Good morning/afternoon/evening all,

I have been shooting for 10+ years but have never done any precision shooting. I am wanting to start learning the craft and am looking for guidance.

My first question, is do I go with bolt-operated or semi-auto (and why ?). Was looking at possibly buying a remington 700 in .308 which I have read in many places will take pretty far in my learning, or possibly building an .308 AR. ( I have built the two AR15s I own so I'm somewhat familiar with the platform, despite the differences in standards when it comes to .308).

Also, looking for a quick and dirty on barrel length, calibers, and short pull vs long pull bolts. (why they matter, and which are better).

Thank you all in advance and my apologies if this is in the wrong section.

**Edit**
I have scoured the interwebz for this information and have assembled a lot of stuff that I have been reviewing ...and my last stop is interrogating you fine gentlemen and possibly, ladies.

What are you going to do with the rifle most of the time?

F-class?  PRS matches?  Paper at 100 yards?  Long range hunting?  Benchrest?

What is your buget for the rifle?  Does that include optic?

Competition, classes or just range days? Desired max range? Hard and soft budget?

- My intended use is to start at 100 yards from different positions (prone, sitting, bench rest, tripod, etc) and learn the craft.

- No hunting

- No competition any time soon, who knows if this changes..perhaps I fall in love with this.

- Budget is < $1000 this is a soft cap that can be adjusted for the optic.

- Max range will be what ever I am comfortable shooting at, I am a very self-aware person and am conscious of the limitations of my skill-set.

- Would like to take classes once I have identified this is a skill I wold like to develop.


- To give an accurate gauge of my experience with precision shooting...I have no idea what the purpose of a log book is or what goes in it.

Get an inexpensive Savage bolt .223 and a decent scope. If you're starting at 100 yards its all you will need and the ammo savings and recoil savings will allow you to spend more time shooting and learning. once you spend some time doing that then you should decide what to buy.

I think a bolt action is the better choice.  Bolt action rifles are simpler systems and, in my mind, simpler = better!

Rem 700 is a good model because of the aftermarket for it...  but Remington has had some QC issues recently making it probably not your first choice.  There is a new-ish rifle patterned after the Rem 700 that has become popular recently - the Bergara B-14...  Specifically the HMR (hunting, match rifle) is enjoying great popularity lately and for good reason.  It has great features / value / bang for the buck and has a 1 MOA guarantee!  Because it is patterned after the Rem700, there is no shortage of aftermarket parts and accessories that "fit" it - scope bases, triggers, stocks, etc. although the factory stock and trigger are pretty good.  Bergara also makes a chassis rifle in the B-14 line - it's called the BMP.

The 2 most popular (non-magnum) calibers today seem to be the .308 and the 6.5 Creedmoor.  I am a fan of the old, tried and true 308 but the 6.5 CM is ballisticaly superior...  the max effective range for a 308 is about 800 meters.  the max effective range for the 6.5 is well beyond 1000 meters.  If you plan on shooting 1K or more, the 6.5 CM is the current hotness... if you plan on all your shooting being less than 800 meters, you can choose either.  Both cartridges are chambered in "short" actions.  I like the 308 because is it so old and such an icon that there is a wide variety of factory ammunition and an even wider variety of reloading components for 308 reloading...  wide varieties produce good selections and decent prices!!! :-)

Common barrel lengths for the 308 are mostly 20 to 24 inches for "modern" precision / "tactical" rifles although you can find longer and shorter.  6.5 CM barrels are usually about 2 inches longer.  In addition, "precision" barrels are typically thicker that common sporting barrels.

You're welcome and it isn't!  

P.S.: Just saw your last post...  Best bang for the buck - budget "precision" shooting optic = SWFA fixed 10x @ ~$300

Start on YouTube on the TiborasaurusRex channel with the Sniper101 series. Once you finish that you'll be ready to start making purchase decisions. You can get training at rexreviews.org.

My Son is a past winner in the PRS. I suspect he might tell you to go take a class where the equipment is provided ( or available for rent). Just my 2 cents. You`ll end up with LOTS of instruction anyway if in fact you do find that you want to get to a competitive level in the sport.

If you want to learn at short range, I would highly recommend a Tikka T3x Super Varmint in .223.

Skip .223, it's cheap but so hard you'll just get frustrated in any wind.
Take a training class. RexReviews seminars will get you squared away on equipment that works so you can make good purchase decisions. Then you have about six months to put it together before the usual next live fire class.
.308's ok but kicks hard, 6.5CM is really good all around. Others are out there but those are your two big choices.
Go bolt action, semi-autos are frustration machines for beginners.


If you want to start super cheap and still be viable, grab a Savage heavy barrel gun of some sort like a 10F* in 6.5CM and slap a SWFA 10x42SS optic on it with whatever rings and base gets your pisstool plump. Buy good match grade ammo (Hornady makes good stuff for not a lot of money) and characterize your gun properly (boxtobenchprecision.com) and you're good to go. You'll want to own a chronograph (magnetospeed sporter unless you're going suppressor, then magnetospeed v3). You'll want to own a Dewey cleaning rod and a decent set of brushes and patch jags as well as a bottle of Hoppe's #9 and some Sweet's 7.62 copper solvent and good cotton patches. Get a soft sided gun case first. When you decide to travel grab a Pelican case and padlocks for the plane trip. You'll want to own a decent rifle cleaning stand and a bore guide for the cleaning rod.

If you have a hardon to spend more then there are lots of ways of doing it. Best advice I can give you: Forum advice should be taken with a grain of salt.

Thank you all for the guidance, I greatly appreciate it.