New long range gun, need a little advice.

[ReddingArcher]

Hey everyone, I have been wanting to get into more long range shooting so I picked up a Remington 700 long range in 300 win mag. I am planning on replacing the factory trigger with a timney set at 2#. I am also planning on putting a brake on it, not to sure which one to get so I was hoping you guys could help me out with that. I haven't decided on which scope yet but am looking at either the Nightforce SHV 5-20x56 or the Zeiss Conquest HD5 5-25x50. What do you think would be the better scope to go with? I can use my brother in laws reloading equipment and I'm hoping this gun likes the Berger 210 grain VLD Hunting bullets, any other bullets I should be taking a look at? I would like to be able to eventually shoot to 1000 yards with this rifle. So what do you guys think of a rifle set up like this? Thanks for any input or advice you can give me!

Garrett

 

[bhylton]

as far as bullets go, you might try the 208gr hornady a-max. they are cheap and from what i understand, and effective game bullet. if they are ever available, the 190gr nosler accubond long range would be worth a shot too. have fun!

 

[Broz]

Worked on one of these a while back. I would bed the front lug area too. The Timney is a good plan and I would have a JP Tactical compensator installed fr a brake. I would take the SHV over the zeiss. For a load use H-1000 in WW brass. Start at 72 gr and work up with a FED GM 215 M primer under a 215 Berger Hybrid. This will be a very impressive combination and 1000 yards is more than doable, for targets it will go a mile with ease.

Oh, and don't cheap out on a mount. Go with a 20 moa NF rail. The little extra will pay down the road.

Jeff

 

[ReddingArcher]

Thanks for the advice so far! Definitely excited to get started on this gun.

 

[rayporter]

if you only need a 2 lb trigger save your money and have your trigger worked on. a remy trigger can go to one lb as crisp as glass breaking.
if you dont have a smith close send it to neil jones custom products.

 

[ReddingArcher]

I will look him up, thanks for the info ray!

 

[Formidilosus]

Hey everyone, I have been wanting to get into more long range shooting so I picked up a Remington 700 long range in 300 win mag. I am planning on replacing the factory trigger with a timney set at 2#. I am also planning on putting a brake on it, not to sure which one to get so I was hoping you guys could help me out with that. I haven't decided on which scope yet but am looking at either the Nightforce SHV 5-20x56 or the Zeiss Conquest HD5 5-25x50. What do you think would be the better scope to go with? I can use my brother in laws reloading equipment and I'm hoping this gun likes the Berger 210 grain VLD Hunting bullets, any other bullets I should be taking a look at? I would like to be able to eventually shoot to 1000 yards with this rifle. So what do you guys think of a rifle set up like this? Thanks for any input or advice you can give me!

Garrett

What is your long range experience and what are your current guns/scopes besides the 300WM?

 

[ReddingArcher]

This is my first true long range rifle. I have a tikka t3 lite in 7mm-08 and a browning 7 rm, both with leupolds on them. I figured a 300 wm would be a good starting point to get into long range shooting.

 

[Formidilosus]

The problem is that hitting at long range requires round count. There's no shortcut and you won't put many rounds through a 300 WM. One could learn more in two or three days with a 223 setup correctly than they probably would in two years with the 300WM.


A 223 with a solid scope will actually facilitate learning to shoot at LR a hundred times better than a magnum. I would get something that I'd actually shoot a lot, setup the Tikka for dialing, and hold off on the 300 until you've got the a to use it.


There ain't no short cut and trying to but one is the fastest way to go backwards.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Totally understand what your saying, I'm not new to shooting rifles at all though.

 

[FURMAN]

You are probably going to get a hundred different opinions but here is what I would do. I personally would replace the trigger before I had a smith work on it. It can be tuned to give a nice clean break and a low enough weight if the budget is tight. Although I'm not very familiar with these scopes just with a quick glance I would not use either. I do not like the reticles available with the Zeiss and don't like the caps on the Nightforce. I would look and the Sightron SIIIs or Vortex PST or HST. I personally don't see a great advantage to shooting a 223 for familiarization when you plan on using a 300 win mag. Sure things like trigger pull and follow through basics are honed with trigger time but what you really need to learn are your ballistics. Get the rifle set up like you want it put a brake on it and start shooting.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Thanks rfurman24 I will look into the Sightron and Vortex scopes. The scope is the one thing I haven't totally decided on, I think I have pretty much everything else figured out that I want to do to this rifle.

 

[xXlojackXx]

For a $1000 scope budget, it's hard to beat the vortex viper pst. Not the greatest glass or features but it works. If you can wait a month or so and save up another $500, you're options have now vastly improved. A used Nightforce NXS can be had for $1300-1500 without hs/zs turrets. Look on Snipershide, they're available all the time. Another scope I highly recommend and personally use on my LR rifles is the Steiner T5Xi. Again can be found used for the $1500 ballpark. You get better features, glass, illumination, focus, reticle options, and durability with the nicer scopes. I'm not sure id trust a Vortex viper on a .300 WM for thousands of round. That's just my opinion though, if it did have an issue their warranty is stellar.

