[dragon64]

Seriously, I would like to look into getting a real sniper rifle, and maybe even try my hand at competing at local gun clubs. What would be a good consistant sniper rifle?

Prices get pretty scary when I search around for various platforms, so if you knew of any places I could start researching, that would be great... real steel is a whole new world, I hate being a noobie again.

Here is my favorite forum to frequent:

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm

Many a nice thread on this forum... I lurk only.

 

[silentfury214]

What is your budget and what kind of competitions are you looking to go to. A really good sniper rifle will cost you 2-4k easy without the scope. It could be a little cheaper if you built one, but you really need to know what you are doing. Google 6mmbr and go to that page.

 

[mateba]

FN AR or a AR-10. IMO there is no sense in slowing down to reload, unless you can actually out shoot a sub-MOA rifle. Saw a few Remington 700s on Google shopping under $600. Midwest hunters seem to always have a great price if you know a dealer. You also might want to consider some of the classics like a Mauser, Mosin Nagant or Lee Enfeild? If you get a C&R license you can order them off the INTERNET. You might also want to research a particular caliber like a .300 Mag, just something that has a particularly flat and fast trajectory.

 

[crowfeather]

First thing is you should choose what caliber you are interested in.

That being said how long are the local ranges? If the longest range is 100yds then there's no reason to go up to the big 300winmag when a .223 is going to preform just fine, my AR shoots less than one inch groups at 100 (with match grade ammo).
If the local ranges reach out to 800 or so then the good ol .308 is a great choice. There are dozens of match grade ammo choices out there and ballistic data is readily available.
More than 800, then go 50bmg, but I doubt that will even be an option.
Once you have an idea what caliber you want then start looking at the guns themselves.

For a semi-auto, The AR platform is accurate and available in many different calibers, but to get an accurate one look at spending 1500 at minimum.
Bolt Action: the Remington 700 is a classic and a great choice. Virtually any caliber you want you can get. The Remington 700 SPS tactical is a budget rifle (should run you 700ish) that easily shoots .75moa out of the box. My friend uses one and can shoot three inch groups at 400yds.


Also you need to remember that guns do not last forever, the more rounds you put through a barrel the less accurate they become. That's one reason I recommend getting a cheap rifle to start with and practice with.
My advice (from that of an avid shooter and collector) buy a cheap mosin nagant and practice until your shoulder bleeds. The nagant is cheap and ammo is plentiful, a rifle and 500 rounds should run you around 200 bucks total. Plus it has a big kick and will help you learn to control recoil.

 

[silentfury214]

To put in my 2 cents:

I was talking about a real competition or sniper rifle, if you just want an accurate bolt action rifle, go for the Remington 700p and plan to upgrade later. They are great platforms and perform very well out of the box. You could also try the Savage Arms Police rifles. Also, you are going to want a decent scope which will cost around 400+ depending on if you are wanting to compete or "Snipe" as well as the range you are working in.

Caliber choices can be extremely difficult. Once again, it all depends on what you are going to do. Most competitions rifles use .308 for its accuracy and cost. The .308 should work out to around 900-1000 meters. If you are going farther, the .338 lapua is an amazing cartridge. A random cartridge (which happens to be my favorite, but extremely hard to find in bolt action) is 6.5 grendel. It is a little bit smaller and lighter than the .308, but it flies faster, hits harder, and is effective out to about 900-1200 meters. The .50 BMG IMHO is a very useless round for civilians for many reasons:
1. At $5 a round, it is extremely expensive.
2. Rifles cost considerably higher and weigh more than twice as much.
3. Is a comparitively inefficient round for "sniping"
4. You get restrictions when using a round that big both at gun ranges and just plain owning.

In general, we could argue calibers until the cow comes home. It all depends on how you will be using the rifle.

Semi-auto wise, I agree on the AR-10. It is very accurate, but not as reliable as some. Another great choice would be a Springfield M1A. They are extremely accurate and extremely reliable.

As for the Mosin, I would suggest that you don't waste your money unless you collect. Mosins are very innacurate (all of the ones I have seen and also based on how they were built). And it having a big kick is an unbelievable understatement. They say that the first shot throws you shoulder out of socket and the second throws it back in

. With the recoil, you need to be careful that you don't start out too high because you could develope a flinch.

In order for us to answer more specifically, you need to give us more info.

1. Are you a new shooter with RS? What is your experience?
2. What is your budget?
3. What are the ranges you will be shooting at?
4. What kind of competitions do you want to shoot in.

 

[crowfeather]

1.5moa without bayonet. total price, including gun, scope, mounts and all hardware: 175

As for the Springfield M1A, a great choice for a semi-auto platform.

But yeah, if you give us the answers to those questions I'm sure we can point you in the right direction. I've been shooting, collecting and modifying for years and had my grubby little hands on hundreds of different models of firearms.

 

[silentfury214]

1.5?! What are you shooting, handloads? You must have a very nice Mosin.

 

[crowfeather]

I was VERY lucky when I picked up that rifle. The rifling was in great shape and it was smothered in cosmoline. It's also had a lot of work done to it too, new bedding, re-crowned, not to mention the custom bolt handle and scope mount.

 

[woogie]

Ummm.... sorry guys but this is an AIR SOFT FORUM.

I was under the impression that there is suppose to be no talk of real steel rifles. We don't need people coming on here thinking they are going to talk about real sniper rifles. That isn't what the forum was started for.

There are many good forums out there that can help you out. The forum that you listed is a great forum, I am a member over there as well. A lot of help and good guys over there to help you with just this question.


So I can see the thread getting shut down here in a little bit. Sorry to be the a$$ of the thread, but sorry.

