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Long-Range Gun Build on the Cheap

June 2024
Author: Garth Jenson

I have been shooting rifles ever since I got stationed to the sheep wagon at the ripe old age of 12 and was handed a brick of .22 bullets and said shoot as many as you want. There was, of course, an ulterior motive at play. My grandpa knew at 12 I wasn’t the most responsible and my focus would not be monitoring the herd of sheep for coyotes all day, every day, but I would plink at pop cans, rabbits, squirrels, and such until I ran out of bullets. The constant barrage of .22 bullets flung in all different directions all day in turn kept the coyotes away from the flock. At any rate, I got to be a pretty darn good shot by the end of that summer and was hooked on getting the most range I could out of what I could put together.

Enter the present day and I have played around with almost every different type of long-range hunting rifle setup, which could range from $12,000 all the way down to $3,000. Now, I do fully understand that a person can put together a cheaper setup than $3,000, but with the cost of everything to build a true long-range setup that can be effective at a decent distance, it is most likely going to be more than $3,000. There is a happy medium in there that is closer to the $4,000 mark than the $12,000 mark. The biggest difference is you are responsible for researching and acquiring all the components, assembly, and load development to get this cheaper setup hitting out at distance.

I will go through the different long-range system options and what separates the top-of-the-line custom build from a quality backyard build. This will not be as detailed as shopping barrels, actions, stocks, triggers, etc. This type of build would require that person either being capable of assembling all that together or having a quality gunsmith handy to have it assembled. This is a simpler version of buying the right rangefinder, gun, and scope and putting them together. Anyone can do this type of a build, and it requires a fraction of the tools that would otherwise be necessary for the previous build. This will hopefully provide any person interested in a long-range setup with different options to see what option is right for them.

LONG-RANGE SYSTEM

Rangefinders

One of the biggest advancements in any long- range system is not the actual rifle itself, it is the invention of rangefinders with built-in ballistic calculations that take into account weather, altitude, and angle compensation. These rangefinders take all those variables out of the equation so we as hunters just have to read the data, make the adjustments, and make the shot. In my opinion, this is the single biggest advancement that has allowed rifle hunters to build their own long-range systems.

Obviously, there is some level of knowledge that needs to be acquired to make these shots out at distance on a consistent basis, but this is definitely a huge improvement on “hold at the top of the back, give it a little Kentucky windage, and let ‘er rip” days. I would say the rangefinder is going to be one of the biggest components to building your own long-range system and is a must. I can’t stress the importance of having this item as part of your system enough. Regardless of which system you choose, it will have a quality ballistic compensating rangefinder as a part of it. Sig Sauer, Gunwerks/Revic, and Vortex all have high quality ballistic rangefinders that will level the learning curve of making adjustments for a long-range shot. These rangefinders are going to run between $800- $1,500 and are worth every penny.

Rifles

Thirty years ago, you had very few options available for rifles compared to the present. Realistically, most Average Joes shopped for their gun down at the local sporting goods or hardware store and the selection was limited to Remington, Ruger, Winchester, Browning, and Savage. Custom gun manufacturers were very limited and really weren’t necessary without the owner having the ballistic knowledge to make the adjustments needed to make shots out past 300 yards. Remember, this was when cell phones and the internet were in their infancy stages and Google and YouTube searches were not even a thing. Once this knowledge became readily available and easier to acquire, it spiked the number of custom and mainstream gun manufacturers and created a multitude of markets and price ranges.

FULLY CUSTOM RIFLE

This option is obviously going to be the highest priced; the big difference is if you’re going to go for the full monte and have it equipped with a scope, load development, and rangefinder synced with the load and zeroed for straight out-of-the-box shooting capability. This option is going to run you $10,000-$14,000, but everything you need minus proper shooting technique is provided to you. Most of the guns themselves are going to run between $5,000 and $7,000 and then you add the scope, mounting the scope, rangefinder, testing loads for accuracy, etc. and the cost jumps up. The quickest way to shave off a few thousand bucks is by taking care of some of these things yourself. I will outline some of the equipment and processes for taking a custom rifle and turning it into a long-range system later in the article. The big advantage of starting with a high-quality custom rifle is that you know this gun has the best barrel/action combination on the market and everything has been trued so that when you start your load development, you have confidence that it will shoot most rounds well. This may not sound like much, but trust me, after spending hours and hours cycling through different rounds, checking screws, and wondering if the scope is jumping, the last thing you want is to have something wrong with the gun itself.

SEMI-CUSTOM RIFLE

For this option, I will assume you are building your own long-range system at this point and are going to be responsible for all the scope mounting and load development. This is where technology has made considerable advancements in the last 10-15 years. Both custom and mainstream rifle manufacturers are producing solid options in this category. Custom gun manufacturers are finding lower cost components and ways of building rifles where they can build multiple guns at a time and save on cost while still providing a semi- custom gun that will perform well enough for 90% of the customer base. On average, a budget gun from a custom gun manufacturer is going to run between $4,000 and $6,500, which is higher priced for sure than the other options from assembly line gun manufacturers. Now, you have to be careful when shopping options because some of the custom gun manufacturers will sell these guns set up with scope and ballistics for close to that top end price, which is actually a good value for what you are getting.

