I would look at a 260. Less recoil for a beginner and will easily shoot 600 yards. It's also an inherently accurate caliber. Since you are primarily interested in targets, I would get the heavier varmint or target barrel. Even if you don't reload, a lot of factory loads seem to shoot very well in them.

As for optics and your main objective is to shoot 500 yards and more, I would not mess with a variable power and especially only at 9x. Go ahead and get a 24x fixed power, you can get more scope for the money and since you won't be hunting in thick areas, you don't need the lower powers. 24X is good at 100 yards and you can get to 1,000 with a good scope.

Now with all that said, I think anything that might shoot a reasonable group is going to cost more than your $600 budget. I would consider that as the minimum price for just the rifle. However, I'm not into buying the bottom end budget rifles or scopes, so I can't say just what you might can get for $600, if you want to go that cheap.

Actually, 500 yards is a very easily, doable shot with a good rifle, scope and load. A beginner should have not problem getting hits at 500, but it may be a while before he gets to shooting good groups at that range.

 

That's really a can of worms you're opening up there.

Just about any bolt action rifle, including the lower priced ones, being a centerfire and chambered for anything larger than the .22 Hornet would be capable of shooting somewhat accurately to the 600 yd range. A .308 Win chambered Ruger American or Savage Axis would certainly be capable of this. Just how accurate is the question, without a lot of precise gunsmithing to tune the firearms.

Should be a good place to start, though, to determine if you still have the interest after popping a few caps at the longer range. Be aware, once you start and decide to continue, the accouterments and more expensive shooting hardware will follow.

 

Gotta remember that it's not the rifle, or the cartridge, it's the shooter.
I wouldn't recommend a beginner shooter to set his aspirations of shooting at over 100 yards.

 

Troutster,

I agree with Kdub, that this is going to be a can of worms... But here is what my personal experience is.

Right now I have the following rifles that hold MOA at 1,000 yards; ALL factory rifles, other than some have a different stock on them.
-Marlin X7 - 25-06 loaded with 87gr. TNT's
-Savage 10FP 308 175gr. SMK's
-This one is MZ5's - Ruger Hawkeye in 308, Same 175 load as mine.

Finding a "Stock" rifle that is capable of MOA at 1K, again IME, really isn't a trick. The trick is, if you will forgive a coarse categorization, not being a boob.
Of the folks I have shot with, or taken with me to spot, etc. MOST of them don't have squat for equiptment, and don't really want to take time and learn. They want to buy a few pieces only, and have someone tell them a load on the internet. RARELY will that work out.

You don't have to have ubber expensive equiptment, but you have to dedicate time and effort. Both the Hawkeye that MZ5 has, and my X7, group that far with using hold-over; the scopes can't dial that far. Having the training/experience/time/place available, to get to that point where you can do that is a difficult thing for most people. You have to learn consistency in all you do.

There are quite a number of calibers that will easily reach 1K, you just have to stay super-sonic, OR use a bullet that will cross safely. There are several ways to do it, but I really like an app called "Shooter" by Sean Kennedy. Start plugging in bullet and cartridges, it will spit-out the results and you can see trajectories, adjustments, etc. You can see what things "look like" in terms of getting there.

I personally don't care for the Edge/Axis series. Myself, I would find a rifle that you actually want. The Slippery-slope with a "Cheap" rifle is it's very nature. GENERALLY speaking they don't have as good QC, they don't fit well, they don't have as good.... you get it. So you are starting off at a POSSIBLE dissadvantage. I personally really like Rugers(Hawkeyes) and find all of their factory rifles to be incredibly accurate. If you decide rifles aren't your deal, a really "cheap" rifle won't be worth squat when you trade/sell.

Best wishes for you.

 

Get the rifle start close and move out, most stock guns of good names will shoot better than the average shooter. after I get a scope on I always start at 25 yds then 50 finally 100 yds, that is about as far I 'll shoot as I am too shaky anymore for farther shots, when hunting esp. Just IMO

 

I guess I've been doing this too long because I've always considered 400 yards a very easy shot, and 500 being on the border line of being an easy shot with a little practice. NO, I would net expect him to shoot good groups at that range but the typical man's torso size target a lot of people like to use, should be no problem (on a calm day).

