Should I get a long range shooting or hunting gun or try to balance between the two?

[Fatcatbuster]

Get good eyes.My scopes seem to cost more than the rifle.....

 

[BrentM]

I'm new to this long range shooting world though I have plinked with guns out to 800 yards for years, but with no mathematical precision. I have hunted my whole life and as I am considering purchasing a gun in 7mm PRC for shooting long range. I cannot seem to get over the hump of purchasing a gun exclusively for long range shooting without being able to use it for hunting. Am I crazy to try and find a balance between the two?

This is totally fine in my opinion. I have 1 rifle I train with that is dedicated to long range shooting due to being heavy etc. I have 1 for comps. My hunter will do all of it. It's light, configurable, and accurate.

 

[ridgewalker]

A hunter here. In my youth (60s…LOL!) I carried hunting rifles 9-10 lbs in the mountains of Colorado. Beat myself up doing so. Jack O'Connor recommended a 7 lb gun for mountain hunting and I agree whole heartedly! I have only shot at antelope over 300 yards, so I don't push my distances. I've taken a reasonable number of game in my time. But the hunt is what it's all about to me. Carrying a light gun just makes the hunt more enjoyable allowing you to cover more distance and be ready for that quick shot.
I bought my granddaughter a Tikka in 7mm-08 and it has worked well for her. It scales just a bit over 7 lbs. It has worked for antelope, mule deer, black bear, and some Texas exotics. Not yet connected on her an elk.

All that said, if you plan for a gun for the family and you aren't reloading yet, a light (7 lbs with scope) in 7mm-08 is a great way to get everyone involved. I would have no qualms taking the biggest bull in the country with an appropriate quality bullet to 4-500 yards. Oh and pretty cheap to shoot as well as easy to find ammo.

What ever gun/cartridge you choose, enjoy being out there with your kids. That's what counts most.

 

[blackburbot]

I have gone done this road many times... If you want something that is fully capable and fun to shoot long range... talking 1500yards and beyond. You want something heavier to soak up the 30-50 rounds per session that you shoot. But then the rifle starts to get on the heavy side for hunting and carrying. Also typically if you are shooting long range, your barrel is only going to last a season or two and this gets frustrating for hunting because you are typically low on reloads or in the process of really having a capable rifle for hunting.

 

[memtb]

I'd say most people would call a heavy hunting rifle 10-15 lbs. if you can find a 6lb setup that you can shoot, awesome. I haven't found one in the bigger caliber stuff, though.

Weight is less of an issue for me because I like hiking in at 1am and glassing from vantage points at sunrise. 12 lbs isn't bad if it's strapped on a pack, balanced and aligned with your center of gravity. Probably less fun if you're carrying on a sling or in hand.

Yep we're experiencing two different methods of hunting!

I've done very little actual backpack hunting…..packing in for miles, setting up camp, then day-hunting from camp.

The vast majority of my hunting consists (well consisted) of a daypack with all of the gear that one may need on a hunt with enough stuff to spend a night out if forced to.Plus, my rifle is almost never shouldered and would never be secured to a pack! For the past 30+ years almost all of my hunting (except Pronghorn) is in Grizzly country….my rifle is in my hand. At 9 pounds, it's all I want to carry all day in my hands! memtb

 

[blvette75]

I'm new to this long range shooting world though I have plinked with guns out to 800 yards for years, but with no mathematical precision. I have hunted my whole life and as I am considering purchasing a gun in 7mm PRC for shooting long range. I cannot seem to get over the hump of purchasing a gun exclusively for long range shooting without being able to use it for hunting. Am I crazy to try and find a balance between the two?

Well when I was younger had two kids I was going to put through college, for years just had one rifle a savage 110 300 win mag. When I got older and more interested in long range hunting/shooting and bucket list hunting, I decided to expand my horizons. Have two Rifles that I have now that I am comfortable with doing both one is a CA 300 win mag, that was a Mesa then added a Modern Precision Rifle chassis(Changed the name from stock to chassis) but got both on sale so was a bit less than their MPR . Without the scope it weighs about 8.8 Lbs, with scope about 11.2 lbs. The other Rifle is a Bergara HMR in 6.5 Creedmoor, 24" barrel about 11.4 lbs with scope. Both gun manufacturers make these in 7mm PRC. There are good options with Savage, Browning and Ruger. I have a new Ruger American go live Camo, in 7 mm PRC, put a Jard trigger on it a a Bear PAW cheek rest. Still breaking it in but I consider this just a hunter, but will try to stretch it out. I am very happy with the accuracy of the rifle with Federal Premium 175 Grn ELDX about 0.5 MOA. Have not optimized a reload yet, and may still fire lap the barrel, but a $550.00 rifle I am happy weight is a little over 9lbs with scope.

 

[blvette75]

Get good eyes.My scopes seem to cost more than the rifle.....

Yep, that has been my trend with my old eyes.