For those who are into long range shooting, I have a question for you.

Of the following rifles, which would you use to start long range shooting:

Howa M1500 .308 with 18 inch barrel
Bergara 7mm Rem Mag with 24 inch barrel
Savage 110 tactical in 6 Creedmoor
Savage 110 tactical in 6.5 Creedmoor
Savage 110 tactical in 300 WinMag
Howa M1500 in 6.5 Grendal with a 22 inch barrel

These are the ones I currently have that sort of fit the need for long distance. Which is the one that is recommended for getting into long range shooting for fun? I am not adverse to purchasing another rifle if needed, but would like to use what I currently have. I have my eye on a Winchester XBR 6.8 Western, what is the consensus on these?

P.S. I am not interested in anything that has an ARC or PRC in front of it. Not sure why, but these cartridges just don't tickle my fancy.

Bergara in a 300 Win Mag. Or the Savage HS Precision setup in 300 Win Mag.

For long range you're gonna spend more on the glass than the rifle.

tx4guns said:

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Bergara in a 300 Win Mag. Or the Savage HS Precision setup in 300 Win Mag.

For long range you're gonna spend more on the glass than the rifle.

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Noted.

I really like my current Bergara, so adding another would not hurt my feelings. BUT, of the ones listed, which would you start with? And yes, I will be getting a really good scope to get this going.

Edit: What is your opinion of the 6.8 Western for long range? I just like different stuff.

One of the Creedmoors by a long shot. Great factory ammo available at reasonable prices and very easy on the shoulder so you can practice without developing bad habits due to recoil and can spot your hits.

NRH ag 10 said:

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One of the Creedmoors by a long shot. Great factory ammo available at reasonable prices and very easy on the shoulder so you can practice without developing bad habits due to recoil and can spot your hits.

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I just got my 6mm CM and took it out to the range, and the Hornady 103 grain match three shot group went into the same hole at 100 with factory ammo. It is a little light for LONG range though I would think? Wind would play havoc maybe?

What are you trying to accomplish? Competition or just sling a few shots down range every now and then? How far are you saying for long range?

I can hit steel at 1000 with my 6 Dasher pretty consistently.

I've got a Bergara that I have shot out to 1400+ yards in 6.5 Creedmoor. Good glass + new trigger + a lot of practice = 1,000 yard rifle. The long range precision hunter bullets (ELD-X) are insanely accurate for an off the shelf bullet.

JeremiahJohnson said:

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What are you trying to accomplish? Competition or just sling a few shots down range every now and then? How far are you saying for long range?

I can hit steel at 1000 with my 6 Dasher pretty consistently.

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No competition, just fun. I can get to 1000 meters at my lease.

One of the guys at the lease just got a Cristensen 7mm PRC to shoot long range and I thought I would see what I can do too. I am trying to not replicate what I already have with regards to calibers, but if what I have will not reach 1k meters, I am willing to get another rifle.

No one is answering the 6.8 Western question, so I take it that it is not a decent choice?

One of the Creeds with a decent barrel will do the job. I would look into a brand with tighter tolerances and more accessories like a Tikka. You can go from an off the shelf tikka to an elite long range package with not much money added. Also the smoothest action out there.

Magnums are cool but burn up barrels fast and cost a lot to shoot.

If you dont want to spend the money, I am sure that 6.5 creed you have will do the job.

Phillip Velayo did a great 8 part video series on turning off the shelf rifle to a competition rig.

I have a 300 Weatherby Mag Mark V Backcountry 2.0 TI that has a Zeiss LRP S3 6-36x56 scope. I use it for hunting but also use it for long range shooting.

NRH ag 10 said:

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One of the Creedmoors by a long shot. Great factory ammo available at reasonable prices and very easy on the shoulder so you can practice without developing bad habits due to recoil and can spot your hits.

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I think you already found the correct answer.

And just to follow up, a lot of guys shoot 6mm for distance. It's big enough to hold fairly true in wind. The 100+ grain pills have good BCs. And it's small enough to not have a lot of recoil

Sorry peeps. But shiiiii ton of misinformation in this thread.

Any of your guns will hit 1,000 yards with ease. You absolutely don't want a magnum to target shoot long range until you get to 1,200 ish.