Should a brand new shooter start off at 500, NO!, should he be able to start shooting 500 after getting familiar with the rifle and shooting reasonable groups at 100, I don't see why not. I find a lot of people actually learn quicker moving out to the extended ranges because it makes them concentrate more on what they are doing, when they see just how much any little input on their part makes the rifle/crosshairs move a whole lot. It's way more pronounced at 400/500 yards than 100.

My main concern would be the equipment and not the shooter. If the equipment is not of a quality to shoot reasonable groups at 500 yards and beyond, I don't see how the shooter could ever expect to enjoy shooting those ranges, unless hitting something extremely large is close enough. I just would not put much faith in buying a bottom end rifle, scope, mounts and necessary equipment to make accurate shots at that range for $600. That's about what I would expect to pay for a good scope.

Yes, a 308 is more than adequate for the task, but my other concern would the a brand new shooting and dealing with the recoil. Shooting a number of rounds through most any 308 from a steady rest is probably going to make him develop a huge flinch.

 

I guess I've been doing this too long because I've always considered 400 yards a very easy shot, and 500 being on the border line of being an easy shot with a little practice.

Well BK, I will not argue with that response for even a second.

Now, here's a guy, a newbie, that imagines he's going to shoot anything at 500yds, (maybe they have retired bus shoots where he lives). Now, I've shot antelope (1) at 485paces, (no range finders back then), and matches with a Garand at 600M. I've also bumped off a few groundhogs at 400yds, and prairie dogs too. Most are still bragging about the close call.

If I were to recommend a rifle to such a "dude", I would suggest a .308 from Savage, or Ruger, one of the economy versions. If they were determined to chase their dream, they would figure out something better.

But that's just me.

 

I'd be in Stevens 200 mode. 243 Win, 87gr Vmax over RL15/17, CCI200s bundled up in remmy brass. Easy, DIY parts changes for future upgrades. They can be had for $3-350. SWFA SS 6x42 scope @ about $300...could be sold for a good price in the event of an upgrade. Add rings/base(s). Trigger can be polished for a nice pull. About as good as you can go, for the money. Prolly come in around 7-750 total. Not too far over budget..

 

Thanks for all the feedback so far!
To help sharpen the results a little, and give a little feedback from what has been discussed:
Recoil sensitivity won't be an issue. He has shot 12 gauge shotguns plenty and is comfortable with that. Also, reloading is not likely in the forseeable future, unless he LOVES it and dives in deep right away. Also, of course I understand that a $800+ rifle with a $600+ scope is ideal, but we are both working 20-something year olds and don't have that kind of discretionary budget. I'd be open to decent used rifles too for the purpose, if I knew exactly what to look for. I saw a .270 with a scope on it used for around $400 recently but I don't remember the manufacturer or model.

 

I would highly recommend sticking with something in the 308 case family. 308, 7mm-08, 260, 243 etc. A 270 is a fine caliber, but not one you really want to take up target shooting with, especially a used one. Those are extremely popular and very easy to fry the barrel in. It's very easy to get one someone has already cooked and traded it in because it has lost it's accuracy. It's probably the most common used rifle I buy for the action to build on I want with and most of the ones I get are well used up. The throat and barrel are gone in them.

In a used rifle, I would probably go with the 308 or 7mm-08. The 308 is a work horse and the barrels on those are usually good for several thousand rounds, and unless someone just got out then and repeatedly rapid fired it or let it rust up, I doubt you would have to worry about the barrel. Both of those are very popular cartridges and should be able to find a good used one. I would still recommend a 260 but those are not going to show up on the used rack very often.

 

I did some online browsing, and found new Remington 770s, with a scope included, for under $400. Is that a turd? I thought a Ruger American and Savage Axis was the bottom of the heap without a scope. I was surprised to see the 770 with a scope under $400.

 

Well, I'd probably get the Ruger American (prob in 7-08) over the Remington 770.
I'd consider a Remington SPS 700 though that would be a step up over the RAR but closer to $600 than $300.
Those RAR's have a good reputation for out of the box accuracy with many people claiming 1 moa, so it's seems to hard to go wrong with that. you could get that and a $400 scope and have a nice shooting rifle for around $700, that would be nicer than then that 770 and in a few months you'll forget the $300 difference, but you'll still have a better rifle and a WAY better scope

 

Watch the sales at the big box stores for a Remington 700 SPS in 7-08 for 400.00 or slightly under , silhouette shooters buy them for there first rifle and it's not unusual for them to group under 2" at rams{547yds} right out of the box. They come with an adjustable trigger that's one of the best but some come with a really cheap scope as well, take it off immediately.

