First long range target rifle

[4bycamper]

First let me thank all of you for the awesome insight into this sport.

Currently looking for a suitable action that won't break the bank. Rem, Browning, Savage are some of the affordable choices for me. Long or short action ? Working towards a 6.5x47 Lappua or 6.5 Swiss.

I have had a lot of good luck with several Browning hunting rifles, straight shooters with great triggers. I never hear anything about them in the target game talk. Wonder why ?

Anyone wanting to weigh in on this is welcome.

Al

 

[NeilNE]

Most after market part and gun smith work on Rem. 1st then Savage and very few upgrades for Browning.

So I would recommend the above order, if you plan on upgrading in the future. I would also recommend a short action for your calibers. One other option would be to buy as used gun, that has all the upgrades by a good smith. Usually you can get it cheaper than having it done.

 

[Tommie]

Two important questions:

1) What type of target shooting do you plan to do?

2) What's your budget?

Tommie

 

[cliffe]

i just put together a steven 200,about $300,shilen6.5-284 barrel fred moreo trigger, choate stock for under 900 bucks.second 5 shot group was .378, i can't wait to try and wear the barrel out.stevens are a savage w/o the accutrigger. a good bang for the buck.with the barrel nut you can set the headspace pretty easily. hope this helps ....cliffe

 

[M700]

Al, it really does pay to figure out what kind of target shooting you want to do. Benchrest is very popular in some areas. NRA "highpower" competition is also popular. F-class is a version of NRA prone and the rifles are sure getting to look,and shoot) a lot like benchrest rifles... Tactical comps are a lot of fun and that sport is constantly evolving. I don't know much about silhouette shooting, it seems to have fallen off in popularity, at least here in Washington state.

One rifle isn't likely to do it all. Pick your sport and have at it!

Regards, Guy

 

[4bycamper]

Ahhhh, so many choices. The first contest I would like to shoot is the NRA 200,300,600 high power. Shot that one in a Garand Match and had a lot of fun. Always felt that I could do better with a friendlier rifle,I like my fingers). So the 6.5 instead of the 30-06, in a heavier rifle, with magazine, custom sights and open class.
After that I will see what contests the 1000 yard range east of town has to offer.

Again, thanks for the input,

 

[longhunter43071]

My shooting buddy just built a 6x47 Lapua on a Savage single shot target action with a 28" Pac-nor barrel and Rifle Basix 4 oz trigger,that he is load testing and wow will that thing shoot.

 

[Spotcheck_Billy]

Al,
If you're building a rifle to shoot NRA Highpower you're gonna need a repeater action and iron sights. The Remington 700 or Winchester M70 actions are the best choices because they have magazines that feed reliably and are easily fitted with the type of sights that are required for this type of competition. All of the stuff is readily available.

A rifle like this could be fitted with a scope for F-Class competition, and while not ideal could still be competitive in the hands of a shooter who was capable, but the 6.5x47 might be outclassed at 1000 yards.

All of that said, most of the top Highpower competitors have been going the Tubegun route.

 

[M700]

I shoot NRA highpower with a post '64 push-feed Model 70 in .308 Win.

The rifle allows a great deal of flexibility. I can shoot across-the-course matches, and prone matches, and it also meets the requirements for Palma competition. It has match sights, and I also use a scope on it for some prone competition.

Although I've never used it for F-class, it could certainly be used for that as well.

Remington makes a 40-X for across-the-course competition, as well as models for prone competition. I like the idea of a lighter recoiling cartridge that shoots higher BC bullets for less wind drift, although I shoot the .308 reasonably well. Sticking with a Remington or Winchester action makes life simple. Parts are readily avail, and these rifles are easy to setup for NRA Highpower competition. It's usually not too hard to find one of these rifles used, in good shape.

Enjoy! Guy