 

[dragon64]

Fair enough, I will cease discussion on real steel and keep on topic... But if I manage to settle on one, I'll post pics of it in the real steel picture forum.

Thanks for all of the posts and help guys, I appreciate it.

edit: In departing this thread, I will say that I am kind of partial to the 22 cal, as I already own a nice old Sears & Roebuck bolt action (Marlin). I'll get it out and and maybe get it going this weekend, should be nice weather I hope.

 

[mateba]

I thought a lot of the old military rifles got a bad wrap IMO. Either from poor care, time or corrosive powders it just doesn't seem fair to right them off just yet if you want a fun project. The trick is to find one in great condition which is near impossible unless you "know a guy", get lucky, or have a C&R license and are able to find the ones that have spent the majority of their life in a cosmoline bath at a forgotten warehouse.

Seems a little expensive in general to me. Rifle $600+, Scope $400+, Ammo $250 1/4 case in .308. Still need mags, bipod, cleaning kit, scope rings, targets, range membership and the kicker, a good excuse for the old lady. This stuff makes airsoft look affordable. I'm happy just popping a few rounds now and then to stay familiar with my carry.

Not really a M14 fan but I'll give it to you that they can be very accurate if they are bedded correctly. They just seems like their value is over hyped. If I was going to competitively shoot though a .308 would probably be one of my first choices. There is just too many choices out their for reloading not to consider it. Check out Georgia-arms.com for ammo. If you save your brass they will give you a discount.

 

[mateba]

Why is this thread off topic, seriously? Its in the lounge which is for speaking your mind freely and is considered off topic from the forums. The first reply was by a mod too.

 

[woogie]

I didn't mean to make it stop.

I would assume that since it is in the lounge it would be ok, but in the same respect on the rest of the forum it is frowned upon.

I would say talk about it till mosin, dutton, or livonia say not to

But if you are looking at getting an actual sniper rifle..... get ready to drop a crap load of money.

If you are wanting a competition rifle, yeah save up even more
I have talked to guys that have near $14K into the rifle, then again these are the same guys that are doing the extreme long range precision shooting competitions.

My target air rifle I have close to $1K into it. And that is made to shoot 10m targets.

If you want a fun .22 take a look at a nice anshultz rifle, or see if you can't find a Remington 40x. I do have a Russian izmash CM-2 biathlon rifle. Single shot little monster. I have pushed her out to 300 yards, and can hit clay pigeons with it 10/10 times.

Because as soon as you speak the word "accuracy" your bank account is going to get rapped.

 

[silentfury214]

I think it is ok as long as it is in the lounge (I am a mod of this section you know ). Like Woogie said, if money is an issue, don't get a competition rifle (or a sniper rifle for that matter). My competition air rifle that I should be getting in the next couple of months will cost around $2000 stock, and that is a pretty cheap one. Of course it will hit the same hole EVERY time, but you pay for what you get in competition. Long range rifles (or sniper rifles) after all fitted out will cost $6000-7000 easy for a sniper rifle and around $9000 and up for a competition rifle. If you don't have the money, just buy a Remington or savage and keep it stock. It will never be as good as a nice custom rifle, but it will probably work considering your life probably won't depend on it.

P.S. If you decide to go semi-auto, be prepared to drop even more money and time. Semi-autos are notorious for eating up paychecks.

 

[dragon64]

Budget: I do not really have one, but I would imagine I would keep the initail puchase under $1000

Ammo: $5 a round is not my thing, I just quit a hobby that was shooting anywheres from $7 - $23 a round. I would like to keep the expendable prices low, and I would venture a guess that I would be looking in the direction of the .223

Action: Bolt action is my forte.

Competition: I would be fine with punching paper or steel targets. I'm not at all interested in actual "sniper" role type comps with map reading etc. I would do just fine with bench resting...

meteba, you mention M14, and the M1 Garand comes to mind. And when I hear Mosin Nagant, I think of the 1903 Springfield. I purchased a surplus rifle some years ago, a rather nice looking bolt action with a 5-round magazine. Sold when a gunsmith told me that there was a good possibility that the bolt would let loose and hit me in the face on any given trigger pull, I traded the rifle off. It was vintage surplus from some war.

So that brings my experience into play. I can shoot a rifle, heck we all can, but my over all knowledge shooting leaves me far from knowing just exactly what I am talking about or what I am looking at. But I will research more of that off-site and try to keep this thread more on topic.

Here is my .22. It was given to me by father-in-law before he passed away. He was very adamnt that I take it...

It is a Marlin Model 80

I use it as a training rifle for now...

I need to fit a scope, and soon...

 

[silentfury214]

Bench rest fun shooting, or bench rest competition shooting? Bench rest competition shooting is one of the most competitive out of the competitions and gets down to the minute (and I mean minute) details.

 

[dragon64]

Bench rest fun shooting, or bench rest competition shooting? Bench rest competition shooting is one of the most competitive out of the competitions and gets down to the minute (and I mean minute) details.

We'll go with just for 'funzies' right now.

 

[silentfury214]

That is still fun

 

[woogie]

Keep the rifle as is man!!!

My father has a remington target master from his grandfather, with an original scope on her. The rifle and scope are near 100 years old or so. The rifle will still shoot single holes at 50 yards.

If you want to mod a rifle, get a new one. Don't ruin something that your grandfather was making sure you got.


Sorry about before, forgot that it was in the "lounge" part of the forum. Was a long day that day..

 

[dragon64]

Not a problem woogie, thanks.

If I mod anything on the little Marlin, it will be to add a scope that I can see out of. That little 2X is pretty clouded.

Edit: I have about decided on the Rem 40XHB

Typical; it's expensive, it is rare, it is accurate, and I can't find one...sounds like the rifle for me.