Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

[Taildragon]

Hi everyone. New to the board and would appreciate some advice.
I am an ex-military spec-ops pilot who would love to take up long range shooting.
I have had the opportunity to shoot the G3 and the AI (in Lapua Magnum) with an operator friend of mine and caught the bug.
I am now working in the desert for a civilian flight company and have the time and resources to take this up as a hobby.
I need some advice on a rifle / optics setup to learn on, I would like to work up to 1000 yards plus eventually, but to start up I imagine 500 yards would be a good aiming point?
I have looked at the AIAX in 7.62, I should also have access to the Caracal CSR when it's released.
Any advice on getting started would be greatly appreciated. I am assuming that my assumptions are all wrong

Thanks guys!

 

[Layton]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

 

[bassani]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

Cheapest route to start with would be a Savage in my opinion

 

[Rick 324]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

If you have the funds and can get the best rifle available then there is a world of possibilities... Do you want a Bolt Action or Semi-Auto is your first choice... One thing to keep in mind is plan on spending more on your glass then your rifle....

Savage is a great choice to start out and find what you like before you jump into a $3k plus gun (Not including Optics)...

If you are just starting and want to shoot the best, just be ready to spend between $4-6k for your setup and start researching...

Rifles are like cars, there are so many of them because everyone likes something different...

Good Luck!!!

 

[Longshot38]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

As this question is in the semi-auto thread I'm going to assume that is the type of platform you are interested in. With that being said. Plenty of good products exist. DPMS, Armalite, Rock River, and other big box manufacturer make a serviceable product that can be excellent. But their QC is not great and they might not have exactly the rifle you want. On the other hand products made by GAP and POF are of much better overall quality and you can get exactly what you want. But you are going to pay for it. However it is worth the price tag.

When speaking of the sighting system plenty of good and not so good options are available both in terms of scopes and mounting hardware. You just have to figure out what budget you have and run with that.

 

[pmclaine]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

Tac people at work were provided a Savage to try out and they were impressed with what performance you get for the money. If you Google search you will probably be hard pressed to find opinions condemning Savage as a total POS.

almost everytime I am at the rifle range a nice older gent shows me his 5-6 targets that he has shot his latest reload recipes with using his box stock .308 Savage and its WalMart scope. Its always 3-4 round cloverleafs. I give him the credit but he is using a good tool to start with.

 

[3oh8er]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

A friend of mine bought a Savage and it shot great right out of the box. I've never heard a bad word about them from anyone. But, if you're looking for a good platform to start with and customize as you learn you're likes and dislikes I recommend a Remington 700 as it has more after market manufacturers making custom parts for it.

 

[Taildragon]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

Thanks for the advice guys, it is really appreciated. I was so excited at finding this forum that i made the classic FNG mistake and posted before searching....

Sigh. Anyhoo, I am fortunate enough to share several interests and hobbies with a fairly wealthy and influential person here, and he has offered to help set me up. that being said, the classic route of buying a .22 and working up once I have the basics down is going to impose quite a lot on his friendliness and i would like the initial purchase to be a one time thing. Thats why i have been looking at some upper end rifles from the get-go.

I am approaching this as someone who has been shooting from a young age (6 or 7), I was an instructor on assault rifles in the airforce, but only to a basic proficiency level for aircrew.

I know the basics of shooting and what I SHOULD be doing, but the field of LRPR shooting is well beyond anything I have done before. I will probably invest in a decent air rifle (Walther) as well to practice my shooting position and trigger technique as much as possible at home. This may help with finding my NPA as well (?)

Being isolated from training facilities out here means everything is going to be self taught, with (hopefully)a backstop here when google and the USMC Sniper training Manual let me down

Thanks again for the positive assistance!

BTW, is there a more appropriate forum to put this thread in, I chose semi-auto because it's what I'm used to, never having fired a bolt-action before (except one shot through an AI which doesn't count)

 

[dlklamfo]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

Your end goal of "1000 yard plus" will be helped with a larger round than 7.62x51 (assuming thats what you ment by 7.62). That 338 Lapua you said to have shot would be a good one.

 

[Taildragon]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

Thanks phearkno1, I have reservations about being able to ensure a reasonable ammo supply though. 7.62x51 has generally been pretty easy for me to get my hands on, but I suspect that the Lapua would be more challenging. Also, the recoil from that one shot seemed quite a bit more than the G3 in 7.62, iirc (been almost ten years now).

That being said, if I am going to have to upgrade calibers anyway at some point, then maybe using the same rifle from the start may help me in the long run.

Oh well, back to google for 338 LM rifles and ammo prices and 7.62 ranges and so on.

I can tell it's going to take me 6 months just to figure out what calibre to use, never mind the platform

 

[Temp9]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

I have to recommend against a .338LM for a first precision rifle. The blast, recoil, and cost are going to be frustrating to learn on. Even if you can handle it, your going to want a smaller cartridge for "normal" shooting situations. .308 is a great cartridge to learn on, but if you want something a little more... capable... then look at 6mm and 6.5mm options. .243 Winchester immediately comes to mind, as well as 6.5 Creedmoor. Both will outperform a .308 and won't give you an unbreakable flinch in the process (ie. .338LM). Both should get you past 1000 yards pretty easily, especially if you handload.

