looking at getting into long range shooting

KnotRight

KnotRight

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I really never been into long range shooting but enjoy when trying to hit the steel at 500 yards. I have a cheap Mossberg Axis II in 308 that I can keep close to 1 MOA at 100 yards from a sandbag. At 300 yards I can hit the steel about 75% of the time once I figure out the ballistic adjustments that are needed.
The question that I have is do I upgrade the stock on the Mossberg and maybe a better scope or do I invest in a 6.5 Creedmoor? If I do the 6.5, I would most likely be looking at a Ruger American and then add a scope (not very expensive right now).

I reload all my ammo and would need to buy all new dies, brass, and bullets for the 6.5.

Is there that much difference between the 2 rounds out to 500 yards?

Our club will be offering classes on long range shooting and I will be enrolling in one very soon. The class is supposed to help you understand the BC calculator and how to make the adjustment for the angle of shooting and the windage effect on different bullets.
 
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Took the long range class at Frontline Defense, everyone rang steel at 1,000yds.
I used a rented Remington 700 .308 with Vortex scope and Black Hills ammo.
No expert but I believe the scope will make a big difference. Nice comparison article below.

http://www.accuracy-tech.com/6-5-creedmoor-vs-308-winchester/
 
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Are you sure it's a Mossburg? Savage makes the Axis line and dollar for dollar it's not a bad start. You can honestly save a ton of money simply by shooting it with a good stock. Later down the road you can swap the barrel, and if it were me, I'd get a .260 barrel for it seeing is you already load for .308
 
billyh said:
Are you sure it's a Mossburg? Savage makes the Axis line and dollar for dollar it's not a bad start. You can honestly save a ton of money simply by shooting it with a good stock. Later down the road you can swap the barrel, and if it were me, I'd get a .260 barrel for it seeing is you already load for .308
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I'm with Billy on this one. Since you're already reloading and you want a 6.5 just make (barrel swap) a 260 Rem and neck down your 308 brass.

https://www.carolinafirearmsforum.com/index.php?threads/to-6-or-6-5.14387/
 
What type of long range? Competition, bench rest, Fclass, etc.? Or, just shooting for hockies and giggles? Big difference in advise you'll get.
 
The axis is a cheap hunting rifle not a long range rifle. Save your self some time and look at rem .700 sps tactical in 6.5 or a rpr in 6.5 and invest in a good optic and bipod.
 


Be prepared to spend some money. You can get an "entry" precision rifle with optic for under $1,500; but you won't be satisfied for long and you'll find all sorts of amazing opportunities to spend money like never before!
 

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Check out the savage 12fv. It’s a Cabela’s exclusive and sells for around $419. Not to much more than an American. 26” heavy barrel and accu-trigger. I bought one on Black Friday for around $195 once I get the rebate in. I put a vortex diamond back tactical and will use it for any long range stuff I do. Right now I’m limited to around 200 yards though.
 
10 or more comments in this thread and no one has mentioned the Tikka? What a disgrace...

OP, do yourself a favor and put your hands on a Tikka action before wasting your money on an inferior system that cost as much or more. You don’t have to thank me, but you’ll want to. I did!
 
There is a lot of talk of the Tikka and the Bergara rifles. I have handled the Tikka, have not yet handled the Bergara, but everyone says they are wildly impressed with those rifles.
 
I transferred a gun today and the buyer mentioned that he just had a Bergara built in 6.5. He said that they were assembled maybe in Lawrenceville, GA. I think that he also said that the cost was around $1,100.
 
hlpressley said:
10 or more comments in this thread and no one has mentioned the Tikka? What a disgrace...

OP, do yourself a favor and put your hands on a Tikka action before wasting your money on an inferior system that cost as much or more. You don’t have to thank me, but you’ll want to. I did!
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WTF IS A TIKKA?....................................................
 
I have a Gen. 1 Bergara B14 BMP and a Gen. 2 Ruger Precision Rifle - both in 6.5 Creedmoor. Both are easily sub MOA at 100 and both easily go out to 1000. You can find either in the $1200/$1400 range.

IMG_20171224_193402.jpg

The biggest weakness of both of these rifles is me. You can spend a lot of money on 'better' rifles if you want, but for 'entry level' platforms, I think both of these are hard to beat.
 
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Getting back in my world. Does anybody have any experience with the Boyd At-One stock? Before I go spending a lot of money on another gun and platform, I am thinking about one for the Savage and if that helps then a better scope.

East of Here, very nice setups. What scopes are you using?
 
KnotRight said:
Getting back in my world. Does anybody have any experience with the Boyd At-One stock? Before I go spending a lot of money on another gun and platform, I am thinking about one for the Savage and if that helps then a better scope.

East of Here, very nice setups. What scopes are you using?
Click to expand...

They both are currently carrying Vortex Viper PST 6-24X50's. The RPR has an EBR-1 reticle and the Bergara has an EBR-2C. They work well for my purposes.
 
KnotRight said:
Getting back in my world. Does anybody have any experience with the Boyd At-One stock? Before I go spending a lot of money on another gun and platform, I am thinking about one for the Savage and if that helps then a better scope.

