got tha fever for a "long range" rifle

[Guest carter]

so i have been wanting a "long range" rifle for a while now... I am currently rifleless... would like to keep my price range reasonable at $700ish and under for the rifle itself... and would like to keep the caliber reasonably easy to obtain...like .223, .308... this is what i have been looking at...

 

-Savage 10 in .308 with 18.5" threaded barrel 1-10 twist 

  has detachable mags but a 10rnd mag is outrageously high

 

-Remington 700 SPS in .308 with 18.5" threaded barrel 1-10 twist ( most expensive)

  no detachable mag and a kit is outrageously high 

 

-Mossberg MVP in .223 with 18.5" threaded barrel not sure about twist

 takes standard AR-15 mags 

 

all are blot action... and seems like decent ammunition in both calibers are about the same price wise... so, should i get a bolt action or just save up some more money and get something like a Springfield M1A or AR with higher cap mags and is semi auto... any good/bad points of these rifles?

 

I know the Springfield, AR and Rem 700 are battle proven :)  at least I've narrowed it down to 6

 

or a PTR-91?

Edited January 7, 2014 by carter

[glock55]

if a long range rifle is the goal I think I would stay with the 308. I know savage makes a fine rifle but my choice would be a Remington 700. I feel that you can make a 700 a much better long range rifle with planned upgrades that the others listed. i'm not knocking savage nor Mossberg but I feel more can be done with the 700. with that said for a make me feel like a man, remind me of my heritage, connect me to my forefathers the M1A cant be beat. I suppose it would really come down to exactly what you want to do with the gun. to my way of thinking the guns you have listed represent a wide range of uses. may want to narrow down exactly what the gun will be used for. I don't think that you would go wrong with any of them however.

[RED333]

There is a FNAR for sale in the for sale section.

[LawEnforcementSalesTN]

Heck man, you're right in Barrett's back yard... M98, MRAD ... come on ... ;o)

 

What do you consider long range?  Asking as some of your options above will limit your maximum effective range. 

 

I concur with Glock55.  A Remington 700 is hard to beat as a LPR for that price range. You can get anything and everything for them...and customize them out the ARS! ... nothing wrong with the others I think you'll just find more options and accessories with the remmy. 308 is a perfect round to learn on and stay on when you're there too.  I've seen some great shooting stock Savage 10s too but I'd lean towards the 700 if given the option.

 

I've been extremely fortunate and have had some of what I consider the very best in the field. I've owned Barretts - both 50s and 338s, Accuracy Internationals 308s and my current rig is a Desert Tactical Arms deployment kit.  It can go from either SRS or COVERT setup and can swap between 308 and 338 Lapua calibers faster than you can read this post.... will I ever truly need that functionality, probably not... but I also know I'll never need anything above it either so it's a comfortable feeling..

 

My $.02 for what it's worth...

 

1) - buy once, cry once ... if you want something, really want it... save and get it... don't settle...  it was important for me to learn on the rig I would be carrying and keeping.  You'll find many guns may be similar but something as little as magazine release, safety location , bolt throw angle, etc... can and will mess you up as you step from rifle to rifle. 

2) - read, read and re-READ.... I've spontaneously purchased so much crap before I really knew if I definitely needed it or wanted it... and if you're like me, you rarely ever get your money back ... I buy high and sell low ;o)

3) - don't skimp on glass... be prepared to spend as much or even more on a quality scope.  You'll want something that is going to track accurately and consistently or you mind as well be using iron sights. 

 

Check out snipershide.com  ... they have a great training section and I learned a lot when I was starting out.  You'll see a ton of great pics to get you thinking and there's guys out there that forgot more last week about shooting than I'll ever learn in my lifetime.  Some of those gents live it everyday ... wealth of knowledge out there and I've found they're never too busy to help a neophyte.

 

If you ever get down in the Knoxville area I'd be happy to take you out and let you shoot the DTA.  It's a tack driver and a pleasure to shoot.  Being a bullpup it's a different concept but in it's covert form, the still respectible 16" barrel doesn't extend any further than the end of the scope!  It has a 16" and 22" 308 barrels and a 26" 338 Lapua and all 3 will hold a 3/8 MOA with this poor shooter behind the helm... would love to put them in more capable hands and see what they can really do.

