Help selecting a new rifle
- Thread starter Seanm
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I'm not even sure how to reply to this thread; too much cock fighting going on....
I'm out of town and on a tablet, so I will keep this short.
6.5CM would be a wiser choice IMHO. There's a place for 308, but not for new shooter trying precision long range.
A 10/22 isn't an ideal practice gun due to it's inherent accuracy issues (single point action screw, inconsistent ignition issues, etc), but can still be used to practice fundamentals. Mediocre cheap trigger time, is better than no trigger time.
As to the mail order ammo in California, many gunshops will accept the order for free, and you can pick it up there. Where there are laws, society will find solutions.
I could go on, but I'm tired from a match this past weekend, so am dissuaded from wading into the 308 vs 65 debate that constantly arises (there's a hint in this point)...
I'm out of town and on a tablet, so I will keep this short.
6.5CM would be a wiser choice IMHO. There's a place for 308, but not for new shooter trying precision long range.
A 10/22 isn't an ideal practice gun due to it's inherent accuracy issues (single point action screw, inconsistent ignition issues, etc), but can still be used to practice fundamentals. Mediocre cheap trigger time, is better than no trigger time.
As to the mail order ammo in California, many gunshops will accept the order for free, and you can pick it up there. Where there are laws, society will find solutions.
I could go on, but I'm tired from a match this past weekend, so am dissuaded from wading into the 308 vs 65 debate that constantly arises (there's a hint in this point)...
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Thanks, Just purchased a "low end starter" WEATHERBY VANGUARD MODULAR CHASSIS 6.5CM on sale for $800 (MSRP $1,519) just to see if this sport is something that I would want to pursue with more serious gear later. Don't know how to load yet, any suggestions as to what ammo would be best to practice with in the mean time?
Heard that Hornady American Gunner does well. I would be shocked if the Hornady 140 ELD-M match ammo didn't shoot good, but it's a bit more expensive. I'd start with the cheap stuff and work my way up if it was me.
I'd probably stick with one brand of ammo (probably Hornady) if you're eventually planning to reload, so that your brass is all the same.
I'd probably stick with one brand of ammo (probably Hornady) if you're eventually planning to reload, so that your brass is all the same.
Was looking at the "glass,glass, glass" scope thread earlier and there seems to be no real consensus on anything LOL! Am thinking of buying a Vortex Optics Viper HS-T 6-24x50 SFP Riflescope VMR-1 MOA(MRAD) for my first long range rifle with the hope that I maybe able to use it on the next rifle upgrade. Seems like a reasonable choice?
Congrats!
We're sorta in the same boat. I decided to go cheap entry level prs type rifle and just picked up the Ashbury M700 in my first 6.5cm from cabelas for $999 against almost everyone's recommendation of Tikka and custom. But is basically the sniper's hide rifle minus the bells and whistles. I'll be shooting anything I can get my hands on to see what it likes until I start reloading it.
What optic are you going with? I also picked up a new Burris XTr2 for $600. ( you snuck in that last post while I was typing.)
Vortex vipers are good, also Cameraland NY has a sale on Athlon scopes, from what I read they are decent.
That Ashbury M700 is SWEET! My limited research on the web revealed mixed reviews for athlon but wouldn't argue with anyone about this since I'm no expert! It seems that 2 other brands that are rated to give a good bang for the buck in the low to mid price range are Bushnell and Simmons. LOL perhaps since I spent less on my rifle I might be able to spend a bit more on the scope?
That was my first scope for 260.
It’s had enough elevation for 1200-1400 yards on a 20 moa base.
It may not be hip or flashy but it worked and never let me down.
If your going to be serious about competition you will want a first focal plane eventually but for casual shooting a second focal plane is fine and actually nicer at times.
What are you doing with the gun? Generally, I'm not a big fan of any of the Vortex options under the PST for precision shooting. If I'm going cheaper than that, it'd probably be a Nikon FX1000 or SWFA 3-15, or even better and cheaper, a fixed-power SWFA. I do not trust the cheap Chinese/Philippine scopes to track accurately, so I'd only go that route if I planned to use the reticle for holdovers 100% of the time (not typical).
Personally, here are my scope tiers and what I think is the best value:
<$500 - SWFA fixed-power
$500-$750 - Nikon FX1000, SWFA 3-15
$750-$1000 - SWFA HD 5-20, Athlon Ares, Vortex PST G2, Burris XTR II, Athlon Cronus Gen 1
Over $1k is not of interest to this thread since you're looking at the HS-T, but all those scopes above should be decent precision tactical scopes. Some of them work well for hunting and others do not.
Been looking at some youtube videos and I thought first focal plane was the way to go for precision shooting. So is it generally agreed that SFP scopes are the preference or is there debate about this as well?
So your preference is Burris XTR II over the HST. The burris xtr sale is over but PST is now on sale . Your preference is second focal plane scopes? Is the PST comparable to the XTR II?
As far as I what I want to do with the gun, I primarily want to get my feet wet in long range target plinking. Secondarily. I would like to use it for hunting now and then. Will be getting my Obsidian 45 suppressor in August and will reach out to rugged suppressors to see if using the 6.5 creedmoor as it's host is a stupid idea
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