Re: Practice Rifle Advice
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cast1</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: armorpl8chikn</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I would say a centerfire would be better practice for a Barrett.
Shouldn't you have a firm grasp of the fundamentals of good rifle shooting BEFORE you buy a 50BMG. Sorry but I am a walk before you fly kind of guy, I know that doesn't fit into this internet "plug and play" modern society.
Bishop has you on the right track. Any you have listed would be fine. In your case a Savage might suit you better.
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I have read repeatedly on fundamentals, but I have not had the resources till now to execute them. Plus, the only reason I am asking this question is the reading I have done here. I respect your opinion, but I feel like the restraint I am showing in not running right to the range with a rifle that was such an investment demonstrates precisely a walk before you fly mentality. The fact that I already own the barrett is immaterial. I am simply trying to do things as right as I can.
It's a serious weapon and I'm trying to approach it in a serious manner. Thanks all for the opinions thus far. Keep 'em coming and don't forget about optics please. </div></div>
This:
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I'm assuming you have experience with rifles chambered in magnum calibers right? I would hope you're not planning on jumping straight from the 22LR to the 338LM
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Glad you value our opinion here. Was a 338L the first centerfire rifle you purchased? It is very material whether you bought, what you percieved was needed to shoot long range, before learning basic rifle skills. First thing you need is a place to shoot over 1000yds. If you don't have anywhere to practice with such a rifle then you are behind the eight ball yet again. Do you have to shoot on a budget? I hope not cause that thing is really chambered for $5 bills. A 22 rifle will not prepare you to shoot a 338Lapua. It will prepare you to shoot something like a 308, 223, etc with a little less kick. When you master proper skills with the 22 then you can master a bit bigger centerfire and then possibly step up yet again. It has taken me a lifetime of practice and competition to learn to control myself behind any rifle I choose to shoot.
If you will humor me I will tell you a story. Back long ago there was a 12yr old kid that thought he needed a 7mm magnum to deer hunt, he was bought exactly that on his 13th birthday. He bacame a phenominal trigger jerker in a very short time. After a short empty deer season his uncle took pity on him and gave orders that the 7mag be sold and replaced with a .243 before "that kid is ruined forever as a rifleman". That was a big turning point for the kid because he had read everything there was to know in Outdoor Life, G&A, Shooting Times, Field and Stream and he KNEW what the ultimate machine was to kill deer. He lacked the most important aspect needed to master such a weapon....mileage. That was his first ever centerfire rifle but it wasn't his first rodeo. He had shot many thousands of 22 rounds already.
You say you are walking before you fly but in your other threads the content indicates you have little to no centerfire rifle experience. Now that you have the 338 you are looking to purchase a 308 "budget" rifle. Have you ever shot 1000yds? Restraint would have been to spend that money on a great 308 or 223 AND a good 22 trainer and learning what you are asking about. If you mean what you say then that Lapua could and probably should sit in your safe for the next 5 years. I help people learn to shoot every month during the summer and without fail frustration is the biggest obstacle I see. Everyone wants it NOW! If you really want to learn to shoot get any one of the 22 rifles that have been suggested and practice. Get a good scope and make sure you can set it up to shoot at least 250yds, this will prepare you to shoot LR. You need a canted rail on the rifle. Don't shim your scope with shim stock and plastic drink bottle slivers, that is a great way to screw up a scope. DO IT RIGHT. Canted rail, Burris Signature rings with plus and minus inserts will help as well. Buy the best glass you can buy for your 22 trainer. I have a 16x Mark 4 Leupold for my trainer, but I am in between a CZ and an Anschutz right now, sold a CZ and buying the Annie. CZs are great, Anschutz MPR is top of the heap and Savages are ok. Find a place to shoot and make some steel tagets. There is info galore on here about neat cheap steel for 22 rimfires.
One more thing. You don't need a 338L to shoot long range. A regular 300win mag can reach farther than most shooters can drive one. Don't believe everything you read....not even on the hide.
Good luck.
