Hey Jack,

Agreed 110% on your take on a tactical long-range rifle, but I’d go one step further and suggest not getting one even IF your intention is to get involved in long-range marksmanship. I joined a really rad outdoor range near me that has various bays ranging from 50 foot all the way out to 600 yards. Having access to a facility like that got me really amped up for buying the Ruger Precision Rifle in .308 and a super expensive scope, which I’d argue is too good for a beginner.

To use a car analogy, buying one of these rifles because you want to get into long-range shooting is like buying a Lamborghini because you want to get into drag racing. Will you be able to beat most people there? Yeah, for sure, but by just being able to pull up to the line, enable launch control, and mash your foot on the gas you’ll never learn things like how to shift properly, take off properly, or anything else because your car is doing all the work for you. Comparatively, if you show up in some old rust bucket sports car without all the bells and whistles you’ll need to learn how to do all those things the Lambo does automatically.

My Ruger Precision Rifle is the same way. Not only does it come sub-MOA out of the factory, but everything out of the box can be tweaked to allow the rifle to shoot extremely precise groupings- Almost by itself. Additionally, if you’ve got a scope properly mounted and zeroed, and you understand how to adjust it (there’s even apps for this so you never need to learn any of the ballistics math) you can basically shoot a target as far out as the effective range of the .308 cartridge is on a calm day. You don’t need to learn trigger control because the trigger is so light you can basically breathe on it to fire, and all these other fundamentals you’d need to learn shooting something less high-tech.

I thought I was hot shit with my rifle until I saw old Army guys taking the shots I was with my $2,000 setup with M1 Garands and iron sights. People at my range are pretty friendly with letting folks try out their guns, and, well, shooting that M1 was a humbling experience. It made me realize how much I never needed to learn because the Ruger Precision Rifle is so good. I still shoot it when I want to feel like I’m a good shot, but I’ve since picked up a cheapo Savage I bought used for a couple hundred bucks paired with a equally cheap 10x scope. I feel like I’m learning so much more as I can actually see my improvements as I get better with breathing, trigger control, and all that jazz. Oh, and the Savage doesn’t weigh a million pounds.