Rifle for target and stalking (80/20)

aris

Well-Known Member
I'm applying for my FAC after having an SGC for several years. I will be doing mostly (maybe 80-90%) target shooting - 300/500/600 (maybe 1000 on occasion) - all at Bisley - but I really do want to do some deer stalking too (I have that primeval urge). So i'm looking at the rifles available, and the Ruger Precision really does tick a lot of boxes target wise. Price is right, and seems very configurable, and accurate. Thing is - it doesn't LOOK like a stalking rifle. Far from it in fact. I'm sure that it would be legal to use such a rifle, if a bit of a hassle due to the slightly increased weight, but might it cause me other problems? I.e. with other stalkers, or perhaps taking it onto estates for paid stalks? Yeah, its a big black gun, but as I said - ticks most of the boxes with regards to target shooting.

I'm open to other suggestions for a rifle which works well in the both scenarios above. I'm not looking to win competitions with regard to target shooting - just be the best that I can with the tools at hand. At the same time - i'd like to actually HIT the target at 600 yards and not make a fool of myself using the wrong tool for the job. I'd also prefer not to buy multiple guns for each, though I may consider that too, just prefer to have one gun which does OK for both.

I've seen that in the US some people do use the Ruger Precision for hunting - but, yeah, this isn't the US and what rolls for them may not do so here :)

Any suggestions? Apologies in advance if this opens a can of worms :)
 
well the Mauser m12 impact has shot out to a 1000 in 308 see YouTube for video I'm off out for a stalk with mine in a bit :lol:
 
I have a Schultz and Larsen Victory in .308 - That also works great out to 600x, not tried it any further yet, but no doubt it'll do the business out to 1000x. The target rifles I shoot are .308 and iron sights and I shoot those out to 1000x no problems.
 
Ask Edi, Ejg on here. It should be easy to get a secondhand Rem 700, add a Lothar Walther barrel ( contour 1450) and drop in one of his light stocks. Price will be reasonanble and the weight will be light enough to carry all day.
 
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If its a deer legal calibre it does not matter what the rifle looks like, dont let anyone tell you otherwise.
To really get the most from the Ruger Precision Rifle go for the 6.5 Creedmore, balistically superior to the 308 and legal for all deer species in the UK

Ian.
 
What they all said... you may have problems on some of the more premier estates and with some guides/stalkers who may have reservations about guests being seen with military style rifles but other than that, it matters not what your rifle looks like..

The only issues I can see are:

Weight... do not underestimate how much more difficult and miserable a little more weight can make your life, particularly on the hill... I would rather not go stalking than try to lug my TRG up a mountain in Scotland or through a forest, it would just ruin my day.

Optics... what is good for 1,000yd targets is not necessarily good for stalking.. to get out to 1,000yds you will more than likely need a 20 or 40moa rail, unless you have a top shelf scope, that could mean being unable to zero at distances as short as 1-200yds... just the kind of distance you need it to work at when stalking. Also, scopes good for targets need plenty of information in the reticule so you can aim off etc.. scopes good for hunting are better with minimal information in them i.e. cross hairs an/or a dot (think point and shoot rather than being distracted by mildots etc..) neither is particularly good for the other although I would say too much 'stuff' obscuring your view of a deer is marginally more preferable to no information when staring at a target at the other end of Stickledown!

Public perception/police... you are far more likely to get a visit from a helicopter and ARU if seen with a tactical firearm by a member of the public... right or wrong, that is just a fact of life!

Personally, if you are talking about an 80/20 split, I would spend your money on a decent target shooting rig and use an estate rifle until you can afford to buy a dedicated stalking rifle.. remember, A good/occasional hunting rig can be had for a fraction of the cost of a decent target setup. Although I will say, one of my club shooting buddies has the annoying habit of winning the 600 & 1,000 club comps at bisley with his £600 hunting set up.. he does however have to mess about shimming the rear scope mount up on his rifle to do it... dread to think what that is doing to the scope tube but it seems to work for him!!
 
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Personally I would also stick to mainstream calibres for your first rifle... .308, 6.5x55 etc... you have to think about availability of ammunition and/or brass.. 6.5CM etc., whilst arguably marginally better than a swede, you may find it difficult to get hold of ammo.. try asking for 6.5CM at the nra shop at Bisley!!

You cant really do much better than the good old .308win... abundant ammunition, components, reloading info, easy to reload and perfect for shooting 1,000 on Stickledown. Get into the swing of things and THEN start to look at specialist calibres.
 