 

Let me know if you see one for $400, I'll buy it today. I usually see them from the big stores at $600, and maybe a little less at the local store.
Here's what I'm seeing --. Remington® Model 700™ SPS™ .308 WIN Rifle | Bass Pro Shops

 

Personally, everybody is missing the boat here.

Marlin makes a 308win HEAVY BARREL varmint rifle "X" gun for WELL UNDER $400.

Pillar bedding
button rifled
GREAT adjustable triggers
26" barrel to maximize the velocity and accuracy potential


I own a 308 Marlin "X" gun and a "X" gun in 30-06 and they are the most consistently accurate deer rifles I've ever owned or shot. I have no doubt the heavy barreled 308 would be just as accurate.

 

With this gun and some Federal Gold Medal Match 308 ammo, shooting at 500 yards wouldn't be too difficult. It's important to make a distinction between shooting at long distance and maintaining MOA accuracy. If you can't shoot under an inch at 100 yards, you certainly aren't likely to be under 10" at 1,000 yards. It takes the right equipment and the right training to do more than have fun shooting at long range. If the goal is to shoot for group, you need to have the right tools and the skill to use them.

 

The only way your friend will stay involved in shooting is if he enjoys it more then the burden he finds doing it. We are only human.

That said .. see if you can convince him to test HIMSELF at 100 yrds. If you can not shoot well at 100 noway to shoot well at 10x that.

Savage tend to be good most of the time out of the box. Since I doubt either of you are or will be reloading starting out you will want a round that is reasonable to buy over the counter.

To start I suggest a bolt in .223 .. no will not shoot 1K but will go to 400 with good factory loads. If you ever get to that 400 then will be the time to trade / sell it and step up. By that time he / you should have a good sense of what you are wanting.

Also the .223 will hold its value as good or better then most while you are learning.

good luck and have fun.

 

Why not start out with the 308 or 7-08? Both are easy to find ammo for and both will hit at a grand which is what he WANTS to do and CAN do, preferably with some 100, 200, 500 yard practice first. Also, I think it would be way easier to sell a 308 bolt if you get tired of it.

 

The shooting of targets out to a 1000 yards takes an awful lot of practice and time to get good enough to compete with those who are leaps and bounds ahead of you.

However, as Kdub told you, there are plenty of very good bolt action rifles available on the market today. The Savage line, Winchester, Ruger, Weatherby (expensive ammo) Remington etc.

All you need to do is go look at a few and see what suits your eyes! The caliber is no problem either. The .308 is most likely top dog in the pen but their are others like the .260, 6.5 x 55, 6.5/284, 6.5/06. Then there is the .7mm mag, 300 Win mag and the .338 Lupua (big kicker).

 

and the .338 Lupua (big kicker).

man, if it wasn't $4.00 a bullet.......

 

I have no experience with the Marlin, but a heavy barreled .308 on that action for $400 would be a good place to start. For $230 more you can get a Remington SPS w/ heavy barrel in .308. There are tons more aftermarket stocks, triggers, detachable mag kits, over sized bolt handles, etc, for a Remington if you want to customize/upgrade later as finances allow. My stock SPS, (cheap stock and trigger a little heavy for my liking), groups all of the bullets in one ragged hole except for a one shot flyer that seems to pop up in most every group I shoot. I'm pretty sure it's my fault and not the rifle or bullet, cause it will shoot 4 out of 5 touching pretty regular, now that I've found the load it likes with the Hornady 168 gr. Match bullet. A friend on another forum has the same SPS, he gets similar groups, he put on an aftermarket laminated stock but shoots Federal Gold Medal Match factory loads. I plan on getting aN H-S stock and Timney trigger on mine soon and getting a nice scope like the Leupold Mark 4.

 

Boyds has alot of stocks for the marlin "X" guns, and barrels are easy to come by too if needed. It's pretty well supported in the aftermarket.

 

Even if one buys an "inexpensive" rifle, the process/sport is not inexpensive when considering the optics, loading equipment, trigger time & everything involved if you really engage in this, but it is fun to think about I guess. But you will find if you get into shooting at distance, you will find yourself upgrading stocks, scopes, yada yada, you will see!

