lot. Putting in lots of trigger time is the name of the game. So look at ammo cost as if you will buy factory ammo....not as if you will re-load. If you get into re-loading then you can take it from there...but it is time consuming and almost not worth it in 308....there is amazing ammo available for 308 when you want to pay a higher price....and cheap stuff out there for practice.
 
#13
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MinorDamage</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cjohns</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DaveX</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Buy a scoped .22 and shoot the piss out of it. Weatherby's are great, but lack in the ability to accessorize. Sign up for the online training and dry fire until your finger bleeds. </div></div>

Wow...great advice DaveX! You sound like the kind of guy who offers to buy people drinks at an open bar wedding yelling "put it on my tab" or the guy who says "see you next year" on 12/31...classy.
</div></div>

Way to go pissing on good advice. If you are going to learn something it will be on a .22 trainer and the training forum. Stop being a jerk to people who post decent advice. Go to the rimfire section and look at the trainers thread if you don't believe me. Use the damn search function...or better yet, Google.

Josh </div></div>

Ok, so I am man enough to say I was wrong, but seriously, I had no idea there was "online" firearms training and coupled with the dryfire comment, I thought it was a shot at me. My apologies DaveX.

I was always told never to dryfire a gun..?
 
#14
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cjohns</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DaveX</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Buy a scoped .22 and shoot the piss out of it. Weatherby's are great, but lack in the ability to accessorize. Sign up for the online training and dry fire until your finger bleeds. </div></div>

Wow...great advice DaveX! You sound like the kind of guy who offers to buy people drinks at an open bar wedding yelling "put it on my tab" or the guy who says "see you next year" on 12/31...classy.
</div></div>

About THE best advice you will get. .22RF will teach you a lot for cheap.
Then a .308. after that you can move onto something more powerful. Not much point wearing out a few barrels until you can notice the difference
smile.gif
 
#15
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cjohns</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MinorDamage</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cjohns</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DaveX</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Buy a scoped .22 and shoot the piss out of it. Weatherby's are great, but lack in the ability to accessorize. Sign up for the online training and dry fire until your finger bleeds. </div></div>

Wow...great advice DaveX! You sound like the kind of guy who offers to buy people drinks at an open bar wedding yelling "put it on my tab" or the guy who says "see you next year" on 12/31...classy.
</div></div>

Way to go pissing on good advice. If you are going to learn something it will be on a .22 trainer and the training forum. Stop being a jerk to people who post decent advice. Go to the rimfire section and look at the trainers thread if you don't believe me. Use the damn search function...or better yet, Google.

Josh </div></div>

Ok, so I am man enough to say I was wrong, but seriously, I had no idea there was "online" firearms training and coupled with the dryfire comment, I thought it was a shot at me. My apologies DaveX.

I was always told never to dryfire a gun..? </div></div>

Alright then, at least you apologize...a lot better than some people here. Dry firing a centerfire weapon will not harm the firing pin 99% of the time. I have spent more trigger pulls dry firing than actual rounds and the practice pays off. Dry firing a .22 will get you two schools of thought. The fact that it is off center can sometimes cause it to contact the barrel and do damage to the barrel or pin. I never had any issues with mine, but there are people who have. Check around, it is always a point of contention. I say, dry fire, it will help trigger control immensely.
Secondly, one of those things about being a good newbie is looking around the site. There is a ton of info to be had. Use this search to find damn near anything your heart desires.
Google Snipers Hide Search
Lastly, the online training forum is 10 bucks a month and is a wealth of information. They have videos and lessons at your disposal.
There are a ton of smart people with years of shooting experience. Don't be too quick to snap at them, they may be feeding you good info. Again, thanks for stepping up and saying you were wrong.

Josh
 
#16
Re: New to the 'Hide...rifle advice please!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cjohns</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MinorDamage</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cjohns</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DaveX</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Buy a scoped .22 and shoot the piss out of it. Weatherby's are great, but lack in the ability to accessorize. Sign up for the online training and dry fire until your finger bleeds. </div></div>

Wow...great advice DaveX! You sound like the kind of guy who offers to buy people drinks at an open bar wedding yelling "put it on my tab" or the guy who says "see you next year" on 12/31...classy.
</div></div>

Way to go pissing on good advice. If you are going to learn something it will be on a .22 trainer and the training forum. Stop being a jerk to people who post decent advice. Go to the rimfire section and look at the trainers thread if you don't believe me. Use the damn search function...or better yet, Google.

Josh </div></div>

Ok, so I am man enough to say I was wrong, but seriously, I had no idea there was "online" firearms training and coupled with the dryfire comment, I thought it was a shot at me. My apologies DaveX.

I was always told never to dryfire a gun..? </div></div>

On a rimfire....not a good idea....

On Centerfire....you will learn about every flinch and tick you have....and that advice (to not dry fire) is bunk....

rule of thumb....10+ Dryfire for every live.....
 
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