Recommended rifle for 500 - 1000 yards shooter.

[Garet Jax]

Hello all,

I am looking for a starter rifle to get me into 500 yard - 1000 yard shooting. The majority I have looked at are bolt action, but not all. I see some that come with a scope and some that don't. Looking for recommendations on the best bang for the buck rifle (and scope if it doesn't come as a package). Thanks all.

 

[KingClown]

I have a Smith and Wesson Ibolt 30-06. Its esentially a THompson. Thats who made the barrel shortly after S&W bought them so they didnt want to compete with themelves. I put a Vortex Diamond back scope on it. I havent shot it past 600 yards yet but it seems to do pretty good in my opinion

 

[4g64loser]

I see starter rifle and I wince just a little. I have spent way too much money putting lipstick on pigs (aka remington 700s) over the years. I will incur the wrath of many for this, but don't care. Do not buy anything from remington. Period. Full stop. I have owned nine that I can recall. I have spent thousands on tooling and parts to get them to do what a factory sako did. I currently own only one and I have the price of a high end custom action in getting the results I want. Plus it is still a remmy and I'll never get that money out of it.

In a factory rifle, buy sako or tikka. The newer howas seem to be ok. Bergara has had their issues but most I see shoot ok to well. If you want to step up a notch, buy a john hancock from Josh up at PVA. They SHOOT. And they are PRS production legal.

Now to what I really suggest: buy a custom action and assemble the rifle yourself. There a a few on this board who I have given this same advice to and not one has come.back and told me.they regretted the decision. I happen to like Zermatt (bighorn TL3 or origin) and I'm tooled for them but ARC mausingfield or nucleus offer the same benefits. And all take 700 triggers/stocks. You can have any barrel you want, practically speaking, in almost any caliber. Just did one up for a buddy as a 223/6creed switch barrel. Both a .378 and a .473 bolt head. He can practice with the 223 and compete with the 6 creed.

On to optics: I could write a lot here but, even more than the rifle, you need to set a budget and spend once. Unlike the rifle, you can't really modify most optics. You have to sell and buy again. Depending on intended use, I strongly suggest first focal plane. Mil or moa realistically doesn't matter. Both work. Just get one that has the same reticle and turret "language". Buy the best you can justify. And do NOT buy garbage rings/mount system. I strongly suggest ARC rings. They are all but idiot proof and are solid. Never seen a set need to be lapped, either.

 

[Qbeam]

Savage, Howa, Remington. They all have "quality" products. What is your budget for gun and glass?

Q

 

[Mike_mds]

Ruger Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor with SWFA scope and Harris bipod. Less than $2k all in. I’m a novice who just started shooting it a year ago and have hit out to 1000 yards with it. I don’t shoot long range more than a couple times per year so spending any more would be a waste…don’t expect I’ll ever shoot better than this rifle does.

 

[holesonpaper]

There's a ton of choices. An AR15 in 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendell, or .224 Valk will do 500-1000. In a AR10 there's a ton more choices - .308, 6 or 6.5 creed, 30-06, and a ton more. Is this for fun, hunting, PRS, etc?

Having and shooting both - a bolt action is a better platform in general for long range shooting.

Out of the box Bang for your buck - my top picks are probably, Tikka, Ruger PR, Bergara, Savage, Remington (700) and the list goes on.

I started with a Tikka CTR and AR10 20" Krieger .308 barrel with pretty good success out to 1000 yards but a .308 win is out of gas by then. Couple years ago, my shooting partner switched to a custom rem 700 (Bighorn Arms TL3) in 6mm BR and then 6mm Creedmoor - and that was an eye opener. I've switched everything since that trip.

For glass, best you can afford.. Buy once, cry once. Magnification isn't everything.

Once you start down this path, there's a lot of other goodies. Bipod, chrono, kestrel, range finder, trigger, etc... and if you don't reload, you might consider.

 

[trickg]

Now to what I really suggest: buy a custom action and assemble the rifle yourself. There a a few on this board who I have given this same advice to and not one has come.back and told me.they regretted the decision. I happen to like Zermatt (bighorn TL3 or origin) and I'm tooled for them but ARC mausingfield or nucleus offer the same benefits. And all take 700 triggers/stocks. You can have any barrel you want, practically speaking, in almost any caliber. Just did one up for a buddy as a 223/6creed switch barrel. Both a .378 and a .473 bolt head. He can practice with the 223 and compete with the 6 creed.

On to optics: I could write a lot here but, even more than the rifle, you need to set a budget and spend once. Unlike the rifle, you can't really modify most optics. You have to sell and buy again. Depending on intended use, I strongly suggest first focal plane. Mil or moa realistically doesn't matter. Both work. Just get one that has the same reticle and turret "language". Buy the best you can justify. And do NOT buy garbage rings/mount system. I strongly suggest ARC rings. They are all but idiot proof and are solid. Never seen a set need to be lapped, either.

