Best long range hunting rifle and scope for $1500?

[Panhandler80]

I had to shop around but I have a bergara wilderness in 300wm topped with a leupold vx5 3-15. I’ve got around $1700 tied up in it


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I have same set up but only the Hunter.

 

[davsco]

skip restaurants and bars for a month or two and get to 2k. tikka t3x lite for ~$900. and eurooptic has vortex lht 3-15 for ~$900.

 

[Elkpine]

So I have a Tikka t3x lite chambered in 300 win mag. Would this be an adequate gun for taking game out to 800 yards? Furthest shot I've taken is 400. Shooting Barnes factory ammo, 180 grain. Mainly hunting deer and cows/spike elk. I had pondered that bergara b14 hmr but if my Tikka is capable I'd rather just upgrade the glass on it. Appreciate any info.

 

[davsco]

tikka in 300 will definitely get it done, but you owe it to yourself to hit a shooting range that goes that far and see how easy or hard it is to actually do that. hint, it's hard, esp when you're up 1000s of feet in altitude with a crappy shooting position, and you didn't already take a dozen shots to get a feel for the actual wind conditions. i shoot prs and various belly matches out to and past 1k and set a 500yd hunting limit for myself, just too many variables.

 

[davsco]

and at 800yds if you're off on the wind by just 5mph, that is 20 inches off with a 200g eldx, prob more with your 180 barnes.

 

[Elkpine]

Appreciate the replies. We found ourselves in a spot this year with cow tags and had them at 650 yards and feeding. No wind, I got in the prone position and everything felt great but I hadn't shot that far and only knew my bullet drop out to 500, so I wasn't about to attempt it. Is that Barnes bullet an ok bullet for a 500-600 range on deer and spike/cows? Sounds like anything past that range isn't wise and that's why I've so far never taken that far of a shot. I do want to start practicing out to 500 and 600 and see how comfortable I can get. At 400 I do really well.

 

[Elkpine]

Current glass on my Tikka is vortex 4x16x44. Wouldn't mind upgrading to something like up to a 6x24x50.

 

[Elkpine]

I also believe my Tikka is a 1:10 twist and a 24 inch barrel, is 200 grain about the heaviest I want to shoot? Appreciate any info, I'm mostly a muzzy/archery guy, so rifles are a learning curve for me.

 

[Bearwhisky]

I like my Christensen Mesa in 300 wm with Trijicon Accupoint 3-9. Can find the scope on sale these days for about $600 which would put the total around 1,7-1,800. Weatherby vanguard models could put you in the $1500 range, they are superb rifles as well.


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[Clark33]

Honestly, I'd take what you have now and spend the money on long range training from a reputable instructor. That will give you the knowledge and skill to practice on your own the right way and significantly extend your range. Save up in the mean time and buy the best glass you can before dumping it all into a rifle.

If your scope doesn't track it doesn't matter how well your rifle or you shoot at extended ranges.

Also, don’t be afraid to buy used top tier glass. You can find good deals at times on MK5s, Razors, Bushnell Elites etc and they’re built to last with warranties to back it up IF they should ever fail (not likely but can happen with anything)

 

[davsco]

We found ourselves in a spot this year with cow tags and had them at 650 yards and feeding. No wind, I got in the prone position and everything felt great but I hadn't shot that far and only knew my bullet drop out to 500, so I wasn't about to attempt it.

smart, wise and ethical, awesome!

not sure which barnes you have, but 180g can get it done. if you want to reach out more just start looking at bc's (ballistic coefficients) as wind can really be a factor. plug different loads/bullets into a ballistic program (hornady etc have free online ones) and play with the variables (bc, fps, etc) and you will see what the various effects can be.

all the variables add up quickly at distance. an accurate one moa gun is already 8" at 800yds. then another moa for a crappy shooting position. then another for buck fever. then another couple for wind misreads...

 

[Elkpine]

Good info. It would be nice to learn from an instructor and really understand moa and adjustments better. I'm assuming a good tracking scope can be hit and miss, no two scopes are made the same sorta thing? I shoot the Barnes vortex 180 grain ttsx BT. I'm nowhere near ready to pick up reloading. Lol but man, just wanting to try other ammo seems impossible at this point. That 190 grain Hornady eld x precision hunter looks nice.

 

[Clark33]

Most high end scopes have proven track records of tracking. Saw a link one time where a shooting instructor tested every make/model of scope on a tall target that came through his course. Most Vortex Razors, Leupold MK5s and Bushnell Elites were 99.5 to 100% accurate. Meaning at worst if he dialed 10mils it was actually adjusting 9.95mils. Obviously the 100% tracking ones dialed 10 mils and actually adjust to exactly 10 mils.
When it comes to optics/scopes you generally get what you pay for.

