Was Thinking About An RPR And...

[jmar]

I found out the .308 version only comes with a 20" barrel. I want to be able to shoot ELR so velocity concerns me, I purposely chose .308 over the 6.5 because I'm actually fine with worse ballistics so I can learn to counter them. Also I don't have reloading equipment yet so I want cheapish ammo and a longer barrel life is another huge plus. My question is if the barrel being 20" will impede my desires to shoot to 1000+ yards, and if I should not get the RPR and go for something with a 24"+ barrel length to get the most out of the .308? My budget for a rifle is $1,500.

 

[...]

20" will make it to 1000 no problem.

 

[WickedDaddy]

The farthest I have had the opportunity to operate my .308 has been 1000 yards, at a range, with no issues. I'm certain I could take it out farther if I knew someone with that much land. There are several posts in the RPR challenge on Ruger.com that have hit targets past 1000 and an entry at 1600 as well.

Also, LRI provides barrels in various lengths, so you can have several for the the same chassis to change caliber or length. Makes it pretty versatile.

 

[JMcBurn]

I found out the .308 version only comes with a 20" barrel. I want to be able to shoot ELR so velocity concerns me, I purposely chose .308 over the 6.5 because I'm actually fine with worse ballistics so I can learn to counter them. Also I don't have reloading equipment yet so I want cheapish ammo and a longer barrel life is another huge plus. My question is if the barrel being 20" will impede my desires to shoot to 1000+ yards, and if I should not get the RPR and go for something with a 24"+ barrel length to get the most out of the .308? My budget for a rifle is $1,500.

Why not buy it in a caliber that is more suited to ranges past 1000?

6.5 will get you to a mile.

The barrel life of 2000-2500 rounds is quite a few hours of range time.

 

[hamstur]

The benefit of the RPR rifle you choose is being able to swap barrels without sending in. The 6.5mm isn't crazy magical over the 308 --i.e. shooting 900+ you need to know your rifle, ammo, conditions, etc.

Unless you are vested into 308 (e.g. tons of reloading supplies), choosing it over 6.5 is a mistake. Ammo practically the same cost, and even if you get 3000 rds vs 5000 rds of barrel life, an extra chambered match barrel is less than $600 (e.g. LRI is $575).