Mar
11
What is the best long range deer rifle/long range target rifle be? Brand and Cartridge?
ByI already have a 7mm Ruger Mag Mark 2. But I would like to get another rifle to make longer shots on targets and deer hunting. Don’t know what Caliber and Rifle to get me. Any suggestions would be helpfull. Thanks.
15 Comments
March 11th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
A savage 270. Cal by far is the best long range rifle I would highly recommend this gun if it’s held at a 45 degree angle the bullet could go over 2 miles
March 11th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
* The vast Majority of Big & Small Game is Harvested within 100 yards or less.* Actually you already have a Rifle capable of making long shots, so i don’t see how you can improve on that by getting any other one that is going to outperform what you already have.* There isn’t any Rifle that will reach out any further or better than the one you already have.*
March 11th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
I think it would be the 308 or 300 win mag they are both sniper rounds and they both have lots of down range energy to go threw body armor and light armor. Also the 30-06 because it has more power than a 308 but has less range but not by much. The 270 is also good but would not be my choice. The 7mm Rem Mag is a good down range gun but I think you should go with the 308 win.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
30/06 its very powerful and hard for the bullet to soar in the wind because it’s cartridge is so big and powerful.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I use a savage .243. I can hit a water bottle at 200 yards with a half bad scope. Here is a link to the gun.
http://www.savagearms.com/11fxp3.htm
March 11th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
DCA has it right with the 7mm Mag being a wonderful choice for a long range weapon (I assume you mean the 7mm Remington Mag in a Ruger Model 77 rifle). Biggest thing you are going to run into is that the best long range shooting rifle isn’t always the best rifle for hunting. The 7 Mag does both jobs admirably, up to and including moose, elk and bear;but most humane and ethical hunting shots are within 300 yards, possibly 400 on a good day when you really know the gun and conditions, and a perfect shot is available. To me a long shot on deer is 300 yards max, elk is 400 yards, only because the margin of error is so much greater on a larger target. You get a quartering shot at 200 yards and you better be sure of your shot placement,even more farther out. Your current rifle is capable of those ranges with accurate bullets and good optics. To go much farther, you need a totally different set of optics than you would use for hunting, you would have the rifle’s action and bolt reworked, trued and sleeved, then you would get an air gauged premium barrel. So, unless you want to invest lots of money, limit long shots to 300 or so yards.
Again, your 7mm Mag works perfectly for hunting within a normal envelope;but I’m not ever going to say you shouldn’t buy a second rifle if you wanted to. Since the 7 Mag puts you between 270 and 30-06 performance wise you can go up or down significantly. If you wanted more power and a shoulder turned to hamburger you can get a .338 Mag, or a Remington Ultra Mag or various Weatherby cartridges that are way over powered. You could also go down to 223 as a varmint gun (I never recommend 223 for deer) or a 6.5×55 Swede to give you a very low recoil cartridge that is great for deer and even elk at moderate range. Again, 270,308 and 30-06 won’t offer you significant advantages over the 7mag, but all are great cartridges. The 30-06 will allow you to use much heavier bullets that the 308; up to 220 grains while the 308 is best at 150 to 180 grains (because of the short case). The 270 is a necked down 30-06 case, and you can load up to 150 grain bullets for it.
As for rifle makes, you know Ruger makes a good product. A Model 77 would be a great rifle. I prefer my Browning A-Bolts, and I plan on getting my son a Tikka T3 when he upgrades. Best value for the money currently is the Howa 1500/ Weatherby Vanguard line. There is always the various Remington Model 700s and the newer Mauser based imports. CZ makes wonderful Mauser action,controlled feed rifles with their 550 model. I’ve seen some CZs for less than $600 and they are a bargain at that price. If you set your sights higher, Kimber makes a top quality rifle.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
I enjoy shooting my .300 Win Mag with hotter-than-factory hand loads out of my Mossberg 4X4 and my Kimber. A 500 yard shot, accuratly made is no issue.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Everyone needs at least one good Mosin-Nagant they are still relatively inexpensive, 7.62x54r ammo is realively cheap too and it can easily do what you want it too, just get one that is in good shape and has a decent bore. Look at the Finnish ones
March 11th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Hunting is about getting as close to your target as possible and then crawling 50 yards closer. Shooting game at extreme range is not ethical in my opinion.
For long range target shooting there are mighty few cartridges that equal the .308 Winchester. It either holds or has held all the 1,000 and 1,200 yard records.
If you want a factory stock rifle for such long range work I’m afraid you will be disappointed. Nearly all dedicated long range rifles are custom built. However you should have no problems with 500 or 600 yard shots with a good Winchester, Savage, Remington, or Ruger rifle topped with a good scope.
As for ammo choice, there is no way any of us could tell you what bullet or load your rifle will like best. The most we can do is to tell you what loads our rifles like. The only way to get that question answered is to ask your rifle. Shoot as many different bullet weights and velocity choices as possible and use the one that groups best.
As a matter of fact, I don’t know any serious long range shooter who uses factory ammo anyway, including military snipers. Factory ammo is the best it has ever been, but it is not tailored to the individual rifles. If you are serious about long range target work, you need to get started reloading. I recommend the RCBS RockChucker Reloading Kit, it has everything you need to get started reloading except the dies and shellholder for your caliber, powder, bullets, primers and brass.
Doc
March 11th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
I would go with the Browning A Bolt in a .270 Win Short Mag
March 11th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
I like Rugers, in particular the M77 in .308.
For target use it’s good to 1000 yards. For hunting it’s more than enough for deer out to at least 400 yards. Beyond that it’s more a matter of your skill rather than what the rifle can do.
For practice you can use cheap military surplus 7.62mm ammo and save top quality 308 ammo for hunting or competion target shooting.
The M77 can shoot 1MOA all day. I wish I could.
Ian M
March 11th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
You said best. It ain’t cheap, but there’s not many guns with a moa guarantee at 1000 yards. Only available in 300 win mag.
http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=76
or even better, this one in 338 lapua.
http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=84
March 11th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Every sniper in the world pretty much uses .308 caliber weapons. They can easily kill at 1000 yards with the right shooter and gun. Some other popular sniper rounds are the 300 win mag and 338 lapua.
March 11th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
u want something bigger go with a 30 378 weatherby or 300 rem ulatr mag.
March 11th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
My Browning 300 Mag has great range . Have hit aluminum pie tin at 800 yards , believe it or not .