Looking for a rifle..need help..

I am thinking of getting a target rifle . What I am looking for: -something that will fire between 100 and 300 yrd somewhat accurately, for target shooting -something in the $500 ballpark -Ammo that dosnt cost an arm and a leg -something reliable -larger than a .22 -semi-auto or bolt action -able to get synthetic stock

Any help, as always is greatly appreciated.

Thx Dm

M1903A3 or 4 from CMP will shoot better than you do. I have seen rifles from Savage and Remington in 7.62mm that can shoot very well right out of the box.

The independent

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Get a Savage 12 FV in 223. It will cost significantly less than $500 and be very accurate. Ammo is cheap.

dnmccoy wrote ...

# I am thinking of getting a target rifle . What I am looking for: # -something that will fire between 100 and 300 yrd somewhat accurately, # for target shooting # -something in the $500 ballpark # -Ammo that dosnt cost an arm and a leg # -something reliable # -larger than a .22 # -semi-auto or bolt action # -able to get synthetic stock # # Any help, as always is greatly appreciated. # # Thx Dm

I picked a Savage 12 FV in 223 with Simmons 8-point 4-12 X 40 scope for $450. Shoots great out of the box and ammo is cheap to buy or reload.

I suggest you check out a .223; the ammo is very cheap and they are extremely accurate, if a bit vulnerable to wind deflection. You can get a great bolt-action for that price, or an AR-15 that you can build up as your budget permits. AR's really aren't 'target rifles,' but people have done some amazing things accuracy-wise with them when budget isn't a concern.

.223 isn't really any 'larger' than a .22 but you can get bullet weights up to and over 80 grains, which is a lot more fun than you can have with a rimfire. (Aguila's 60-gr SSS is an exception but uses a short case that can destroy a good target .22 if you shoot enough of them.) The energy is of course a lot more than a rimfire. A bolt-action will permit you to fire exotic handloads that an AR cannot, because of the special pressure requirements of the gas system.

You should expect a stock Bushmaster or Armalite to shoot about 1' groups at 100 yards. For about 200 bucks, you can replace the trigger and 'float' the barrel to cut your group size in half. If you decide to go for it later on, you can easily have 1/4' groups on a windless day, but this costs about $1000 in replacement parts.

A stock bolt-action rifle can get this kind of accuracy with just a few hundred dollars' worth of accessorizing.

On a windy day at 300 yards you will notice the main drawback of the .223; deflection can be measured in feet at times. Heavier bullets and higher velocities available to bolt-actions help to keep deflection to a minimum.

You probably don't want a bullpup as they are still rather expensive and they don't have the wide array of aftermarket parts AR's enjoy.

Your next best bet after .223 is probably a .308 Win. There are tons of good bolt rifles chambered for it. You can also get AR-like rifles made for this cartridge, but IMO there's no good reason to do it; they are extremely expensive and not at all compatible with the AR/M16 with the possible exception of trigger parts. The money would be far better spent in a scope or a top-quality bolt rifle. 308 ammo is not as cheap as .223 but still quite affordable.

A lot of people might find 'target rifle' and 'somewhat accurate' to be contradictory; I'm guessing you are looking for something a little more accurate than a plinker, but not in the bench-rest category, where you'll wind up spending thousands of dollars to lose millimeters at a time.

# I am thinking of getting a target rifle . What I am looking for: # -something that will fire between 100 and 300 yrd somewhat accurately, # for target shooting # -something in the $500 ballpark # -Ammo that dosnt cost an arm and a leg # -something reliable # -larger than a .22 # -semi-auto or bolt action # -able to get synthetic stock

A Savage 10FP in .223. Extremely accurate and there's lots of .223 floating around surplus.

Look at a Savage with the new AccuTrigger.

Here is my suggestion, don't go with any Savage as several good gunsmiths said their made out of junk, even if they shoot good out of the box. I bought my daughter one that cam with a cheap Bushnell scope and it was junk!!!

I would not consider the NEF or H&R rifles, as from the bench where you will set it on a bench rest of shooting bags, you can clean it if it a bolt or Ruger #1, but for the break open actions like contender and the NEF break open, you'll have to constantly mess with the rests!

I would recommend not buying a rifle until you have saved about $700 min to purchase a decent rifle with decent scope in .243 winchester.

To stay at $700, you would spend this way: Rifle bolt action, synthetic stocked HOWA Varmmit or lightening in 243WIN for $367, purchase a Bushnell Elite 3200 5-15x40 Adjustable Objective, Matte Finish with Multi-X® Reticlescape for $267 plus $30 for bases and rings=$674 + shipping and taxes*****I good quality used rifle with a heavy barrel in 243 would be good if you can get a qualified dealer to guarantee the amount of rounds through the rifle!

For an extra $200, you could buy a Remington Senderro in heavy 243 and stay with the same scope and that rifle will group < 1' with factory ammo!

To stay under $500, You rifle budget needs to be spent like this: Rifle, bolt action, synthetic stocked HOWA LIGHTNING 243WIN 22' BL/SYN $367 Scope, WTC18 Simmons Whitetail Classic 6.5-20x50 Adjustable Objective, Matte Granite $99 from www.swfa.com and add mounts to fit for another $30=$497 + shipping and taxas.

Hi,

#Here is my suggestion, don't go with any Savage as several good #gunsmiths said their made out of junk, even if they shoot good out of #the box. I bought my daughter one that cam with a cheap Bushnell #scope and it was junk!!!

I concur on the scope but not the rifle. I think Savage 110's are a good value for the money, but if you pay more for a Remington VS, well, you pay more, but you'll get more, too.

#I would not consider the NEF or H&R rifles, as from the bench where #you will set it on a bench rest of shooting bags, you can clean it if #it a bolt or Ruger #1, but for the break open actions like contender #and the NEF break open, you'll have to constantly mess with the rests!

Benchability is important to some, nearly irrelevant for others (hunters for example.) I agree the break-opens are a pain on the bench. I don't buy them, not because of benchability, but simply because I can afford better.

#I would recommend not buying a rifle until you have saved about $700 #min to purchase a decent rifle with decent scope in .243 winchester.

Maybe, but there IS the no-scope option of using iron sights...