Browning BAR for Long-range H & S???

[SBD]

Hey guys, thanks for having me. My rifle arsenal is new consisting of a Remington 700 SPS in .243 and an AR chambered in .223 Wylde - I have been hunting deer and coyotes for about 8yrs now. I want to get into the long-range shooting game as well as bolster my gun cabinet with something more respectable for Elk and up. I have looked long and hard at a lot of rifles/calibers, and I recently shot my coworkers Browning BAR in .300 WM and WOW, what a dream! The semi-automatic action was buttery smooth and did its fair share in keeping recoil surprisingly mild for that round. Also I like the fact that I have the semi-auto firepower in the event I need it (-: I'd be looking at .300 WM as well

Now I know the VAST majority of Long-range H&S rifles are bolt-action. But what are your thoughts of a BAR as an option? Would I like to get to the point of hitting gongs out to 1,000yds as my skills progress? Absolutely. But will I be asking too much out of this rifle or most average shooters skill sets, and Is the bolt gun the only option for a guy like me to someday be able to put lead on steel @ 1000yds? If the BAR is a go, .300 WM / .338 WM / .300 WSM / or 7mm WSM?

 

[winmag]

Hey guys, thanks for having me. My rifle arsenal is new consisting of a Remington 700 SPS in .243 and an AR chambered in .223 Wylde - I have been hunting deer and coyotes for about 8yrs now. I want to get into the long-range shooting game as well as bolster my gun cabinet with something more respectable for Elk and up. I have looked long and hard at a lot of rifles/calibers, and I recently shot my coworkers Browning BAR in .300 WM and WOW, what a dream! The semi-automatic action was buttery smooth and did its fair share in keeping recoil surprisingly mild for that round. Also I like the fact that I have the semi-auto firepower in the event I need it (-: I'd be looking at .300 WM as well

Now I know the VAST majority of Long-range H&S rifles are bolt-action. But what are your thoughts of a BAR as an option? Would I like to get to the point of hitting gongs out to 1,000yds as my skills progress? Absolutely. But will I be asking too much out of this rifle or most average shooters skill sets, and Is the bolt gun the only option for a guy like me to someday be able to put lead on steel @ 1000yds? If the BAR is a go, .300 WM / .338 WM / .300 WSM / or 7mm WSM?

They don't call them the "Champaign Automattic" for nothin. They're fun to shoot for sure. They blow the doors off of the "beer can auto" 740-742-&7400 Rem put out, where smoothness, feeding, & clip extraction is concerned.

The draw backs to using an auto like that for LR are:
1- Brick of a trigger, & no fix for it. Very difficult to shoot well with a trigger that heavy.
2- Clip limmits seating depth, wich can create havoc when trying to work up loads for long, high b.c. bullets.
3-Small base dies are usually -recomended- for autoloaders, wich works your brass that much harder

** now, with that being said, I have a buddy who is a VERY disaplined shooter, who shoots very small groups out to 600 & does quite well even beyond 600 with his BAR in 300 WM. He shoots almost weekly, & quite honestly I'm suprised he has a barrel left, but he can make that BAR do things I didn't think possible.
But he is the exception to the rule in general. It is very difficult to shoot that well with the limmitations listed, but it is doable. He's living proof.
As far as factory rifles go, bolt guns are typically more L/R shooter friendly, because of all the available options to customize them for a particular purpose like L/R.
From aftermarket triggers, to stocks, there's just a lot more aftermarket support for bolt guns.
But again, that's not saying its not possible with a BAR, just that it makes it a lot harder than some other options.

Almost forgot,
Welcome to LRH. & As far as cartriges go, your on the right track with the ones you have listed. Those are all good choices for L/R hunting.

 

[joseph]

SBD,

I have not gotten to the range yet, but this is what I have done with my BAR:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/my-mid-range-rifle-i-hope-83232/

joseph