Goal:
A sub moa rifle out of the box (or with very few alterations) that is capable of 1000 yard shots and can take hogs (eradication and an excuse to hunt/eradicate a varmint species over the next few months) at several hundred yards for under $1000 or VERY close. I would prefer AICS compatable mags as i have several already. I know tikka can be expensive for mags. 22-24 inch barrel would be preferred due to velocity over weight concerns.
Background:
I grew up hunting and shooting. Have shot almost everything under the sun and consider myself a decent marksman. Have shot hunting contoured barrels to 400 with accuracy on paper (sub moa as long as I waited for the barrel to cool and held my fundamentals ignoring how much a .308 kicked after an afternoon of shooting a lightweight rifle). I have spent several years in professional school unable to hunt much and shoot even less for fun. I finally have some free time and access to a range with 1000 yards as well as a "random" section with unmarked steel at unknown distance for a true test of my skills and learning this craft. I would like to finally enter the arena of long range shooting to truly test my abilities and learn more.
Gear and questions:
- I have a vortex viper gen II pst 5-25x50 ffp and the desire to learn how to be effective at distance as a true marksman should be.
- My question is what is the best "budget" rifle to accomplish my goals? And have I overlooked anything listed below in my research?
- I know weight is big factor for some. It is less so for me. I played college football and am still decently strong and fully capable of hauling a larger rifle if it will get me sub Moa at 1000 assuming I do my part and it doesn't kick the crap out of my bad shoulder (college football has it price). By my estimation this will be 70% range gun with the occasional trip to clear hogs from family land and any distance I feel confident I can make a good shot.
- I have shot .308 extensively as both a hunting round and my modest attempts to stretch distance out. I have decided on venturing into 6.5 creedmore as i know its ballistics are better at the ranges i want and they do offer bullet grains weights in both a hunting round and match round that should be easily interchangable (ELD-M vs ELD- X) no plan to reload. Plan to shoot factory ammo as time and budget is already strained with this build.
OPTIONS and Thoughts but feel free to correct me
Bergara HMR B14 HMR ----- from my research seems to be my favorite. 999+/- reviews seem accurate, mid-weight, Adjustable stock since I'm a bigger guy, good trigger.
Bergara BMP ----- similar to above but the price is somewhat higher. I don't care as much about the added weight but wonder if the chasis will improve accuracy? I'm not interested in looking tacti-cool just for the sake of it. If it truly shoots better maybe worth the extra weight and money. Barrel length of 2 inch difference helps FPS some but may be negligible assuming i do my part and hold the correct dope at distance
Tikka CTR --- Great action. The rifle I mentioned shooting above is a Tikka. However the stock is less than ideal so paying for another stock adjustments to get a truly good fit with my body type is a drawback.
Howa Australian Precision Chassis Rifle --- have never owned a Howa but have read limited good reviews. Price is right as is the barrel length. Less reviews per my finding however and unsure what to think?
Remington 700 magpul --- Remington 5R rifling, good weight, 899 at my local BPS, would need to replace the trigger probably, stock has mixed reviews, good barrel length and stock adjustablility.
Mossberg MVP Precision --- less known for rifles than shotguns. I have never had one but good reviews. Not a fan of the safety mechanism.
What did i miss, I either in setup, rifle, or anything else? I would love to pool the opinions and real world experience this forum is known for to get the best setup to reach my goals. Thanks in advance for the time to read and comment!!
A sub moa rifle out of the box (or with very few alterations) that is capable of 1000 yard shots and can take hogs (eradication and an excuse to hunt/eradicate a varmint species over the next few months) at several hundred yards for under $1000 or VERY close. I would prefer AICS compatable mags as i have several already. I know tikka can be expensive for mags. 22-24 inch barrel would be preferred due to velocity over weight concerns.
Background:
I grew up hunting and shooting. Have shot almost everything under the sun and consider myself a decent marksman. Have shot hunting contoured barrels to 400 with accuracy on paper (sub moa as long as I waited for the barrel to cool and held my fundamentals ignoring how much a .308 kicked after an afternoon of shooting a lightweight rifle). I have spent several years in professional school unable to hunt much and shoot even less for fun. I finally have some free time and access to a range with 1000 yards as well as a "random" section with unmarked steel at unknown distance for a true test of my skills and learning this craft. I would like to finally enter the arena of long range shooting to truly test my abilities and learn more.
Gear and questions:
- I have a vortex viper gen II pst 5-25x50 ffp and the desire to learn how to be effective at distance as a true marksman should be.
- My question is what is the best "budget" rifle to accomplish my goals? And have I overlooked anything listed below in my research?
- I know weight is big factor for some. It is less so for me. I played college football and am still decently strong and fully capable of hauling a larger rifle if it will get me sub Moa at 1000 assuming I do my part and it doesn't kick the crap out of my bad shoulder (college football has it price). By my estimation this will be 70% range gun with the occasional trip to clear hogs from family land and any distance I feel confident I can make a good shot.
- I have shot .308 extensively as both a hunting round and my modest attempts to stretch distance out. I have decided on venturing into 6.5 creedmore as i know its ballistics are better at the ranges i want and they do offer bullet grains weights in both a hunting round and match round that should be easily interchangable (ELD-M vs ELD- X) no plan to reload. Plan to shoot factory ammo as time and budget is already strained with this build.
OPTIONS and Thoughts but feel free to correct me
Bergara HMR B14 HMR ----- from my research seems to be my favorite. 999+/- reviews seem accurate, mid-weight, Adjustable stock since I'm a bigger guy, good trigger.
Bergara BMP ----- similar to above but the price is somewhat higher. I don't care as much about the added weight but wonder if the chasis will improve accuracy? I'm not interested in looking tacti-cool just for the sake of it. If it truly shoots better maybe worth the extra weight and money. Barrel length of 2 inch difference helps FPS some but may be negligible assuming i do my part and hold the correct dope at distance
Tikka CTR --- Great action. The rifle I mentioned shooting above is a Tikka. However the stock is less than ideal so paying for another stock adjustments to get a truly good fit with my body type is a drawback.
Howa Australian Precision Chassis Rifle --- have never owned a Howa but have read limited good reviews. Price is right as is the barrel length. Less reviews per my finding however and unsure what to think?
Remington 700 magpul --- Remington 5R rifling, good weight, 899 at my local BPS, would need to replace the trigger probably, stock has mixed reviews, good barrel length and stock adjustablility.
Mossberg MVP Precision --- less known for rifles than shotguns. I have never had one but good reviews. Not a fan of the safety mechanism.
What did i miss, I either in setup, rifle, or anything else? I would love to pool the opinions and real world experience this forum is known for to get the best setup to reach my goals. Thanks in advance for the time to read and comment!!