Precision rifle shopping- and I only have 100yrd range

[zimm17]

I'm dreaming of 1000 yard shots, but the reality is my ranges here are only 100 yards. My most accurate rifle is a 1/2-3/4 MOA AR-15 that's fun to shoot but I'm looking for some more "oomph" and not policing brass from all over every 15 minute range session. I'm selling my M1A SOCOM because I tried to turn it into a bench rifle and it's disappointed me for the last time.

With those funds, I'm rifle shopping. I have 500 rounds of .308 already. My brother has a .308. Maybe I should get a .308. However I read nothing but praise for the 6.5CM. I don't need the long range, but a little lighter recoil sounds nice. It's more expensive though.

I can reload, but I move all the time and haven't set up my rig in a few years (military PCS's) so I've just been buying factory match ammo. Or non-match if I'm just plinking.

I think the rifle that makes the most sense for me is a Bergara B14 BMP. The price is right. I'm in lust over a MPA PMR rifle though. I'd rather buy once and cry once. Plus I just like having nice stuff.

So, 1 hole groups at a 100 yards, lustworthy rifle, budget $1000 is nice, $2000 will sting. I like to have something a little "different" or "special" so no Ruger precision for me.

Maybe I should just get a sweet .17HMR for punching paper at 100 yards.

Slap some sense into me folks.

 

[Poorboyr]

Get a tikka in 243. Then look up spark Munitions and order the 95 gr match 243. You will punch same hole groups.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

100 yards? 223 is the ticket, might as well build off a Tikka.

 

[Steel head]

For that range I’d totally look at 223

 

[Sieg]

If you want the challenge of 1K yardage and only have 100..... rimfire will challenge you. A Vudoo will give you the feel of a "real" rifle and you'll shoot more rounds every session. Initial price of the rifle will be quickly offset by low ammunition expenses.

A very accurate center fire limited to 100yds would get boring real fast IMO. If I consistently shot one hole groups on the average it wouldn't be a challenging enough and I'd be bored and start looking for another challenge. Rimfire shooting technique, ammunition and atmospheric variables keep it challenging.

 

[patriot07]

Best combination of low recoil and high accuracy - Tikka Varmint 223 - you don't even have to shoulder it and they nearly always shoot 1/2 MOA or better

Best combination of low recoil, factory ammo availability, and great accuracy out of a larger caliber - 6.5 CM - I would recommend Tikka CTR for your best shot at lights-out accuracy and smooth, reliable action, but Howa or Bergara would be good options too

A 308 would be fine too. I had a Savage 11VT 308 that was nearly a 1-hole gun with 168 FGMM. But it will have a tad more recoil than a 6.5 CM or 243 type rifle.

 

[zimm17]

Hmmm... a .223 bolt gun might just be the ticket. I already reload for .223 match rounds, so that's a no brainer aside from the fact I ready have 3 AR's in 5.56mm.

Are there any cool looking chassis type .223's out there? I'll check out the tikkas.

A 100 yard rimfire is also intriguing. Especially that the ammo is cheap and no reloading required.

 

[b6graham]

tikka t1x or cz457 trainer

shoot tiny groups and NRL22 matches until you move or find better ranges

where you located anyways?

 

[AK4900PA]

For target shooting at that range I can't see any reason to go bigger than a .223. I'd personally lean toward a high end 22lr.

 

[IowaGeologist]

CZ 457 ProVarmint .22LR and good glass is what I would do if limited to 100. Then shoot the shit out of it.

 

[patriot07]

Hmmm... a .223 bolt gun might just be the ticket. I already reload for .223 match rounds, so that's a no brainer aside from the fact I ready have 3 AR's in 5.56mm.

Are there any cool looking chassis type .223's out there? I'll check out the tikkas.

A 100 yard rimfire is also intriguing. Especially that the ammo is cheap and no reloading required.

Howa makes some cool 223 rifles in their mini action series.

But I'd still go Tikka Varmint plus a KRG Bravo (not sure of the mag options), or another chassis style setup.

T1x would be another intriguing option, but I've had much better luck with centerfire for premium accuracy. Even at 100 yards, all rimfire rounds get blown around by the wind pretty easily.

 

[Lunchbox27]

I have access to 1000 yards and I shoot more at 300-500 and I always reach for my 223. Cheap, accurate, long barrel life and fun.

 

[wvlapua]

I'd get a 30br built. Great barrel life, little powder, easy to load for, tiny groups.

 

[Rant Durden]

223 all friggen day. There are a number of rifles that fit the bill and you can buy factory 77gr. Sierra Match Kings from a number of suppliers cheap! I shoot the IMI 77gr "razor core" and consistnatly get 1/2' to 3/4" out of my A/R and compete out to 750 yards.

