Rifle recommendations

[Pippin89]

Hi all. I am a TR (off a sling) shooter, smallbore and 7.62mm fullbore. A new 100m range has opened up near me which I am looking to join in order to do some shooting with a scope. The only scope shooting I have done in any real capacity is air rifle so its all a bit new to me.
Can anyone recommend a good calibre to use for 100m? It needs to have readily available ammo that doesn't cost the earth.
I am currently paying £1 a round for match grade 7.62, similar or less than that would be good. I could, of course, get another .308/7.62 but I would like to expand my knowledge of more calibres.
Current thought is .223 Rem but I would appreciate anyone's suggestions.

Range is expecting to be signed off for everything up to 30-06.

[Mattnall]

Personally I'd go for a .223 if you're looking for a full-bore. A .223 will fit your 'as cheap or cheaper then 7.62' category and is readily available. It is also easy to load for and at only 100yds there are many bullets to chose from.
The advantage of the .223 is you can go further if you want, they shoot well to 600 and beyond with suitable bullets.

Other than that I'd be tempted to go .303, again ammo is relatively plentiful and fairly cheap but rifle choice is more limited.

Or a rimfire .22. Now there are more choices here than you'd possibly like and ammo is way cheaper than even the most expensive stuff as you probably know. 100yds is a good challenge for the 22LR and the NRL22 style shooting that is coming over here from the States is looking very appealing and is perfect at 100.

[Ovenpaa]

Did I mention Light Sporting Rifle with a rim-fire shot standing and unsupported at 50 metres is huge fun as well :)

[RDC]

I can only echo Mattnall for the 223 and 22lr, albeit not the 303.

Reason I say this is because 303 is a chonky boi that isnt as versatile, and is limiting in both available ammo and suitable firearms for what you want. If you just wanted a fun rifle for 100m plinking with no scope requirement, I'd not shy from it though. Yes, you can scope a 303, however an off the shelf 223 or 22lr will be just as accurate, if not more so, and will be cheaper to feed.

[1066]

Another vote for the .223. There are plenty of accurate rifles to choose from at not exorbitant prices, ammunition is readily available at a good price, including military surplus, it's easy to load for, will happily shoot cast bullets at 100 yards but perform well at 600yds.

If you go for a .223 the thing to think about is barrel twist rate. A 1 in 12 would be ok for light weight bullets but a 1 in 8/9 would be better for heavier bullets, more suited to longer ranges.

[Pippin89]

Thanks all. Some helpful info. I will also be shooting my KK300 smallbore rifle on the same range, so definitely after centrefire.
Sounds like I was on the right lines with .223.

Thanks for the info on barrel twist 1066. As I will primarily use it on short range a 1 in 12 with lighter bullets seems like the right set up!

[1066]

Thanks for the info on barrel twist 1066. As I will primarily use it on short range a 1 in 12 with lighter bullets seems like the right set up!

I wouldn't - A 1 in 8 will shoot a 69 grain bullet just as well at 100 yds and still shoot well at 600 or more. A 1 in 12 and you will be limited to about a 55 gn bullet that will shoot but struggle with wind at the longer ranges.

A 1 in 12 would be quite typical if you were shooting fox out to a couple of hundred yards - light destructive bullet, flat shooting and fast.

I have a CZ 527 .223 with a 1/9 barrel the shoots 69gn bullets well but it also shoots military GGG 62gn very well too out to 600yds (£52/100 from NRA, Bisley)

There are a few 1 in 7's about, I know the Savage VLP offered a 1/7, that will handle 75 grain bullets and have been shot very competitively at 1,000 yards.

[DaveB]

Another vote for .323, and another vote for a more modern, faster rifling twist. I would go with nothing slower that 1-in-9, and 1-in-8 is better.

As for rifles, Mossberg MVP, Ruger American, Savage - any of these are good choices. I have an old Savage 110FP that has served me well for almost 30 years, and a newer Mossberg MVP Predator, that shoots very well indeed. The advantage of modern designs is that most of them work with a detachable magazine, which in my book is very much preferable to the old internal magazine, when the 'unload' is called.

[Pippin89]

Thanks for the clarification chaps!

[J4mes]

I'm in for a .223 and have noticed that the Howa 1500 get great reviews for the price point. They can be had 2nd hand for £400ish, leaving money for optics etc!