New shooter - looking at PRS, would like my plan sanity-checked

[Penniwhistle]

Heyo all - moving to the US from the UK imminently and long-range target shooting has always been an interest of mine (plus have some in-laws desperate to take me hunting), and would be great for someone to look over my plan for getting into the sport. Almost all of my experience so far has been clay pigeon shooting with a 12 gauge so this is a new one to me. I'd like to spend less than a $1,000 on equipment to start with, but also not buy any duds - I'd like a capable hunting rifle if I later decide I like the sport enough to upgrade

Plan is to get something like a Ruger American in .308, something I can use for deer and as a starting point for PRS. For optics, Swampfox seem to be a good brand for starting out with - either their Patriot riflescope, or the Saber 5x prism scope. The prism scope seems appealing because of the simplicity, but input would be great. I have very good eyesight but I also have never used a scoped weapon before.

Any advice or input would be great, and thank you!

 

[dscl]

Speaking strictly from a PRS perspective you will be putting yourself at a disadvantage shooting .308 (recoil management and seeing your shots) and you definitely want something like that Patriot you linked. The Saber would again be putting you at a serious disadvantage.

 

[evilsemaj]

Yo! Welcome, glad to have any new folks!

You're in an interesting position moving here from abroad an presumably not brining any center-fire rifles with you. So, let me lay it out. Hunting rifles SUCK for target shooting. Target rifles SUCK for hunting. Desirable traits in either category make it undesirable to use in the other. That being said, the Ruger American .308 (get it in 6.5 Creedmoor though, not 308, unless your relatives will reload 308 for you but not 6.5C ) is an EXCELLENT hunting rifle. You should buy it. Don't spend any money upgrading it. Anytime you're tempted to upgrade it, save that money for a "true" target rifle. While you're saving up, you CAN use the Ruger American for some lightweight target shooting, shoot it at targets for a year or so while you figure out exactly what you want to do (and spend) on a really nice target rifle. Don't buy a swampfox. I don't know a lot about hunting optics but you'll want to focus on a not too much magnification (3x-9x), SFP, not-too-heavy, excellent low-light performance scope.

What region of the U.S. will you be hunting in? Edit: your profile says WI, is that where you're moving too? Very cool!

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

6.5 Creedmoor is just fine for deer, and plenty of ammunition available for it for hunting or competition.

I'd probably look at a more competition oriented gun, rather than a hunting gun like the Ruger American, but I will bust your budget even on entry level precision rifles.

 

[NewsShooter]

Get a 6.5 CM, better ballistics and less recoil, you'll also want a scope with a tree style reticle for PRS type shooting. $1000 overall can be difficult for everything. $1500 is more realistic but still not enough IMO. Even the savages with a chassis are over 1K. I spent about that amount to get started but that was over 10 years ago. The best budget option is probably a Tikka and putting it in a KRG bravo. Then you still need rings and a decent scope. I hunt with rifles I shoot matches with as well. Though if I'm hiking a lot I'll pick something lighter.

 

[Penniwhistle]

Yo! Welcome, glad to have any new folks!

You're in an interesting position moving here from abroad an presumably not brining any center-fire rifles with you. So, let me lay it out. Hunting rifles SUCK for target shooting. Target rifles SUCK for hunting. Desirable traits in either category make it undesirable to use in the other. That being said, the Ruger American .308 (get it in 6.5 Creedmoor though, not 308, unless your relatives will reload 308 for you but not 6.5C ) is an EXCELLENT hunting rifle. You should buy it. Don't spend any money upgrading it. Anytime you're tempted to upgrade it, save that money for a "true" target rifle. While you're saving up, you CAN use the Ruger American for some lightweight target shooting, shoot it at targets for a year or so while you figure out exactly what you want to do (and spend) on a really nice target rifle. Don't buy a swampfox. I don't know a lot about hunting optics but you'll want to focus on a not too much magnification (3x-9x), SFP, not-too-heavy, excellent low-light performance scope.