Mainstream rifle manufacturers are slowing down their process and adding more quality components to their rifles to add value and more reliability to this upgraded line of rifles. This could be the best value as there is getting to be more and more competition in this space, which in turn is making pricing more competitive. On average, these upgraded models will come in between $1,000 and $2,500. Brands like Sig Sauer and Springfield Armory have made a pretty big splash in this space with some high-quality sub MOA rifles. These brands have always been synonymous with tactical/military rifles and pistols until recently when they broke out with quality bolt action rifles. To me, this signals that there is great need for an in between line of rifles that can be mass produced with quality components that support their sub MOA guarantee. Bergara has always been known for its high-quality barrels, and now they are another brand that is producing rifles to compete in this space. Weatherby was really the pioneer in this price/quality rifle build with their Mark V and Vanguard Series rifles, and now with their new 307 line, they have just about every type of rifle across the board. Weatherby has also added more industry standard cartridges to their hopped up Weatherby line of cartridges in recent years. All of these brands build quality rifles, and between them, you can find the style, weight, and price of a rifle that can be a solid foundation for your long-range system.

Riflescopes

This component has the biggest margins by far. The age-old saying of “You get what you pay for” in this category pretty much holds up here, to a certain extent. Some brands have higher expenses coming from the glass used, others have it coming from the internal components, and a few have both. You can probably guess that the brands that have both are typically the highest price and for the most part best quality. One can break this category down to two different groups, high price and budget. The budget is still going to be more expensive than the standard 3x9 scope you can pick up at your local Cabelas, but that is because you still need a scope with decent internal components with MOA adjustment.

The first thing I look for across all brands when looking for a long-range scope is some type of a zero stop on the elevation turret to give a solid stop to indicate the zero of the rifle. In my opinion, this is imperative to maintaining your zero and keeping from over-rotating your turret and being a revolution off up or down.

The second thing I look for is the main tube diameter. I want this to be at least 30mm or above to ensure I will have enough travel in my elevation turret to dial for long-range shots. This isn’t as big a deal nowadays as most quality scopes come in 30mm or larger.

The third thing I consider is the brand’s reputation and quality of the internal components. The reputation is more or less to gauge how long they have been building quality turreted scopes that were built to dial up and down on a regular basis without jumping off track. There is nothing worse than getting slack in the track and having it jump and then your zero isn’t zero anymore. I consider internal components to be of higher value than the glass. With quality glass coming so far, even poor quality glass nowadays is still good enough to acquire your target. However, if your scope doesn’t track true, it doesn’t matter how clear the picture is.

The fourth thing is a must if you are going to be using your rifle for long range – windage marks in your reticle. Most scopes nowadays have reticles with windage marks in them, but we have had a few roll through the office without MOA windage marks and they just flat won’t work for me. If you have no point of aim reference as to how far an MOA is, then you are just blindly guessing and you never dial for wind. I mean, you have already invested in a rangefinder that tells you the windage hold for the wind, the least you can do is use that info to your advantage.

Glass quality can and will push me to one scope over another if all of the first four aspects are of equal value. Most trusted scope manufacturers out there now have great quality glass and coatings to brighten the picture to a point that even under low light conditions targets can be acquired with some of their most budget-friendly scopes. This is the reason I put this consideration towards the bottom of my list of things to look for in scopes.

Weight is another aspect I consider, but it is not as big of a factor as the others, especially with today’s lightweight rifles. Remember, typically if the scope is pretty light, the quality in the internal components and glass have been sacrificed to shave a few ounces. In the end, I would rather have a heavier scope than a lightweight one I don’t fully trust.

Last but not least is the price. This might be some people’s first thing to consider, but after mounting and unmounting scopes and starting over on a build because I went cheap on my scope, it taught me to make sure I have covered all my other bases first and then see what my budget will allow and get the best scope for what I can afford. I would go so far astosayifyouhavetoskimptogetagood enough quality scope to perform for the life of the rifle, I would skimp on the price of the rifle and rangefinder before the scope.

Assembly

This is one part of building your own system that you will want to take your time, slow down, and not get in a hurry. Most scope canting problems I have had have come from rushing this process. If you’re never going to shoot over 200 yards, then the old throw the scope in and hold the gun to your shoulder until it looks level will work fine, but if you want to make shots out past that, then you will need a few items to help secure your scope and rifle to ensure both are level with each other and the world.