 

[M14]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

If you want to shoot long range, start with the 7.62x51MM and use iron sights starting at 100yds. and out to 500yds. I suggest an M14 in a McMillan,JAE, or SAGE EBR stock with a medium weight barrel, such as a Jon Y. Wolfe modified medium weight or Krieger. You will get bored with the 500yd. shooting very quickly once you master it. Then move out to 800 with irons. When you have the wind figured out and can hit in many different conditions and positions, then buy a scope. After the rifle purchase, spend most of your money on ammo and time shooting the rifle before moving on and up. Reaching a 1000yds. with this platform consistently is tough, but can be done. You have to know exactly what you are doing with your ammo and your sights or scope. But, more importantly, you have to know your wind dope and weather conditons. Do some research on those first, and commit the tables to memory. Good luck. Others mileage may vary.

 

[Conrad101st]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

Just get a high quality platform and be done with it.

I personally would not go with an M1a(M14). They are fun, but prefer the AR platforms (opinion only) and can be used in a wide variety of situations. I have the LMT and can shoot steel, prairie dogs and it's great as a walking rifle to shoot hogs and not a problem to sit in a tree stand with either.

LT OBR, LMT MWS, POF, GAP, and others would all fit the bill. Just depends on what turns you on.

I would not build one as the proven designs have been vetted and have warranties behind them.

I fingered a REPR but was not smitten with true love.

 

[SD26]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Temp9</div><div class="ubbcode-body">...as well as 6.5 Creedmoor. Both will outperform a .308 and won't give you an unbreakable flinch in the process (ie. .338LM). Both should get you past 1000 yards pretty easily, especially if you handload. </div></div>
I was taught how to shoot back when I was six years old back when my dad and I would go up to the farm. Always enjoyed it.

Got some basic firearms training when I was younger, now pushing twenty years ago. Then continued on with things that took up much of my time. As I retired from that, I ran into someone that I knew through my previous hobby that did 1000 yard competitions. I was considering putting on a 6.5 Grendel on a lower I had, but he was using a DPMS AR in 6.5 Creedmoor. He had done pretty well with it, although his main long range is 300WM. So, I went with the DPMS in 6.5 Creedmoor. The AR platform is familiar to me. I did two long range competitions last year with it as a complete and utter novice. This was the first rifle that I even used a scope with (I'm using a Leupold). To be competitive, well, that's hard as one would need to hit 10 and X rings pretty consistently at that distance. I can hit some, but with wind, mirage, and just learning, I'm not hitting the ten ring every time. But, with my platform and a little knowledge, I am confident that I can take my zeroed scope, off the shelf Hornady 140 Amax, a rear bag and a bipod, and put a round inside the 8 ring. Now, refine, refine, refine...practice, practice, practice.

Before I got the scope, I was shooting the LR 6.5 with some back up sights. It is an enjoyable rifle. But with all that semi auto hardware, it is certainly heavier than bolt action opportunities.

 

[lachoneus]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

PM sent.

 

[Unknown]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

For a long distance semi-auto to learn on, a 6.5 mm cartridge like the 260 Remington, or 6.5 Creedmoor would be hard to beat. However, for learning, I think a bolt gun would be a better option, and would sure be easier on your brass.

Take a really good class to help you get past the initial learning curve. Find someone who has a good reputation teaching long distance shooting. Don't just take whoever is close or cheap, but research the instructor.

What you spend on the class and ammo will be cost effective. If you buy your own ammo, and try to learn on your own, you will make lots more mistakes, and spend lots more on ammo to learn half as much as you would by using a good instructor.

As a pilot, you realize the value of a good instructor. There are good reasons why they don't just tell you to read a book about flying, and let you take a plane up...it is the same for rifles. Proper instruction truly is cost effective.

 

[Rick 324]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

A good 7.62 will be your best friend for finding ammo at a price you can afford to shoot a lot of. The .338 Lapua is an incredible round with an INCREDIBLE Price per round, unless you can reload it, but then it is still fairly expensive. Also I love my .260, but ammo availability is not great and that being one of your concerns I would shy away from it.

I suggest 2 rifles. 1 in 7.62 with a good optic and some good ammo to start. 2 A good .22 cal rifle with a good scope to plink with and practice your fundamentals.

Others on here have mentioned it, but when you can spend $20 on a lot of ammo, practice, and then take that practice to your long range rifle you will be able to learn alot at a cheap price.

Take them both to the range. Start with the .22. Shoot alot, then move to your .308 and apply what you learned and then shoot the .22 again before you finish.

Gotta be able to do these things at a reasonable price!!

Good Luck!!

 

[TonyAngel]

Re: Wannabe newbie needs some advice...

I got the same bug that you did, I suppose a couple of years or so ago. You're going to get plenty of advise on what rifle to get, so I'm not going to add anything in that department. There are just too many rifles out there that shoot really well to say that any one is better than another.

What I will offer is this, don't make the newb mistake, like so many do, of getting a really good rifle and then compromising on the scope. Just remember, quality over quantity. Get yourself the best scope that you can afford.