Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Mid-range target gun

So I have always been a hunter, no more. Recently I have found that I am enjoying punching paper with my Ruger which is fairly accurate. I am not a great shot, but have shot several 3/4 inch groups at 200 yards. I don't like to use my hunting rifle for target work, and am contemplating building/making one of my current rifles into one for punching paper. First off is the caliber. I have an older Savage 110 with a birch stock chambered in 30-06 that I picked up here. I would like to get by with no modification to the action. I was thinking 280, or maybe even leaving it in 30-06. I have also toyed with the idea of 6.5-06 as well.
Not sure about the details. I don't make much money, so price is everything. I have a retired gunsmith friend that is willing to help me do the work. Was thinking Shilen select/match barrel in the heavy bull contour.Maybe a Choate Tactical stock from Midway. Timney Trigger. Thoughts, suggestions??

Again, primary use will be punching paper off a bench. The range I use maxes out at 500 yards, so am not looking for a 1000 yard gun. I am not looking for a competition winning gun, just something with the ability to shoot sub-MOA out to 500 yards or so.
Please be gentle here, this is entirely new territory to me! I do handload if that makes a difference.

Edit to add: I have also contemplated just swapping out the stock, doing some pillar bedding, and seeing how it shoots with the barrel already on it. Gunsmith looked ot over with a bore scope, and said it does not look like it was shot much.

6 BR.......

7mm-08, 150 eldx. Great ballistic coefficient, low recoil.



P

For sure, a great choice for the stated application.

How easy is it to modify the 06 action for this? I think the case head size is the same, but would not that short of a cartridge cause feeding issues?

You're target shooting off the bench, load them one at a time.....

I built a 6.5-06 for just that purpose. Got a good deal on a Savage 116 in 30-06 and did all the work myself.



I went with a pre-fit barrel from X-Caliber. They usually run some pretty good sales and I got this one for around $350, chambered, fluted, and threaded. I know they are button rifled, but it is plenty accurate for what I am doing and I didn't want to spend upwards of $700 for a barrel that I am going to burn out in 1500-2000 rounds.
As for the trigger, a good spring kit will get the factory trigger to well within tolerance for 500-800 shooting. No real need for a Timney, unless you really want to. A good stock, good barrel, and a scope that will hold up (mine is an SWFA 3-15) and you are good to go.

You never mentioned how the original rifle shoots, the 06. Why don`t you try it as is? might be surprised. LOTS of good info on that cartridge to be found, along with many excellent bullets to select from.
500 yrds with that combo should be a chip shot.

Yup, there are some great bullets for the .308 bore for target shooting and no flies on the old '06 for this purpose all things being equal. Pick up some 168 grain Sierra BTHP, Nosler Competition, and a few others in that general style and get to loading. I'm betting you will find your load pretty quickly. Bullets matter way more than headstamps when it comes to paper punching and long range...

Bob

I had thought of trying that. That may be the first logical place to start. At the very least I want a better stock and trigger. I do not like too much recoil when doing a range session. Shooting a marlin 1895 in 45-70 with a 300 grain bullet moving at 1725 fps, 10 shots and I have had enough. I think someone once told me that "weight reduces recoil" so i am thinking a heavier stock than the light birch one it came with will improve the recoil department.

Sell that and some junk, grab a 223 RAR, SWFA 10x MQ, a bucket of ammo and let the good times roll.

Doesn’t get easier or cheaper.

If you are thinking to rebarrel, I would probably just dump that gun for what you can get for it and put the money towards a short action, 7-08, 6.5 or similar. Less recoil, noise, powder, etc, all of which add up if you plan to shoot a lot. Heck, if the budget is tight you could get a Ruger American and it would more than likely be as accurate as you need. Nice thing is you would have a gun you could hunt with that you are very familiar with shooting.

TIKKA T3 in 6.5 Swede Varmint. Recoil is no issue, and the B.C. on those little guys is very high.

Or a Tikka, using 75 gr ELDM

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...-eldm-advice-in-a-1-8-tikka#Post13634027





P

If you insist on re-barreling, I'd go 6BR. Otherwise I'd spend the money on a RAR-P in 6 Creedmoor with AI-compatible 'bottom metal', or a Tikka in .223.

Tikka without a doubt...but saving a few bucks it doesn’t.

Good advice. You don't want to try to do as much shooting as you're going to need to do with a 30-06, or any long action cartridge. I've seen the above combo turn in some 4" groups at 600 yards. You can have the rifle and scope for $700.

Same BC, Same speed, same read......

Some years back I built a 6.5-06AI and it turned out to be a great choice. That was on an Interarms Mark X action with a Krieger 1-8 twist fluted barrel, Timney trigger, Boyd laminate stock. Gentle recoil. Hit rates on clay pigeons on the 600 yard berm have been as high as 80% with one string of 8 in 11 shots (73%). My daughters all love to shoot this rifle. Fireform loads are very easy using .25-06 brass and full-power 6.5-06 brass. A standard 6.5-06 would be fine, too.

At the moment I have a Savage 111/birch with a magnum bolt face. If it has a standard bolt face it would become a sporter-weight 6.5-06 or 6.5-06AI. Instead it will likely become a 6.5 PRC or .264 Win Mag. For pure target I'd go with the 6.5PRC.

I do confess to having an AI itch. The 6.5-06 AI does look attractive. I do like the high BC bullets available. Question I have is concerning barrel life. Seems like it would burn a barrel out but maybe not. I would say a rough average for me using this as a target gun may be 300-500 each year.