Let's face the facts.............I'm too poor

[RDM416]

I suggest you invest part of your limited budget getting set up to handload. At the price of premium ammo you will probably not shoot much.

A rifle that will hold 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 moa will still get you to 400 or 500 yards. 1 1/2 moa at 500 is a 7.5 inch group. Good enough for a deer. Obviously smaller is better but a factory rig does not mean you can't still reach out there. 500 is still a pretty far poke!

 

[bullfrog]

I would also suggest getting set up for reloading. You will want to do quite a bit of shooting and you will make your money back very soon if you are shooting premium ammo. Plus you will be able to "tune" your load to your rifle (mainly loading to the correct length for the throat in your rifle).

If you are planning on putting a Nikon on this rifle why not get a BDC model with the holdover points for ranges beyond 200 yards. If you are limiting yourself to about 500 yards and you shoot to verify at the actual distances they work very well.

Almost every factory rifle I have shot was able to shoot 3 shot groups under 1" at 100 yards with at least one load.

 

[crowsnest2002]

I'm poor as well. I have a wife and 2 children. I am the only income for the family. The only thing you can really do is save all your pennies and buy a part or piece at a time. Good luck.

 

[WildRose]

True but if one is contemplating shooting long range at anything the thought would cross the mind that the basics had been established and there are enough resources to get at least mildly proficient at it before taking a "poke" at something? in other words there should a lot of shooting one is doing before setting out on a long range task wouldn't you say?

With a max range of 300-500yds, no not really.

As far as becoming proficient there's a reason the army use .22 trainers for most of the last century. You can become quite proficient at the basics of marksmanship without shooting long range.

Once the basics are learned at these ranges no, it doesn't take a whole lot of shooting with the hunting rig to become extremely accurate and proficient.

 

[WildRose]

I'm poor as well. I have a wife and 2 children. I am the only income for the family. The only thing you can really do is save all your pennies and buy a part or piece at a time. Good luck.

Yep and buy smart when you do. That doesn't mean buying the most expensive, it just means making sure you get quality and value for those hard earned dollars because there's just not enough of them to waste trying this and then that, and then maybe one of those till you get it right.

 

[window licker]

With a max range of 300-500yds, no not really.

As far as becoming proficient there's a reason the army use .22 trainers for most of the last century. You can become quite proficient at the basics of marksmanship without shooting long range.

Once the basics are learned at these ranges no, it doesn't take a whole lot of shooting with the hunting rig to become extremely accurate and proficient.

True, however 300-500 is more of a midrange parameter. i also concur with your statement that becoming proficient at that distance should be achievable in short order.

 

[Kirbstomps]

I would split the diffrence and get a Sendero in 7mm, they shoot **** well for a factory rifle.

 

[WildRose]

I would split the diffrence and get a Sendero in 7mm, they shoot **** well for a factory rifle.

Or 300wm or 300wsm. Both are in many ways superior to the 7mm Rem.

That's not knocking the 7mm Rem either. I owned and shot at least one of them for over 25 years, and I currently own the 7mm STW's 300wm and 300 Rum.

 

[Win.308Stealth]

Work so you can live, not live so you can work. So go ahead spend the extra $200 on that rifle or scope, take that extra day off during hunting season. By no means spending a couple of hundred dollars every 3-4 months is going to set you back. Thats what I do, and it seems to work fairly well, it just takes me longer to get the nice things I want.

 

[long action]

Number one, what ever rifle you have take care of the barrel. Number 2, invest in a blueprinting job on you're action.I have finally worked my way up to several custom rifles toped with Night Force scopes. My best return on the dollar has been a 300 win mag in a Sendaro with the Weaver tactical on it. Also great luck with the Savage 6.5 X 284.

 

[RMulhern]

Ya don't have to have a $5,000.00 'rig' to get accuracy...or to have fun! This is an '06 barreled action/Hart barrel I had made up back in '84 for NRA Match shooting. I took it out of it's comp stock, placed it into an old .458 Win Mag stock I had saved, pillar bedded the dude and it shoots mighty fine!

[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61286670@N08/7782275896/"]UglyBastid | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61286670@N08/7782275896/"]UglyBastid | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame] by Sharps45 2 7/8, on Flickr

Here's 15 shots from 1000 yards:

[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61286670@N08/7782347518/"]'061000 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61286670@N08/7782347518/"]'061000 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame] by Sharps45 2 7/8, on Flickr

The white AR400 clanger is 20" diameter. I don't think it's quite 'woe out' just yet!!

 

[mrbigtexan]

id like to add that you should set yourself a goal and work towards it as much as possible. i would go look at several different bolt actions and pick the one that you absolutely like the best and stick with it. i have been known to change directions midstream more than once. i started with a 308 in a military mauser, went to a 7mm saum in a remington model 7, went to a 270 in a remington 700, then went to a 7mm rem mag in a commercial mauser. it was a custom that i just fell into that doesnt need any improvements. its an absolute tack driver. you can find a custom mauser that someone has already done all the work to already for usually not very much money because everyone wants a remington it seems. i would be very far ahead if i would of found what i wanted first. i absolutely love the commercial mausers the best. but i am looking at the tikkas because they are interesting looking.

 

[Dr. Vette]

As others have noted, you don't have to spend a lot of money to have an accurate rifle that will then be able to shoot longer ranges. Two of my most accurate centerfire rifles are my Savage 110-FP in 25-06 and my Wby Vanguard in 270 Win. Yes, my Sendero in 7m Rem Mag beats them but not by a lot with factory ammo. The Savage and the Vanguard can be purchased for $400-500 if you look around.

You mention Remington in your first post. If you have to stay with them then there may be a Model 700 out there for you if you watch for one. You can find reasonable deals in some gun shops on the used rifle rack, on Gunbroker and possibly in a pawn shop. Don't be afraid to check here in the Classifieds as well. If you pick up a used one for $350 and then have the action trued for about $200 you are starting with a nice rifle.

Tuning the trigger (or replacing it) and bedding the action in the stock often yield significant benefits. The tuning is often not expensive with the right gunsmith, and you can bed a rifle yourself.

If you want to try using turrets rather than a BDC reticle consider the Sightron S-II series of scopes. I have two and they seem to be very good values for the money.

Good luck in your quest.

 

[trebark]

If your desire is to take deer out to 500 yards, then you have a broad array of cartridges to choose from. Many of them have already been enumerated. My recommendation would be to look at those that can provide you with a high BC (ballistic coefficient) bullet. BC provides you with a numerical description of how aerodynamic a bullet is. So a .600 is more aerodynamic than a .490.

There are some calibers that are inherently more aerodynamic than others - 6.5mm (.264"), 7mm (.284") and 30cal (.308"). Choose a cartridge in these calibers and you will be good to go and have a platform that will be able to more you to the next level when you're ready.

In terms of living on a budget, my nephew's rifle is a great example of the things you can (should!?) do to improve the accuracy potential of a factory barreled rifle:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f53/nephews-transformed-rifle-53634/