Range rifle?

[chemist308]

I replaced my Ruger M77 .308 Win. with a Browning X-Bolt Medallion .308 Win. Wow is that thing lightweight! It's a beautiful rifle and I think still more accurate than me, though I'd like to test that When I take it to the range, my typical round expenditure is between 40 and 60 rounds over a couple hours--limited by my budget and time spent. But that barrel can and does get hot to the touch if I'm not careful. I worried less about that with my Ruger. This Browning is a fairly lightweight gun, so I try not to stress it. I give it cool down periods and swab its bore after 3 - 7 shots. It's a great hunting rifle, but am I babying this thing or should it still be capable of sub MOA accuracy when the barrel gets hot to the touch?

These days I shoot more than hunt, and have a serious interest in learning to shoot long range. Will a standard lightweight hunting rifle still do well for a frequent shooter or should I be thinking of something with a heavier barrel?

 

[cat_IT_guy]

When I think Browning I think high quality, beautiful hunting rifles. For very occassional range use I'm sure your xbolt would be fine. If you want to shoot long ranges frequently and comfortably, you might be better served by adding a purpose built heavy barrel "long range" gun to your collection.

 

[Skyshot]

I replaced my Ruger M77 .308 Win. with a Browning X-Bolt Medallion .308 Win. Wow is that thing lightweight! It's a beautiful rifle and I think still more accurate than me, though I'd like to test that When I take it to the range, my typical round expenditure is between 40 and 60 rounds over a couple hours--limited by my budget and time spent. But that barrel can and does get hot to the touch if I'm not careful. I worried less about that with my Ruger. This Browning is a fairly lightweight gun, so I try not to stress it. I give it cool down periods and swab its bore after 3 - 7 shots. It's a great hunting rifle, but am I babying this thing or should it still be capable of sub MOA accuracy when the barrel gets hot to the touch?

These days I shoot more than hunt, and have a serious interest in learning to shoot long range. Will a standard lightweight hunting rifle still do well for a frequent shooter or should I be thinking of something with a heavier barrel?

For long range work you need a heavier rig. When a light weight barrel gets hot, it's going to wander. I would think 40 to 60 rounds of .308 in a light weight bolt rig, I would be ready to put the thing up for a while.

 

[chemist308]

So I put 80 rounds through the Browning between 300 and 600 yards, and also fired the range officers rifle at 1000 yard targets. Same caliber, but the difference in weight made his easier to manage recoil and hit the target with.