Good range gun

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RancidSumo

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I am looking for a good range gun that shoots good groups at over 500 yards. I also need a sugestion for a good scope or at least what to look for in a good scope. One that I have been looking at is a Ruger #1. I know it is single shot but I heard it is a good gun. What do you guys think about it and what other suggestions do you have?
 
I've heard of a lot of people having accuracy problems with the newer #1s. If I wanted a gun that shot good groups out of the box, at over 500 yards, I'd get a Savage F-Class or F/TR. What caliber are you looking at? That could be as important as the gun........
 
Not a new #1 an older one that I have been looking at. As far as caliber I have been looking at a lot of different calibers and don't really have a preference as long as it isn't a .243 or a .22. Also I don't like the F-Class, held one at the store and didn't like it.
 
For less money than the Ruger #1 you can get a new or used Remington 700 or Savage and get better accuracy. Spend the money you saved on better optics (Leupold is a good place to start, from inexpensive to wildly expensive, I have a 4-12 Vari-X II on my Remington 700VS .308, and I also like the 4.5-14 Vari-X III alot) for the rifle, which you will definitely need past 500 yards. As far as cartridge goes, I would look hard at the .308 Winchester for the best combination of accuracy, trajectory, and ammo price/availability. Sure, a bunch of cartridges shoot flatter, but they cost a lot more to shoot.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
Remington Police .308
I know it as the PSS but not whether that is the current designation in advertising alphabet soup.
Biggest Leupold Target scope you can manage; 8.5-25 Target is good.

Do you handload? If not, you can buy good .308 from Black Hills.

I would not count on a second hand No 1 unless I could shoot it first. Friend of mine has one that is very accurate, but it is a No 1 V heavy barrelled .223. Not all the hunting models will do as well.
 
The one I would be getting has a heavy barrel as well but it is chamberd in .300. It belongs to a family member that never shoots it anymore so I might be able to buy it from them.
 
Most scopes in the US market adjust by 1/4 MOA. That is, one click will move the point of impact about 1/4 inch at 100 yards; 1 inch at 400, etc.

I never heard of a 3/8 MOA adjustment, it might be a European scope calibrated for adjustment of 1 cm at 100 meters and roughly converted for us Colonials.
 
Just adding another wrinkle -

At 500 yds most scopes have sufficient internal adjustment range to permit a zero. If you are going longer (like 1000 yds), you may need to get scope mounts with additional MOA correction built in. 20MOA is common.

If you want a resource on long range, expensive stuff, check out sinclair international at http://www.sinclairintl.com/ -- they have all the gear you need for precision shooting. Easy to go broke in a hurry!
 
Had a Ruger #1 in 22-250 that I never could get to shoot.
Rancid,
When you start talking about shooting 500 yards your opening a whole new can of worms. IMHO there aren't very many factory rifles that will shoot at 500 yards with any degree of accuracy. You'll likely have to reload to find that sweet spot your rifle likes. You'll need at least a 20 power scope. If you trying it in the field you'll need to come up with some kind of reliable rest and I don't mean a bipod. You'll have to learn to dope the wind as even a fast heavy bullet will drift. You'll also need a heavy barrel.
If your really serious about shooting that far you may wan't to consider a custom in 6.5 x 284, maybe. I custom is built to shoot those kind of distances accuratly. I have one on the way that is designed to shoot at 600 yards +. I'm going to have about $5,000 in it when the smoke clears.
I just wanted you to understand just what is involved in shooting at distances over 300 yards.
To answer your question, I would go with a Reminton 700 heavy barrel in 270 or 308 and top it with a Leupold VXIII in 6.5 - 20 x 40MM. If your going to shoot at reasonable ranges, go with something ? -14 x 40MM range.
The further you shoot the more important optics will become.
 
Gee, Twud, do you know anybody shooting a .270 for mid- or long range target? A 135 SMK .270 at BC .488 is not competitive with higher BC 6, 6.5, 7mm and .30 cal bullets. Berger and JLK don't even make match .270s.

The big problem with a 6.5x284 is barrel life. I heard of one guy who has a switch-barrel rifle and only screws in the 6.5x284 for 1000 yards. Anything less gets a 6 BR or XC.

And why reduce scope power at "reasonable" ranges? The smallbore shooters of my acquaintance use just as high magnifications at 50 yards as the Long Range shooters do at 1000.
 
Check out "F-Class" w/ Google. Lots of helpful information.

And, Savage makes a 6.5x284 F-Class for around $1200. Savage barrels have a lock ring, I think, so unless their F-Class offering is different, it should be easier to change barrels without sending barreled action to a gunsmith. (Just buy a set of headspace gauges and a barrel wrench for Savage...)

Decent scope could be a Leupold 8-25X. I think they're around $1K. Nightforce is also good, and more expensive.

You'll need a good rest, designed for bench shooting. Sinclair makes a good one, and that's another $300. Total so far: $2500.

This is one definition of a "good range gun". The rig is going to weigh 15 to 16 lbs with scope.
 
I don't know. It is an all new model from a company experienced only in single shots and muzzleloaders. Its quality is mostly in the light fiction of the gunzines. Why be the one to find out if it will really shoot? Long range shooters use Remingtons, Winchesters, and Savages; the ones who don't buy the low volume custom guns.
 
no matter what kind of rifle you buy ya can't pick up a box of ammo and expect to hit a silver dollar at 500y. ya have to fine tune your ammunition to fit the likings of the rifle you choose.
 
This is not meant as any sort of a dig, just trying to be helpful, but you don't sound like you're an experienced shooter. Jumping right in and trying to shoot at 500 yds can be real discouraging. So when you do decide on what rifle to buy, pair it with a decent .22LR. I know you said you didn't want one bu the .22 will allow you to develop your skills and keep them active. It will also allow you to practice alot more than you will be economically able to with a centerfire. There are even special targets you can use to simulate shooting at long ranges. Alot of people think of popping soda cans when they think of a .22 but try sticking a bunch of matches to your target and trying for the heads at 50 yds.

P.S, Make sure you have somewhere to shoot at 500 yds locally.
 
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