I'll jump in here and say that I was one of the ones who took your advice on a rifle build. Was it a bit more expensive than trying to go with something a bit more budget minded? Yep - sure was. However, I have zero regrets about going that route. The rifle is stupid accurate to the point where it shows me every flaw I have as a marksman.

This is my current setup:

$900 - Zermatt/Bighorn Origin short Action
$340 - Shilen Match barrel, 26 inch, varmint profile, 1:12 twist for .223 Remington
$160 - Triggertech Primary trigger, adjusted to 1.5 lbs
$320 - KRG Bravo chassis
$450 - Arken EP5, 5-15x56 MOA with Athlon rings

I wish I'd have had more money for glass - right now I got what I felt was the best bang for the buck with an Arken EP5, which is advertised as having Japanese glass. I watched several hours' worth of review videos and SxS comparison videos with other scopes at the same price point, specifically the Vortex Venom, and not only do the Arken kick the pants off of Vortex at that price point, they hold their own against scopes like Nightforce. I watched two 40ish minute videos where a guy pitted the Arken EP5 against a Nightforce ATACR. Here is the first of those two vids.



I don't regret a dime of the money I spent. This was built as a varmint rifle to shoot shorter, lightweight bullets, hence the 1:12 twist, but I could always put another barrel on that setup if I wanted a gun that would reach out better. I have the tooling to make the change, so all it would cost me is a barrel and a set of gauges.

 

[holesonpaper]

I'll echo the above statements. Most of us who enjoy reaching out and touching things - start with a package from one manufacturer or another. Ultimately, nearly everyone including myself, jump to a custom 700 action. BigHorn TL3, Impact Precision, Defiance, etc.. I personally look towards the PRS circuit when examining options.

 

[sxs]

The above advice others gave us good advice if you get into serious long range shooting. If you just want something that does a good job from the factory, the Savage 10 FCP SR (mine is .308. To be sure I have never shot 1000 yds, but I have shot out to 500 with excellent results) is good and the 10 FCP HS (comes in larger caliber) has a good reputation (I have no personal experience with it) They can be had for under 1k (the FCP SR can be had for around $700). The only thing I did to my SR was add a Fortis RED muzzle break which seems to reduce recoil noticeably. I know several people who also have the Ruger Precision Rifle and are quite happy. Those know with the Ruger all chose the 6.5 Creedmore. If you do think you'll end up seriously completing, you may well be better building your own. The people I know who are fairly serious LR shooters do often build their own. But make sure you have some idea what you are doing when selecting actions, barrels, etc

There is nothing wrong with Tikka, Bergara and others mentioned above. They are all good rifles. FYI, my 2 Rem 700s I see nothing wrong with them, but they are older rifles and I replaced the triggers with Timney. The one is a 700 Varminter in .223 and has been glass bedded. It is also a 1-12 twist. It absolutely loves the 52 gr Speer HP bullets I stocked up on back in early 90s. With my hand loads it shoots great, but I have never pushed it beyond 300 yds and if you are shooting beyond that, you would likely want a heavier bullet with a slower twist or a larger caliber. One more thing:. I am an old guy and much of my personal experience on the bench is mostly from 80s and 90s. The only longer range shooting I have done in the last few years was with the Savage 10 FCP SR and just out to 500 yds. But I have been very pleased with it's performance.

 

[4g64loser]

Maybe trickg will post some pics of his groups.....that 223 of his HAMMERS.

 

[axshon]

Ruger Precision in 6.5 is tough to beat. Good time to buy glass too. Go to SWFA on black Friday.

 

[Garet Jax]

No one has said that it makes sense to buy a rifle with an optic included so I am looking at separate pieces.

eurooptics has the older gen Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 MOA EBR-2C Riflescope PST-43127 for >50% off. Is this a pretty good deal or a very good deal? How does it compare with other lower costs optics? Is this a good enough deal to jump on or do I still wait for Black Friday?

 

[Mike_mds]

Ruger Precision in 6.5 is tough to beat. Good time to buy glass too. Go to SWFA on black Friday.

That’s what I did…their Black Friday sale has already started this year.

 

[onedash]

I think bang for the buck my Remington 5R was perfect and at the time under $1k. Now they are on 2nd gen and the price has gone up a bit. I spent a lot more on the scope, base and rings and then worked up my own loads. If you have unlimited funds go pick anything at https://www.gaprecision.net/

 

[gwchem]

That scope isn't likely to be beat in that price range.

