First, sorry for posting this in hunting, but it seems where these types of questions go to get answered. About me and my interests: I’m active duty military, working a desk job in the air force. I’ve shot guns before, did the m16 “training” in basic and have barely touched guns since then. Not crazy, don’t want to kill people, but I am interested in “sniper rifles.” (I’ve read a handful of answers to similar questions, and people seem to be sensitive to this term. I’m not looking to snipe people or shoot at anyone, but I have no issue calling a gun that is accurate to more than 1km a sniper rifle. I don’t see how sniping means shooting people, but that’s all semantics.)
I’m attracted to the idea of shooting targets at long distances. I think that would be pretty cool. I’ve never really shot accurately at any distance, though… maybe because I never really owned a gun. So here I am. I don’t want to kill things, I didn’t really enjoy hunting, probably won’t do it again. A pistol would be cool, and practical (Idk… movies make me think I need a hand gun in my house to protect myself.) but a long-ranged rifle would be fun. I’m betting there’s tournaments and a small niche for this kind of thing, so I’m trying to find a gun.
So, question. What kind of gun should I buy? I heard about a deal a long time ago and found it… http://www.remingtonmilitary.com/Firearms/Sniper%20Rifles/M24-Rebuild.aspx — they rebuild m24’s and sell them for 3500 and some change. I’d be able to put an order in in July (I’d have to get a firearms license and check local laws first) but is this more than I should worry about? Maybe start smaller and see if I really like it before sinking that much money into it (I’m enlisted, not rich.)
Appreciate the advice/insight
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Refurbished M24 Rifle Good Deal?
Posted on May 27, 2012.
I’ve got no real problem with people calling a military sharpshooting rifle a “sniper rifle.” The problem I have is when little boys or mall ninjas want to buy a “cheap sniper rifle” so they can go hunting, or worse, when someone wants an “airsoft sniper rifle.”
If you are interested in long-range shooting, you might want to look into some civilian rifles that will do the same thing at a much lower cost. The Savage 10BA is a .308 Winchester rifle that’s made for law enforcement, but is also for sale to the public. It’s a 10-shot, bolt-action rifle that will be as accurate as anything you can get from the military, and is about $1,700 less than the M24.
Incidentally, you’ll have to be sniper qualified to buy the M24-R that is in your link, unless you wait for Category 2. If I were you, I’d go with the 10BA, and find a gunsmith to do some accurizing if necessary.
And another thing… If you’re getting your gun information from movies, you probably need to find a new source. Yes, having a handgun in the home is a good idea, but movies shouldn’t be your motivation. Research self defense laws in your area, and determine if it’s really worth it to you.
I think you should start off WAY cheaper. Do a lot of research on ballastics, etc.. A Remington .308, or 7mm Magnum is an awesome gun. Hits accurately at 500 yards, and more. Check out the Pawn Shops !Tou should be able to find a good rifle for under $ 500.00 ! Rex, Retired E-7 !
I have to say I respect your attitude. I served ten years in the Army with three combat tours under my belt.
I would recommend starting much smaller. I would buy a 22LR rifle first. Most people scoff at this idea, but I’d plainly say that they are idiots.
The rifle you want to buy is a very customized rifle that will shoot better than nearly anyone holding it. It takes a lot of skill to shoot a rifle accurately at long range, and this skill cannot be bought, it has to be earned. The only way to earn it, is to shoot, shoot, shoot. Thousands of rounds must go down range.
If money was no option, they you could buy thousands of match grade 308 Winchester to practice with. But money IS an option. One can learn all the fundamentals shooting a 22LR very inexpensivly.
When you’ve learned all you can from the 22LR rifle, then it’s time to move up to a center fire rifle. At this point you could buy the M24, but I’d still recommend a cheaper rifle to get aquatinted with. Reason being that with match grade barrels, such has found in that M24, will burn up and lose accuracy fairly quickly. Probably the first couple thousand rounds.
It would be better to burn up the barrel of a cheaper rifle while you polish up your skills in long range shooting.
Rifles to start with: Ruger 10/22, CZ 452, or a savage bolt action. Put a good scope on it, put a good shooting sling on it, then shoot it a LOT.
I’m sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear. It’s just my experience to do it this way. Good luck, be safe.
You would be just as well off with a Rem 700 SPS Tactical in .308 or what ever floats your boat and save $2800. You will have it worn out before you need an M24.
There are multiple options for what you want;to me the most effective way to get consistent accuracy in most well built modern rifles is with handloading for the specific rifle. And that is what is done for each long range rifle used by the armed services for competition and engagement. Each rifle has been tested with various powder loads to get best accuracy. I and many friends hand load and get sub-MOA accuracy in factory rifles like my A-Bolts,CZ 550 Safari,Ruger M77, T/C,even a Rem 710 (which had a 1″ group of 4 shots at 200 yards with a Marine Marksman qualified shooter),in calibers from 223 to 375 H&H. Establishing proper set-back from the landes,powder burn rate/load and COL consistency and good optics make it easier to be accurate. These rifles are pretty much stock hunting rifles too. Having a heavier profile barrel would dampen the harmonics,but we do fine with what we have.
A second option is to get an action/rifle blueprinted and indexed so the chamber is true to the center line and the rest of the action is indexed from that-including bolt face. There are options to sleeve the bolt too.
This is the process the M-24,similar military rifles and long range target shooters use to get the rifle as finely tuned mechanically as possible-again trying to take out variables in how the bolt locks up,how the trigger operates.etc. The first 3 links give you an idea of what blueprinting/indexing can do. Now you can add stock work like glass bedding,pillar bedding and recoil lug truing to the mix too. Then don’t forget the optics-you can and should have your scope rings true and even lapped to ensure correct scope indexing.
A third option is buying a ready made rifle like the M-24 clones,Sako TRG,or similar “tactical” rifle,which again is specifically made to be heavier,have near universal adjustment points and heavy barrel;or something like the Savage F-Class rifle. These have great ‘potential’ to be amazingly accurate,but still having handloads or total QA factory stuff set to THAT rifle would be best. Less expensive are the rifles that claim MOA (or better) from the factory using specific ammo,like the Weatherby Vanguard Series 2,Tikka T3,T/C bolt rifles,Sako and others,plus the “boutique” makers. These are pretty much just good shooters that have a good initial ammo match.
So,you have lots of things to work with,and I certainly wouldn’t spend $$$$ for a rifle without knowing most of this stuff is available/workable for even an old large ring Mauser action and Shilen barrel,which might out-shoot a new factory rifle if done well.