I'd love to load my own ammo, play with groups sizes and loads, etc., but the last thing I need is a ANOTHER hobby that takes ANOTHER work bench full of a WHOLE 'NOTHER set of tools, cans, chemicals, and equipment ... not to mention a WHOLE 'NOTHER education I need to acquire.

That being said, I do shoot fairly frequently, although I'm no range rat (maybe next year). I have a Browning A-Bolt with adjustable BOSS on the end of the barrel in 25-06 that I've had very, very good results with using off the shelf ammo - the BOSS allows one to adjust barrel vibrations to a particular load, and only takes a coouple 3 shot groups to get dialed in. I can consistently hit a quarter at 200 yards off the bench, and close to that prone off the bipod. I use the rifle primarily for antelope and mulies, and am quite confident with 400+ yard shots when I'm confident about my range estimation. This is critical, as is knowing the ballistic arc of your round (game rarely choose to stand broadside right at 200 or 400 yards).

Either Win or Rem used Browning's BOSS for a couple years, but they seem to have fallen from favor a bit - less marketing on Browning's part as well. I do not know why; perhaps there is some other problem more serious shooters found with the system. But I've had good luck with it with really minimal time investment.

If you want to reload and shoot an accurized heavy barrel rifle, go for it. If you want an off the shelf rifle that will shoot off the shelf ammo embarrassingly well, consider a BOSS equipped rifle.

Oh, and I often wish it were a 300 mag, but after 15 miles of hiking during a long day, the lighter 25 feels heavy enough.

my 2 clams

 

my reach out & touch some cal is .22-250. really fast & pretty flat. i carry a 3-9x32 bushnell and its alot of fun to shoot. a lot of punch for small lead. i killed a deer @ 340 yrds. my dad walked it off. he never believes me during hunting season. aimed @ the spine & hit just above the shoulder blade. 144 lb deer. not big but lip smacking good. 4 pt that made a nice sneak mount

 

I think I fell in love with a new rifle - anyone got any opinions? I went to a hunting store yesterday to get a new arm guard (archery) and while waiting had to check this rifle out. It's an FN A4 Special Police setup. Uses .308 Win rounds, is modified with a heavy barrel and has a Leupold VX-III 8.5-25x50mm Long Range Target scope on it. Package deal was around $2300. Here is the rifle on the manufacturers web site. It's heavy but it felt right holding it Anyone have any thoughts?

http://www.fnhusa.com/contents/r_spr_a4.htm

Edit: ANY company that makes a tactical weapon like this is Ok in my book! Same company makes both guns.
http://www.fnhusa.com/contents/tw_f2000tactical.htm

 

an amazing rifle. ive never shot 1 but my bro in law has it & shows off all the time. he is a comp shooter

 

Good thread. I would have guessed that the .300Mag and the .308 would be the popular choice. My son recently acquired a Browning in .300WSM, but he rarely has a shot over 300 yards.
Dono

 

"Well. . . we're talking a whole different ballgame, now."

NICE rifle. (Nice bucks, too!)

 

.308 holes make airy souls...

The Marine Corps issued me a Winchester model 70 .308 in 1970, and I never found it lacking. Fortunately, we had a Gunnery Sgt. who was a great armorer/gunsmith who took EVERY weapon apart and accurized them for us, making a good rifle even better.

Semper Fi!

 

if you are just using it at the bench the heavier the better, the more the gun weighs the less recoil you feel.

 

Looks like most all has been said and very well at that. I started my quest for long range accuracy 25 years ago when I was the local groundhog's nightmare. I got bored with that, along with the local farmers not wanting long range projectiles whizzing through their pastures. So , I joined the local sportsman club, entered the Rifle Division and got in to Long Range rifle competition shooting. That, is a whole 'nother world in itself.

