any ideas on an affordable rifle??

weatherby 30-378 or 38-378 both will do the job nicely
you mite find one used for $600.00 +++

I have both and the 30-378 has made shots in the 600-700+
thanks
 
Quote:
Good suggestions but I have to say most of his options are not "affordable".



because his criteria doesn't allow for "affordable".....depending on what a person deems affordable.

700 yd. big game rifles are not exactly sitting at your local Wamart waiting for you to pick them up along with a box of factory '700 yd. big game ammo'.
 
I have to ask why would you want do that. I am not trying to be smart but, I can't understand why anyone would want to shoot something that hard to bring down at that range. If I had to do it to keep myself from starving .. I would choose a big 7mm to do it with.. only because they hold up to long ranges well and buck the wind better due to a much high BC bullet than the 30cals .. out that far its all about the math .. too much drop too much wind ... if the elk of a life time were in front of me 700yds out .. I would pass on the shot.. might be just me, but I can assure you I would pass on the shot with any rifle even a 50cal. It don't matter what groups you shoot at the range ... at 700yds.. if your range is not dead on .. say you have a 30-378 weatherby .. which is one bad boy..zeroed at 300yd with a 178gr Amax.. which is about the best BC bullet you can get in 30cal 3300 fps. Max load listed in Hdy Manual at 600yds you are 41.6 inches low ... at 700yds you are 68.7 inches low at 800yds 104.2 in the last 200yds you dropped 62.6 inches that is over 5ft the difference between you thinking its 700yds and it being 650 would be close to 20" all that with zero wind... with a 5mph wind which is minor, you are over 12" ... all that equals .. bad shot selection even if you make it
 
I do shoot my 30-378 a lot /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif . and I have a Kahles 4-12
multi zero /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif zero is at 250 than adjusted out to 700 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I would like more magnification on the long shots
things look small even at x 12 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gifwith my old eyes
thanks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
If you had to buy new 30-378 ss accumark with a kahles
gun if you look around $1200.00
scope on sale $799.00
ammo per box $84.00

I reload from the start with bass paid $1.00 each
I got the 5 mark from a lady that was going throw a divorce

I paid $600.00 each for 3 and $700.00 each for 2 the 30-378 ss with brake and 38-378 ss with brake both accumark
the outher 3 were 22-250 ss /257 ss/340 with brake
the only one that had ware was the 340
I could not pass that deal up

thanks
 
well sounds to me he just needs to get a 50 cal or the new 416 by baret and get on with it cause im like the other guys, even a long caliber, even with range time,range time,range time,, aint nobody can garentee a good killshot unless they have a harverd degree in trajectory and eyes like a hawk, even with the 338 laupa, 700 to 800 yards is a hard shot for a seasoned vet. with the gun, with more then perfect conditions, which i dont think possible in most areas
 
338 win mag.if ya can get the 225 bullets try them,kinda flat shooting and enough punch in my opinion to handle a animal at that distance.
seems kind of far shooting for me
 
Well some of you guys say you can't get a rifle that is not under $1000. That would be a good long range rifle and you need all these custom parts.

Well My little .243 winchester shoots under 1" groups at 200 yards. Its a model 7 youth. That sounds like the accuracy you guys say you get from custom Jobbies.

And many of you that have savage rifles say they can shoot 1/2" groups at 100 yards, even in big game calibers.

So why do you say a factory rifle won't work for long range????

If you can get these types of groups from factory barrels then they should work!!

I could put together a custom. But is it only for the prestige of owning one?? Is that why some of you are saying you have to have a very spendy rifle to be able to do it. Because you would not want to admit a factory rifle can do as good!! If you are lucky enough to get a good barrel.

I am very confused on this subject. Because I am not sure now. I know savage does sell just the action. But I just am wondering why you can't use a savage barrel because so many people say they are so accurate.
 
Lots of excellent posts with some great advice.

I couldn’t find where you said exactly what kind of big game you were going after. Are you mostly hunting deer or are elk also on the menu. That’s important because there is a significant difference between those two species as far as what would be needed for work in the 700 yard range or even at 500 yards.

I shoot a 300 win mag and I have limited experience with shots over 500 yards. In my case 450 yards is pretty well is the max of my abilities and my equipment. My attempts on (targets) at 600 and 700 yards have shown me that the level of difficulty climbs pretty quickly once you pass the 500 yard mark and no doubt that’s where the difference between off the shelf stuff and a custom rig is going to become obvious.

Also, its always better to save up and get the rig you really needed than it is to buy something less than you need and regret it later. I’ve learned that the hard way.

And as many have said, once you put that rig together…practice, practice and then some more practice.
 