 

[brianf]

6mm br

factory ammo is incredible

will out shoot any 223 and 308 no matter what the price or rifle

zero recoil

and if you want to stretch its legs on day, beats a 308 at 1000

held and still has a few records for 300 and 600 competitions

same bolt head as a 308/6.5 cm/260.243. so if you want to switch one day is just a barrel

ill take my AI in 6mmbr to the range at 100 and instead of shooing a target i just aim for old staples and pieces of paper from previous targets

 

[patriot07]

6mm br

factory ammo is incredible

will out shoot any 223 and 308 no matter what the price or rifle

zero recoil

and if you want to stretch its legs on day, beats a 308 at 1000

held and still has a few records for 300 and 600 competitions

same bolt head as a 308/6.5 cm/260.243. so if you want to switch one day is just a barrel

ill take my AI in 6mmbr to the range at 100 and instead of shooing a target i just aim for old staples and pieces of paper from previous targets

Only meaningful downside I assume is barrel life, correct?

 

[fdkay]

Howa bravo or Howa chassis rifle are available in .223
You'll want at least 1-8 twist, 1-7 if available.
Ruger RPR in .223 is a solid choice as well.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

The M1A SOCOM "has it's place".... That SOCOM could, possibly, never be a range weapon. It's place is a place that most people never want to imagine..... Put it in a corner and forget it's there until needed... JMHO

Hobo

 

[brianf]

Only meaningful downside I assume is barrel life, correct?

6br will go 3-4000+ easy

benchrest guys go 2000, and their crazy lol

 

[acudaowner]

at the range distance you said 100 yards it would be extreamly hard to beat the 22lr in cost 223 is another just to ask have you tried this https://www.wheretoshoot.org/ to find other ranges near you you maybe there are longer ranges near enough for you to shoot at i am in delaware and have to travel to maryland if i want to shoot 600 yards its only 20 min away but it took almost a full year just to find it without that linked post . good luck on which ever round you choose and happy hunting on ranges .

 

[zimm17]

Well right now I'm in Miami. Options are limited. I do have a Ruger 10/22 with volquartzen goodies that I haven't shot in years. Maybe I'll dust that off and put a real scope on it (I think it's a nikon 22 right now).

I just got back from walmart and grazed through the ammo selection for giggles (I don't normally buy ammo at wally world). 17hmr was dang near the same price as white box .223. $50 for 200 round vs $58 for 200 rounds. Granted match ammo is more, put it makes ya think.

I'm going to keep researching .223 bolt guns for now. If the SOCOM doesn't sell, you're right, I'll keep it in the corner just in case. In fact it's going back to stock- literally. I'm taking off the archangel stock, the gen IV scope mount, M1A sights (back to socom tritium) and keep it as it was intended. I naively thought it could be a 1MOA gun and it's not even after a lot of work.

I just really want a bad ass looking chassis rifle that makes little groups in paper without a major investment. I know 6mmBR is awesome (shot next to a benchrest dude yesterday), but I'm not ready that level of commitment to a new caliber when I already have .223 dies and components. I'm pretty sure I have 1000 pack of sierra match king 77grs in the closet somewhere.

 

[fdkay]

Well right now I'm in Miami. Options are limited. I do have a Ruger 10/22 with volquartzen goodies that I haven't shot in years. Maybe I'll dust that off and put a real scope on it (I think it's a nikon 22 right now).

I just got back from walmart and grazed through the ammo selection for giggles (I don't normally buy ammo at wally world). 17hmr was dang near the same price as white box .223. $50 for 200 round vs $58 for 200 rounds. Granted match ammo is more, put it makes ya think.

I'm going to keep researching .223 bolt guns for now. If the SOCOM doesn't sell, you're right, I'll keep it in the corner just in case. In fact it's going back to stock- literally. I'm taking off the archangel stock, the gen IV scope mount, M1A sights (back to socom tritium) and keep it as it was intended. I naively thought it could be a 1MOA gun and it's not even after a lot of work.

I just really want a bad ass looking chassis rifle that makes little groups in paper without a major investment. I know 6mmBR is awesome (shot next to a benchrest dude yesterday), but I'm not ready that level of commitment to a new caliber when I already have .223 dies and components. I'm pretty sure I have 1000 pack of sierra match king 77grs in the closet somewhere.

https://www.legacysports.com/catalog/howa/howa-mini-action-chassis/

 

[TonyTheTiger]

You'll want at least 1-8 twist, 1-7 if available.

Not necessarily, especially if 100yds is max. The 52-53gr flatbase match bullets are known to shoot bugholes and don't require a fast twist.

