Hey guys,

I'm kicking around the idea of building a long ranger. Thousand yards being max, most likely most shots between 6-8 hundred. What actions, barrels, and stocks are you guys using? I'd like to keep it as compact as possible. I'm also hoping to keep it under 13 pounds. Calibers I'm considering most are 300 Win or 338 Win.

Thanks in advance.

For .300 Win Mag you could go with almost any bolt action. I'd pick a Savage and a Brux Barrel. I'm in the midst of parts gathering for either a .308 or .30-06 in a Savage.

I've shot 1K with an AR (RRA NMA2) and hand loads (Berger 80.5's and Varget).

For good Palma or F/TR info try here:
http://www.usrifleteams.com/lrforum/

quote:

Originally posted by wistrapper:
Hey guys,

I'm kicking around the idea of building a long ranger. Thousand yards being max, most likely most shots between 6-8 hundred. What actions, barrels, and stocks are you guys using? I'd like to keep it as compact as possible. I'm also hoping to keep it under 13 pounds. Calibers I'm considering most are 300 Win or 338 Win.

Thanks in advance.

1000 yards is not that big of a deal, I would just go with a 308 or a 280/6.5x47. With the ranges that you are speaking about, you can have fun with ether a 18 or 20 inch barrel. Just remember, with long distance you will need to shoot 168 or 175 gn pills. A fast twist on the barrel is a necessity. Look for a 1:10 or 1:11 twist. If you want a custom build, look at the guys from Surgon Rifles, or call George at GA Precession. Oh, get good glass, makes life better.

The Savage route would be the cheapest. If you want to do things right I would suggest a Defiance XM action with bottom metal, 28'' Krieger barrel in 7mmWSM (with the throat cut long so you can seat 180gr bullets out long),with a #4 or #5 contour, SSG mini extreme brake, Jewel trigger,and a beded McMillan stock.

I have a Savage Model 12 Palma rifle in 308 and a Savage 110 FCP in 338 Lapua with an HS precision stock. Both are quite capable of high master scores (>97%)at 1000 yards when I drive them correctly.

I have owned much more expensive rifles and they did not shoot any better than the Savage "bargain rifles" once properly tuned.

That said, the customs may have been a little easier to shoot due to ergonomics but, once you get the Savage dialed in, they are quite capable of custom build accuracy.

There are lots of good actions that you can choose to build a 1000 yd rifle. The Remington 700 and custom actions based on the 700 design are the most popular for long range work.
In Long range tactical competition we shoot out to 1000 and beyond quite often.
I have never owned a Savage bolt gun however on many occasions guys with Savage actions have out shot me in matches.
From what I can tell the only thing wrong with a Savage is it does not have the sex appeal of the other more expensive actions.
The Savage action is a very good option for a 1000 yr rifle and the price of the Savage is very attractive. If you go with a Savage as was already suggested use the money you save and spend it on good glass.
I am not a top competitor but also have never finished last in a match so take my opinion take it for what it is worth.


Jerry Jacques
Alaska Master Guide
www.Bristol-Bay.com

If your only shooting paper at 1000, just build a 6BR. A cheap way to get there may be to find an old BR rifles for sale pretty cheap. I would guess nearly all of them already have sako extrators on them making opening the bolt face a easy proposition. Fit up a 8 twist barrel and have fun. Be careful longrangeitus is very catching and very expensive usually.

If you want to shoot paper and metal targets, with maybe some deer or smaller game to 600 or so yards, I would agree with Eddybo.

Look at 6 or 6.5mm cartridges. I'd recommend the 6mm Creedmoor for a bit more oomph, or a 6.5 Creedmoor or 260 for an extra hundred yards or so and more emphasis on deer. 260 will take you a fair bit past 1000 without very much recoil, in a compact rifle.

What do you want to shoot? That will determine a lot about what you need. My preferred target at long range is marmots. My current long range rifle is a 7 mag, Kreiger barrel, BAT action, Jewell trigger and Greybull stock. That rifle has proven itself many times on these little targets at ranges beyond 1000 yards. This rifle weighs 13.5 lbs scoped with an S&B PMII.
I also shoot a 270 WSM that weighs just over 8 lbs with a Nightforce compact scope. It has held half-MOA out to 842 yards.
Both rifles are shooting heavy Berger VLD's.
Accuracy is a function of how well your rifle is built rather than what it weighs, however most 'smiths I have spoken with that build long range rifles seem to agree that a LR rifle will generally weigh 10 lbs or more. There needs to be a certain level of rigidity in components that will make the rifle capable of greater accuracy.

Thanks guys. This rifle will be either 300 or 338 win mag. I'm liking the Savage idea as it would be super easy to switch barrels should I decide to one day get a longer barrel. Compact is one of the "musts" on my list.

Cobrad,

Most of the stuff that will get shot at will be targets. However reactive targets such as coyotes, skunks, and crows will likely be on the menu as well.

You have some small targets there all right. Minute of elk accuracy will not cut it. My experience with Savage has not been with their target rifles, but my experience with factory rifles has been that they are rather hit or miss when it comes to fine accuracy, especially the kind if accuracy you will need to hit crows that far out. If it doesn't measure up, there are a lot of smiths that work on them.
I would highly suggest the .300 winny over the .338. You will get a much better combination of high BC bullets and velocity. The .300 has a long record as a successful 1K yard target round. The .338 winny has no such record.
You will also need a top end scope. Anything less and you will be buying a lot of frustration. I would suggest Nightforce or March as the best combination of reliability, repeatable turrets, glass quality, and price.
Do you reload?

If you screw a custom barrel on a Savage, it should shoot great. I would of course also upgrade the stock. I'd expect half-moa if you do both of these things. A 20" 7mm or 300 WSM would give respectable performance in a short package.

Cobrad

I am leaning much more to the 300 to be honest, I guess the 338 probably needs to be Lapua, Edge or Rum to get the most out of that bore. Scope, I have a 30mm 6.5 - 20 X 40 Leupold already that I plan to use. It has the Long Range Varminter Reticle now but I will most likely send it to Leupold for a different one. I do reload and if I go the 300 Win I hope to share the 175 Match Kings that I already use in my 20" .308 Win.


Tyler

I've heard a lot of good about Brux Barrels as Sam has suggested and they are only about 1 1/2 hours from my place. I'm considering a stock that is similar to the Sako TRG 42

Brad

I would suggest trying some 208s in both guns as well, in the 300 they'll really shine and in the 308 you should still gain some wind resistance.

I once heard that a 30 inch barrel along with lighter bullets like the 155gr be used for 1000yd shooting with a 308 to get maximum velocity and stay supersonic.I think a 13 twist works for the 155gr.