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Posted: 8/26/2008 5:55:14 PM EDT
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If you were going to get a long range rifle which would it be a 308 or a 260, and why? Im thinking of getting one of the two in the ar platform. |
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demigodllc.com/articles/the-case-for-260-remington/ Good Reading material |
when I say long range im talking 600-800 yards I will also be hunting with it on ocassion |
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Personally I'd go with a bolt gun. At those long ranges I want all the energy I can get, and semi-auto is not so critical in those circumstances for me. Then again the only targets I'd be engaging would either be made out of paper or would walk on all fours and wouldn't necessarily be shooting back. I was considering the .300 RSAUM but with a 4 mag capacity I'm back to the bolt action rifle again. |
In what platform? if your open to anything, well AR-50 from Armalite 338 Federal from DPMS in the AR platform or go the 260 rem route or 6.5 creedmoor Im partial to the AR-10/308 guns, but just depends on your purpose. As the owner of a 50, I will say, nothing tops it as far as fun, but its heavy, not cheep to shoot and everyone else wants trigger time on it  so go to the range alone!
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Yup, I too would go with a bolt rifle for a dedicated long range rifle. Sure, for enough money you can get an AR that shoots as well, but I'd rather use that extra money to buy powder, primers and bullets. Good marksmanship is not bought, it's made. Shooting a lot is what is necessary to make you a good long range shooter, and shooting a lot is about time and money. Any of the good 6.5 caliber shells with a fast rifling twist are about as good as you can get. 260 Rem, 6.5 Swede, 6.5-06, 6.5X284, 6.5 Creedmoor......... all excellent for the task. Heck, my 270 Winchester is not that far behind in real world performance. I have proven that to myself beyond any doubt. Or if recoil doesn't bother you at all, get a fast twist 30 caliber barrel in any of the good 30 cal mags, and shoot 220 - 240 gr VLD bullets in it. Harder on your bank account for ammo, but if that's no problem, go for it. You'll still be as well off and probably better off than you would with an auto over all. It's still cheaper than an AR set up for such work. To learn about long range shooting, go to the range for load development and to learn your trajectory out to what ever range you think is practical, but then start going to the field and stay away from the range. learn to make hits on targets at unknown ranges and in up-hill, down hill, rain, sun shine, snow, wind and so on. Learn to shoot long range WITHOUT a bench rest. Learn to do it in the field. That means SHOOT A LOT. You should be rebarreling your rifle every 1-2 years to get really good. If you want to become an artist at the game, you will be firing 6000-9000 rounds every year. And you need not spend $2500-$3000 before you get fire your first shot, with a good bolt gun. Semi-auto fire is nice, but for long range it's not all that important. Remember, it's not about the rifle near as much as it is about the amn shooting it. You have to make a good rifleman. You can't buy it. |
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I vote for the bolt too. Bolt guns will shoot loads that an AR doesn't like very much. I also find the recoil of the bolt gun more pleasant than the gas gun. As far as .260 and .308, that is a tough one. If you want the best ballistics, go with the .260. The beauty of the .308 is that so many people are there to guide you. If you go with the .260, find someone who uses it a lot, and learn everything you can from them. |
| .308 Winchester for non-magnum, and .300 Winchester Magnum if you want the mag version. I have both, are both are MOA shooters out to 600 yards if I do my part. My custom Savage action .300 WMR is the most accurate rifle I've ever owned. It's downright silly the things you can do with that gun...but I've got about $7,000 invested into it total. My .308 is just a standard Remington 700 ADL that's been modded slightly, but it's still super accurate. |
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You know, that .416 Barrett is hot too. If I recall correctly it has more energy at 100yd than the .50bmg at the muzzle. I read an interesting article about it, they also discussed Barrett's BORS computer, which is a ballistic computer integrated with a rifle scope. It adjusts your holdover for you, you just dial in the distance of the target. It is programmable for a whole bunch of different projectiles and loads, so its not limited to the .416 rifle. |
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