Looking for versatile bolt action rifle, with ranges of 600+ yards for a good shot
 

I am currently at a training command in the US Navy, so i will be moving around, but I'm looking for a bolt action rifle that would be good for hunting game from white tail to mule elk. Also with the ability to shoot over ranges accurately, i was thinking a heavy barrel. Overall just a solid platform I can put a nice scope on and can depend upon being a straight shot. Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated

jon

(price range up to around 2000, but preferably around 1000-1500)

Just rifle recommendations and not caliber?

i was planning on going for a .308, just not really sure on rifle. i like Remington but i dont have very much experience, looking for any insights

Couple of comments/questions/suggestions...

1...What type of hunting do you intend to do? Stand or stalking? The reason I ask is because packing a heavy barrel rifle up and down the hills of someplace like Montana...we'll, you'll only do it once (speaking from experience)...hunting from a stand makes a 10+ pound rifle more tolerable...so consider your hunting style as you consider your purchase...

2...Caliber? Some calibers lend themselves more to long range hunting than others...600+ yards is a long ways off and very few people can actually accurately hunt at that range...and those that do, have spend a loooooot of time on the range and sling a lot of lead. There are a few people on this forum that can shoot out that far and do...RidgeRunner is one I'd talk to...

3...Do you want an off the shelf rifle or a custom build? I am betting not many average out of the box rifles will consistently shoot out past 600 yards without modifications, reloading and great (not good...great) glass. You might look at the Savage Model 10 FLCP/FCP series in 308...I have one I built to start long range shooting with and for an off the shelf rifle they are probably capable of the job...I am still breaking mine in and developing loads but and consistently hit an 8" plate at 250 yards after about 200 rounds through it.

Talk to some people who really long range shoot and not just those that play at it (like me)...at the end of the day, while the rifle is a critical element of long range shooting, as is the right bullet/load (handloading is almost a must!)...the shooter is more important and a lot of range time will be required...there's no substitute to range time. Enjoy the search and take your time!

mostly hunting stand, but really depends on my next station. preferably an out of the box gun,just not really sure what models are known for distance shooting, many because i enjoy going to the range alot and pushing my marksmanship, just never had my own rifle

You're in the Navy? Thank you for your service.

Now, go talk to your company armorer.
They will have a better idea than most what rifle to get. Second, they may be able to build you one, from the ground up.
Or, maybe better, since the Navy and Marines are nearly inseparable. Talk to a Marine armorer.
They military has some of the best weapons knowledge in the World. Most armorers, if they can't find or build what you want. Will know who to talk to, to get the job done.

All great advise, but if you follow these instructions from guyz that "truly" know what they are talking about !!!

Thank you for your service !

The first component you must be able to depend on to be a "straight shot" is the mass of carbon behind the rifle, the one manipulating what the rifle does.

You also need to be prepared to compromise. The heavy-barreled "long tom" that might seem ideal for a sedate day in the stand over Midwestern whitetails is going to beat your tail if you have to lug it 12 miles a day in hot pursuit of a herd of elk at 8,000-10,000 feet of elevation. Different game require different methods which, in turn, often dictate different equipment.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a lighter contoured, 20-24" barrel. Most manufacturers offer something in that range, depending on the chambering. Your best bet is to see for yourself, handle them, see what feels right in your hands.

The Browning X-Bolt (or A-Bolt) and the Remington 700 or my out of the box favorites. Either one would serve you well.

I think there are a lot of better choices than the 308. If you really like the short action, check out the 300 WSM.

Homer is spot on about the heavy barrel. There is a reason they call it heavy.