What region of the U.S. will you be hunting in? Edit: your profile says WI, is that where you're moving too? Very cool!

Thank you for the advice! WI indeed, but also have family in FL and AK, so we'll see where I end up settling down eventually.

So starting with 6.5mm CM seems to be the consensus, good to know. Any recommendations for ~$500 scopes? That budget isn't hard and fast, but it'll be easier to convince the wife the lower I start, and I have no problems with the idea of saving towards a dedicated competition rifle if I enjoy the scene

 

[Rob01]

$1000 is a very tight budget for rifle, scope, bipod, extra mags etc. You will find yourself lacking somewhere. $2000 is a more reasonable budget to egt into the sport. Nothing wrong with a .308 if you want to get a .308. You shoot Tac division against other .308s and .223s. With a 6.5 Creedmoor you will shoot open against 6mms. Your choice.

For a rifle you will needs something that is accurate, accepts at least 10 round mags and can shoot extended strings so anything with a thin hunting barrel is out. If you want Ruger then the RPR would be a good choice. Savage, Tikka etc all have decent rifles to choose from.

For a scope you will want FFP ONLY. A tree style reticle will be a good option. Staying in your $500 for scope I would look at the Arken EP-5 5-25 and you can egt all the accessories and rings for about $50 more.

 

[KnowNothing256]

Thank you for the advice! WI indeed, but also have family in FL and AK, so we'll see where I end up settling down eventually.

So starting with 6.5mm CM seems to be the consensus, good to know. Any recommendations for ~$500 scopes? That budget isn't hard and fast, but it'll be easier to convince the wife the lower I start, and I have no problems with the idea of saving towards a dedicated competition rifle if I enjoy the scene

I think the Arken EP5 or Vortex Strike Eagle, both in 5-25x magnification, are good choices near the $500 mark. The EP5 can be had as a bundle with all the extra knickknacks you need to get it set up, that’s probably the best value entry-level scope for PRS I’d say.

 

[evilsemaj]

Just to give you a heads up, it's going to sound like myself (and likely others) are going to want you to spend more money; that is not the case. We all want to try to help prevent the same mistakes we made. Everyone tries to keep costs down "at the beginning, just to see if I like it" but almost inevitably ends up buying the expensive stuff eventually. Now we've spent the money for the expensive stuff PLUS the money for the cheap stuff. It's cheaper (in the long run) to just buy the expensive stuff.

You can get an excellent hunting rifle, which basically only fires 1 or 2 boxes of ammo a year (at most) and then get a really nice target rifle which will frequently see 100+ rounds in a single days shooting. Because of that 1) might as well have a NICE rifle to put 100+ rounds through (and 100+ match grade rounds cost so much the rifle cost is tiny in comparison) 2) a target rifle should be HEAVY so that the shooter is not fatigued from all the shooting; but a heavy target rifle sucks to lug around the woods when hunting. 3) the high-magnification optic used to shoot out to 1000+ yards can make target acquisition of an animal with brush and background difficult, so the optic isn't even really the same kind of optic anyway.

So back to the original position, buying a good, but not excessive hunting rifle and then saving up for a NICE precision target rifle is ultimately the best :-D

Dunno how much time you want to spend reading nonsense but here is a very telling thread "if you started over from the beginning knowing what you know now, what would you buy?" (a lot of people say "I'd just buy an Accuracy International" ) https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/new-to-bolt-guns.7121569/

 

[spife7980]

Ruger American predator in 6.5 for better or 308 for tac will handle the rifle and a 500 buck first focal plane athlon Arken or vortex scope.

Call up cameralandny in the phone and talk with him about your best prs options for 500 bucks for snipershide members.

It’s not going to be the best or even really “competitive” but it will be capable enough to get you out there pulling a trigger.
I wouldn’t sink any money into upgrades either, just leave them as they come factory and save up for an actual “nice” set up if you end up enjoying shooting sports.