 

[squeekieslayer]

I just put a Nightforce SHV 5-20X56 on my 7mm RM and I really like it. I have an NXS and they are very similar. I dont like that the turrets have caps, but the clicks and tracking are great. Glass is good, but not stellar. I really think that for 1200 bucks this is a great option. For 750 you can get the Viper PST which I have not owned, but have a friend that loves his.

Joe

 

[ReddingArcher]

Thanks for more suggestions guys, I will check out sniperhide and see what I can turn up. I don't mind spending some more money on a used NXS if you guys think that is the better way to go. I have a vortex spotting scope and like it so I will look into their scopes as well, I was just leaning towards the nightforce cause I have never heard a bad thing about them and everyone says their tracking is spot on.

 

[xXlojackXx]

It's definitely worth the extra $$. I think the Vortex line of field optics is pretty good for the money (Razor HDs) and even the Viper HD binos. I don't, however, like their scopes until you're into a Razor model. The older razor scopes have a heavy reticle and I don't care for it. The new GenII razors are awesome but they're 3lbs for a scope.

 

[Formidilosus]

I personally don't see a great advantage to shooting a 223 for familiarization when you plan on using a 300 win mag. Sure things like trigger pull and follow through basics are honed with trigger time but what you really need to learn are your ballistics. Get the rifle set up like you want it put a brake on it and start shooting.

What do you believe are the steps to learning to shoot long range? Learning to shoot at all?
You believe that the difference between 2.1 mils and 3.2 mils on a drop chart, or the differance between a 5mph wind bracket and a 3 mph bracket is what one really needs to learn to hit at long range consistently? And you believe that that is best accomplished by shooting a 300 Win Mag? You believe that someone who is new to shooting at distance is going to shoot enough 300 Win Mag to learn it correctly?


As a curiosity, how many PST's have you used and what were the round counts? How did you test tracking, return to zero, and durability/reliability?

 

[FURMAN]

What do you believe are the steps to learning to shoot long range? Learning to shoot at all?
You believe that the difference between 2.1 mils and 3.2 mils on a drop chart, or the differance between a 5mph wind bracket and a 3 mph bracket is what one really needs to learn to hit at long range consistently? And you believe that that is best accomplished by shooting a 300 Win Mag? You believe that someone who is new to shooting at distance is going to shoot enough 300 Win Mag to learn it correctly?


As a curiosity, how many PST's have you used and what were the round counts? How did you test tracking, return to zero, and durability/reliability?

As stated many opinions will be expressed, these were simply mine. I don't feel that, other than fundamentals, shooting my prairie dog rifles really carries over much to my long range big game rifles. I have been around two Vortex's with hundreds if not thousands of rounds of clicking and always returning to zero. How do I test? I click for elevation every shot, sometimes hundreds of times a day. My rifles always hit where I am aiming and when I am shooting paper the zeros are re-validated. I have Bushnell 4200s on my prairie dog rifles and Sightrons on my big game rifles all return to zero every time. In my opinion, as already stated, the most important key to learning to shoot long range is knowing the rifle and the ballistics. If you believe that just getting a range and calculating trajectory is all there is to the game then I am afraid we will never agree. I would never suggest anyone shoot a gun that is too much for them. Shooting a 300 win mag with a brake on it is nothing to be afraid of. Would I want to shoot it 600 times a day like my 20VT? No way. As far as your statement about shooting long range requiring round count I am assuming you mean practice which I do agree with. I do not disagree that shooting in volumes will help hone shooting skills, nor do I disagree that smaller calibers are easier to shoot. I just feel, in the end, you need to be very familiar with the exact rifle you intend to shoot game with at longer distances. I would never shoot at an animal at a distance I would not expect to hit a vital zone sized target every time. For me I would consider that right around 1000 yds. If you have the equipment and shooting fundamentals that should not be a problem. As far as how I feel about learning to shoot the OP stated he was not new to the sport.

To the OP you have lots of good advice already in the post and elsewhere on the forum. What is really going to come down to is your personal opinion. I would think about what has been said and contemplate how you think it will affect your shooting style. You may try a scope or two before you find the one that suits you. There is also a plethora of knowledge on longerangehunting.com.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Thanks rfurman24, I have been checking out longrangehunting and doing some research there as well. I have looked into all the scopes everyone here has mentioned. I think trying several different scopes out is a good idea, buying used and selling if I don't like it until I do find exactly what I want.

Formidilosus, I do understand what your saying about shooting small caliber rifles. Like I said before though, I am not new to shooting. I have been shooting for 20 years, I had never gotten into serious long range shooting. My 7mm08 has a leupold with cds and so far has shot great when dialing up. Believe me, I don't think I'm going to be able to start smacking targets at 1000 yards my first shooting session like it is no big deal. I am going to start at more manageable distances and extend them with each session.

Thanks everyone, keep the ideas coming!