 

[Centuriator]

A radical proposal...get a well known accurate .22LR bolt action, decent optic, and shoot several thousand rounds through it and master your fundamentals. When you have something other than 100 yards to shoot at, you will be all set.

 

[zimm17]

A radical proposal...get a well known accurate .22LR bolt action, decent optic, and shoot several thousand rounds through it and master your fundamentals. When you have something other than 100 yards to shoot at, you will be all set.

I still have my 1946 Winchester 75 target model. That's what I shot through 4 years of high school rifle team. I averaged 255 out of 300 in 3 position small bore my senior year. It outshot many $3000 anschutz rifles. I'll probably need glasses to use the peep sights and globe front though. Maybe I should scope it.

 

[shooter65]

.22LR

Focus on Fundamentals and Wind

 

[Jake the dog]

I have a 6.5CM B14 BMP. Shoots consistantly .5 MOA, if I do my part, .3. It doesn't like small primer brass, I've pierced 3 primers using Lapua brass and Federal 205M SRP. Stick with LRP and you shouldn't have any problems. Overall, I think I got a lot of rifle for the money.

 

[pineoak]

+1 on the Tikka Varmint .223 (will give you flexibility out to 700 easy down the line, can shoot 55gr bulk for positional practice)

OR

a high quality .22 like CZ

 

[patriot07]

You can try your 22 out to 100 if you want, but shooting 1" groups that move all over with the wind is way less fun than putting a bunch of 223 in the same hole. 22 is just a much more fun 50-yard round IMHO, but I get much more enjoyment in shooting a round in its prime performance zone than trying to push it to the limit where something further up the scale could do the same thing much better.

But if you already have some nice 22 options, you can always give it a spin before you try something else.

https://www.legacysports.com/catalog/howa/howa-mini-action-chassis/

Dang, if they weren't a grand, that would be a great option. With a grand, you're just a hair under what you could do with a Tikka Varmint plus chassis.

That being said, if you wanted a chassis that looked as awesome as the howa, the price difference starts getting more meaningful. Pretty cool looking gun, and you know it'll shoot.

 

[acudaowner]

just to mention it have you looked into homestead training center they are 500 yards and pretty close to miami in florida was trying to see if its a private club or not must be missing the info on one of the pages

 

[MarinePMI]

I'm going be the one guy that has a different logic here...

Get a Tikka CTR in 6.5 CM and be done with it. Yeah, you only have 100 yds now, but you ain't going to be stationed at SOUTHCOM forever (assuming that's where you are since you mentioned Miami). You would have a completely functional rifle for around $1000, that's capable of going to a grand easily. As to wanting a "bad ass" chassis, the Tikka's are gaining a huge amount of support, so there's quite few to choose from (more so than the Howas so far), and you can add it later, as cash (or TAD per diem) permits.

.223? Naw, sounds like you already have one. .22LR? They're nice to have (everyone should have a nice 22), but if you want a long range rig, it's just a scaled down fill in.

JMTCW...

 

[shooter65]

Pick one

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https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/22-lr-group-at-100-yards.16539/

 

[Missalot]

Check around the ranges within an hour's drive and see if anyone is offering smallbore rifle silhouette. NRA matches are all done at a max range of 100 yds. If you find a range, then get a nice .22, put a decent target scope on it, and work on your offhand standing marksmanship.

 

[steve123]

Meh, shooting at 100Y, get a PCP air rifle so you have some challenge. If the range allows it get some small steel spinners. steelplinkers.com I've shot some sub 1" groups at 100Y with PCP's but it's very hard to do in the wind and pellets blow 4-5 times more than a 22 rf.

I've had two custom 6mmPPC bench rifles, well and many other accurate rifles, that I used to shoot at 100Y with, after a while I just find that shooting small groups at 100Y is boring. Other than load work up and checking zero I don't shoot centerfires at 100Y.

I'd much rather shoot a rimfire at 100Y than a centerfire but a good rimfire will still do sub 1" groups with the right ammo and that usually means at least $10 per 50. You've got 22's so...

When you move to another locale more suitable to LR pursuits then get yuh a nice long range rifle.

I used to have this $4000 375CT that sat in the safe most of year. Once the novelty passed I sold it and bought stuff that got used almost weekly.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

I suggest you consider that you'll probably not be limited to 100yd indefinitely, and that when comparing .22LR and .223, the latter makes more sense when dealing with beyond 100yd distances. Add that you can handload, and that you already shoot .223, and the choice becomes even more obvious.

I'd look for a factory 223 Varmint rifle, like the Savage 10T offered by Cabellas. That's the closest to my own Savage 11VT's, once offered by Dick's, who I wouldn't recommend for anything anymore.

