Out of the Box: Best Long Range Target Rifle/Caliber/Ammo Combo?

[DT400]

I can't help with a what caliber will work best for you. I hunt Prairie Dogs out to 500 yds, so I am pretty short on the range portion.
I would suggest you do some research and look into a Savage rifle.
They are well known for being very accurate out of the box and not super pricey. Changing barrels is fairly straight forward if you want to go that route.
I have a 22-250 and with my handloads I can get .2"-.3" (I really avg. .6")groups at 200 yds. My rifle is all stock. I truly believe if properly broken in, like mine is, the gun will out shoot you.
I am just very impressed with Savage.
YMMV

Good luck.

Darrell

 

[DakotaGlockGuy]

Darrell,

What model Savage do you have? Also, may I ask what scope you are running?

It looks like the 22-250 could be a great choice as well. It does the distance, and is fairly cheap to shoot with match grade ammo. I will do some more research on this one!

Thanks!

 

[DakotaGlockGuy]

.308 vs. 6.5 Creedmoor

One final question on the caliber. I'm pretty set on the Creedmoor after a lot of research and the opinions of others here. My last question on the caliber is this:

Is there anything the .308 will do that the 6.5 Creedmoor won't do better?

Thanks again guys!

 

[DT400]

Dakota,

I have a stock Savage 12FV with a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44 on top. I load my own so that helps.

Darrell

 

[blkdog]

Get yourself a Cooper in 6.5 Creedmoor and order 2000 rds of Hornady 140 A-max put a really good scope on it and have fun! I have one and it shoots under 2" at 500 yards all day, less recoil than a .308 and cuts the wind at least 1MOA better than a .308 Just my two cents

 

[DakotaGlockGuy]

Get yourself a Cooper in 6.5 Creedmoor and order 2000 rds of Hornady 140 A-max put a really good scope on it and have fun! I have one and it shoots under 2" at 500 yards all day, less recoil than a .308 and cuts the wind at least 1MOA better than a .308 Just my two cents

I'm not familiar at all with Cooper, so what model should I be looking at? Can you post a link (or pics) of the one you have?

Under 2" @ 500 yards definitely sounds like it should be on my "Get to know more about it" list!

Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[bkondeff]

First let me disclose I am a hunter and not primarily a target shooter.

I have spent the last 8 years slowly stretching my effective range and doing a lot of reloading and shooting.

I was looking into the 7mmLRM for long range hunting. I don't recommed the caliber, but the one reservation I have with it is the same I will mention for the 6.5 Creed, which is brass. Good brass goes a long way toward good loads and good groups, so research that and see what if any limitations the Hornady brass may have vs the array of quality .308 brass that is also much more readily available.

Of course I do like the .264 ballistics much more than I do the .308, but while I have never reloaded or owned a .308, I understand it is very forgiving to load for, which is a blessing without years of practical experience.

Plus I will conclude with the observation that most people that get into LR shooting, be it for target or hunting purposes, rarely achieve their goals without changing guns along the way. Given this I think it is more likely you will end up eventually with a full custom actioned, heavy BR gun but that the Savage will be a better platform to practice and learn on for now and yes you may even get lucky and find is shoot's sub .5moa, but that is never a given no matter what you spend.

Good Luck.

 

[blkdog]

Look up Cooper firearms of Montana. As far as brass goes, Norma has started to make 6.5 Creed brass, and the only on I know of that might be better is Lapua. I have not had any issues with Hornady brass. I do anneal after the first firing to even bullet tension.

 

[Clever]

Sako TRG 22 6.5 Creedmoor or 260 Rem.

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

Ok so I'm gonna have to be the guy that suggests a 6.5. Take a hard look at the 6.5 creedmoor or 260 rem. It tops the 308 ballistically at the longer ranges you are talking about. Recoil is fairly mild and at least the creedmoor you'll find some good ammo from hornady over the counter. Also the hornady load recipe is no secret so you should be able to reproduce it after you start reloading. For a strictly range gun and caliber it would be hard to find better. I believe you can even find a factory Savage in the creedmoor these days.

Good man!! 6.5 Creedmoor all the way. In a Savage or Ruger M77 mk2 VT. But the 6 BR or PPC or even the 243 are good options. The 6.5 Creedmoor is my favorite. Less recoil with the same BC bullets than the 308 . Less powder.

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

Re: .308 vs. 6.5 Creedmoor

One final question on the caliber. I'm pretty set on the Creedmoor after a lot of research and the opinions of others here. My last question on the caliber is this:

Is there anything the .308 will do that the 6.5 Creedmoor won't do better?

Thanks again guys!

Not a thing.


I have had great success with the Hornady brass. I have 9 reloads on some of mine and the necks and primer pockets are still tighe.
The Creed is giving very good barrel life to everyone I've heard that's shooting them a lot.