What to buy

[Skieva]

I am about to retire and want to buy myself a retirement gift. I know I want 6.5 creedmore, but I cannot decide in what form or manufacture to buy from. I am interested in something out of the box. I am not interested in spending multiple thousands on a rifle.

I like the the new Ruger RPR but have also heard that Savage produces an excellent gun out of the box.

My desire is to get into long range. My home range (Pearland Shooting club) is limited to 300yards, but there is a 1000yard range (Bayou Rifles) a few miles away, if I am able to get the opportunity to join.

I am looking for opinions and suggestions.

 

[ShootDots]

Hello sevansx! I too am from Pearland Shooting Club (PSC) AND I am also a member of Bayou Rifles. I shoot F-Open there. FIRST>>You do NOT have to be a member at Bayou Rifles to come out and join us in a competitive shoot. The FIRST Sunday of every month is the 1000 Yard Shoot. The 3rd Sunday is Mid-Range>>it alternates, month to month, from 300 to 600 yards.

You state in your opening remarks that you want to get into 1000 yard shooting. A 6.5 Creedmoor will get you there BUT you will be in F-Open. You also state that you want a factory rifle to be used for that purpose. I can tell you that a factory rifle will serve to get you started, however, it will soon prove to be wholly inadequate. You will get frustrated and either invest in a custom build or the possibility exists you may quit shooting at long(er) ranges. Additionally, at 1000 yards, a Creedmoor can get the job done, however, even in a custom rifle, it lacks compared to the 7mm's and 30's when the winter winds inevitably blow. T-Rust me on this one!

I am a retiree also. I have not owned factory rifles in quite some time and I did not start off in F-Open with a factory rifle. However, I did start off with a rifle "not really" designed for long-range competition. I soon found myself building rifles for each "stage" (300-600 and 1000) of Open. That is not necessary NOR desired either. I would look for a VERY NICE U-S-E-D rifle on here (this site continually has excellent rifles for sale), thereby getting you into a real competitive rifle YET saving you a substantial chunk of change. Take that for what it is worth>>>but it is borne out of experience!

 

[Berger.Fan222]

I've seen factory Savages do pretty well in F-Class at 1000 yards. I think most shooters can likely shoot a well chosen factory Savage for a number of years at 1000 yards before being limited by the rifle itself.

 

[GSRswapandslow]

what is the upper limit for the rifle?
what about for optics?
would there be extra money for a better trigger or custom work on the rifle?

 

[Terry]

I have several Savage rifles. All shoot 1/2 MOA or better. With hand loads and tuning 1/4 MOA is possible.

I usually shoot 100-600 yards. 1,000 will require proper tuning.

 

[jonbearman]

Benchrest central .com is a good place to look as well.Shooters corner in new jersey I believe is a great place to get a used or near new custom or semi custom for a reasonable price.

 

[Chief 101]

It would be nice to learn to shoot good enuf to be limited by the rifle itself...most are limited by their abilities to shoot.

 

[Dgd6mm]

If you still want to buy factory after reading the suggestions, Savage has an excellent line of rifles capable for what you want to shoot.

Don Dunlap

 

[Nowhere Man]

One more + plug for Savage rifles.

 

[normmatzen]

You don't have to buy a stock Savage rifle to get started!
Buy a Savage Precision Target Action (about $550) and a Pre-Fit barrel from Northland (about $330) and a Stock from Sharp Shooters Supply ( about $329). Then all you need is a scope. I started with a Sightron SII 6-24 power used from ebay and later got better scopes. I haven't sold the old used SII as it works too good to get rid of!

 

[Lbart]

I've seen factory Savages do pretty well in F-Class at 1000 yards. I think most shooters can likely shoot a well chosen factory Savage for a number of years at 1000 yards before being limited by the rifle itself.

I am not knocking Savage rifles, but all half way measures.
I agree with Ben’s comments in reply #1. In my 50+ years of competitive shooting I have heard this said time and time and I have to take issue with this statement. If a shooter wants to become competitive he will only do so by having the best equipment he can possibly buy from the get go. Anything less and you will not know if it is you or the equipment causing your lost points. Believe me you will want to upgrade. Keep in mind the ten-ring gets smaller as your groups get bigger. The ten-ring is only 1 moa wide from 3 to 9 o’clock. Invest well and you will reap the dividends much more quickly.

 

[butchlambert]

Listen to Larry. He has been one of our best FClass shooters for years!

 

[Scott Harris]

Listen to Larry. He has been one of our best FClass shooters for years!

+1
You'll improve MUCH faster with the best gear/ammo because you'll get better feedback. When an "xring" rifle/ammo combo has a wide shot you know it's either your hold or the wind. This enables much faster learning than using a less accurate rifle and not being sure why the shot was missed.

Along the same line of thought, I suggest using the 6.5x47 Lapua for precision shooting...it's amazingly accurate and the least fussy cartridge you will find.