Wa Coyote Hunter, you are quite right in the "prestige" part of owning a custom rifle. I have, a few off the shelf rifles, that amaze me year after year. I have a early 80's model 700 Rem ADL, the one with the too shiney wood stock, that the only thing I have ever done to it, was take the sights off, plug the holes, took it out of the stock, put brass shims in the recoil lug slot, pushed it back into the stock, tightened downthe actions screws, and I do not believe I own a more accurate rifle. It shoots 150gr Sierra's into about 1/2 inch at one hundred yards on just about every trip to the range in the fall to check zero. I never mess with the scope, never had to. Just one of those rifles. I have been ask if I wanted to sell so many times, I can't even imagine the thought. I also own a Winchester model 70, same thing, unbelievable. It does happen. But.... When I wanted my long range ground hog gun, I paid for the accuracy, and it was a good investment. I should take a pic and post. In fact I'm going to right now.

DSCF0564.jpg


Excuse the mess in the bed room, wife's fault. This set up is built on a model 70 push feed action, Jewell trigger, hart barrel, 24X Unertl 2" target, in a laminated rosewood stock, pillar bedded, and full length bedded. This rifle chews 1 hole. This is not bragging, this is needed for a rifle to shoot long range. I have found the Unertl, to be more repeatable, than any scope made. Problem, is straight 24X and Mirage. Parralax must also be dialed out to attempt such long shots. I have taken the time and recorded all of my settings, drop charts, wind drift, etc. Mirage, well that is another story. The good thing is groundhogs are stupid, and offer second chances, and stand up for a long time. I have about $4000 in this rig, and lots of time, I bought a stock blank and finished it myself., saving a couple of bucks. Cost includes all gunsmithing work done, and cost of original rifle, which was a winchester heavy varmint that was a .220 swift I burned out. The scope, Hand Dies and arbour press Redding 22-250 dies for fire forming, and wilson hand dies for loading. It has a .252 neck, so I need a a neck turner, and it took a while to learn that art. There is a lot of thought that goes into a custom rig. But in the end, it was not pristige, it was performance that ruled. Boy was this a long post. Butcher
 
You state you are looking for an "affordable" rifle for 700 yard shots at elk. What happens when you shoot a cartridge that carries enough energy to kill an elk at 700 yards is it recoils alot, each shot costs alot, and it requires alot of practice. Yes, there are factory Savages and Remingtons and Winchesters that can do this. Owning a prestige firearm is not the point that I am making. A box of Weatherby 30-378 or other long range cartridge can cost $60-100 bucks for 20. Handloading for these rounds still costs a bit but does make it affordable.

I have plenty of factory rifles, some that may be able to take an elk at 700 yards, but this requires a specialized platform to perform this work reliably. First pick a suitable cartridge for killing an elk at 700 yards (based on terminal energy at that range, some say for elk a minimum of 1000-1500 Ft/lbs is necessary (opinions vary)), then pick the platform (rifle, scope, bullet). You may find that that narrows the field quite a bit.

Define affordable for us.
 
Last edited:
I have done a lot of shooting at 500-550, but 700 yards is another entire ball game...and I for one am not qualified to accomplish this goal. Now I can shoot extremely well with a custom 7 STW at 550, but 700...things go to heck at that distance.

There are some guys around that are very good at shooting distances like this and further, but it ain't cheap to step into this league.

It may be better to set your sights on 500 yards, get some experience, then step up to 700 as your budget allows.

Best of luck to you!
 
A rifle that will shoot 1 MOA or better at 100 yards will or can print 7" at 700 yards mas y menos if you do your part. Do you know the size of the kill zone on an Elk................... I hope you get lucky alot! Listen, I'm no Carlos Hathcock but I'm probably better than the average bear and I do ALOT of shooting at 1000 yards and on a CALM day and when I'm in "THE ZONE" I'll print around 11" some days a little better some days a lot worse. My point is 700 yards is a poke and for that animals sake I hope the gods like you that day.

Now I do shoot yotes a good fer piece, But I use a .308 to do it! Even if I miss a bit they still are taking a 168 gr. projectile and it crushes them. But for big game?........ I'm just not sure it's ethical without nothing less than sterling skills and equipment. Throw a " BUDGET RIFLE " into the mix just sounds like too much room for human error.

But if you think you can do it! Have at it. Just please please please practice at those ranges and don't just rely on some ballistic's calculator and call it good.
 
Thanks lennyzrx, I did not think the picture went through. It is a 22-250AI, and does quite a number. Trigger set at 8oz. I have a weaver base mounted on the back, for a level. It works really well for me. Thanks for the compliment. Butcher
 
Thanks guys for all your help and giving me thought of mind. I think I will stick with that 500 yard mark for now!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Back
Top