Once again I am kicking around tinkering with a "precision" rifle. Wanting A heavy barrel gun with a decent stock and trigger right out of the box. Just looking for something is can tape an SWFA 10x scope to and be reasonably certain of making hits on something like a 10" plate at 1000. Obviously that is assuming i shoot it correctly, but I want the equipment to be capable. Would prefer 308 caliber for commonality and barrel life. I have found bergaras, savage BR rifles, Ruger american hunter, Rem 700s, and some other stuff that looks promising for $1000 and below, so lets set the rifle cost at $1000, but i would happily spend less if a cheaper gun can reliably get the results I am looking for. So, is it possible and will one of the rifles mentioned met the goals? I will also consider other stuff, so toss out any ideas you got


That ruger is about 700 dollars, so it really interest me if anyone has tried one.

The Tikka CTR checks every category you’ve listed and I don’t know if it can be beat under $1000. The glass is a good choice in that price range. I have one in 16x that I’ve been looking for something to throw it on.

I believe you can get by with cheaper in a Ruger American, Rem. 700 or Savage and have a 1 MOA or better rifle, especially if using custom loads...hitting a 10” target (1 MOA) at 1000 yards is another thing altogether. Most people I know stick to 2 MOA or more until they are extremely proficient reading wind and other variables.

That sounds reasonable, and probably more realistic. I just don't want a gun that i can sometimes hit at distance with, because the gun is way less than ideal. I know hitting consistently out there will take some work, but hopefully that is part of the fun :-)

You might also look into a visit with JGFireman...many from this site have, including me, and always came away happy.

I bought a used Savage for $400, shots 3/4 moa sometimes better depending on me that day. Ended up changing out the stock just because I liked the way it shot. Picture of the rifle and first 8 rounds to adjust zero after switching out the accustock for a GRS stock. Yea, one more click to the right and is was on.

1. Tikka T3 CTR
2. Bergara B-14 HMR (Hunting and Match Rifle)
3. Savage 10 BA Stealth
4. Remington 700 Long Range -not sure the long range has 308 - i have one in 3006 that is a shooter
5. CZ 557 Varmint

Tikka

I've yet to see one that a hand loader that knows what he's doing couldn't make shoot very well. .308 shooting 1 MOA, at 1k is going to teach you to read wind, and it is going to teach to how important good form, and fast follow-up shots are. So go for it!

I'm going to break with the crowd here and suggest a Howa HCR. Nice chassis and shooter right out of the box.

I have another question. I know i said 308, but would a 6.5 CM be a better way to go, just because if it turns out i don't like the LR type shooting I am thinking a CM might be an easier sell?

The CM is only better for 1000 yards. The .308 as much as I love it, is a 600 yard gun that can be pushed. As far as resale the CM will sell faster. Simply for the bling factor, but sell it will.

Tell me a more about this please. I stumbled across one after I posted my OP and it looked real interesting. I like a 3006, and these guns are priced well and the little I saw about them looked pretty good

Ruger American Predator in 6.5, with a Magpul Hunter Stock and aftermarket trigger. Sub 1k withouT optics.

I was actually thinking about the Ruger American magpul hunter, It comes from the factory with the magpul stock, a heavy barrel and a comp, all for about 700 bucks.

The 6.5 Creedmoor i less frustrating at distance. It has a higher BC, higher MV, maintains more speed down range, therefore wind drifts less. The 6.5 Creedmoor and a Mil/Mil scope is the about the easiest combination to learn with.

I wouldn’t call it a heavy barrel, but heavier than a sporter barrel. The Ruger’s barrel profile seems significantly smaller in diameter that a Remington Sendero/Varmint profile. That said, with good glass the Ruger will get you to 1k.

All chamberings are built around the Model 700 action and a heavy contour 26” barrel.26” 1/10 twist

The stock is a Bell and Carlson M40 Tactical Stock with a full-length aluminum bedding block. There is an additional swivel on the forend to accommodate a bipod and sling. The controls are classic 700 with a two-position safety, a user-adjustable X-Mark Pro trigger and the receiver is drilled and tapped for bases or a Picatinny rail. it’s true they’ve had issues for the past ~10+ years after being bought by Freedom Group. However, the issues are mostly present in their lower-end shotguns and rifles. If you get anything other than the most budget tier option then you shouldn’t have a problem.

Have been shooting 168grain and up / you will gain 100 t0 150fps over a 308 / 30-06 have been used for a long time to shoot long range with / maybe not the best but still works well ,rifle is well built, but it is not the lightest long-range comes in heavy at 9 pounds, and a bit long at 47-inches long w/26 inch barrel

The Remington at 9lb is actually lighter than my dedicated Long Range: masterpiece Arms BA308 chassis rifle @ 12 to 13lb ( but i don't go packing it arounds the woods either)

I like the heavy rifle for long range practice : No matter if on a bench or sitting on top of a mesa in West Texas pounding out rounds - Good for soaking up recoil & heat / which allows for more shooting time . When i am shooting one of my LR rifles 100+ rounds at one sitting is very common . I save my light weight rifles for pure hunting and translate what i learned from LR shooting to them

Any long range scope & rings & bipod are going to add 2+ lb to the rifle

PS - Good scopes will cost more than good rifles !!!!!!!!!!!

I recently purchased a Tikka T3X CTR 24" in 6.5cm, put a good scope on it and had FiremanJG develop a load for it and couldn't be happier. 3/4" moa at 200. I'm not sure if I can shoot 1 MOA at a 1000 with it but I wouldn't be surprised if the gun in Jason's hands couldn't do it. I know yesterday it was good at 3 MOA targets at 1400 in some wind and I"m far from an accomplished shooter.

The load development group wasn't 3/4 MOA at 200 yards, it was 3/4 inch. Sub 1/2 MOA. Which is what I expect out of Tikkas.

That’s a giant difference and impressive for factory. I’m not sure why I even bother with aftermarket barrels no more serious than I am. Oh yeah, Beretta won’t import the left handed rifles I want. That’s why. Bastages.

My bad, you are exactly correct...………...told ya wasn't an accomplished shooter...……….can't read either!!

But I have a dang good shooting rifle

See post in this section "Just went nuts at Cabela's "

Out of the box long ranger < $1000.00.

If you're definitely going to a 1000 and you want consistent hits, I wouldn't choose the .308. I have a Tikka CTR (24" 6.5) and looked at all the options before I bought it. If you're trying to be economical, look at Savage first, such as this one. They have several models sub-$600


Savage 110 Tactical

Yeah, I've got a Savage 10T in 308 and it shoots pretty well out to 800. Has the typical weak extractor spring, but I'm not shooting anything timed, just shooting for pleasure. Once I get past 800 I usually leave the 308 in the case and run one of my 260's or the trusty 7 Rem Mag.

Tikka T3x 20 inch barrel scrap the stock and replace with MDT light chassis and mag and stock of your choice. I like their light carbine stock as well.......you might come in a couple hundred over budget but you will have a lightweight (compared to most) long range rifle that's great to hunt with as well.......my CTR shoots less than 1/2 MOA with this setup. If I would of known about MDT before I bought the CTR, I would saved some coin and went with the T3x. MDT's mag and bolt feed are much better than the CTR.