budget medium range gun/scope

[killerspoons]

I know most of you would go for a more expenisive aproach but what would be your choice for a gun and scope for under $1200 to shoot out to 500 yards and possible out to 1000 yards

 

[HARPERC]

One of the 308 varmint/tacticals. I recently saw Savage, Ruger, and Remington's advertised in the $750 dollar range. I think Vortex has some scopes in the $500 dollar range. Classifieds have some good deals on complete set ups. Tikka makes some good rifles but I usually see them priced a bit higher which leaves you less to spend on optics. A tough balancing act.

 

[albertakid]

Don't over look the cz 550 in 308 nice overall package often gets over looked, but in my experiance out of the box very hard to beat mine shoots .25-.5 moa with very little load work.

 

[HARPERC]

I left one out the: the FN PBR in 308, 20 or 24" barrels can sometimes be had in this price range.

 

[WildRose]

I know most of you would go for a more expenisive aproach but what would be your choice for a gun and scope for under $1200 to shoot out to 500 yards and possible out to 1000 yards

It all depends on what you intend to be shooting as far as game/targets or a combination of both along with realistic max ranges for each.

The .308win will definitely get you to 600 with deer, and if you can place the shot properly at least 500 for larger game, but that's about your limit.

The .300wm will do all of that and be fully capable of Elk out to 800yds and deer at 1,000yds.

As for your price range if you really want to start with something capable of sub MOA accuracy you are going to have to spend a little more money. Something like the Remington Sendero is a great platform for med-long range and most of them will shoot MOA or better right out of the box and better than that after just some basic accurizing.

When it comes to glass my advice is always the same, "Buy the best you can afford".

I would always encourage people to be a little patient and save for an extra month or two if you have to in order to get quality glass.

Magnification wise if 1,000yds shooting really is in your plans you probably need to start with at least 14x. You can get by with 10x if it's really good glass but it's hard to pick up much real detail at that range with 10x for most people.

If the above rifle is out of your price range you might check the classifieds and try to find just a good, used CDL Remington or Mod 70 (not a featherweight) and of course as someone else suggested the CZ's. I've shot a lot of CZ's and every one of them were sub MOA right out of the box.

So there you have it, depending on what you're shooting and realistic range limits either the .308 Win, or .300win would be my first two choices with the good ole 30-06 thrown in as the middle ground between them. The other calibers I'd throw into the mix are the .300wsm and 7 Rem Mag.

 

[rscott5028]

I know most of you would go for a more expenisive aproach but what would be your choice for a gun and scope for under $1200 to shoot out to 500 yards and possible out to 1000 yards

Do you already own any rifles?

You might be able to fix one up better/cheaper than trying to buy something new.

If you're patient and know what to look for, you can often find good deals in the classified section here, gunbroker, or even at a gun show.

...caveat emptor

-- richard

 

[Nimrod]

I have a Savage 111 .25/06 with a Minox ZA5 4-20X50 that is shooting sub moa from field positions to 500 yards (as far as I have shot it so far) . I gave $550.00 for the gun and got the scope as an open box special with a holiday deal thrown in for $399.00 and got a $50.00 rebate on the scope so I am at $900.00 plus scope mounts and rings. I have an M11 Savage in .300WSM that will do as well for about the same money.

Don't overlook the Savages, every one I have had was a shooter!

Bob