Caliber and Rifle Questions

[Pulpit]

Without sounding too much like a novice, though I certainly am...I am 36 years old and have hunted all my life, I reload, and have recently taken a large interest in shooting with great accuracy. Well, I always wanted accuracy, but now to a different level I guess.

I am wanting to shoot in the 300-600 yard ranges much more often. The range on my property is just 100 and is loads of fun, but I'd like to stretch my legs a bit and learn more.

I have access to River Bend Gun Club in North Georgia and I have a few questions about shooting the 300-600 yard distances.

Currently, I have a couple factory Remington 700 1:9 .223 rifles. I also have some .308 rifles in Remington and Savage. They are all 1:10 twist.

I am happy to try to load up some heavier .223 loads and try these distances, or some .308 loads as well. I am also not opposed to purchasing a 6br or 6.5 cal rifle. What I am getting at is what would you advise your friend to do to get a start in the longer range discipline (realizing this is not true long range, but longer for me)? What are things to avoid?

How would you start if you had it all over to do again? I understand wind reading is crucial, and I plan to learn by practice on that portion.

What magnification glass would you recommend for the 600 max yardage, and brand (without getting into a brand war)?

I'm not opposed to purchasing a new rifle and glass, as that would be fun If purchasing, it would likely be used custom or new factory, as I would like to get started very soon, and realize waits are long for custom rifles.

I am all ears, and appreciate all advise, and criticism.

Thank you for your time.

 

[OldManTA]

Your 223 with the 9 twist barrel may be a little slow for a bullet suitable for 600 yds. A 6mmbr Norma would be an excellent choice and I would not recommend anything over 20X because it can mess with your mind if you are not used to the pulse you will see. Having said all that. There are some very knowledgeable folks who shoot at River Bend and I suggest you go to a match or two and get first hand advice from them. Look at what they take to the firing line and get an idea of cost. Good luck, we need more people in competitive shooting.
Tom Alves

 

[DogBuster]

Try some target bullets in the 223 & 308...69's & 155's & 168's

Then take a look at the 6BR from Savage or build something...

No flys on an accurate 6BR or even a 260...

 

[wapiti25]

Your 223 will shoot the 69gr SMK"s and Berger 70's. IMR 8208 XBR and Varget are real good as well as the 4895's with those bullets. I'm shooting them with the 8208 and wolf/tula srm's for 600 yd F-class club matches. This is in a savage with a 1-9 Pac Nor barrel. I use a 36X scope, a variable would be nice on some days, I would love to have a 12-42 Night Force. If you re-barrel the 223 go with an 1-8 barrel and shoot the 80 gr bullets which are much better for wind. I also shoot a Rem with a Krieger 1-8 barrel.

 

[Pulpit]

Thanks gentlemen. Your advice will be heeded for sure.

I will load up some of the bullet recommendations and shoot 300yd for starters. I do plan on going to some matches to watch and try to pick up some wisdom.

Eventually, I'd love to have a custom 6BR or something. The Savage is intriguing in the F-class 6BR.

Would there be any benefit in going to a 6.5x284 or .260?

Thanks again.

 

[BCoates]

If you want to shoot competitions, I would start with a gun that you already have. I would pick the one with the heaviest and longest barrel. You need a heavy barrel or your groups will start walking as the barrel heats up during long strings of fire. Also, you can shoot .223 or .308 with a bipod in the F-TR class.

If you pick the .223, I would try to develop a load with 69-75 gr bullets. I shoot the Hornady 75gr HPBT with good success with Varget or Reloader 15 powder. If you go with a .308, I would look at the 168 gr and 175 gr match bullets like Sierra match kings, Hornady HPBTs, or Berger LRBTs.

Concerning scopes, magnification is your friend, and a variable power scope with a max of 24x-32x would work well. I like the Sightron SIII series for the money.

Shoot for a year with what you have. If you still like it, you can order a custom gun the way you want it.

 

[Pulpit]

Great point BCoates. Makes sense, I will try to get as good as I can with the load work ups and rifles I have first.

Won't cost anything more and will be fun.

Thanks!

 

[Road_Clam]

I recently qualified for my club's 600 yd range. I'm a newer precision shooter, and thus far my experiences have been excellent. I was previously shooting sub MOA at 200 meters so by the numbers I was ready to transition out to 600. My quals required 10 consecutive shots in the scoring rings, and unlimited sighters before shooting for record. I easily qualifyed only needing 4 sighters. The key at 600 is know the capabilities of your equipment. You need to be certain your equipment can handle 600 yds in peticular your optics. I needed an additional 16.3 MOA from my baseline 100 yd zero ( shooting .308 168 smk's @ 2570 fps) . We had several potential qualifing members that had to back out because their budget optics could not handle the required 600 yd MOA dope. I'm running a Sightron SIII 8-32x56 and I had plenty of needed elevation without the need for a 20 moa scope base. At 600 yds the wind and your internal bullet ballistics play a much larger role in staying "on paper" Good luck !

 

[Pulpit]

Thanks, I appreciate your first hand experience. I'll look into the Sightron.

I'll get some loads up for my 24" .308 and my .223.

Thank you.

 

[rvn1968]

On the 308,I would buy a box of Federal GMM,168 and 175.I used as a base to try and beat with my handloads.I have spent a small fortune [for me] in new reloading equipment.Time,patience,and consistency is the key.BTW,there are a lot of measurement tools out there,but the best overall for the money was the Mitutoyo .0005 digital calipers gave the most bang for the buck.IMHO,Tom

 

[ebb]

I have a Remington 223 that loves berger 73 grain bullets and H4895. Me and a newbee shot the 600yd gong at Manatee about 6 weeks ago and you couldn't miss. We are going back next week with his kids he liked it so much.

 

[22BRGUY]

Here's a place you can go to see what shooters use for equipment in benchrest competition. Even if that's not your interest, it gives an idea of what people who are out for ultimate accuracy are using. Best Wishes

http://internationalbenchrest.com/results/long_range/_longrangeindex.php

 

[boltman223]

Thanks gentlemen. Your advice will be heeded for sure.

I will load up some of the bullet recommendations and shoot 300yd for starters. I do plan on going to some matches to watch and try to pick up some wisdom.


Thanks again.

I'd like to add something, it's the some advise I wish I would have had sooner. When you go to the match to watch and pick up some wisdom bring your rifle. You can pick up the same wisdom and learn a little bit about reading the wind and get some actuall experience. You will be better prepared for your next match or you could say what would have been your first match. In other words it's kind of like a roll in the hay, you can watch all the instructional videos you want but, it just don't make up for the real world experience.

So grab your rifle, the best ammo you have at the time and go shoot at the match, it's the best way to learn(I'm sure others can attest to this) and just have fun with it. After you start you'll be thinking, man I should have started sooner. sooner or later you'll be on the top of the board and sooner if you start now!

 

[Pulpit]

Good idea. I guess you have to start sometime.

I appreciate the link given too.

I love reloading and shooting, so I'm very excited about getting started.

Thanks.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Get with my buddy jim andress at river bend. He can fill you in on what works.