 

Good luck!

[wareagle]

I have owned all of the rifles that you listed. For the $700 price point, I might give up detach mag feed. If that's palatable, I think savage and rem are better options. I've not fired my MP, but trigger is good / action is rough / barrel looks like it will,take awhile to break in. I am a big fan of the FNAR and FN PBR. They are VERY accurate, box fed and fairly priced.

[jeff43]

Get the Savage!

[Dolomite_supafly]

I am tagging this for the morning Savage endorsement. There are a lot of reasons to go with a Savage over a Remington and accuracy isn't one of them.

[Guest carter]

I am tagging this for the morning Savage endorsement. There are a lot of reasons to go with a Savage over a Remington and accuracy isn't one of them.

are you referring to the Remington trigger? the 700 sps i am looking at is "suppose" to have the new x-mark trigger 

[NRA]

There is a FNAR for sale in the for sale section.

This but it is not in the 700 ish range

[DaveTN]

For a long range rifle I have a Remington VLS in 308 with a Leupold 6.5 -20 x 40 VX-III. I am hoping this is a 1000 yard rifle but I haven’t got to try it out at that distance yet. It shoots nice groups at 300 yards with factory ammo.

I also have the Mossberg MVP in .223. It’s a nice rifle but certainly not the quality of the Remington and the .223 is not what I would consider a long range round.

I also have a 308 AR, but I doubt you will find anything in the AR platform that will compete with a heavy barrel bolt gun; they also won’t be in your budget. Edited January 7, 2014 by DaveTN

[79troublehead]

+1 on the Savage. 

[mikegideon]

Dolomite! I've seen a Savage with a drop-in Shilen match barrel. That was a helluva shooter.

[CM1021]

Go with the Savage. When I was getting into the long range game I went with a Savage FP-SR in .308. I have had that gun for a few years now and now I'm getting ready to start building another savage in .260 Rem. All the work on the gun will be done by me, no need to have the action sent off and trued like a 700, no need to have them install a barrel, nothing. Just like Dolomite said Savage is the gun if you like to work on your own stuff. If you like to spend money having someone else doing it then by all means go with the mdl 700. Not trying to be a jerk just what I have realized with the remington. I read a lot of Dolomite's stuff and he definitely swayed my vote to the savage.

[mikegideon]

Go with the Savage. When I was getting into the long range game I went with a Savage FP-SR in .308. I have had that gun for a few years now and now I'm getting ready to start building another savage in .260 Rem. All the work on the gun will be done by me, no need to have the action sent off and trued like a 700, no need to have them install a barrel, nothing. Just like Dolomite said Savage is the gun if you like to work on your own stuff. If you like to spend money having someone else doing it then by all means go with the mdl 700. Not trying to be a jerk just what I have realized with the remington. I read a lot of Dolomite's stuff and he definitely swayed my vote to the savage.

 

That's the deal. If you want a hand lapped, air gauged barrel without breaking the bank, Savage is it. 

 

Another thing Dolomite said on the phone last week (paraphrase), "6.5mm bullets are magic". I'm starting to play with them on the AR side. I'm betting you'll love that 260. I wish the Grendel had that much powder behind it.

[Guest carter]

http://grabagun.com/firearms/rifles/bolt-action-rifles/savage-arms-10-p-sr-308-18-hvy-thr-blk.html

 

this is the Savage I'm looking at... has a lot already as it sits... I don't wanna go cray cray with the glass... I'm going to have to do a lil research on that part... 

[mikegideon]

Here's a cheapie scope that works real well. I have one...

