Lightweight Longrange Gun??

[Sapphire]

Bone stock Tikka?? 1/2 MOA at 400 yards... that sounds like a winner to me!!! Sweet.

Yeah, I LOVE the TTSX and TSX's... they have served me well for a while now. Not long range though.... will test that later!

 

[Oliveralan]

A new rifle on the market that i think is just plain awsome is the savage lightweight hunter.

Check them out here:
Savage Arms Firearms > 111 Lightweight Hunter
Savage Arms Firearms > 11 Lightweight Hunter

Long action comes in 6.5x284, 30-06, and .270. 6.5x284 would be sweet for light game and the 30-06 with 210 or 190 VLDs or a 200 AB would kick pretty hard, but have some thump to it.

Short action comes in .223, .243, .260, 7-08, and 308. A .243 for light game to 500-600yards would work, and .260, 7-08 and 308 would extend that a little.

Once they come out in left hand, i dont think ill be able to resist one... probably a .308 but that's because im a big .308 fan and i would use it for 300yards and in 90% of the time, i have dedicated custom rifles for further out.
Not saying it wouldn't be capable, but just not what i plan to use it for.

Also, you need to realize it is very difficult to an ultralight rifle like this with the accuracy needed at long range... even my buddy's 9-10lb .280 rem is ok, but definitely harder to shoot accurately at range. Plan for a lot of practice!

 

[Moosetracker]

I spent last year testing the barnes 185 TTSX. It shoots 3210 fps out of my Tikka with light recoil and exceptional accuracy. Matter of fact I was just looking at one of the quarter mile four shot groups around two inches. The BC is higher than listed and it is a deadly killer that I have tested on animals to near 800 yards so far. I took several animals with it last year. I have a Swarovski 4-12x50 on it that weighs 14.5 ounces with crystal clear clarity. The BR reticle in it allows me to hold dead on to over 900 yards according to the chart however I have just tested it to 800 yards so far. It is the best backpacker that I have found so far in a reasonably priced rifle.

I use the same rifle/caliber with a Limbsaver and Magnaport for moose both for long range hunting and dense brush still hunting. For LRH I mount a Swarovski Z6 1.7-10x42mm TDS on a picatinny rail. I use it single shot with Accubonds 225gr seated .010" from the lands for 3/4 MOA to 650 yards.

For still hunting, I switch to a Zeiss z Point with Barnes TSX 210gr seated at magazine length.

Here's a couple of photos:

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Excellent, I think the 225 AB is the best long range bullet for the 338 winchester. I shot a 72" Alaska moose with it at 1104 yards verified by three people including the bush pilot. The rifle is not an extreme range rifle and the 225 has best performance within the ranges the 338 winny performs well at. The 185 ttsx has very little recoil and my wife even shoots it well straight off the shelf not modified. I shot grizzly, sheep and caribou in Alaska with it in August and September. The 185 ttsx performs well on game to over 750 yards. Seen that already.

 

[sp6x6]

I have a factoy A bolt ss,325 wsm. I have shot 1/2 moa but it hold 1 to 7-800,200 ab. My son and I have taken bulls with it at 5-600 yrd.It is 7-60z. set up to go w/4-14x40 and sling.Also have a 338 NM, 26'' that is 7-2 oz. bare. It is not battle proven,yetgun)

 

[Sapphire]

Inspiring.... 1100 yard moose...now that is LR... I either want to kill one with my longbow at 15 yards...or at 1100! hehehe

 

[Good]

I just picked up a low mileage takeoff barrel to screw onto my 700 action. It's an XCR barrel chambered in 338 RUM (thanks again eddybo!). Lightweight, with a buncha punch that will be for packing in the AZ mountains. Now I just need to save up the money to get it done and work up some loads, but this will hopefully be a great mid range (6-700yds) killer on any game around. If it'll hold 10" at 700yds I'll be happy I think, and that's pretty good for a cheap heavy hitter.

 

[Sapphire]

So just a stock barrel huh? Let us know how it goes, there is a gunsmith nearby me that has buckets full of them takeoffs... He'll screw one on for $100 bucks or so.....

 

[Good]

So just a stock barrel huh? Let us know how it goes, there is a gunsmith nearby me that has buckets full of them takeoffs... He'll screw one on for $100 bucks or so.....

Right. The pricy part is the muzzle brake. In a 7-9lb rifle, I don't think I'd be able to shoot the 300g Bergers in 338 RUM unless I had a good brake on it... Most places will charge around $200 for brake with installation. Then if you don't have a magnum action to begin with, the bolt face needs to be opened up which is another $100. While it's apart, you might as well have your smith install a heavy duty recoil lug. That's $40 or so. All that cheese is what I'm waiting on... then get it all Cerakoted.

 

[Sapphire]

It all adds up.... with kids getting closer to college age...I need to be real careful with that one!!!

 

[j_unzicker]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents. Being primarily a hunter and not a target shooter, I wanted a rifle that was light enough to hunt with but could shoot long range. I bought a Rem 700 SPS 7mm mag and put the laminate mountain stock on it. I glass bedded the stock. If you wanted to go really light, go with a synthetic stock or a walnut stock and pillar bed the action as well (and of course free float the barrel). That can be more pricey, but it will give you a solid foundation with the lightest setup. I purchased a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50 scope for a few hundred dollars. Overall I put under $700 into this set up. It is fairly light and shoots .45 MOA. If I get the wind right, I can hit my 12" gong at 1000 yards all day (well I shouldn't say "all day" because my sporter barrel will heat up faster than a bull barrel but you know what I mean). So if you are primarily a hunter, but want a long range rifle, don't buy into the thought that you have to have a heavy bull barrel. You can do well with a sporter set up too.

 

[mike33]

Anyone considering an edge 26" # 3 or 4 contour?
mike

 

[Imho]

I've been playing around with the idea of a LR light-ish-weight.

I have a Weatherby Vanguard SUB-MOA in .300WM. I'd like to start by bedding the action as I've always had good results doing this with these actions, but when I've done it before I've also free-floated the barrel. This was with calibres like .223's, .243's and 25-06's.

Does anyone have any experience with the results of free-floating the magnum sporter weight barrels?

 

[scenarshooter]

Ga Precision built .308 on a Rem 700SA in .308 is one of my go to lightweight rigs. S&B 10X42PMII in Talley LW's....7.5 lbs. Mcmillan Edge, Rock bbl #3 5R, Jewell trigger, Badger lug and Badger M4 alloy bottom metal.

Killed this black bear last spring in Montana with it at 450 meters...

Killed this black bear last spring in Wyoming with it at 530 meters...