FINDING YOUR LEVEL

The first thing I would invest in is a good, adjustable vise that will hold your firearm secure and has individual leg height adjustment. I use the Tipton Ultra, and it has everything I need to adjust the level of my firearm and keep it in place. This vise typically runs around $125-$150. The next item you will need to find your gun’s level is a quality set of firearm and scope levels. I prefer Wheelers Professional Scope Reticle Leveling System. This set typically runs around $50-$60. This has an important component that is a must, a level that attaches to your barrel securely so that once you take the level off your rail/rings to put the scope on, you do not have to guess if your firearm is still level in the event you bump it. After you’ve found your level on your firearm and get your scope set in the rings (loose fit), I like to use a plumb bob hung about 50-60 feet away to find my scope level. The old standby was to place a level on top of the elevation turret to find the level, but I have found this to be hit and miss with some variation between scopes. I know the plumb bob is 100% level, and once lined up, I am 99% sure it will track straight up and down. A tip that will find out if your scope is dialing true is after you have your scope secured and your scope level mounted, line up your reticle with the plumb bob string and dial your scope up and down 20 or so MOA. It should track perfectly up and down the string. If it comes off the string, adjust your gun vise until it tracks and then readjust your scope’s level accordingly.

SECURING YOUR SCOPE

The other tool that is definitely an upgrade is a good torque wrench. I have secured plenty of scopes, rings, and bases to rifles using a screwdriver or allen wrench and honestly had decent luck, but I’ve also had to dig out plenty of stripped out screws and started to realize overtightening was not worth it. Using a good torque wrench to secure all your screws to the manufacturer’s recommended torque specs is very important to maintaining consistency in pressure on the entire assembly. I use a Wheeler F.A.T. Wrench. It comes with almost every head you will need to secure most scopes, rings, and bases. It also comes in handy to check tension on action screws as well. It typically runs between $60 and $75. Some guys use a little dab of Blue Loctite on the screws to ensure they do not back out. I will say that you have to be careful on the amount applied. I have stripped a few heads trying to extract some of these screws that have been coated in Blue Loctite.

The final component to keeping your rifle level is attaching a scope level to your scope. I prefer ones that sit out to the side of your scope as opposed to the levels that sit on top of the scope. It makes it easier to read the level while still staying in your scope. These will typically run from $35-$100. I prefer the Vortex Pro Bubble Level Anti-Cant Device for the best value.

Rings and bases are not as important of a component but are necessary to the security of the scope to the firearm. I would recommend using any reputable scope manufacturer’s rings and bases. I have always used Talley but have been using more and more Sig Sauer and Vortex and have had good luck with them as well. For a good 20 MOA rail and rings, you will be around $150-$250, depending on brand.

Matching a Scope with a Rifle

Possibly the hardest question I have struggled with over the years is do I try to save money on my rifle and upgrade my scope or vice versa? I am still trying to figure that out, but with quality increasing in both categories, this is becoming an easier decision. It seems like I am often leaning towards shaving a little cost on my rifle and spending a little more on my optic. However, that is a personal decision that honestly if you invest in quality products and manufacturers with both, its hard to go wrong. The reason I typically go with a more expensive scope is due to the advancements in rifle builds. I feel like the risk of getting a suspect scope is greater than getting a suspect rifle by going cheap. There is still risk of getting a rifle that might not shoot well, but if you stick to the better stock type rifles and stay away from big box manufactured rifles, it will mitigate the risk by a good margin. You can see in the photo captions a few rifle/scope combinations that we have played around with here at the office and have had great results.

AMMUNITION

Custom Ammo

Custom loads have always been the game changer for accuracy and fine tuning your groups down to a sub MOA level, but this step should not be taken lightly. If you are going to jump into reloading your own ammo, it will take a decent investment up front and then continually investing in components like powder, primers, bullets, brass, etc. Also, realize you will be constantly adding items like shell holders, reloading dies, media, bullets, etc. I say this not to discourage anyone from building their own reloading room, more so I want to dispel the misnomer that reloading is cheaper than buying factory ammo.

There is a ton of great information online nowadays to consume from professionals on building loads and finding the NODE for your rifle. The most important ingredient to this process is time. This process usually takes days not hours, so plan on spending plenty of time at the reloading bench as well as the shooting bench. If you follow the proper steps in building a load that fits your rifle, you will be rewarded with the highest level of accuracy possible.

Factory Ammo

Earlier in this article, I mentioned that if you have a quality rifle it should hold decent groups with most quality ammunition. I will start off by saying that if you are having trouble holding groups with factory ammo, go back and make sure all your base, scope rings, and action screws are tightened to torque specs. Factory ammunition has come a long way in the last 10 years. More and more ammunition companies are mass producing “custom” ammo using more precise measures to produce more consistent loads and have less variation from round to round. Almost all of the rifles we have in the office use factory ammunition and hold sub MOA groups. My recommendation would be that with the high-quality ammo that is currently available, I would first try high-quality factory ammo first before either jumping into custom ammo that will run you north of $100 per box or diving into reloading your own custom ammo.

In some ways, I am just scratching the surface of building a long-range gun because if you really get technical, you can acquire all the components from scratch (barrel, action, trigger, stock, etc.) and put them together or have a gunsmith assemble it. I have found that with acquiring minimal tools and being patient, you can build a high-quality, accurate long-range rifle without starting from absolute scratch. I hope this article can shed some light on how obtainable a long- range rifle setup is and that it is not only for the wealthy. It is still a significant investment, but if you take care of it, it should last you and your kids a lifetime. As always, if you have any questions, give us a call.