 

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/962234/bsa-tactical-mil-dot-rifle-scope-30mm-tube-6-24x-44mm-side-focus-glass-etched-mil-dot-reticle-matte

 

Look at the reviews

[jphillips63]

Savage will be your biggest bang for the buck for sure. One thing is and I highly recommend is don't skimp on glass. Save and save even more and buy good glass. Most likely you'll spend more on glass than you will the rifle but in the end you'll be happier. You can't hit what you can't see and you can't make accurate adjustments on scopes that wonder when changing elevation or windage. There are some really good NF optics used for sale now days with the new line on the market. Look into some NXS scopes if anything look into a sightron SIII scope. But stay away from those low end scopes at all costs. I've in the past have tested a many low end and mid level scopes on my 50 to prove a point of how the internals are junk. Some didn't hold up to a single shot some held up to 5 shots and I've even shook apart a Leupold mark 4 on this rifle. I know also what you're buying isn't a 50 so a cheap scope will hold up for more shots but in the end its going to fail. Its not a matter of if its all about when it will. sent from RAZR Maxx HD using Tapatalk Pro

[satalac]

Just went through this myself. Got the rifle out the door for just over $700 but after all was said an done, I'm probably close to $2k into it. Be prepared for that. Haha.

[mikegideon]

Savage will be your biggest bang for the buck for sure. One thing is and I highly recommend is don't skimp on glass. Save and save even more and buy good glass. Most likely you'll spend more on glass than you will the rifle but in the end you'll be happier. You can't hit what you can't see and you can't make accurate adjustments on scopes that wonder when changing elevation or windage. There are some really good NF optics used for sale now days with the new line on the market. Look into some NXS scopes if anything look into a sightron SIII scope. But stay away from those low end scopes at all costs. I've in the past have tested a many low end and mid level scopes on my 50 to prove a point of how the internals are junk. Some didn't hold up to a single shot some held up to 5 shots and I've even shook apart a Leupold mark 4 on this rifle. I know also what you're buying isn't a 50 so a cheap scope will hold up for more shots but in the end its going to fail. Its not a matter of if its all about when it will. sent from RAZR Maxx HD using Tapatalk Pro

 

Can't argue with this, other than the fact that a 50 may make my internals fail too. So here's my disclaimer... the cheapie scope I posted will get you shooting accurately at long range now, but shouldn't be your final purchase. It's good enough to shoot at 1" dots at 600 yards, and in my case, I dialed in my elevation from a computer printout, and hit the 600 yard steel on the first shot. Again, it will get you shooting without having to save for months. Not saying you should stop saving.

[Tempest455]

Another vote for Savage!

[whitewolf001]

I got to handle a Savage Model 10 Predator the other day, it was chambered in .260 Remington. She was a beaut.

Edited January 7, 2014 by whitewolf001

[CM1021]

That savage your looking at isn't bad. I got my FP-SR for like $680 shipped I believe. And as others have said do NOT skimp on the glass. I put a Vortex Viper PST FFP on mine. I think I paid like $800 for it and that is LOW end. Everyone that I talked to has always told me put at LEAST the amount you paid for your rifle into the glass and more if you can. My .260 will either wear a Schmitt&Bender or a nightforce. Also that stock isn't the greatest. I put my .308 in a B&C medalist and have been very happy. My gun was a "budget" build and I believe I accomplished that, especially when the "long range" guys have 4-6K in their rifle easy...

Edited January 7, 2014 by CM1021

[jphillips63]

One more thought here consider the recoil on lighter guns. A 7-8 lb gun will cause you to develope a flinch or many pulled shots because of the abrupt recoil. Maybe look into a 223 with 8 twist barrel and shoot the 75-80 grn bullets. sent from RAZR Maxx HD using Tapatalk Pro

[mikegideon]

One more thought here consider the recoil on lighter guns. A 7-8 lb gun will cause you to develope a flinch or many pulled shots because of the abrupt recoil. Maybe look into a 223 with 8 twist barrel and shoot the 75-80 grn bullets. sent from RAZR Maxx HD using Tapatalk Pro

 

if you're gonna go low recoil, you're gonna be better off with something like a 6BR. A 223 has kinda short legs, even shooting 80 VLD's.

[jphillips63]

[quote name="mikegideon" post="1091167" timestamp="1389134762"]if you're gonna go low recoil, you're gonna be better off with something like a 6BR. A 223 has kinda short legs, even shooting 80 VLD's.[/quote] He's not gonna find a factory 6 BR in the price range he is wanting to stay in this is why I suggested a 223 and if that's got short legs tell that to the high power shooters who shoot 1000 yards with one. sent from RAZR Maxx HD using Tapatalk Pro