Re: I need some advice on a long range rifle
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sledge Hammer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Before we can give you some ideas on what has worked for us, it is would be nice to have an idea where you are at.
What is your rifle budget?
What is scope budget?</div></div>
Hi again, Sledge Hammer,
Put those two together, and I'd say anywhere up to $6k or $7k. 8 would be pushing it, but un/willingness all depends on <span style="text-decoration: underline">measurable</span> performance.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sledge Hammer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What range are you mostly shooting or plan to shoot?
Is this for hunting, bench, fun, tactical match so on?</div></div>
Right now it's almost all 300-yard shooting, though I intend to go for longer ones up through 600 yards once the spring semester is over and I can spend just days and days at the range.
I wouldn't call my motivation "fun" in this context, as that makes it sound far too lighthearted. Instead, how about we call it "serious sporting and personal satisfaction." It's an unhappy week that sees me at the range only on two days.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sledge Hammer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Are you reloading?</div></div>
Not yet, no. I'm far too new to this sport to brave those waters yet; I've been shooting seriously only since November. Now, since then I've been nigh on monomaniacal about it, but reloading really is one heck of a hardcore science. I am getting ready for it, though...
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sledge Hammer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Is there something you have shot that you really like or felt good to you?</div></div>
Yeah, just recently I had CRAZY fortune with 168-grain Hornady match factory ammunition with the AMax bullets. That's what got me hooked on the repeat holes at 300 yards. Over two days I got four groups in a row that were under an inch, and this was right on the heels of struggling like mad even to achieve MOA/3" with the great majority of other factory loads (that weekend freaked me out!). Needless to say, I now have several boxes of the match AMax rounds in my basement. My gunsmith is working on building a bunch of different loads for it that we can test, because the barrel is definitely very fussy. Even the Hornady Superformances don't seem to work <span style="font-style: italic">quite</span> so well (???).
Yours,
David