Comments on: What is the best long range deer rifle/long range target rifle be? Brand and Cartridge?

By: fortyfour

fortyfour — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:28:13 +0000

My Browning 300 Mag has great range . Have hit aluminum pie tin at 800 yards , believe it or not .

By: kennethstarr360

kennethstarr360 — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:55:38 +0000

u want something bigger go with a 30 378 weatherby or 300 rem ulatr mag.

By: Chris M

Chris M — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:40:24 +0000

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.

By: travis s

travis s — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:46:00 +0000

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.

or even better, this one in 338 lapua.

By: Ian M

Ian M — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:09:55 +0000

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

By: Rick J

Rick J — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:41:21 +0000

I would go with the Browning A Bolt in a .270 Win Short Mag

By: Doc Hudson

Doc Hudson — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:25:16 +0000

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

By: nR

nR — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:45:10 +0000

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

By: Brewmeister

Brewmeister — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:01:20 +0000

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.

By: falconry2

falconry2 — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:47:56 +0000

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.