 

[axshon]

700 5R in 308 is solid. I can hit at 1,100 with mine without a barrel burner load. At 1,200, it's out of gas. 1,000 all day long with 175 SMKs in Norma brass, CCI BR2s, 43.3 of IMR4064. The 308 is a great 1,000 yard round but the 6.5 is better for longer range and terminal ballistics at those distances. Guys at BangSteel hit 2100+ yards with 6.5 CM as long as they've got a scope that can dial it.

Stay away from the Gen 1 Viper PST 6-24. I broke one as did someone else shooting in the group at BangSteel. Dan just shook his head and said "yup". I had mine repaired and it broke again shooting a 6mm CM (so it wasn't the recoil). Vortex offered to fix it again but would not allow me to upgrade to a next-gen version of the same. I ended up selling it here for a very low price and full disclosure.

Gen 2+ Viper is probably good, as is an Athalon Midas and Burris XTR II. I have experience with those. Glass is definitely buy once/cry once. If I could go back I'd have purchased a NightForce out of the blocks.

 

[Squaregrouper]

No one has said that it makes sense to buy a rifle with an optic included so I am looking at separate pieces.

eurooptics has the older gen Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 MOA EBR-2C Riflescope PST-43127 for >50% off. Is this a pretty good deal or a very good deal? How does it compare with other lower costs optics? Is this a good enough deal to jump on or do I still wait for Black Friday?

It is hands down the best dollar to quality ratio on the new scope market right now.

 

[4g64loser]

700 5R in 308 is solid. I can hit at 1,100 with mine without a barrel burner load. At 1,200, it's out of gas. 1,000 all day long with 175 SMKs in Norma brass, CCI BR2s, 43.3 of IMR4064. The 308 is a great 1,000 yard round but the 6.5 is better for longer range and terminal ballistics at those distances. Guys at BangSteel hit 2100+ yards with 6.5 CM as long as they've got a scope that can dial it.

Stay away from the Gen 1 Viper PST 6-24. I broke one as did someone else shooting in the group at BangSteel. Dan just shook his head and said "yup". I had mine repaired and it broke again shooting a 6mm CM (so it wasn't the recoil). Vortex offered to fix it again but would not allow me to upgrade to a next-gen version of the same. I ended up selling it here for a very low price and full disclosure.

Gen 2+ Viper is probably good, as is an Athalon Midas and Burris XTR II. I have experience with those. Glass is definitely buy once/cry once. If I could go back I'd have purchased a NightForce out of the blocks.

My experience was the opposite. Of my three gen one psts (four if you count my 1-4 LPVO), none ever failed. I broke two gen twos and said F it, went to Razor twos. My burris xtr2 scopes have treated me.well but I haven't really beat them much.

If I had to pick one thing for PRS/steel plate, it would be my razor twos (and of my three, one did go back for a minor issue, not a mechanical problem but it was back in hand in ten days). One scope to hunt, it would definitely be my kahles 624i hands down. I like the "bigger" clicks on the razor two under pressure if the clock, the turrets are physically larger and thus it is easier to see exactly where the dial sits. The kahles theclicks are smaller and the lines much closer together and sometimes you have to break position to be sure what you dialled to. Glass in the razor two is "cooler" but definition is excellent. The kahles is "warmer" and far better picking fur out if brush.

 

[Garet Jax]

That scope isn't likely to be beat in that price range.

It is hands down the best dollar to quality ratio on the new scope market right now.

What about the Trijicon Credo 4-16x50 SFP w/ Green MRAD Center Dot, 30mm, Matte Black Riflescope 2900004 for $600

 

[axshon]

My experience was the opposite. Of my three gen one psts (four if you count my 1-4 LPVO), none ever failed. I broke two gen twos and said F it, went to Razor twos. My burris xtr2 scopes have treated me.well but I haven't really beat them much.

If I had to pick one thing for PRS/steel plate, it would be my razor twos (and of my three, one did go back for a minor issue, not a mechanical problem but it was back in hand in ten days). One scope to hunt, it would definitely be my kahles 624i hands down. I like the "bigger" clicks on the razor two under pressure if the clock, the turrets are physically larger and thus it is easier to see exactly where the dial sits. The kahles theclicks are smaller and the lines much closer together and sometimes you have to break position to be sure what you dialled to. Glass in the razor two is "cooler" but definition is excellent. The kahles is "warmer" and far better picking fur out if brush.

Yeah, I was hearing the same thing about the Viper line. That's why I didn't actually buy a Gen 2. I've heard nothing but good about the Razors but they are far above the price range of the Viper.

I got a Burris XTR II 4-20 (non illum) through DVor and have been really happy with it. For $600, it returns to zero and has a good field of view. I don't really beat up on them much anymore.