Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 700-1000 yard Varmint Caliber Discussion

Building a varmint rifle to attempt to pluck prairie dogs in the 700-1000 yard range. Really does not matter what action/etc I am using, ballistically speaking, but will provide the info.

PLEASE...do not turn this into something that it is not, state fact or opinion based on fact/personal experience.

My pick of the caliber WILL depend on the following guidelines:

1 - Cost of brass (no funky wildcats. Neck up, neck down, AI, etc...no problem. Anything with labor intensive brass prep/weird will not be used)

2 - Cost of bullets - no one supplier or dollar a piece bullets. Need to be able to order online at Midway/MidSouth/Wideners/Etc/Etc.

3 - Barrel life - it this is a 600-1000 round barrel burner, nope.....thanks...but nope. 2-3K before a barrel setback would be great.


I will be using a Savage short or long action (appropriate to the caliber of course), B & C Tactical Medalist stock, aftermarket trigger, & Leupy 8.5-25x50 LR/T target dot/fine XHair with target turrets.

Thoughts?

7mm wsm http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek064.html

I have one for hunting so its not a heavy barrel but its a great round and by that artical it sounds like it would work perfect for you.

Quick twist 260 AI or 6XC...simple as that...I've got one of each and they work...dies are quick and easy and the same for the brass...use Lapua 308s down to 260 and FF to AI...or 6XC Norma brass or 22-250 Brass from Nosler or Win and FL in 6XC die and shoot...how fast ?...have to check my notes.......... yes SA Savage is fine....

Are you concerned at all with bullet terminal performance? For practical reasons you will be pretty much limited to between .24 and .26 caliber to keep costs and recoil in line. With laser rangefinders trajectory is no longer a concern, but wind drift is. High-BC-for-caliber bullets will work best, but terminal performance on light animals rules out target bullets. Tipped bullets usually have the advantage of high BC/softness, few HP or softnosed bullets have both attributes. 100 to 140-grain bullets are probably your best choices, softer is better.

The smaller the caliber the more the barrel wear given equal velocities. This gives the advantage to the .25 and .26 rifles. In .25 I'd pick the .25-06 or the .25 WSSM. The latter has an advantage in lower ES values - highly important for extreme range shooting. You are really better off bullet-wise with the .26s; I'd opt for a .260Imp or a 6.5-.284. There really is an advantage to the short cases in ES - the reason the .308 trounces the .30-06 at 600 yards and over.

If it were me I'd choose a Remington action (or a full custom). There is far more knowledge available about making the M700-based rifle shoot very very well, and the final cost will not be a lot more than for the Savage if you want the best performance. I know that a Savage can be made to shoot just fine - but why try to reinvent the wheel for what is such a well-established business (long range varmint rifle building)?

Whatever you choose, good luck.


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I've got on in the mill with the same qualifications.. getting the stock done now...

I picked a surplus Mauser Action that I bought a complete rifle for $100.00 that needed a lot of work.. bought it essential for the action...

It has a 31 inch heavy bull barrel on it, so that it can be set back and rechambered multiple times over its life span...

it is a Pac Nor barrel with a one in 7 twist and chambered for the 6mm Rem...
on the two extremes, I have to bullets that will be shot thru it.. which I use routinely on a smaller set up on a Model 700 LA Rem, with a 24 in heavy magnum contoured barrel..

115 grain Bergers for that 1000 yd set up... 46 grains of RL 19 give me an MV of 3250 fps on the Remington's 24 inch barrel..

75 grain Hornady HPs, with an MV of 3650 to 3700 fps out of the Rem's 24 inch barrel, with a charge of 47.5 grains of H 414...

the 31 incher should give me some more MV.. this Mauser will probably weigh about 20 to 22 lbs when done. it is considered to be a stationary rifle of course..

.243AI, fast twist (1-8" or 1-7"), 28" tube, set-up for moly'd 105 A-max.

I'd be looking at a fast-twist 6mm of some sort. Maybe 6mmAI if running a long action or single-shot bolt gun.

thats funny that you say that, I think that most of the factory rifle competions have been won these past years where with savage. And with a new target savage action for under 450 dollars you can shoot with the best of the best. I dont think you can get a full custom or a reworked 700 anywhere near that. I would deffintly go with the Savage and I have many times.

here is a link to a rifle that would probably be exactly what your looking for http://www.wildcountryarchery.com/viewtopic.php?t=4356 the target at the bottom looks pretty good for a savage I guess.