My choice would be a Savage in .338 Lapua

I honestly do not think that the .308 you are thinking about would be the best choice for mule deer and definitely not for elk at ranges of 600+ yds. It simply does not have the KE required at those ranges to be humane. I would opt for a 300 WinMag or 338 Win Mag or bigger.
I've hunted for over 45 years in the east and in the west and most of my hunting was done with a Rem 700 BDL in .270 win. I killed several whitetails and antelope around the 300 yd range and a mulie at over 400. But the point I am trying to make is that in all those years I've never had a 600+ yd shot because I could always get closer. (the 437 yd mulie was the exception as I was trying to get a shot at him after stalking him for 5 hrs.). And even at that range I had a dead solid rest and shooting prone in zero wind.

This is the excuse I use when my wife asks how I could possibly need more than a dozen rifles!

Homer is most certainly right about one this point though...you'll only pack a 12 pound rifle chasing elk up and don hills all day long once...speaking from experience!

For deer? ......

Or squirrels...

7mm Rem.Mag. in Remington Sendero?

.338 Edge?
.340 Wby
.300 RUM / Win.Mag. / WSM

Nor do many shooters have the skills necessary to connect with an elk "humanely" at 600 yards, even when armed with something immensely more powerful.

hahaha...that reminds me of a funny story about a friend of mine...a 33-378 Wby and a squirrel...it wasn't pretty.

Most shoot a 7MM RM, 300 WM or some derivation there of for hunting large game at 600 + yards on any regular basis.

I shot a few prairie dogs with a .375 H&H. It'd certainly kill them, but those 300 gr GKs probably didn't expand at all as they went through. On the other hand, a 50 gr V-Max driven at over 4000 fps from a .22-250 just absolutely vaporizes them.

My grandfather used to tell me that as long as I could keep all my shots on a paper plate, he didn't care what ranges I shot deer at on his place. That's really the crux of the matter here. If you can't keep five shots on a paper plate at any particular range, you have no business taking shots at game at that range.

I know people who ought to be able to comfortably take down an elk with a .308 at 600 yards, just as I know people who shouldn't be shooting at anything over 50 yards away.

Well said Homer! The squirrel in question was hit head on at about 50 yards and pretty much "gutted" it...all we found was a pelt...hahaha

For kicks take a look at a 6.5 Grendel. At 200 yards the 308 and Grendel ballistics are very close. After that the Grendel rocks. Seriously last year I was looking at building a 308 in a AR platform. Where I stumbled on the AA 6.5 Grendel. I was impressed and excited. My goal is to shoot 500 yards by summers end. With the Grendel it would be a piece of cake. I just have to do my part ;) Good luck!

Might also look at the 6.5mm Creedmoor or the .260 Remington.

A little on the light side for elk, but if I had a nickel for everyone here who wants to hunt elk but lacks the geography to do it....

This day and age, ammunition being scarce as it is, you're going to have fun hunting for ammunition for something unique like the Grendel, Creedmoor, .260, or .308 (anything "military" for that matter). Good luck finding empty brass for anything. Lately, about the only calibers I CONSISTENTLY see on the shelves are .243, .270, .30-06, and .300 WSM. Of those four, the one I see chambered most often in a "long range" rifle is - surprisingly - the .243.

If you're not reloading, you're going to be even more subject to ammunition availability - and there's one thing that's certain here: Long-range shooting DEMANDS a solid foundation of shooting fundamentals and disciplined practice which consumes ammunition.

My "go to" deer rifle started out as the "puny" .243 before transitioning to heavier chamberings, but experience with them over the years has led me right back to the .243. A tremendously versatile cartridge, varmints through anything deer-sized. If, some day, you have the geography and will or the funds to hire an elk hunt, you'd want something heavier. Don't base your selection today on something that may never materialize. Excepting places like Bremerton, the Navy typically doesn't tend to station people where elk live.

6.5 Grendel as a 600yrd elk rifle? :nonono2: Not even 260rem in my book, and not likely a .308, but I'd take it. (For the record "matching ballistics" is a very loosely used term. My I have loads out of a short barreled .223rem that are almost a 'ballistic match' to my .30-06, but that don't make it good for deer hunting. ENERGY people, not just trajectory).

