Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Need Long range s/a Varmint thumper help

hmmm.....fun challenge! you cant go wrong with a .308, but id go with a 1:12 twist barrel to stabilize longer bullets and get the most out of the longer, higher BC bullets. the added advantage is that you are able to easily get .308 where the others are a bit harder to come by. also, .308 is a great round for adaptation and is easy on cases, so reloading is a snap. id like my barrel to be between 24 and 26 inches in order to get the most velocity. 20 is ok but if you are wanted to really wring out the distance, go a little longer.

good glass is the hard part. there are several contenders here, but really it comes down to both your eyes and your wallet. ive made great shots on a (very) cheap BSA "tacticool" scope out to about 800, but I think I got a fluke of a scope too. if you are able, leupold is your first choice if you can get it in the right price. but don't discount burris fullfield II, or bausch and lomb / bushnell elite. the bushnell elites are awesome scopes that wont break the bank. the other big names are likely to be more than your house payment.

I would not go with any nikon, becaue their QC has been a little spotty of late.

on that note, if not building one, look towards a savage. remington is ok but their last few years have had hits and misses, be warned you may want to upgrade your barrel. which for a remmy is a pain. if you ARE building one, savage or stevens is a good start, but you should make great shots right out of the box for one of those. CZ makes a great target model as well, with a double set trigger and a great stock.

your other option, if you REALLY want to have some fun building, is a really tight twist .22-250; 1:8 or so, and you can throw very heavy bullets out to good range with that....it's what ive done with an old mauser m1896, and it shoots stupidly awesome groups at range with a 1:10 barrel and a good, upgraded trigger.

good luck!