My 11VT's were upgraded with Choate Tactical Stocks. The one shown fits the 11VT, but I'm not sure of the screw spacing on the 10T, so be cautious about that. I mounted Mueller 8-32x44 scopes, which are a very good value for the money. I also added a clone bipod. Mount. Rings (medium).

Alternative optics.

This suggestion is made in the interest of minimizing cost while still delivering decent performance, and each of these rifles of mine has been shooting for a number of years.

I mention 11VT's in the plural. the second one is chambered in 308. Otherwise it is identical.

These two rifles can compete as is in F T/R. The 223 has been shot in national competition at 600yd, and the 308 can do the same at 1000yd.

The .223 has a 1:9" rifling twist, and I shoot it with Hornady 75gr HPBT-Match handloads (My load is 23.5-23.7gr of Varget, and that also works well in my Stag Model 6 Super Varminters with the 24" 1:8" barrel). Many other offerings use the same bullet. I have not tried the IMI 77gr yet, but I suspect it will also work. Also.

The 308 especially likes IMI 168gr Semi-Auto Match; but for 1000yd, I'd suggest FGMM 308 175SMK's. Handload with 175's and 42.2gr of IMR-4064.

Greg

 

[One1Bravo]

6mm br

factory ammo is incredible

will out shoot any 223 and 308 no matter what the price or rifle

zero recoil

and if you want to stretch its legs on day, beats a 308 at 1000

held and still has a few records for 300 and 600 competitions

same bolt head as a 308/6.5 cm/260.243. so if you want to switch one day is just a barrel

ill take my AI in 6mmbr to the range at 100 and instead of shooing a target i just aim for old staples and pieces of paper from previous targets

I love my 6BR but if I were relying on factory ammo I would never buy one. Lapua and Norma at $2+ a round is nuts.

 

[zimm17]

After reading all these comments, I think I'm going to stick with my Rock River Arms Predator AR for 100 yards. It's the most accurate rifle I have. Maybe try 3 position (like NRA high power) to mix it up.

Then I need to work on my Ruger 10/22 and try that at 100 yards.

 

[zimm17]

When the time comes for a long range rifle, I think I'm going to stick with .308. Sure the 6.5CM is "better" in every way on paper, but I'm shooting an M1A (I decided to keep it), my brother has a .308 savage, and I have a bucket of brass already piling up. On my last trip to wal-mart, I wondered by the ammo shelves and there was one box of 6.5CM for $30 for plain old remington rounds, and about 6 choices for .308. If the S ever did HTF, I'm thinking .308 is about 100% more available than 6.5 too. I don't think it's worth the jump to 6.5 unless I'm shooting for competition, which I'm not.

 

[shooter65]

Choosing the Best Long Range Rifle Calibers for Precision Shooting

What are the best rifle calibers for long-range shooting? Is there a single best option? This topic has been argued

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[acudaowner]

you could shoot 1'' circle targets or smaller those tiny red cups the thimble ones cut the sides shoot the inside anything to make it more challenging we have started using kids stickers as targets plain orange stickers way cheaper than shooting targets and smaller
these type of things

and only 9.99 +shipping and they show up nice with holes in them if there is anything left. Not so sure of the purple one but it should work . just another option .

 

[Dthomas3523]

If you know your range is stuck at 100yds for a couple years or more, just save up a little more and buy a Vudoo. Then start saving over the next couple years for a nice centerfire rifle.

The vudoo meets your special and different criteria. It’ll also shoot fine at 100yds with $0.10/rnd sk standard plus. Barrel never burns out, etc etc.

 

[frank320]

As you mentioned in your post above: Buy once, cry once.
The heart wants what the heart wants. If a particular rifle has caught your eye, you might as well go for it, rather than compromise now, only to imagine what it would have been had you picked what you really wanted. As long as it does not break your bank...

It's a hobby and its a passion. Just because you only have a 100yd range now does not mean you cannot have a 1500yd rifle. Aim and shoot at smaller targets. Go for single hole groups. In reality, there are a lot more precision rifles than there are precision rifle shooters and 1 mile ranges. There are a lot more 50bmgs and API rounds than there are tanks to shoot at. Most Porsche and Ferrari owners drive at the speed limit and never explore the upper speed limits of their cars on the race tracks.

The longest range I can reasonably access is 1200yds, but that is not going to stop me from planning on a Cadex CDX-40 Shadow in 375CT. It is a lot more fun and satisfying shooting the equipment that caught my eye than to shoot something that is a compromise.

 

[DoubleOught-BMA]

I second the "get what ya want" mindset. There are still ways to keep it interesting with a larger caliber (vs 22lr) at 100yds. Things like the snipershide dot challenge come to mind. There are some cool drills posted on the marksmanship forum that make for a fun day at an otherwise boring distance. Have fun!