Im looking to pick up a bolt action gun to fill 2 roles. One role is long range precision shooting and the second is hunting.
I’ve been looking into 7 mm rem mag. It should have plenty of power for anything i will hunt in my life. From the research i have done it should also have plenty of gas to get me passed a thousand once my skills get there.
My questions are: is there another caliber i should be looking at? Like in the 30’s.
The gun Im looking at right now is the rem 700 sendero sf II with 26" heavy fluted barrel. My next question is should this be adequate to start?
Any suggestions are welcomed. Is this a good start? would you do it different? Looking for some help Im really out of my element with bolt guns. If it matters i already re load my own ammunition so ammo price is no big deal.
For learning how to shoot long range .308 is an excellent round. It will force you to learn wind and range estimation while still being a very capable cartridge for long range shooting and hunting. It also has the benefit of long barrel life and easily found components.
For learning long range shooting, a 308 is virtually unbeatable. However, a good long range hunting cartridge it is not. Far from it actually.
A 7rem mag is very good at both. It has some things going against it though.
It’s a long action cartridge.
It has a belted case.
Neither of the above is a good thing if feeding from a repeater.
Take a look at the 7wsm or 300wsm. Both are excellent long range shooters, with the nod going to the 300 for long range hunting. The 300 carries a bigger payload which results in more energy on animals at distance. They match or exceed the performance of their belted originals, and do it in a short action.
I disagree on using a magnum as a general precision rifle cartridge unless you can keep a suppressor on the gun at all times.
My reasoning has to do with the combined effects of the recoil and the muzzle blast on the shooter.
Magnums are just downright nasty to shoot compared to the more mild members of the 308 family.
Take the typical heavy barreled magnum to the range and fire 60 rounds.
Another day, take a 308 and fire 60 rounds.
The difference at the end of the day is night-and-day.
It’s going to be harder to stay consistent throughout the day with the magnum.
The magnum is also gonna eat barrels much faster.
Any of the experienced guys will agree that the best way to get good at long range shooting is to do it, a lot.
That means firing lots of rounds…
A heavy barreled gun of any caliber generally makes a poor hunting gun unless you just walk a short distance and post up for the day.
A lighter sportier profile barrel is the way to go if you are walking all day.
The best path is to have your heavy barrel target gun in say 308 or something smaller caliber if you reload, then have a hunting weight magnum for the field.
The skills you learn with the target rifle WILL transfer over to the hunting field with the hunting gun.
The only real difference will be your dope.
The hunting gun will recoil a whole bunch meor, but you won’t fire nearly as many rounds through it in a day so that really won’t matter.
The increase in bolt travel causes you to lift your face off the stock between shots.
If you don’t, there is a good chance of the bolt tapping your face.
This is a bad habit we see in hunters.
When we teach new precision rifle shooters with short actions, we teach them to stay on the stock through the whole process.
It’s part of follow through and spotting your impacts.
You can always tell a hunter as they fire and immediately look over the top of the gun to watch their impact.
Of course, the scope is a much better tool for spotting impacts than the naked eye…
I never thought about the length of the bolt being retracted causing problems. As of now i only have shot semi autos so i almost always try to spot where a round has impacted through the scope if using one.
I have shot 300 win mag and gone through around 40 rounds in a session and i did pay for it the next couple days. So i see where extended practice can be painful.
Could i just use the 06 for practice and supplement the magnum in as needed.
For some reason Im really not wanting a 308 no idea why Im just trying to not go 308.
Is there any non magnum cartridge i should think of other then 308?
To small for hunting larger game. I’ve read a lot tonight on the 7wsm and it sounds like a winner. The only problems is i can not find a rifle clambered for it that i like. Im going to do a little more research, but Im almost positive i Will go for a 7 wsm and order a base rifle from gap with a few changes.
If anyone knows of a good rifle clambered in 7 wsm under 3 grand let me know. Original budget was 3 with glass and the gap Will be 3 before glass.
I’m thinking you aren’t much of a long range hunter? That’s not meant as a slight… but none of those cartridges are particularly good at taking deer-sized animals at distance. They are GREAT for poking paper and dinging steel… but to kill, you want something with much more authority. Hell, a 243 can barely be considered a big game cartridge as it is, at any range. It’s considered “minimum” by most. I shot many mule deer with a .243 and not very many were knocked down in their tracks.
7WSM and 300WSM are king for hunting inside of about 800yds. They can get it done beyond that as well, but not with authority. Beyond that you need to look at the big boomers. 338LM, 338Edge, etc.
I personally witnessed my father take plenty of Utah mulies with a Model 600 6mm Remington with a 16" barrel using 90 gr Remington Bronze points. Shots were not long range, they were well under 200 yards. Each time he hit them in the vitals and even while running, they piled up when hit.
AR15Barrels also suggested two rifles- one to learn long range skills in a caliber that will not beat up the shooter, the other for hunting. For a hunting rifle, I have been very happy with a Remington Mountain rifle in 280 Remington. It’s light weight make it a joy to carry and it’s accurate out to ranges as my skills allow. Recoil is stout due to it’s lower mass but the installation of a Decelerator makes a big difference and it is a hunting rifle
I’m sticking to my two guns recommendation.
My 6mm and 6.5mm recommendation was for the target rifle.
I’ll stick with 7wsm or 7mag for the hunting rifle of course…
How exactly does that apply to long range hunting?
I also agree that 2 rifles would be better. However, if he’s going to get ONE RIFLE… the little 6.5’s and 243’s are out of the question for long range hunting. Simple as that.
I understand the two gun option and would love two take that option but with the lack of factory options are upping the budget greatly. If i could just pick up gun listed it would be feasible to get something for target and something else for hunting.
The BAR i have shoots great with the Accubonds I’ve loaded for hunting so far so Im sure if i load some target bullets they will do fine for some easy on the shoulder practice.
So far my only apprehension is barrel life. From what i have been reading is life is very short for this caliber.
