Sniper rifle

[clintbailey]

Although you said you were thinking about a 308, since you didn't sound 100% sure, I'll throw this out there: instead of a 30 cal, you might check into one of the 6mm or 6.5mm calibers, like a 6 or 6.5 Creedmore, 6x47 or 6.5x47 Lapua, or a 260 Remington. I believe that some of these are offered in AR type weapons, if you want to go the semiauto route. Some, if not all, of these calibers offer better ballistics and less recoil than a 308. Just my $.02.

 

[dennishoddy]

Check into what the 1000 yard shooters are using at Camp Perry.

IIRC, last year, the AR platform was the king. I don't remember the caliber.

 

[Wormydog1724]

I think I'm going to get an SR25 and start competing.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

I think I'm going to get an SR25 and start competing.

Which model?

 

[DrivesGuy]

Snipers prefer different weapons. Chris Kyle used a 300 Win Mag, but when the 338 Lapua came out, he wanted to switch. I prefer the 30/06 bolt action. Getting a Bull Barrel might be a challenge though. You might be better off with a 243 bolt action with a bull barrel. The 243 is a necked down 308

 

[okey hunter]

bolt actions last longer due to the lack of no bolt pounding the the chamber every shot

 

[TwoForFlinching]

bolt actions last longer due to the lack of no bolt pounding the the chamber every shot

O_o......

 

[B Gordon]

..... I spoke on the phone with the thread starter.
His total budget is around $2000.
He doesn't reload so only factory ammo comes in to play.
Wants a good starter rig that will be usable and effective but not break the bank.
He had some prior military training so he at least knows which end of the weapon to point down range.
He really likes the 308 Winchester round based on gossip from the sniper community.

My recommendation was this;

Caliber first, so go with the 308 and buy a case of Black Hills Match ammo for practice.

He mentioned Remington so I walked him into the 700 heavy barreled variants with synthetic stock utilizing aluminum bedding blocks to get good out of the box accuracy. Depending on which one they go for around $800-$900 and most are available in that caliber.

Scope,
Within the budget the 3-15 Super Sniper from SWFA is about the only recommendation I could make.
About $700 for the scope and then get good rings and a base for about another $200
If he had been willing to spend $2000 just for the scope and rings I would have recommended a Nightforce but that was outside his budget.

If he follows thru he should have a good starter rig.

 

[Thorgrim]

I'd buy the Savage police special or whatever it is called now. They are good shooters. The SS would be a good scope for the money....maybe a Vortex Viper PST.

He should see what his rifle likes before buying a case; over-all Black Hills Ammo is good stuff.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

That's good advice^

You can easily get into a VS/VTR plus a decent trigger for under a grand. Theres a ton of great scopes to pop off in that remaining $700-$1k. Bushnell Elite, Ziess, Vortex, Nikon Monarch... All of which you can fit turrets on (though you really only need one for elevation) but I made the switch a few years ago to first focal plane mil-dot. After getting the hang of the math, it's super easy to make adjustments mentally instead of carrying around elevation specific MOA cheat sheets