Don't get a Tikka, they're great guns. I shot comps with 2 of their actions, but counter to what someone said there is a small fraction of the aftermarket and accessory support as there is for the r700 clones and even savage.

I'd focus on that savage in 6CM. I've shot my 24" barrel 6CM out to 1500 successfully and sporadic hits at 1760.

Wind won't "wreak havoc on a tiny lil 6 mm bullet" it's the caliber of choice for long range (up to ~1,000 yard) competitions. And pushed at fairly low speeds often, 2800-2900 fps. You can pretty easily download or google a free ballistic calculator and check the difference a 10 mph full value wind has on a 30 cal vs a 6 cm. Neither is gonna save you from a bad wind call.

Also there's absolutely no fudd rule about spend XXX more on your glass than your rifle. Smh. If I have to double the cost of my comp rifles on glass idek if I could find a $10,000 scope. There's plenty of super capable scopes in the $1,500 and less range and also the sub $1,000 range.

Also, make sure you buy a first focal plane scope with a mil based reticle and adjustments. Life will be much easier for you.

I agree with everything you wrote accept for the Tikka part. It's the only factory rifle on the market with tolerances good enough to buy a shouldered prefit barrel. Every precision accessory, barrel and stock company makes Tikka parts.

Savage and Bergara would require a barrel nut. I have owned all 3 and there is no comparison.

Bergera does have rem700 compatibility which is a plus. But drawback is rebarreling. If that's not important then it doesn't matter.

All my savages have been accurate but action is rough and hated the trigger.

Out of the box a Tikka is the smoothest shooting and most accurate rifle you can buy for $1000. Action is smoother than my Defiance, Impact and Terminus Actions.

I suggested Tikka because he stated interest in buying a new rifle. If not buying a new rifle the Savage and Bergara are more than capable. If you like the DIY stuff like I do, prefits are fun way to build something accurate. Will they be as good as a custom barrel made at a gunsmith to your specific action, probably not. But pretty dang close.

To answer the 6.8 question- it is Winchesters shot at competing with 6.5 and 7 PRC. It's probably a good caliber, however the PRCs have gotten more traction in the same amount of time. Also it is a magnum. You don't need it for shooting long range. Will just burn up a barrel fast.


But if you want a 6.8 for the sake of buying something new and different, then by all means do it. I see nothing wrong with it.

Thanks for all the above information. I was thinking the 6CM might be a little light, but I guess not. I think out of what I currently have, I will give the Creedmoors a shot first.

6 creed is great. It's overbored like .243 so barrel life might not be much over 1000 shots.

6.5 creed people are getting 2500+ shots.

I don't own a 6CM, but it will be the next caliber that I purchase. Ballistically it is a proven great long range cartridge.

Why are you so against PRC or ARC cartridges? They were developed almost exclusively for LR.

Slap one of the creeds in chassis like the MDT XRS, get some good glass, and go to town.

Oh and spend the money on a good bipod like an Atlas

My .02, I bought that Tikka CTR from the video about 10 years ago and love it. For mid-to long range plinking but it's also light enough to carry for spot and stalk hunting. For me, it's been a solid choice.

Disclaimer: I'm not a long range shooter...yet...but have the bug and have been going deep in articles, videos, etc.

A coworker has 8 long range rifles, as all he does is long range, and has 2 6.5 PRCs. It's a very nice round on paper. His gun room is the size of my garage and I'd assume he knows a thing or two, but it comes down to preference, tolerance to recoil, tolerance for ammunition costs, range aspirations, and if you want to hunt game.

I'm leaning 300 win mag or 6.5 prc. I want to be able to take an elk and learn how to long range

I'll say this about magnum cartridges. They really don't give much of an advantage when shooting at 1000 yds. If there's absolutely no wind. I ran these two cases on a ballistics calculator. For a .308 caliber 150 grn bullet with a BC of .40, and a 5 mph crosswind, a mv of 3100 fps will result in a drift of 8 inches less than the same bullet fired at 2800.

Of course you can dope the wind, if it's constant and at the same speed everywhere along the bullet's path. But how often will that be the case?

1,000 yards is a long way. The drift for the two cases I ran were 53 and 61 inches.