The reality of it:

Carrying a 13-17lb rifle into the field sucks, even if you're hunting from a stand. (I do it quite often, and recognize why)

Hunting at 600yrds+ requires a LOT of shooting at 600yrds+ to practice. Wind conditions, temperature, elevation, humidity, etc all factor in so much at that range that ensuring clean kills requires a LOT of dedication at the range.

600yrds 1MOA = 6". At best you're looking at 'somewhere in the lungs' with a 1MOA rifle. Keep in mind that a 1/4MOA rifle at 100yrds may not keep it together at 600yrds (rather you likely will not be able to keep it together). You really need something that you can put up 1/2MOA groups at 600yrds off the bench, recognizing you won't shoot that well in the field at go-time. (1/2MOA @ 600yrds = 3" group = just a touch smaller than the size of a deer or elk heart). Realize that before you send a bullet 700yrds after game animals.

Making shots at 600yrds requires a solid rest, which means your set/stand design will be different than conventional hunting styles. Most of my longer range sets are designed to let me lay prone either off a X-bag sand bag or a shooting rest, or shoot off of a bench from the same (in a blind). 600yrds+ off of sticks is a VERY low percentage shot, 600yrds+ offhand is only common by outdoor sports writers... :hail::busted:

You absolutely need GREAT glass at that range. Leupold VX-3 LRT's are about the cheapest in the group, Bushnell's 6500 Elite 4.5-30x50 is pretty reasonable. Nightforce can't be beat, but the scope will cost more than your budget.

Getting a 600yrd+ rifle for $1000-1500 isn't realistic unless you're talking used, or getting lucky. $2500 should get you there, but might be iffy. You should plan for about $1200 into the rifle (with prices right now) and another $1000 into the glass. Shooting rest not included. A bulls X bag will put you back about $100 these days, and will work well enough. Bipods are decent, harris or nothing in my book, but sand or solid rest = better. Rock BR = great front rest.

Factory ammo CAN shoot that well out of a factory rifle and kill game at 600yrds+. Is it likely or common? No. Since you'll be mobile, setting up a reloading system probably isn't in the stars.

I'm a huge fan of Savage 10 and 12 for factory accuracy. Rem 700 Sendero's will cost you more than your budget I believe, but that's my other factory favorite for long range precision. At $2500, I don't believe you could get a proper custom job done for long range precision work, not with satisfactory glass.

A rifle that surprised me a lot: Savage 16 Bear Hunter .300WSM. All the savage accuracy out of lighter barrel, same high performance Accu-trigger, and a very reasonable pricetag.

I sure hope it isn't deleted in 2 days--that would be a shame. Your sequence in building up a long range hunting rifle is interesting and not one I had ever considered. What did you find worked better doing it that way? Also, I'm curious as to your input on the type of rests you used on your 450-1350 shots. I am considering a longer range hunting rifle and have been reading this topic for some of the experienced posts. to date, I've only hunted out to 375-400 yards which is a much different (and easier) performance window. My only true long experience was in the Marines but that was a long time ago, somewhat different and with iron sights with much younger eyes. :D

Really sad to see you go RR...I wondered why we hadn't seen much of you lately, was hoping everything was OK. I for one will miss you as I have learned so much from interacting with you and really enjoy your shared thoughts. Do you post on another forum?

Ridge,

NEVER let ANYONE ruin YOUR fun !!!


I can only reiterate EMT's thanks for you & your input here on Huntingnet.com


Look forward to hearing more from you in the future.............................

jon,

http://www.remingtonle.com/rifles/700pltr.htm

600 yard shots on game?

ALL of the guys I've known who were capable of such shots. (Trained military or police snipers) were way too smart to engage in such stuff.

Get closer. It's called hunting.

".......600yrds+ off of sticks is a VERY low percentage shot, 600yrds+ offhand is only common by outdoor sports writers... :hail::busted: NoMercy


Apparently, I missed reading this the first time around........Excellent !!!