Edit: doh! yes, @evilsemaj made a great point, get the aics mag version.

 

[M4orturnate]

All good advice. Ill add that the more expensive stuff also holds its value so if you want to sell/trade later you dont take as much of a hit on it. If your budget is 1500 spend 500 on the gun and 1k on the scope. Scope>gun all day

 

[evilsemaj]

Sorry, one more thing to dump on you. Your best bet is a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor and make sure you get the one that says "AI-Style" magazines. It only comes with a 3 rounder (perfect for hunting), but because it takes AI-Style magazines it will let you buy a 10 or 12 rounder which you can use on the range or for friendly competitions but then move to your "new" target rifle later.

 

[Rob01]

Yup do not buy any rifle that doesn't take AICS style mags.

 

[Turkeytider]

Good advice here. There is a lot of truth concerning the differences in hunting ( meant to be carried a lot, shot a little) vs. target rifles ( shot a lot, carried very little because of weight ). Ruger, Tikka, Savage are all worthy of consideration.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

OP, you may want to spend several hours at least scanning through Snipers Hide and learning about PRS and typical courses of fire before making any purchase decisions. You're going to find that competition is a vastly different and vastly more expensive undertaking than hunting.

I've deleted a lot of commentary because other posters have covered the high points. One thing I haven't noticed is the ancillary gear you'll need for competition:

• A decent bipod - and make sure your rifle can mount a bipod, preferably on an ARCA rail. A sling swivel mount is better than nothing but not by very much at all. "Decent" starts at over $100 and can be far more. DO NOT!!! buy a $30 bipod at Walmart and expect it to last more than an hour, and DO NOT buy counterfeit Atlas or other top-tier bipods off Amazon - if you want to get thermite-flamed on this site, a guaranteed way to do it is admitting you're buying counterfeits (it's happened).
• Extra magazines (one or two 10-12 rounders) - your eyes may widen when you see prices. As has been stated - you'll want AICS-compatible magazines. Complication: Tikka is a very popular factory brand, and their stocks/chassis take their proprietary mags. Not necessarily a bad thing... one just needs to learn and be aware. AICS mags are the preferred approach.
• Support bags. Something like the ubiquitous Armageddon Gear GameChanger. Yes, you can certainly get by cheaper. But if you stay with the sport, you'll eventually buy at least one good bag.
• Ballistic calculator. Hornady 4DOF is free and pretty darned good.
• Eye and ear protection. The latter has to be effective and comfortable while rapidly mounting the rifle and building a stable shooting position - muffs can get in the way, and if the ear seal is broken and you shoot.... well, they're your ears.
• Cleaning stuff.
• Ammo. You'll find that match ammo costs more than hunting ammo and you'll shoot a lot of it... and you'll learn that different lots of the exact same label of ammo shoots differently, so people typically buy at least a case (200 rounds).

I'm sure there's more to add to the list. My point is, please don't think you'll be able to buy a rifle, scope, and a few boxes of whatever ammo is on the shelf at the gun store and think you'll have what you need to get started in competition. There is a gold mine of information here on Snipers Hide and, as you've already seen, people here are eager to help newcomers.

Just be prepared for the expense. Best of luck getting started!

 

[NewsShooter]

Another thing, figure that you're going to shoot at least 500 rounds before you get a decent idea of what you're doing. PRS isn't bench shooting and it isn't easy, if it was everyone would be doing it. Don't get frustrated, have fun be safe and enjoy the learning process.

 

[Mike Casselton]

If you decide on the Arken 5-25, they are on sale at 25% off this weekend.

One thing for sure is they track very well. They might not be tier-1 glass, but they won't hold you back.
The money you save on the scope can go towards a bipod, bag, extra magazines or even ammunition.

When you're ready to upgrade optics you'll get your money back on that scope.