What rifle would you get?

[msinc]

I enjoy shooting alot and I do shoot alot, mostly just what you are asking about. I have or have had just about every gun mentioned in this string. I have a gravel pit right behind my house and every chance I get I go out with a couple hundred rounds, set up some clay skeet targets on the bank and get back 200-300, sometimes 400 yards and lay down and shoot. Here is what I have to say about having fun this way....

1. The big stuff {270,30-06,etc.} is fun at first but if you shoot alot you will get over it. Too much powder to buy and too much shoulder pounding to have fun.

2. Forget about the ultra fast, high velocity, varmint vaporizing wildcats...they also vaporize the barrel and some {like the 220 Swift} can and will do it in one shooting session.

3. The U.S. Army spent alot of money testing calibers and burning up barrels was something they were concerned with. My caliber suggestion for what you want to do is the .223. Dont get me wrong, you can smoke a barrel in that caliber too, but certainly not if you are careful and you can still have alot more fun. No recoil, not burning alot of powder everytime you touch the trigger, plenty of brass available, etc.

4. This is going to upset some fanboys but...spend a little more and buy a rifle that you can easily sell if you need/want to. This might not turn out to be the new hobby you thought and you dont want to take too much of a beating when it's time to get out. You will have no trouble at all unloading a used Remington 700 that has a aftermarket quality barrel and a used Mark 4 M1 10x scope. You are gonna loose when its time to unload that Savage. They really do make a nice rifle, but 100 plus years of producing "cost effective" guns just doesn't go away because you bought one!!!

5. Good luck, have fun.

6. If you absolutely insist on going with something more substantial I suggest you seriously consider the 260 Remington...for some strange unexplainable reason the long range target people have t-totally lost their mind over this one. Once some idiot starts talking about how fantastic something is everyone has to have one. You probably could sell a Savage in this caliber and not have to loose too much on it.

 

[Win75]

Somethihg like this in .243 caliber.

Winchester Model 70 Sporter Varmint with a 26 inch barrel. Actually, this one is a .223 but I have it's twin in .243 also.

 

[johngalt]

I don't do as much rifle shooting as I would like, but I would avoid rifles with barrels that are too heavy to shoot off-hand and are bench only. But really thin barrels heat up quickly. Open sights are nice to have also.

For 200 yards, it is hard to go wrong with a .223. I have a Winchester M70 that I really like. Not too heavy, but heavy enough. It doesn't have open sights. I have a 2-5x scope, which is good enough.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Just my 2 cents worth ... but I would take their advice. I would also enlist the help of someone to watch you shoot. I don't think accuracy is your problem.... you have a good group, you just need to move it over onto the target. Your problem is either a sight adjustment ( stabilize the rifle to see ) or a movement you're not aware of while you're shooting. ( coaching ). Either should be easy enough to fix and add to the fun of shooting. Good luck with it.

Just to be clear... I was joking back with Cajun. Those shots were from bags at 200yds. I've never seen anyone shoot half-MOA standing up off hand. However, I wasn't joking about having a lot to learn. Thanks.

 

[Badkarma 1]

Well if class is what your interested in, there's nothing like an 03A3 or A4 with modern glass atop it! Rareity would be a 1917 Eddystone similarly set up and a helluva lot stronger rifle to boot.
But these are honest 500yd. rifles, if I were just wanting a 200yd. bolt gun, I'd seriously look at that little CZ carbine in either .223 or the more useful 7.62x39 round (which is cheaper than .223 at the moment).
Don't get me wrong, there's nothingike a .308 or bigger for long distance, but you want something to start out with right? The little Soviet 7.62 will get you started and give you a rifle that can cleanly harvest game. Plus IMO the little CZ carbines are very attractive too! Dale

 

[redsfan2]

Just to be clear... I was joking back with Cajun. Those shots were from bags at 200yds. I've never seen anyone shoot half-MOA standing up off hand. However, I wasn't joking about having a lot to learn. Thanks.

Boy is my face red right now.... I'll learn one of these days to look at the top to see who posted the comment and not assume it was the originator of the thread.
As usual tho ... I've learned something on here that will assist me in the future. Thanks for the lesson.

 

[Wee Hooker]

I'd go .223 cal in a bolt action or "target" AR for those distances. Cheap to shoot, very accurate, won't beat you up. I like the Savage Bolt actions in this class ( FP10!), Great triggers and MOA out of teh box for relitively cheap $. That said, if I could only ahve one rifle, it would be the AR as it affords a bit more for versatility. Look for a flat top, heavy 20" barrel with 1:9-1:8 twist. As for a scope, go for clarity vs high power. 9 or 10X is plenty.

p.s. You could also set up something like a scoped T/C and shoot pistol out to 200 yds with surprisign accuracy!

 

[bmcgilvray]

"They also vaporize the barrel and some {like the 220 Swift} can and will do it in one shooting session."


This statement could be edging into the realm of hyperbole.

The two Swifts around here have been shot a lot with everything from the mild to the very wild over many years time. The Ruger has been deliberately hot-rodded with some handloads just to see what sort of velocities could be registered over the chronograph (4255 fps with the Sierra 45 grain spitzer). I knew the original owner of the Winchester Model 70 who purchased it new 74 years ago and he was a shooter and handloader. It was well, but carefully used. I'm still waiting for this barrel burn-out that is rumored.

One shooting session? I think the .220 Swift's reputation for short barrel life is over-blown.

The .220 Swift isn't for everyone but I've really enjoyed it. Makes for singular moments and memories of bench rest range fun. Oh, and the 4255 fps load put 5 shots into a 100-yard group that could be covered up by a .38 Special case mouth. Great stuff!

 

[msinc]

"One shooting session? I think the .220 Swift's reputation for short barrel life is over-blown."

Or the reputation of guns like the 243 is "underblown"...that's another one that will burn out a throat very quickly if you aint careful. I dont personally think the 220 is any worse than any other barrel burner. But, like the 204 Ruger it will definately smoke a throat quick and easy. All it takes is 95 degree weather, 200-300 rounds of ammo and one shot right after the other with no time for the barrel to cool off. Weatherby calibers and most of the super short magnums are as bad or worse but nobody shoots 'em like that so you never hear anyone say "yeah, them Weatherby's sure are barrel burners." The 220 Swift was the first factory rifle barreled in stainless steel and they didn't do it for GP!!!! Even though admittedly it didn't help much.

 

[wbraswell]

I like my Savage LP Varmiter in .223 with a Weaver 34X on it. I put it together, all brand new, for about $1000. My buddy, who has done a lot of bench and other target shooting, looks at a 3 shot group and says "Where did the other two hit?" A good front rest and rear bag are essential. Shooting disipline and a hair trigger help a lot. Extreme cleaning and precise reloading are tedious, but the experts are religious about it.

 

[Maximumbob54]

I liked the idea of the Army's M24 but didn't feel like footing the bill for the real deal. So I bought a Remington 700 with the 5R barrel in all stainless. I added a Nikon Monarch 4x16-42 mounted with some Leopold mounts and rings. It weighs half a butt ton but it wasn't made for deep woods hunting. I don't think short of something that looks like it was made for Robocop would earn the envy or admiration of your peers. Maybe if you rolled up with one of Barrett's models they would look on until you let loose with one sonic boom and they all scattered.