What's needed to get started shooting at long ranges?

[teddy12b]

I'm in the market to build a 30-06.  I want to use this rifle 99% of the time at the rifle range, but it'll also go hunting once or twice.  I'm 99.99% sold on using the 30-06.  I already reload for it and I really don't want any more recoil than I can comfortably handle. 

I'd like to build/buy a rifle with a heavy varmint/target barrel that will shoot sub MOA.  I'm debating on a custom Savage, or starting with a Rem SPS Stainless.  Ideally Savage would come out with something exactly like I'd want to buy in 2008, but I'm not going to count on that.  What is my best choice if I want to be accurate out past 500 yards?  I'm out of my league on this one and need some advice from people who know.

[GeorgiaDave]

Greetings from Georgia !

   As an avid long range shooter, I believe that I may have some ideas that will be of some help. I believe that if you plan on hitting an object at 500 yards or beyond, the first thing you should consider is finding a range where you can shoot that far. I am lucky enough to have a 500 yard range at my house and we use it quite often.  As far as equipment, that is up to the individaul, but without a LOT of practice at long range the full potential of any gun will never be reached.
   One of the things that we have found through the years is that very few people can "really" hit an 8 inch steel plate from more than 300 yards. Sure an occasional ring will happen, but that is not adequate to rely on in the field. Right now I have my bench set up for 300 yards and have been wearing it out, with everything from the tiny ,17 HMR up to the mighty 45/70. Beyond the 300 yard mark is where all things must be working together well, both human and hardware.  After tuning the rifle to find the most accurate round, start airing it out to see what happens !!
   I have found that one of the most useful tools I have for shooting well is a GOOD rangefinder. Once you have used it a lot, ranging by eye comes easier, but a misjudgement of a few yards at long range can mean a miss. Good luck and God Bless.

Dave

[teddy12b]

There is a range near by that goes out to 1000 yards.  Hopefully Santa will out a membership under my tree this year, but if not I'll get one myself.  I'd like to work my way out to be able to hit targets at 1000 yards.  Where I shoot now 300 yards is the max, I want to see how far I can really go.

[Jose Grande]

I have a custom built '03 Springfield 30-06. It has a Douglas XX Supreme barrel & all the usual work. All that was used from the 03 was the action & bolt.Even that was worked on a bunch. If you can stand the price,building one from the action you choose is the best way.

[SharonAnne]

Teddy, check the Savage catalog. they have an F class rifle in 308 that may serve.

[teddy12b]

SharonAnne,
    Since the last time I posted on this topic I did end up ordering a Savage 110FP in 30-06.  It took a while for it to show up, but it was well worth the wait.  I ended up putting a badger 20MOA base and a new duramax stock on it and I've hit the target at 1000 yards with it.  I'm pretty happy with the setup because it can pull double duty as a hunting rifle and hold it's own on the rifle range.

  Those F-class rifles are pretty nice looking and if I was going to get competitive I'd probably go that route.

[SharonAnne]

excellent. do you have it grouping at 1000yds yet? That is WAY out there. Personally I think anyone keeping them all in the black at 1k is doing well.

[teddy12b]

The place I shoot at has steel targets at 1000, and I haven't setup paper yet.  I'm still very much a rookie at the long range game.  I've only really tried to hit the 1000 yard target once and that was on a very very windy day.  I hit it enough times to know that I could hit it, but I definitely missed it enough times to learn how much winds plays a factor.  Without a doubt I missed the targets more times than I hit them, but I had so much fun do it.

The range was covered in snow that day so I would fire a shot see where it hit and then try to quickly adjust my scope to get on target before the wind would change again.  It was so much fun to fire and round and have to wait 2 seconds to hear and see the hit.  I made a post about this trip to the range once and I'll try to find it. 

My 30-06 is just now getting to where I'm dialed in on my hunting ammo and then I need to get my target/match ammo squared away.  In my 06 I can load barnes tipped triple shocks and sierra matchkings with 59.5gr of imr 4350 and not get the slightest sign of pressure in lapua brass with remington primers.  I cronographed the barnes load and I was getting between 2950 - 2990 fps (if I remember right, it was just shy of 3,000fps).  I've only tested the sierra bullets for pressure so far.  I'll test them for best accuracy on a day that's not too windy.  The barnes bullets will be my hunting load and the matchkings will be for my playtime at the range.

[teddy12b]

Found it.  This has a couple pics too.

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,141954.0.html

[Tom W.]

My som has a co-worker friend that was a U.S.M.C. sniper, and He has a range set up with 2 benches, one is 300 yards and the other is 1000.  He invited me out there, and I was hitting the steel @ 300 yards while fire forming some brass in my Ruger #1 that I had rechambered to 30/06 A.I.
My son had several Remington tactal / varmint rifles with some very pricey Leupolds, and He let me shoot his .308 at the 1000 yard target. I've never shot that far before, and really didn't do anything but aim and fire after He got the rifle ranged and set up. The Red spots on the target are less than MOA, they're closer to 5" across...


That's six shots..... I now have a Savage model 12 BVSS-S in .308  so I can play too!

[teddy12b]

There is just something fun about shooting at distances that far.  I think if more people tried it, they would get involved in the shooting sports.