good long range rifle.

[Pointman]

I've got an old Winchester M70 SA HB .308 that's had a lot of the upgrades common to the USMC's M40A1, and I love it pretty dearly. It's one boringly accurate stick and I don't have $1300 tied up in it.

I found the rifle at a gun shop in Seymour with a very low round count. It's got the heavy synthetic stock and a factory 26" stainless barrel. I fitted it with a canted Picatinney rail base, heavy 6-screw rings, and an SWFA 10x42SS scope. M118SB and Federal Gold Medal Match are relatively easy to find, and this outfit does a "passable" job with either all the way out to absurd range.

One of the best shooting rifles I ever owned. The early one I had had a dished crown. Groups halved after it was cut to 24" with a nice crown. Awesome rifle and better than 15 years since I sold it and still kicking myself...

 

[Whitsettd8]

You need to sit down and iron out your needs vs wants.
How much distance is available at the range you previously mentioned?
.223 is going to get you out to +/- 500 yards
.308 is going to get you out to +/- 800 yards
250 is a chip shot for most cf rifles.
The remington 700 is the Chevy 350 of the gun world there's parts out the wazoo everywhere. I personally prefer Savage for entry level.
Optics I would start with a good fixed power 10X. I have the Bushnell Elite 3200 and the SWFA's and would highly recommend either of them. When getting into the variable optics there's a lot of different things that come up with ballistics and moving through the power spectrum. Sticking with a fixed power with simplify things a bit and not overwhelm you. Plus you get a lot more bang for you buck on a fixed power.
I would go with teddy12b's advice. I shoot my Savage .22wmr 200-250 yards and it's a blast. It really helps you to understand ballistics and scope dialing and it's cheap to shoot. $12 for 50 rounds beats the hell out of $38 bucks for 20 rounds of .300wm.

 

[cwillour]

I would have to jump on board the rimfire suggestion, as it is an excellent way to get superb value for your training ammo budget. Even with the magnums or premium ammo, the cost is a fraction of the typical centerfire round.

I am not as sold on the fixed scope, however, if hunting and moving targets are really part of your plans. For purely mid-to-long range hunting and target (of any range) shooting, very few scopes can offer the value of the Bushnell or SWFA fixed SS scopes. For hunting or moving targets, OTOH, the 10x magnification can be a problem inside of 1-200yds. The biggest issue is that the relatively small FOV (compared to a quality 4x or 6x) can cause problems locating the target quickly.

On the flip side, if you go with a fixed 6x or 4x, you may find the lower magnification does not yield the clear picture you may desire for longer shots.

For the difference between the SWFA SS 10x @ $299 (assuming you save the $100 and go with the rear-focus model) and the Vortex 4-16x44 that Vette has for $499 you get:

1) better glass: the SS glass is good and probably better than the Bushnell's, but the two 10x unite I have had where less clear than my Vortex HS 2.5-10x44 (at 10x)

2) 4x at low power for a >27' FOV at 100yds vs a <13' FOV on the SS

3) 16x top magnification for precision and target identification vs the fixed 10x

4) side focus, which is available on the SS for an extra $100

On the down side, you do loose the mil-dot and get the Vortex BDC instead (marks at 1.5, 4.5, 7.5, 11 moa on the vertical and 2, 4, 6, 8 moa on the horizontal)

Of course, you can also go up or down in magnification on the SWFA SS scopes as they make mil/mil scopes in 6x, 10x, 12x, 16x, & 20x for the same $299 price. Again, though, you are tied to a single magnification and corresponding FOV, which may make it less ideal for dual-use.

 

[42769vette]

There was a point and time in the optics world where fixed powers really were your best options. Back then we did not have the techonligy to make a varible power scope that didnt change POI for a decent price. Today that is not the case. The ONLY reason to get a fixed power scope today is If you want FFP without paying for FFP. And even then you can get a mil reticle in SFP and set it on the correct zoom setting and go.

 

[balzack2]

If you're looking for a bigger caliber, the .270 is a good one to look at. You can easily reach out well over 250 yards and the felt recoil is more than manageable. With ammo the way it is now, I usually see more of it per say than some of the other calibers. Most all gun manufacturers have this caliber in at least one model. Good luck, be safe and have fun because the worst day shooting is better than the best day at work.