After I joined the rifle division, I put all of my RCBS RockChucker equipment in storage boxes and went with all custom competition rifles with custom chambers/custom dies etc. It can get very expensive fast, to the point I was forced to quit . When those guys I competed against started showing up on the benches with rifles that just the ACTIONS, cost two grand, I threw in the towel...


A person needs to make up their mind what they are going to use the rifle for. A longe range hunting rifle and a LR range competition rifle have different criteria to meet. That criteria will make the difference in the rifles cost and friendliness to use. Comp rifles can be set up /built for either benchrest shooting, Military matches, silouhette, 1000 yard matches. We even had a egg shooting class, where the guys with hot shooting factory class rifles shot at eggs at 300 yards...


I have been at the range MANY times and watch as the excited newbies came in with their Savage HV's, Ruger 1's, Ruger 77v's Remington 700 HV's Browning A-bolts, ( all of which I had at one time or another when I was whistle pig hunting) with them bragging about how they can shoot eggs with them at 300 yards, all day long. It did not take long for them to calm down and take last place, once they shot with us in matches and saw what custom rigs shot like. Yes, they are all good factory rifles, but consistency is what counts in competition shooting. ...

The benchrest rifle that will put that first shot in the "group" and then keep the next four in that group with a .250 maximum aggregate at 200 yards, is the standard in the world of Bench Rest heavy barrel ( 13 1/2 LB) class matches. In hunting for game in a sportsman like manner, the first shot out of that cleaning oil fouled barrel, must be the most accurate one, the next two or three if needed, will not place in a close group. This is the basic difference in the criteria needed between factory hunting rifles and competition rifles. The hunter needs the first shot to hit on the vital spot of the game, the comp shooter needs five consecutive shots to hit in the same spot on the paper ...

Factory produced hunting rifles are not built with the degree of accuracy producing features that comp rifles have. Accuracy features = money. Most factory hunting rifles have weak receivers , (due to magazine clip cutouts) and the receiver is where the accuracy magic has to start in a highly accurately consistent, shooting rifle. Then, the barrel quality, caliber/type of round, accuracy of the reamed cartridge chamber, headspace, barrel crown, trigger pull weight, sear engagement, creep, fit of the stock, consistecy of the handload , on and on. In the real world, the factory hunting rifle does its part when it is tuned in to the best acuracy it can produce, then after that is accomplished, most shooters cannot shoot as well as the gun will... All jmo, have fun in your quest.

 

Well I am not going to get into the calibers or the particular actions yes I have my preference, yes I am good with them but they are good for me not neccesarily everyone else.
But optics I have seen many people mention bushnell, nice scope for a 22 or 30-30win, and also leapold very good scope for the money but recently I have had the privilage of seeing what a nightforce scope is like, and I can tell you it makes the gold ring leapoulds look like a cheap tasco the optics on these things are flat amazing but yes as you guessed the price is pretty amazingly high too but go look at one you will be impressed even those guys that think they know what a good scope looks like.

 

Who is that nightforce made by Monster ? Sounds good, is that a night scope or is it built for hunting , or just comp shooting ?. I have owned (still have a few Leupolds) Redfield , Burris, Tasco, etc. For comp, I always went back to the Leupold 36x BR. Of course, hunting and comp shooters needs in optics are different somewhat.

 

No they aren't night vision scopes they are just very high quality scopes in varying levels for hunting, distance, and other uses here is a link to thier website.
http://www.nightforceoptics.com/

we have a sporting shop around here that carries a few of them.

 

I am impressed, looks good on site.. It looks like they are filling the need that I found lacking in my Leupolds, that being a good selection of reticles. Nightforce may give the Gold Ring a run for their money if priced right and the warranty is for life. The bench rest shooters have had the Leupolds as their standard glass for decades. They are like anyone else tho, they are always looking for the best optics for less money. A 3 thousand dollar bench shooting rig aint worth squat, if the optics are not the best. Never know though, NF may change that age old tradition of the Leupolds holding the firing line,