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Lots to think about. Thanks Vipa. Out of curiosity - what hunting rifle does your buddy win with?

An old 2nd or 3rd hand Remmy 700 in .308 with a bushnell scope! Just goes to show.. it's usually the nut behind the butt!! lol
 
Personally I would also stick to mainstream calibres for your first rifle... .308, 6.5x55 etc... you have to think about availability of ammunition and/or brass.. 6.5CM etc., whilst arguably marginally better than a swede, you may find it difficult to get hold of ammo.. try asking for 6.5CM at the nra shop at Bisley!!

You cant really do much better than the good old .308win... abundant ammunition, components, reloading info, easy to reload and perfect for shooting 1,000 on Stickledown. Get into the swing of things and THEN start to look at specialist calibres.

+1 !
 
I would think any accurate Varmint rifle with a longe barrel and a moderator would fit the bill. (Browning, Howa, Rem 700 etc.)

I was in the same position a few years ago. I purchased a Browning X-Bolt varmint in 243. If I were to do it again I would buy the same rifle in .308 (just for the 1000 yds and target ammo availabilty).

Get a Tier-one 20MOA rail if you have a 1 inch scope as you will need a scope with a around 40MOA+ vertical adjustment for 1000yds and an Atlas Bipod (not essential). Once you have your rifle zeroed at 100 you will have no problems hitting the 600s using the ballistic apps.

Eddie
 
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I've used my Tikka .308 out to 5/600 regularly and also for stalking.
Ask Deanandrew64 how it is on paper punching? Not bad for a factory rifle
 
Optics... what is good for 1,000yd targets is not necessarily good for stalking.. to get out to 1,000yds you will more than likely need a 20 or 40moa rail, unless you have a top shelf scope, that could mean being unable to zero at distances as short as 1-200yds... just the kind of distance you need it to work at when stalking.

Really?
Most 30mm tubed variables have around 100 MOA vertical adjustment
a "centred scope" will give you 50 MOA up and 50 MOA down, in theory that should be more than enough to get out to 1000 on most deer legal calibres, in practice scopes are never centred.

inclined 40 MOA on a rail you move that to 10 MOA down and 90 MOA up

I am running a Sightron on my 300wm specifically for this purpose with aspirations of havinga crack at a mile.
It sits on a circa 40 MOA inclined mount and is zeroed bang on 100 yds, with some room to go lower (shimmed rear optilock, no scope stress)
I now run out of elevation at around 1700 yds although I haven't had a chance to stretch it that far.
It is my go to red deer stalking rifle, a Tikka 658, wooden stock, 22" barrel (not my choice)

Prior to that I ran a 1" tubed Zeiss Conquest in the same inclined system that gave me around 1350yds, shot out to a 1000 and accounted for numerous deer inside 300
prior to being inclined I maxed out at 875yds on elevation

Aris:
ANY deer legal calibre can do what you want of it and "hit the target" at 600yds.
My first ever shots at 600yds at Ponteland were with my father's .270 with a 4x32 Nikko scope!
Next time at 500 yds I used a 6x42 on my own Dickson Parker Hale .270 and shot a 70-7 (on a 2+15 detail) and was over the moon!
You are not competing, I personally would avoid getting sucked into "specification creep" if it is plinking not competing.
people do 600 and 1000 yds with open sights, you don't need a x60 March scope to hit a 6" bull at 600.

you are much more likely to miss the bull due to wind and environmental aspects than cartridge performance

don't be put off by second hand rifles, there are some incredible semi customs with very low round count out there
anything 6mm to 7.62mm will work at those ranges if you do your bit
you can always change the stock, or use two stocks, or two scopes

get a rifle that is comfortable to shoot prone, try a few before you commit to a calibre, cartridge, brand or style
 
If it's available in the UK have a look at the Tikka CTR in .308win. 20" barrel, 7.5lbs, 10rd mag, picatinny rail, threaded muzzle, around a £1000.
 
Thanks for the detailed responses. Indeed it will be essentially plinking. I have enough on my plate as it is let alone get into long range comps. The big problem is you have to make up your mind before applying for FAC. I wish you could just apply for a "centre fire rifle" but no have to decide on calibre first.

Im considering a 243. Firstly because my mates land I will get permission on is cleared for that calibre. Second because it is easy to get a variety of ammo and reload components.

Im thinking it should be ok to 500/600 yards - I'm not all that fussed about 1000.
 
I shoot my .243 regularly to 600 yards and it is more accurate than I am. As others have said buy a rifle that is deer legal, fits you like a glove and you can afford to feed.
 
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