For ranges out to 600 - 1000 yards, you could also use a very heavy .308. The recoil would not be bad in a 12 - 14 pound rifle and wind drift would be less with a 168 gr bullet. The other options in 6 or 6.5 mm are good, too.

Not sure I like his choice of stocks... but as far as end results...

Can;t figure why the old 6 mm Rem on a long action is so overlooked by so many folks...

I've experienced those, but also have had excellent luck with the 6.5 x 57.. which is essentially a necked up 257 Roberts or necked up 6mm Remington... the 6.5 x 57 is my favorite hunting cartridge.. especially on a long action with good 140 grain hunting bullets..

it will really reach out and touch somethings...

Now that's the kind of guy I love to sit down next to at the range. Just me and my gun with the barrel nut. LOL

It's very funny to me that you'd say such a thing - considering that the OP's rifle will in no way or form be considered a "factory" rifle. Talk about an apples-and-oranges comparison! Do us a favor, ask any ten accuracy gunsmiths which action they'd prefer to use to make a 1000 yard varmint rifle. Then get back to us and report.


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Bring it on. Carter's Country range in Houston, any weekend day. Mornings are cooler this time of year. I'll pay your range fee. Send me a PM.


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I have a model 11 savage with a 204 barrel that shot .424" group (5 shot) at a 100yrd and im no bench rest shooter. and thats completely stock off a bipod. look at the VHA Jamboree coming up and see who comes out ahead. Also gunsmiths dont like savages because any old Joe can change a barrel on a savage with simple tools.

You know the next time I'm in Dallas to see my grand kids I'll plan on that day drive to Houston to take you up on that.

Just to be different 6.5X55 Swede
1. .297-.298 no turn neck
2. Lapua brass
3. Nosler 140 Custom Competition or 120 Ballistic tips
Custom competition bullets are approx $19 dollars a 100.Berger 140 VLD is awesome, but about 10 dollars more a 100
4. RL22 powder by the 5 lb can
5. 28" Kreiger 8.5 twist barrel #17 contour or a prefit PacNor 3 groove 8.5 twist of similar contour.
6. Farrel 15 MOA rail and your favorite rings
7. Savage Single Shot Target Action
8. Something that rides the bags well.
9. muzzle brake
With the Bergers this combo will stay supersonic out to around 1500 when started at 2875 or so. It's different,but I like it. have fun

I actually have a new 6.5x55 reamer.....and a Rock 6.5 blank that will be here this month.

Good for you! Can you do it four times in a row on the same day?


Interesting comment - considering that I said accuracy gunsmiths, not your average barrel-changers trying to scratch out a living. The truth is that most accuracy 'smiths have all the business they can handle with long waiting lists, so they don't want to waste their time building a rifle - something that reflects directly on their reputations - starting with a flawed platform.

I own and have owned Savages and like them, so don't get your panties in a bunch thinking all I know are Remingtons. But we are not talking about an occasional small 100 yard group here - 1000 yard shooting is much much different. The Savage M110 and variants suffer from several deficiencies that hurt it as the base for a 1000 yard rifle.

1) The trigger design is poor, even with the Accutrigger. The placement of the sear forward of the trigger makes designing a high quality trigger - which are readily available for Remington and Mauser actions - problematic if not impossible.

2) The firing pin design is less than satisfactory. Lock time is poor because of the high mass of the firing pin assembly and because of high firing pin drag inside the bolt body. These design flaws contribute to the M110 being known to misfire due to debris or cold grease in the bolt body. Inconsistent ignition is also an issue for the same reasons.

3) The generous cutouts in the action seriously limit the bedding area. Too, the action itself is not considered stiff enough for serious target shooting (e.g. benchrest shooting). These faluts do not apply to the few single shot M110 actions, which are hard to find and are not cheap.

Like I said, these can be overcome to a degree, but since the Remington's fewer problems are well known and relatively cheap fixes already exist - why go to the trouble? Building a real 1000 yard rifle is tough enough, why make it harder on yourself?


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acloco
I think you'll be impressed with it(6.5x55). With the 140 bergers I need about 23 MOA to get out to a thousand (5500 ft altitude).
Haven't tried a Rock barrel that I know of(maybe on an old M24)although I did meet Mike Rock once and have heard good things about them.
Double Radius
I would have to say the new Savage Target Action is considerably stiffer then any of the regular 110 actions(I just put together a 257AI on one). I haven't measured the thickness on mine but the loading port is considerably smaller then any of the regular 110 single shot or otherwise (I remember reading about but have never seen one of the old Single Shot silhouette rifles)that are also available.