 

Unless you will be shooting at a target the size of a house, a 3-9x40 scope really won't work at 500-1000 yards. I wouldn't want anything less than a 24X out to 500-600 yards and more than that for going out to 1000. The 3-9x40 scopes that come on a lot of these package guns just aren't for long range shooting, JMHO

 

I'll agree with the last part. But I can aim at a 4" circle on my gong just fine at 1000m with my Leupy on 10x. Not saying I can hit it , but I can see it just fine. 1" circles at 300yds, no big deal. In the right light I have even seen my 7mm bullet holes in paper at 470yds at 10x. Good glass helps a lot. I used to toy with cheap scopes and sometimes found it difficult to aim at a 10" square at 600yds on 9x.

 

It isn't the scope that makes a long-range rifle. Look at the service rifle competitions (Camp Perry) where 1,000 yard shooting is done with iron sights.

 

Yeah, but they are shooting at targets measured in feet aren't they ? Also those adjustable tang sights or adjustable ladder sights aren't your run of the mill open sights that came on that 30-30 someone just bought. Those things can adjust out to 1000 yards and well beyond on top of costing hundreds and hundreds of dollars. In fact, you can get a pretty good scope for what some of them cost. I'm not saying it's easy or just anyone can do it, but they have some good equipment and the set up is well done. They also take quite a few shots don't they ? There's no parallax to mess with either like in a scope which helps.

 

Honestly, if your friend wants to become a good shot, tell him to get over it and buy a good rimfire .22. It will teach most everything you'd need to know about shooting at long range, just at much shorter range. Also, bigger cal's can promote really bad habits (like a flinch) that are tough to get rid of. I have a ruger 77/22 that I use a lot for practice as it is cheap, quiet and accurate.

Tell him not to waste his money trying to do an expensive sport cheaply. Start from the beginning, and it will be both more fun and he will learn a lot more. Also, hyper long range stuff sounds awesome, but there is a LOT of set-up time, and not always a lot of shooting. That may not be so fun for someone without a lot of trigger time or a really strong interest in the minutia of the sport.

 

I sure don't pay any $4.00 a bullet for shooting my custom EDGE in .338 cal. I load my own for this caliber. However, I do have to pay the sum of $15.00 for a piece of brass or $22 bucks a pop for the .500 Jeffery loaded ammo.

 

I need to make the initial investment and start reloading. I looked into the .338 Lapua before, then saw the prices for ammo, WOW, this about average --> Hornady Custom Ammo 338 Lapua Mag 285 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail

 

If your looking for a good rifle scope for long range shooting, you might try those Bushnell Tactical scopes, they are 5 X 15 in power and have Adj AO, with mil-dot recticals and turrets on top........great scope. We now have 5 of them on our predator/varmint rifles (model 12 Savages).

 

According to a friend of mine who has competed for years in 1000 yard competitions with both the .260 and .308, he recommends the .260 for better consistency at that distance.

A Savage 110 in .260 Remington would be an excellent choice.

The 6.5x47 Laupa was developed specifically for 300-1000 yard competition and the .260 is in the same family.

John

 

TMan, I'm not trying to mislead this guy on any newbee shooter into thinking he is going to buy some cheap rifle and start shooting small targets/groups at 500 yards on his first box of bullets. However, I feel with "good" equipment and a some short range (100 yards) practice to get their fundamentals where they can shoot reasonable groups at 100 yards, he should be able to hit a large target at 500 if the winds not blowing.

Just this morning, I took my oldest granddaughter's husband to the range to teach him how to shoot. He recently bought himself his first rifle, one of those WWII Russian rifles and shot it six times. That was the extent of his rifle shooting. I took my youngest granddaughters 260 and sat him down behind on some sand bags. After some coaching through about a 1/2 hour of dry fire practice, he shot three, three shot 100 yard groups, all three sub MOA.
I then set the rifle up for 400 yards. He made about 10 shot's at a 6"x6" steel plate hanging on chains. He didn't miss. I moved it out to 500 yards and let him shoot a number of shots. He was hitting it most of the time.

Now, this was with an extremely accurate, custom built rifle with well massaged loads and a 8-32x56 Sightron SIII scope and I was doing all the setup and dial in for him, but this was a guy that had never even shot with a scope and had only made a couple of shots with his Russian rifle before today. At the same time, he tried several shots at that same steel plate at 200 yards with his Russian rifle and never hit it.

