Hi,
I live over in the UK, I'm 17 and I'm thinking of taking up target shooting later this year when I can carry the rifle myself (My mum doesn't really want to give me lifts around and my dad died when I was 10). I am wondering about how much it'll cost me to support however. I would like to ask what the opinion is here on calibres for target shooting. I have heard people mention .308 win & 30-06 springfield. I am looking mainly at two rifles. One is a Remington 700, possibly the VS and the second, and more likely, is the Steyr Prohunter; as I've heard from many sources that Steyr beats Remington out the crate. I do not have the money to buy box fulls of hunting rounds and I do not wish to, as I am not setting out to hunt just yet. So when you reply about calibres please bear in mind how easily they can be reloaded. Any thoughts about the choice of rifles would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks!
John H.

Check out TIKKA 595 Sporter in 223Rem or 308Win...

In my opinion you would want to stay with calibers that are supported with a good selection of bullets.

.224, .243 and .30  based calibers offer a wide selection of both match and hunting bullets.

I would suggest the .223. Low recoil, relatively easy to load for, inherently accurate, easy access to data for load development and a vast selection of bullets for both match and hunting. If you plan on taking larger game you might want to go with the .243.

Good luck

On your side of the pond, target shooting generally implies some relatively long ranges.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe many of the Bisley matches are fired at 1000 yards.  For accuracy you'll have to reload and that involves another set of headaches.  I would suggest posting this question over on the competition forum.  There are several sites that deal exclusively with the longer ranges and I am sure some of the shooters there will have links.

Welcome to the game!

SRM

John,  Where in the UK do you live?  I have relatives over in the north of England (Lancashire).  I've been numerous times to England and have travelled around the UK during the past 18 years.  My wife is from Manchester.

I know what life is like over there for many people:  crime: burglaries (home/shed/auto/ etc.), vandalism, and rising gun violence in spite of extreme gun control/gun confiscation laws, citizens unable to defend themselves inside their own homes, intersection cameras and speed cameras throughout the country, the welfare state growing and taxes at obscene levels.  A proper police state is well on it's way!

I really have a hard time comprehending the logistical nightmare that must currently exist for a law abiding UK subject in obtaining such a rifle.  Do they require you to secure any long arms in a gun safe?  With rampant burglaries I would bet yes.  DO they require club membership in an official organization?  I thought that they did at one time.

My father in law (who died 3 years ago) was a WWII combat veteran who served 6 years in the British 1st Airborne.  He was one of the lucky ones to get out of Arnhem alive.  His country denied him the right to own handguns. His home has been repeatedly burgled, his car stolen 3 times.  What a f*cking disgrace!

Anyway, I wish you luck in your quest in this matter.  You have a tough uphill battle and a country where public sentiment, as well as a hostile left wing media, are against you.  Here's a quote that should be drilled into the brains of your countrymen:

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

— Benjamin Franklin

Good luck John.  If you ever visit the States then you'll find the folks would be happy to expand your shooting horizons.  Good luck & best wishes.

John F.

Ill second the 243 Win option.
since were dealing with UK fuzzy logic here.
The more of a "sporting" reputation a caliber  appears to have the better.

Or perhapse somthing in 303 brit that round has just about done everything twice and then some.

Hi John,

Greeting from Holland.

If I was you I'd go for the Steyr. It's true that they're more accurate out-of-the-box than your average Rem700 but not by a very large margin. The coldhammered Steyr barrel also should last longer than the standard 700 barrel. Another point to consider however are accesoiries, are they available and at what price?

BTW, can you buy the german magazine "Visier" over in the UK? This month they feature a test of lower budget bold action rifles like the Rem, Win, Savage, Ruger, Steyr and a couple of others as well. I know it's in german but there are a number of tables in there with test results you can make sense out of. Might be interesting for you.

Cheers,
RG.nl