[Nubianwarriorking]

Greeting to everyone. Have a question on rifle selection. I have handguns in45 cal and 9mm as well as a 12 ga shotgun and a Semi auto AK-47. Im looking for a long range rife that can make percision shots, basically something that can reach out farther than an AK to round out my current collection.

My question is what is a good caliber for a long range rifle, a caliber where ammunition is plentiful and i will not have problems getting some, as well as the caliber being powerful which goes without saying. Any specific models or types of rifle reccomendations will not hurt either.

Sidenote- I do not care if the rifle has kick, as i am a avid shotgunner and am comfortable with recoil. The only place i cannot take recoil is my pockets when shopping lol !

 

[Argo]

i know next to nothing about long range rifles (how's that for an opening pitch?), but off the top of my head (and only because i've shot the rifles chambered as such a couple times with friends) ruger american in 30-06 or 270. any other thoughts, folks?

 

[Nubianwarriorking]

LOL ! Thanks for the info. The only thing i have done research on that really stuck with me was the Mosin. I probably will pick up one for historical and affordability purposes, but and looking into more modern / updated options as a foremost go-to long gun for longer range shots.

 

[Argo]

LOL ! Thanks for the info. The only thing i have done research on that really stuck with me was the Mosin. I probably will pick up one for historical and affordability purposes, but and looking into more modern / updated options as a foremost go-to long gun for longer range shots.

oh yeah, forgot about those-- they are very interesting. i've thought about them more than once. let us know if you decide on one. i'm sure there are a bunch of us here who would like a range report on a mosin, if somebody hasn't already posted one. i put a thread up awhile back about the mosin. got some good info. not a current range report per se, but.... anyway, hope somebody with more info than i chimes in (and maybe they'll even support the ruger american or mosin ideas)

 

[Dsteele]

I am by no means a long range rifle guy. So I cant really speak for accuracy or power. But as fas good common rifle ammunition probably cant go wrong with .308 or 30-06. Anything that has been or is being used by the military always seems logical. You know theres always a surplus of it somewhere.

 

[Mayor Al]

A bolt-action rifle, made by many American Companies in 308, or 30-06 would be a good place to start. You can tangent into a huge realm of choices from that point. but those two are the workhorses of the hunting rifles across the country.

 

[TMB]

Mosin is good about same power level as 308. 308 & 30-06 are both good as far as ammo if you are buying at say walmart 30-06 is probably better around here anyway they always have 30-06. They are always out of 308.

 

[Nick0410]

A bolt-action rifle, made by many American Companies in 308, or 30-06 would be a good place to start. You can tangent into a huge realm of choices from that point. but those two are the workhorses of the hunting rifles across the country.

This one sounds good. I've read that the 308 is inherently more accurate. If youre going to hunt though, the 30-06 will offer a little more power but either one of those would be good. If youre looking for something a little bit cheaper to shoot, .243 or 22-250 look good also

 

[bobmare]

A bolt-action rifle, made by many American Companies in 308, or 30-06 would be a good place to start. You can tangent into a huge realm of choices from that point. but those two are the workhorses of the hunting rifles across the country.

two very good caliber choices,available almost everywhere.

 

[polaris754]

If yer not lookin at shooting a water buffalo, Id go with a rem 7 mag

 

[CharlesRiverCobb]

The only thing i have done research on that really stuck with me was the Mosin. I probably will pick up one for historical and affordability purposes, but and looking into more modern / updated options as a foremost go-to long gun for longer range shots.

If I needed a long-range rifle yesterday, then I would pick the Mosin. And 7.62x54R is everywhere, though probably not as much as 7.62x39.

If I wanted to have the standard sniper/counter-sniper chambering, then I would pick a .308.

If I wanted the best all-around chambering, and I wanted something easy on my budget, then I would go with the Ruger American in .30-06.

 

[ExArmy11b]

The best bargain out there is a surplus Mosin Nagant with a good bore........they are everywhere for $80 and there's all kinds of ammo for them. I had over 50 of these things in various flavors but had to sell most of them. I ended up keeping 5 of my 91/30's, they make great "zombie guns" to give to family members or trusted neighbors

Otherwise, my pick would be :

Ruger M77 in 30-06 - This is the American "meat and potatoes" caliber, a good bolt gun in 30-06 is never a bad choice. Any mom and pop hardware and gun store will have 30-06. The M77 is a durable and reliable bolt rifle and you'll never have to worry about the crap you do with semi-auto's. Like Rugers revolvers, their bolt guns just work and will do so forever. Barnaul used to make a dirt cheap steel case 30-06 round that worked great in my 30-06 bolt rifles, but they discontinued it.........I was probably the only one buying it

A .308 is also a decent choice, in a .308 bolt gun you can also shoot 7.62x51 NATO. But, IMO 30-06 is easier to find and probably more popular as a hunting round.

 

[okami515]

You can also look at a 300 win mag. little bit hotter than the 308 and 30-06. Just about a easy to find anywhere in the USA. IT is also a common sniper round for the military, making it easier to find all over. Also just about every Brand of maker is chambering for it From cheap break opens to high end customs.

 

[ditto1958]

Why not get a Garand from CMP?

 

[BlkHawk73]

Common caliber... I'm certainly say that .308 caliber is by fa the most common as there's a LOT of different cartridges that utilize that caliber bullet. (you asked for "caliber" not "chambering" - not the same thing. )

As for the rifle, well, Savage makes what is often the best bang-for-the-buck rifles in terms of accuracy. Not fancy and flashy but none of that will make it shoot better.

 

[floridaboy]

You can't go wrong with a Rem. 700 in the 30/06 cal. or .308.

 

[CJS1945]

The Mosin Nagant is a great choice, hand loading with hornady bullets they will shoot as accurate as most any rifle with iron sights. If you want long range accuracy at a reasonable cost the 30-06 is hard to beat, they handle everything from 110 grain up to 220 grain really well and with 168 grain BT HP bullets, they perform well at long range. Ammo cases and bullets are plentiful everywhere and the selection of rifles is endless. The 308 is also great choice, but the 30-06 is preferable if you choose to shoot 200 grain or heavier bullets.

 

[Fackler Rebel]

Get the Garand from CMP like the dude said.

Reb

 

[LimaCharlie]

It depends on what you want to do with it. A 270 Winchester, 308 Winchester, or 30-06 Springfield are the most popular deer and elk hunting calibers. The 270 has slightly better ballistics at longer ranges. The 308 is available in surplus military ammo for cheap shooting. The 30-06 has heavier grain bullets available for closer knock-down power. Any rural general store or bait and tackle shop will likely have the three calibers in stock.

There are smaller faster calibers for varmint shooting or target shooting out to long ranges like the 204 Ruger, 22-250 Remington, or the 243 Winchester. There are larger magnum rounds available for very large or dangerous game with the corresponding increase in recoil and expense for ammunition.

I own a Browning A-bolt Medallion in 325 WSM with a Leupold VX-3 3.5-10X50 scope. The 325 WSM is one of the most versatile rounds ever made. It is capable of taking any game at long ranges including African dangerous game. The drawback is the rounds are expensive and hard to find. I also own a 308 and a 243 for cheaper general shooting purposes.

For accurate long range shooting, you will need a rifle scope that probably will cost more than the rifle. I would wait until after the hunting seasons are finished and go look at used rifles and scopes at a trusted local gun store. January is a good month to buy hunting rifles.

 

[Deathmetal]

Rem 700 .308