Well, I had been thinking that an AR was going to be my next purchase, but now I'm leaning towards something less sexy and more attuned to my nature: a bolt action or even a single shot rifle.
I had wanted to get into high power rifle over the summer, but time with the family is scarce, and I don't want to disappear for whole days to compete. So now I'm thinking I want something for paper punching at long distances (300yds or more). I'm thinking I can get more accuracy for the $ if I move away from an AR, and I like the simplicity of a bolt action or single shot rifle. It is not that the complication scares me, it is just I like simple and elegant.
This weekend I shot an NEF/H&R Varmint single shot in 22-250. It was really quite a nice rifle with a nice, if a little heavy, trigger. Very satisfying to land little <2" groups at 100yds. Today I handled a Savage Model 12 in .223 with a bull barrel. The trigger is of course known as being great. The balance was awful with the bull barrel, but I think this gun is meant to shoot from the bench or prone with a bi-pod.
So I'd like some input on (1) the rifle and (2) the caliber to choose. There are so many calibers I don't know where to start. So, here is what I'm looking for:
- Capable of being accurate at 300+yds (should I find a range to shoot that far!)
- Reasonable cost per round.
- Not hard to find.
- Not difficult to reload.
- Won't knock my shoulder out of joint (Mosin Nagant's need not apply!) after shooting for an afternoon.
Thanks,
Matt