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New user with question about a rifle

kriscamaro68

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 7, 2011
2
0
41
United States Of America
I am just starting to get interested in LD shooting and would like to someday be hitting targets out at 1000+ yards. As of right now I am poor and cant afford a rifle in the $2500+ range. My question is are Thompson Center Encore Pro hunters going to be a decent gun to use for this task? I've shot one that was a .300 win mag at 100yds and kept the 3 shot group in 3/4" which seems decent. I was thinking of getting it in the 28" barrel in either a .300 or .338. In your opinions are these junk or decent for what I am wanting to do? I know that I need a decent optic for this task which I will tackle later I just want opinions on the rifle getting close to the 1000 yard mark.

Thanks.
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

While they may be capable of decent accuracy, that's not really what I think of as being a long range/target rifle.

More of a hunting rifle for the guy with the "I Made Meat" bumper sticker.

Wouldn't think you'd enjoy target shooting with a break-open design as much as a bolt gun. Probably very limited regarding any future upgrades as well.
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

That would be a negative It's just not designed for that and if you will search this forum you can find builds for less than a thousand dollars that will suite your needs
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

If your going for something to do long range shooting with, imo get an action that has lots of aftermarket parts available and is also very well known and researched.

You could accurize any type of rifle really, but if your on a budget start off with something that already has a proven track record for long range shooting.

A Remington 700 platform, Savage or Tikka are good places to start. The 700 is easily the most popular platform and there are a few good hide vendors and smiths on here that could work on a basic action in the future should you want to use it for bench work.
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

First off...welcome aboard. Now would be a good time to familiarize yourself with the search engine (click my sig line below). Try running a search of the Hide for threads on "budget rifles" or "beginner rifles"...search for threads along those lines. This topic has been beaten to death, buried, revived, and beaten to death again many, MANY times over.

There are a plenty of good options that will get you started into long-range shooting that won't break the bank (i.e. - <$1k with decent optics). At this point, fundamentals/technique are more important that expensive gear. Once you have had some quality time behind the trigger of a more budget-minded, starter rifle that will still enable you to practice at extended ranges, you can move up to a better rifle/optic down the road as your finances permit (or as your interests and skill level advances). For now though...stick to something in the .308 class of rifles. You cna get them to 1k with the proper ammo/rifle setup, it won't cost you an arm and a leg for ammo (unlike 300WM/338LM/etc.), all of which will lead to you being able to shoot more!!

Good luck!
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

If you are "poor" I would definitely avoid a .338LM. They are pretty pricey and not easy to find in comparison to the .300, or .308. Your best choice would probably be a common caliber like the .308. It has a relatively long barrel life, the recoil is very manageable, and the ammo is easy to find. I have even seen Federal Gold Match ammo at the Wal-Mart near me. The trajectory isn't as flat as the .300, but it will get you out to 1000yards pretty easily if you ever feel the desire. Good luck with the future build.
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

I was in your position a couple of weeks ago and may be able to offer some advice, all of which came from the hide of course.

First, since you sound like you're on a budget go with a .308 or other caliber with cheap ammunition. I am very glad that I did, since I have been able to put 200 rounds downrange in the last 2 weeks for a reasonable price. This is very important in developing your marksmanship skills. Practice makes perfect so to speak.

You don't necessarily have to get a 700 with huge aftermarket support since you're on a budget anyway. To add a lot of the features from the aftermarket many times comes out to be more expensive than buying the gun from the factory that way, although quality can be higher in the aftermarket. I went with a Tikka, both for the out of the box accuracy and the price that I found. I have heard amazing things about savage as well but have never shot one.

28" may be a little hard to come by for a budget. Although, 20 is definitely slightly detrimental to your FPS regarding long range accuracy.<<< Finding this out the hard way, I'll work through it though.

Finally, BY WHAT YOU WANT!!!! There's a lot of information and a lot of rationalizing you can do, but there is no replacement for finding a rifle that meets your requirements and that gives that great feeling when you pick it up for the first time and then it surpasses you expectations at the range. Think long and hard about it, just not too much.
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

If on an extreme budget, look at dicks sporting goods. You can find (or used to be able to, havent checked in a while) a remington 700 ADL with a heavy contour barrel in .308 for around $460.00 after a mail in rebate. Comes with a factory scope and mounts... cheap but will do the job. Buy it, shoot the hell out of it, and upgrade accordingly. Problem solved.
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TMcGinnis</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If on an extreme budget, look at dicks sporting goods. You can find (or used to be able to, havent checked in a while) a remington 700 ADL with a heavy contour barrel in .308 for around $460.00 after a mail in rebate. Comes with a factory scope and mounts... cheap but will do the job. Buy it, shoot the hell out of it, and upgrade accordingly. Problem solved. </div></div>

Just seen a Camo 700 Varm. in .308 with cheap 4x12 scope at a local Dick's the other day for $399.
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kriscamaro68</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am just starting to get interested in LD shooting and would like to someday be hitting targets out at 1000+ yards. As of right now I am poor and cant afford a rifle in the $2500+ range. My question is are Thompson Center Encore Pro hunters going to be a decent gun to use for this task? I've shot one that was a .300 win mag at 100yds and kept the 3 shot group in 3/4" which seems decent. I was thinking of getting it in the 28" barrel in either a .300 or .338. In your opinions are these junk or decent for what I am wanting to do? I know that I need a decent optic for this task which I will tackle later I just want opinions on the rifle getting close to the 1000 yard mark.

Thanks. </div></div>

If you already had the frame it could be a cheap alternative.I think there are much better long range rifles to start off with.

The good news is you don't need a 300WM to shoot and hit stuff at 1000Y and even farther.1000Y benchrest records have been set with a little 6mmBR.You might even own something that'l work fine with the right ballistic coefficient bullets.

If I were wanting to get something new that I would be making into a tactical rifle I'd get a Tikka T3 in 6.5x55 or 7-08.A friend has one with a Super Sniper 10X on it and his will do just about anything my expensive custom rifles will do.
 
Re: New user with question about a rifle

One thought I would add...
Getting to 1000 yards will take time.
While the posts above indicate .308 ammo is "inexpensive", match-grade only is if you reload...

.308 ammo is roughly twice the cost of .223 in my experience. If you don't reload, match .308 ammo will impact your wallet.

If ammo cost is a consideration, I would consider a .223 until you get enough trigger time to stretch your legs and then you can upgrade, or just buy another rifle. The .223 will get you most of the way there.