Aspiring long range shooter asking for some help

[curtisloyd12]

Little background. I hunt in northern CA and I’d say 90% of my hunting has been done still hunting/road hunting (ill take the hate for road hunting ) but after the last couple of bucks I have taken from road hunting, I couldn’t help but feel a little weird/bad about it being too easy. My kid is coming into his first season being able to big game hunt and I want to show him a more challenging/rewarding way of hunting and he’s all for it. So that brings me to my topic. Want to get into more back country and with some of the places I’ve hiked into, long range shooting would be a lot more productive. With that in mind, anyone have any tips for starting out as a long range shooter as it is a bit intimidating with all the different options. Scope recommendations? Rifle recommendations? Do’s and donts? I’ve got about a $1200 budget for rifle and scope. TIA

 

[SouthernCharm]

Spend as much as you can for a quality scope, then look around for a used 6.5 or (280aiI if you reload) in a Tikka. Glass will improve any rifle. You can then start working the tikka over with a spring trigger job and bed the rifle, later replace the stock and upgrade your scope.

 

[wind gypsy]

What rifle do you use now?

 

[blairmckenzie1]

spend some time cruising the threads here and other forums. i think you will find a ton of good information. you will also find a ton of opposing views. there are a few things you 100% need. a rifle, rangefinder, a way to get a shooting solution for elevation/wind. if you arent a confident shooter take a class. at a bare minimum spend as much time as possible getting behind your rifle punching primers. work on your fundamentals and practice shooting from likely field positions. if your kid is getting in to hunting it is a great time to bring him along and practice with him. remember you dont have to buy all new shit to start shooting "long range"

 

[mcdues]

I use a Bergara HMR in 6.5 CM with a Vortex Razor HD II 4.5-27x in MRAD for my long range shooting.

 

[ddowning]

With that budget for rifle and optic, I would get a Tikka and an SWFA. Depending on how far you want to shoot, I might start with a 223 (read the 223 thread). It will give cheaper ammo for practice than just about anything else. You will need to either take a GOOD class or shoot around 4k-5k rounds to become moderately competent at shooting past 400 yards regardless of caliber.

Once funds have replenished, you can buy a 6 creedmore or something with more favorable ballistics and still have the 223 to practice with.

 

[TaperPin]

In our family a used 243 and fixed 6x scope is the usual first big game rifle.

The fixed scope eliminates the desire to change magnification, when they should be focused on the shot. The most recent new shooter connected with an antelope at 450 on the first shot.

 

[wabash503]

$1200 is a tough budget to build a quality long range rifle with. If I were forced into that situation, I'd start first with the cartridge and making sure it carries enough energy at the distances you intend to hunt... And then I'd find a good used one at a decent price. Classifieds here and gunbroker are good starting points. And I'd save at least $500 for the optic. Vortex Venom and Arken EP5 are good options at that price point.

A good planning factor on ammo to get proficient out to 500Y is 200 rounds... And those should be a good hunting load you'll use on your hunt, otherwise your dope will be off.