Advice on a rifle

[HAWKEYE10]

I think you should look at the CZ line of rifles. They are very accurate right out of the box. They are very high quality rifles. Don

 

[Ron H.]

I have been toying with the idea of buying a rifle, the guys at my gun club have been bugging me to shoot there 200 yard winter league matches. This is primarily shooting 200 yards off hand out of a shooting house. (nice and warm during the winter) I am a pistol shooter, 30 years of mostly shooting pistols, with maybe 5% of my shooting being with shotguns and rifles. Here is where I need some advice and I know it is personal preference. I am not a big AR fan, had one, also carried one on my shoulder for 4 years. But I did like the looks of the SIG 556 for some reason maybe because of the different charging handle, and I am a big SIG fan, then I thought bolt action, maybe Savage or Remington, I like a shorter barrel so I was thinking 20". Then I was in a shop the other day and held a Springfield Armory M1A national match . So many decisions. I like the idea of the less expensive ammo of the .223 but I like the .308 also.Sorry for the long read, just looking for some opinions. Thanks

Sir, 200-yard offhand shooting is very much a test of you rather than a test of the gun/ammo combination. No one can shoot up to the rifle's potential while standing on their hind feet and waving around in the breeze. Period. In that sense, most any rifle will do.

That said, certain aspects of the gun will make it less difficult. It has to fit you, it has to balance well, it has to have a good trigger, and it should have iron sights rather than a scope. Also, a heavy rifle is preferable to a light one, provided it balances correctly.

Too long a length of pull will make it feel like the gun is "out in front of you" and make it difficult to build a position with good bone support. A tall gun (such as an AR or other military big box mag rifle) can be "tippy" and hard to hold steady if you use the magazine baseplate as a handrest.

Specific balance points are subjective, but the main thing is to be able to hold the gun on target without exerting any muscular effort. Somewhere from just forward of the triggerguard to a few inches forward work well.

A good trigger is non-negotiable. A bad trigger will make accurate shooting extremely difficult. A two-stage military trigger is nice in that you can take up most of the weight in the first stage and then break the shot on the lighter second stage.

A scope with magnification is tough in offhand shooting. It magnifies your wobble (and your wobble in offhand is significant), which is very distracting. Scopes are best avoided on an offhand gun. Get a good set of iron sights, ideally with a peep rear. The rear aperture needs to be small enough for precision, but big enough to admit enough light to see clearly. Only you can tell what the right size is.

A heavy rifle, provided it balances correctly for you, is better than a light rifle. It tends to "rest" more steadily and is less affected by wind buffeting or minor movements on your part than a light rifle.

Offhand shooting is great sport, and far more difficult than it looks. You'll learn a lot by doing it, and getting good at it will help you in the rest of your shooting as well.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[GatorFarmer]

I was thinking just like you Mack. I have no rifle experience, but I want to get one. I would also like to be able to hunt and be prepared for the future. Could you or any one else suggest a make and model?

Colt 6920. Keeps life simple. Check CDNN, they've had them relatively cheaply. Holds value well in case it becomes a Y2K gun and ends up sold off, traded away, etc. Not much of a hunting rifle, but the gold standard of the just in case carbine concept. 5.56mm is legal for deer in many (most?) states.

 

[coorslight]

Ron H. you must have done this type of shooting before, because most of what you said the guys at my club have mentioned, all good advice. It just comes down to how much I want to spend, and personal preference, I know what you mean about using a scope at 200 off hand, it's tough enough keeping the crosshairs on the target let alone the 10 ring. Thanks for the advice to all.

 

[Maximumbob54]

I would try to buy American. For 200 yards a .308 is about overkill, but will give you a boatload of ammo options. If you plan to reload, a bolt action will be easier on the brass and any autoloader will. If you go with an AR in .308, I would stick with the SR25 design over the models that use chopped M14 mags. I second the Remington Police model as I nearly bought one. I bought the 700 Milspec 5R instead though. I added a Nikon Monarch scope with the BDC and side focus parallax adjustment. I like the side focus more than the BDC.

 

[27145]

Any thoughts on a 308 in an ar platform? Anyone know of a good brand (pref USA) with sights? I see Colt has one but doesn't seem available yet?

SP901

 

[Ron H.]

Ron H. you must have done this type of shooting before, because most of what you said the guys at my club have mentioned, all good advice. It just comes down to how much I want to spend, and personal preference, I know what you mean about using a scope at 200 off hand, it's tough enough keeping the crosshairs on the target let alone the 10 ring. Thanks for the advice to all.

Sir, yes, I've done a fair bit of offhand shooting, primarily in the course of NRA high power competition and CMP Garand matches. I would guess the guys running the offhand matches at your club are coming from a similar background.

The rifles used in NRA service rifle class (M1, M14 type, and AR) all make good offhand guns. They have good sights, triggers, weight, and usually balance well. Many clubs have loaner rifles available, typically M1s and ARs. If your club does so, by all means try both types.

In bolt guns, the old '03-A3 and the earlier Springfield '03 are good, but typically have very slender front sights, hard to see as the eyeballs get older. In a more modern bolt gun, a .223 from any of the better makers would be a good choice once fitted with peep sights. Remington probably has the most aftermarket support, so it'll be easier/cheaper to get good sights for it.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.