East of Here, very nice setups. What scopes are you using?
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Someone posted a rifle in the precision rifle pic thread with an at one stock on it. I can’t recall who it was but they said they were pleased. I might look at getting one for my 12fv after everything settles down from Christmas.
 
I've got the At-One stock pictured in the other thread. So far so good. Took a bit of sanding here and there but nothing major.
 
Everybody keeps talking about shooting 1,000 yards. Are you guys using 10 inch, 12, inch, or larger sized targets at that range? I'm getting ready to hang an 18 X 22 steel target and see if I can hit it consistently. Damn wind!

I've looked at one of the Bergara's and have shot the Ruger and I think it's hard to beat the price for what you are getting.
 
I would suggest checking for a new barrel. The AXIS II has the accutrigger which is amazing. the weakness is the barrel it's a sporter barrel and as such heats up quickly and will throw your rounds. I went with a savage setup and love it. Definitely go heavy barrel. I don't stretch out my rifle nearly as far as I should but I went frankengun style. I used the stock from a model 10 FCP-SR and the action/barrel from a savage hog hunter in 308. with hand loads my groups are sub MOA just under a half inch with a Vortex Crossfire II 6-24X scope. I modified the aluminum bedding to fit the larger lug of the hog hunter. I have about $500 in the gun and another $250 in the scope. Again this works great for what I've been shooting out to about 400 yards (don't have any longer ranges) . Definitely check all your avenues before spending so much on a rifle. you might find a simple set up will work great. The other rifles look cool but in the end sometimes basics are better.
 
Red Line thanks for the reply. I know that there are aftermarket barrels out there but never look into one except the ER Shaw. Any suggestions besides the Savage Hog Hunter?
 
This is one seriously deep and expensive rabbit hole in the shooting world and quite addictive. Like 3gun, you'll soon come to realize there are more expensive things in this world than crack and divorce.

Tikka is great, Savage is really good, Ruger is impressive. If you want to really be competitive, 308 isn't the best route. 6.5 Creedmore is probably a much better choice.
 
A fun project..... buy an upgradeable rifle (something that has a lot of aftermarket support such as a Savage 12 or a Rem 700 and others mentioned above) and upgrade and learn as you go.

If your groups are about an inch @ 100, then hitting steel gongs @ 500 shouldn't be a big deal, just takes some practice. You won't notice much difference between the 308 and the 6.5 until you get past 600 yards or so.
 
I am against the Creedmoor rounds. If I want a 6.5 I'm either going .260 or 6.5x47. Brass may not be as cheap from Lapua but you also have something 9/10 others don't. Another idea is a .243 or any other 6mm variant. Keep the savage in .308 for the time being and get a half way decent stock evwn if it's a Boyd's. Put a decent scope on it and learn how to shoot it. Learn how what dope is and how to reload for it. Learn the basics on calling your shots and wind. From there, you can go to the "cheater" calibers.
 
billyh said:
I am against the Creedmoor rounds. If I want a 6.5 I'm either going .260 or 6.5x47. Brass may not be as cheap from Lapua but you also have something 9/10 others don't. Another idea is a .243 or any other 6mm variant. Keep the savage in .308 for the time being and get a half way decent stock evwn if it's a Boyd's. Put a decent scope on it and learn how to shoot it. Learn how what dope is and how to reload for it. Learn the basics on calling your shots and wind. From there, you can go to the "cheater" calibers.
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I like the 6.5 Lapua myself....... I can't afford to build another one anytime soon, but either a 6br or a 6.5 Lapua will be next.
 
Let's jump from the rifle and scope to reloading the bullets for a minute. I am using a set of RCBS 308 dies and trimming my cases with a WFT Trimmer. Should I be looking at a better seating die?
 
Seating die should be fine. Just find a recipe the rifle likes.... Only thing i dont like about rcbs dies is the excess neck tension....not really a huge deal though. You should have no problem producing consistent ammo with their dies.
 
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KnotRight said:
Let's jump from the rifle and scope to reloading the bullets for a minute. I am using a set of RCBS 308 dies and trimming my cases with a WFT Trimmer. Should I be looking at a better seating die?
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Dies are plenty fine. The basic 2 die RCBS is what I used forever. What you are lookimg for is consistency. @BurnedOutGeek had an awesome step by step process with pictures on how he does his stuff. The WFT is a good start and trims off the shoulder. I have a frankford arsenal that works the same way and works fine for me. Don't expext to be a bench rest quality setup, but it is plenty fine for 95% of shooters/reloaders.
 
billyh said:
Dies are plenty fine. The basic 2 die RCBS is what I used forever. What you are lookimg for is consistency. @BurnedOutGeek had an awesome step by step process with pictures on how he does his stuff. The WFT is a good start and trims off the shoulder. I have a frankford arsenal that works the same way and works fine for me. Don't expext to be a bench rest quality setup, but it is plenty fine for 95% of shooters/reloaders.
Click to expand...
https://www.carolinafirearmsforum.c...pping-rifle-brass-for-loading-pic-heavy.1439/
 
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