Building a western gun

What’s your budget?

Tikka is the easy button. 7PRC is widely available and would be/is my caliber of choice.

Get a used Trijicon from one of the forums, or possibly a Maven. Either factory Hornady offering, ELDX/ELDM depending on game, and you're set.

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Give me some options of some off the shelf products or minimum modification to get a 500 yd gun.

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Tikka t3 6.5prc
Nightforce nx6
It don’t take much to get a rifle to 500yd these days. But i shoot my beggara 6.5cr with a leupold vx3 way better at 500+ than I do my Christensen arms 300wm with a Nightforce.

I love buying used scopes. Most have lifetime warranties so theres not much risk with them and people tend to baby the hell out of them. Ive had great luck with them and have been able to get myself scopes I couldnt otherwise afford a few times.

Tikka t3 .300 WM

$680 if you assume $50 FFL fee

SWFA 3-15

$750 if you dont wait for a sale

Sportsmatch 30mm rings

$90


$1,500 all in, ready to rock. $1,500 left over for ammo or a suppressor or both. Easily a 1000 yard ready package with capable shooter not included.

Eta: this is probably as cheap as a turn-key all new in box long range backpack hunting rifle can be, the only real savings to be had here is getting a fixed power SWFA scope, and/or a lighter caliber to save money on ammo. Any upgrading (nightforce NX6 or tikka roughtech or more expensive rifle) is going to drive the cost up substantially. It isnt going to increase your ability to kill stuff vs what I posted above, but may look cooler on the gram.

I’ll throw out what I have, a Christensen Ridgeline Ti in .300 Win Mag with a Burris Signature HD 3-15x scope. It has been quite effective on elk and antelope out to 500 yards. It’s lightweight and shoots great.

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500 yds to me seems like MILES to me

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Because it is extremely far to shoot in the field at an animal and anybody who says otherwise is either lying or just never tried it. It can certainly be done very consistently but it requires lots of practice. No whizbanger $5,000 18 pound rifle is going to make it easy. Easier, sure. Easy? Nope. It cant call the wind for you and it cant teach you how to shoot sitting down.

Im about 5 years into getting serious about being able to effectively hit at 300+ yards in the field. I dont get to shoot alot so its a slog for me, but a few things become very apparent immediately

1) I suck at shooting
2) Recoil sucks
3) Its gonna take a lot of practice to get good

So if you aren't married to .300 win mag for some reason, you should consider going to something cheaper and easier to shoot like 6.5 creedmoor. Its still going to kill them as far as you can hit them, and you'll be able to hit them farther because the rifle will be easier and cheaper to shoot, thus easier and cheaper to practice with.

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Never trusted used glass though.

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Why? Most people will zero a scope and then never touch it again. Its hard to mess up a scope internally.

Can find some deals to. I got a Bushnell LRHS 4.5-18x off ebay for $400.

I would seriously consider the PRC family of cartridges and likely go with the 6.5 PRC. Might as well go with the latest technology and pick one with milder recoil.

My 300 WBY is one hell of an elk rifle, but my 257 WBY has taken-

(Son) raghorn bull elk at 200 yards with 120 Nosler partition. He hit two of three times and that would’ve done the trick, but I handed him my 300 to make sure the bull stayed within 200 yards of camp. Lol

Antelope - 160 yards. Bang flop
Antelope - 200 yards. Ran fifty yards
Mule deer - 100 yards. Took two steps and dropped
Mule deer - 250 yards. Ran 100 yards
Bighorn Ram - 360 yards. Bang flop slide down the canyon

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Get a used Trijicon from one of the forums, or possibly a Maven.

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Trijicon Ten Mile, Maven, or Nightforce. Those 3 are dependable for shooting long range. Stay away from Leupold.

Rifle I'd get 300WM, 7mm rem mag, 7mm prc, 7mm Weatherby, 28 nosler. You can find ammo everywhere for the 1st 2. If you want to load your own any caliber is fine as long as you can get brass. I like Peterson.