 

[wind gypsy]

So I have a Tikka t3x lite chambered in 300 win mag. Would this be an adequate gun for taking game out to 800 yards? Furthest shot I've taken is 400. Shooting Barnes factory ammo, 180 grain. Mainly hunting deer and cows/spike elk. I had pondered that bergara b14 hmr but if my Tikka is capable I'd rather just upgrade the glass on it. Appreciate any info.

IMO no. primarily because velocity will be too low at 800 yards for consistent expansion. Even 500 yards is pushing it with that combo.

It's also likely a mediocre choice because factory ammo is prone to inconsistent velocities and a 180 TTSX has a lousy BC and will be blown around by wind quite a bit at 800 yards. Despite what the internet says, 800 yards isn't a chip shot and it's really not with a lightweight magnum shooting factory ammo with lousy BC bullets.

 

[Elkpine]

Is there any factory ammo that would be good in that 500-600 yard range or at least much better than that factory Barnes I'm shooting.

 

[grappling_hook]

IMO no. primarily because velocity will be too low at 800 yards for consistent expansion. Even 500 yards is pushing it with that combo.

It's also likely a mediocre choice because factory ammo is prone to inconsistent velocities and a 180 TTSX has a lousy BC and will be blown around by wind quite a bit at 800 yards. Despite what the internet says, 800 yards isn't a chip shot and it's really not with a lightweight magnum shooting factory ammo with lousy BC bullets.

But the main question— is a T3x chambered in .300wm sufficient to hunt to 800– isn’t it? With the proper training and skill, a 200’ish grain ELD-something or Berger or comparable high-bc bullet loaded fast, an appropriate scope, and the right conditions?

 

[wind gypsy]

But the main question— is a T3x chambered in .300wm sufficient to hunt to 800– isn’t it? With the proper training and skill, a 200’ish grain ELD-something or Berger or comparable high-bc bullet loaded fast, an appropriate scope, and the right conditions?

Yes, you can load ammo that will be sufficient on paper for a 300wm Tikka at 800 yards. A tikka t3x lite 300wm wouldn't be my first choice for making 800 yard shots just because it's a light gun with a lot of recoil and it would be way further yet down on my list as a rifle to get the proper training and experience with shooting those distances.

My main thought is 800 yards is a long ways and it seems like a steep target for people just dipping their toes into this stuff.

 

[davsco]

personally i think there's just too much going on past 5-600 to take any shots at game. wind and less than ideal shooting positions among them. do folks get game past 600 and even 800, sure, but i've seen plenty of experienced shooters with serious guns and gear miss at those distances in prs matches, despite having perfect distance measurements and decent wind indications from seeing themselves and others' results in prior stages. for every kill at 800 i'll bet there are at least a couple of misses or worse, woundings. would love to hear of someone who killed bulls >800yds 10/10 times. i know this is the long range section but that is my opinion.

all that said a tikka can get it done, with a solid moa, or better, factory load, such as hornady 200 eldx or plenty of other options. the tikka is relatively light which doesn't help precision shooting, but again it can get it done. again highly recommend hitting a range and shooting at those distances before trying it on game. see what if anything is holding you back from solid hits and work on that or get better gear. and you have to know your scope, holding or dialing just a little wrong at those distances will have big consequences.

 

[grappling_hook]

would love to hear of someone who killed bulls >800yds 10/10 times.

I'd like to hear about people who have done that too (though not necessarily bulls specifically- successful hunts involving 100% success on any 10+ combination of deer, pronghorn, goats, sheep, etc in the 800 yard range would be cool to hear about). Just curiosity on my end; I enjoy shooting for accuracy out to 600 for fun, but my longest shot on game has been 260 and I may not ever go much past that.

 

[davsco]

Is there any factory ammo that would be good in that 500-600 yard range or at least much better than that factory Barnes I'm shooting.

i'd contact barnes and ask them the min and max ranges (really, speeds) for that ammo/bullet on elk. their 190g vor-tx says a bc of .490 (not sure of your exact sku). hornady eldx says .552 and .597 for 180 and 200g loads/bullets, so your drops and windages wouldn't be quite as much. as long as you know the distance of that elk, your drops really don't matter as you can hold or dial for that. but plug them both in a ballistic calculator and see the wind effects at those distances. i didn't check, maybe they're meaningful, maybe they're not. if all i had was the ammo you have, i would def go elk hunting esp a little closer in like your 5-600. WITH actual practice and seeing results at those distances.

the good news is you have almost a year to do some testing and practicing and perhaps find other ammo choices that might be a little preferable. keep your eyes open; i have found some 300wsm ammo here and there (including in rokslide's classifieds) over the past month but it's def unicorn-ish.

actually check out ammoseek.com. there is a decent variety of 300winmag (incl hornady 200g eldx) but you may need to take out a second mortgage. and if you really hate money, check out gunbroker.

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