As for rifle's I'm sure there are several that would be good enough, but I still would make the 260 my caliber of choice and think it should be a heavy varmint or target barrel. If buying used, the chances of buying one of those off a used rack would be slim to none, so my recommendation for that would be the 7mm-08 or 308, but something as heavy as they come. I don't think a beginner needs to start off with a light weight 308. Great for hunting, but not for targets.

 

TMan, I'm not trying to mislead this guy on any newbee shooter into thinking he is going to buy some cheap rifle and start shooting small targets/groups at 500 yards on his first box of bullets.

This spring I helped a friend from work get started shooting. He bought a M700 economy grade rifle from Dicks. I mounted a 3X-9X Bushnell Banner in a set of Weaver rings, and loaded up some 180gr Sierra BTSP's I had laying around and we headed for the range. The rig will turn in MOA five shot groups more often than not. This fall, I helped my daughters boy friend get started. He found a Savage Hog Hunter in .308 for $499, and bought a Nikon 3X-9X BDC for about $150, which I mounted on a set of Warne steel bases with Burris Zee rings. That rifle will also turn in amazing accuracy with Federal Powershok.

It can be done.

 

I've heard, not sure how accurate it is...but that the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) was told to start shooting M4s and then promptly went out and started cleaning house on units shooting M14s (included the guys who just Missed Christmas (as in U Suckers...)). The deal is that their guns are set up to shoot the heavy bullets....I want to say 84 n 77 grains. The 84s need to be loaded one at a time. So, the point, set up properly, a .223 can hang, or exceed, a .308. So, way before I got a .308, I'd be shooting a 5.56.

I like the 7-08 idea as it is cheap, off of the shelf. I like the .260 idea best...but, darn few of em out there, for cheap, and a gun would cost more. and it I don't like the .308 idea...I'd get a .243 before that.

In order to shoot 600-1000 yds (which is shorter long range)....long range, IMHO, is actually farther than that, and real long range or ultra long range, starts at 1,760+ yds, you need FPS, High BC (which the .260 really excels at) and a heavy bullet doesn't drift as much (but high FPS, and high BC means that a lighter bullet is not affected by the wind as much).

I'll reiterate what has already been said...I shoot pistols, generally stock pistols, and it is very common for me to show up at a match and out shoot several people w/a race gun, because the most important component of the whole affair is the shooter. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THIS...if he picked a .223, .243, .260, 7-08, .06, .270 or any other regular deer hunting caliber, that he could hang with the big boys and not be handicapped. Not so long ago...I shot a 3 guns match IPSC style...pistol, AR, and sniper-gun. I shot it w/my .270. At 400 and 550...the only boys that I didn't beat were the professional SWAT boys. I beat everybody else out there and I beat probably 10 guys whose guns were twins to the SWAT boys (the gun just ain't that important). I placed 5-9 or so on the list, and if I could have hit the 100 yard head shots (they were 5-6", or so square, and below it was a "no-shoot" (minus-points), and I just couldn't force myself to aim into the "bad" target).

Again, the gun just that important as there really tain't a nickles worth a dif between them....until you've been shooting about 5 years or so.

Buy a gun for under $500, and then reload for it (a must) and shoot the beast, a-lot.

 

500yds to start......a .308win is a good bet IMO. For $600 package deal? Not good. Spend just that on the rifle alone, then buy a decent optic worthy of 800 yds at least. Savage don't make them like they used to, and IMO.....Remington 700's are way overpriced now due to demand. I have a Savage 110FP worked over by Aurora Tactical that is a good 100yd rifle, but I don't push it even with reloads. The less expensive...out of the box rifles these days are good for 300yds and less...and that's with good quality ammo. You really can't go cheap if you're seriously looking at long range.

 

A good Nikon scope with bullet drop compensator will run $300 to $400 alone then you well have to take into consideration all that the responders have said. Personally I think the 5.56 starting point is a good beginning. Cheap to shoot and you can start practicing at 100 yards then when you get good groups move to 200 yards shoot until you get consistently good groups then 300 yards and so on. Practice is the key. When you get to the max ability of the gun then start looking for the right caliber for the type of hunting you want to do and practice.