11 Best Long-Range Rifles: Go the Distance

If you’ve never shot a long-range rifle, let me tell you something–you’re missing out!

I don’t think there is a shooter alive that doesn’t get a little giddy at that telltale clink! of a steel target at a couple hundred yards and the sound of your spotter calling your hits. It’s a rush, but if you’re looking to push out to those longer ranges, you’re going to have a much easier time of it with a rifle that is purpose-built to go the distance.

Before you start shelling out for whatever has the highest price tag, let’s chat. We’re gonna walk you through some of the best long-range rifles on the market, and we’re gonna help you figure out which one is right for you.

Sound like a plan? Then let’s jump in!

Summary of the 11 Best Long Range Rifles

Before we get down the nitty-gritty of each rifle, let’s check out the highlights. Here are the rifles we’re going to be featuring for you today:

What is Long-Range Shooting?

Okay, so I’m pretty sure that, if you’re here, you have an idea of what long-range shooting is. It’s shooting stuff… at long ranges.

Here’s our quick-n-dirty definition, though:

Call of Duty may have you thinking that there’s a lot less to long-range shooting than there is, but a surprising number of factors play into making a successful shot: ammo quality and type, wind, temperature, barometric pressure… your gun… you… Anyways, you get my point.

A good long-range rifle will solve a few problems you’re facing, but good ammo, calculating for conditions, and sheer skill also go into making that impossible shot. 

Before we dive into the review, I want to share a few tips to help you make the most of whichever long-range rifle you end up choosing!

Tips for Shooting at Longer Distances

Practice, Practice, Practice

You can’t expect to get good at something without putting in the work, and long-range shooting is no different. Even if you’re training at shorter ranges, you still need to take time to focus on your form, breath control, positioning, and reloads.

Long-range rifles work like any other gun, but the distance serves to magnify even the smallest mistakes. Make sure you’re familiar with your rifle inside and out and spend some time getting to know it at a shorter range first.

Choose a Quality Scope

Arguably, your glass is more important than your gun. A long-range rifle is next to useless without a quality scope on top–and it’ll make your life easier, too, when you can actually see the target.

A common rule of thumb is to spend twice on the scope what you do on the rifle. Sound pricey? It is. But ultimately, your scope is going to be what gets you on target, and a good scope is well worth its cost.

Not sure what to shop for? We’ve got a great review of some great long-range scopes for you!

Find the Right Rifle

There’s a lot of long-range rifles out there. Some are better than others, some are phenomenal, and some are downright terrible. Getting saddled with a rifle you’ll quickly outgrow is just money wasted, so choosing a rifle is a big deal.

There are some universal accessories you’ll use–like scopes and bipods–and plenty you’ll find that you want to try out, like a custom chassis or an adjustable trigger.

Some features you might want to search for include adjustable stocks, floating barrels, and a good, weighty chassis. Those three features will do a lot to make positioning easier, reduce harmonics, and cut down on recoil.

Ammo Selection

If you’ve ever shot with cheap ammo, you already know this–you get what you pay for. Match-grade ammunition can offer a lot more consistency between shots, better muzzle velocity, and a flatter trajectory, but the trade-off is the cost.

Honestly, use both quality ammo and practice-grade stuff. If you never shoot your long-range rifle because your fancy-pants ammo is just too expensive to use… you’re not going to improve. Shoot lots of the bad stuff, so when you do shoot the good stuff, you’re skilled enough to keep up!

Check the Weather Forecast

When you’re talking in terms of hundreds of yards, a light breeze means a big challenge. Think of it this way–the further your bullet has to travel, the more of a chance the environment has to influence its trajectory.

A round going 5 yards is going to reach its target fast, and there won’t be much influence the wind can exert before impact happens. Now, when that same round is going 500 yards… there’s a bit more than can happen to it on its journey.

One skill you’ll need is learning to adjust for the wind (guess why your left-to-right reticle adjustment is called “windage.” Yeah, you got it.). It’s a learned skill, but having the right tools to help you measure the environment and having a good understanding of your ammunition’s ballistic performance will get you pretty far.

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The 11 Best Long-Range Rifles

Anyways, now that you know what long-range shooting is all about and how to pick that perfect rifle… let’s take a closer look at some long-range rifles! 

We’re talking about some industry favorites, some fan favorites, and of course–my favorites!

Let’s dig in.

1. Bergara B-14 HMR

There’s pretty much no better way to mount a barrelled action than in the B-14’s mini-chassis system, which is molded right into the stock. Pair that with a free-floating barrel for a long-range gun that not only looks good, but shoots like a champ!

Straight out of the box, the B-14 is a tack-driver. Bergara guarantees groups that are 1 MOA or less at 100 yards when using match-grade ammo. That’s a pretty awesome promise, and it does stand up!

I dig the somewhat traditional appearance of the B-14, though its adjustable length of pull and cheekpiece let you customize the fit to your body perfectly, and even pretty quickly. That’s a nice feature if you happen to share your rifle with someone else, though we wouldn’t blame you if you told them to get their own!

The stock is a bit on the heavy side, but if you’ve shot at all, you know that weight equals recoil reduction, and recoil reduction equals better accuracy. It’s a sacrifice we’re willing to make.

Bergara guns don’t get a lot of hype, but we feel that they should! They’re exquisitely crafted, customizable, and pretty good-looking–not to mention solid long-range shooters with stunning accuracy. All in all, we think they’re well worth their cost.

2. SIG Sauer CROSS

As far as we know, this is the first new SIG centerfire bolt-action rifle to hit the market in the USA. It was built to showcase the newish SIG .227 FURY ammo (and make said ammo available to the general shooting public so they could submit a bid with the military), but it’s also available in 6.5 Creedmoor and good ol’ .308 Winchester.

Sig Sauer Cross is one of the most lightweight short-action precision rifles. SIG built this firearm with aluminum construction and skeletonized stock, which makes it weigh practically noting, but still allows for excellent accuracy.

I like its compactness and light feel. It’s also easy to stow, thanks to its foldable buttstock, which makes it a little more friendly for hunting trips. Overall, it clocks in at just under 7 pounds–which is about 40% lighter than comparable guns

Reliable magazine feeding, incredibly accurate, and ergonomic design–this precision rifle is one of the best. Whether you’re a hunter, competition shooter, military, or private security professional, it offers something for everyone.

3. Savage Model 10 BA Stealth

Savage Model 10 BA Stealth is much lighter and streamlined compared to similar long-range rifles from other manufacturers. In addition to that, it boasts a hefty fluted barrel and a modern chassis stock. The receiver, bolt, and other components are all trued to the same centerline and assembled as a single unit.

The Stealth is a versatile gun thanks to its adjustable buttpad. It’s also comfortable to carry around with its QD sling swivel attachment points on both sides. 

The Savage has a unique barrel attachment with an adjustable barrel nut that gives you perfect control of the head spacing, which is a significant factor in shooting accuracy. You can also easily swap out the barrel if you decide to go with a higher-end aftermarket counterpart.

The best part about this Savage is the price. You can get the Savage Model 10 BA Stealth precision rifle for a fraction of the cost of a high-end model, so it is a great option for new long-range shooters!

4. Tikka T3x CTR

Tikka is a well-known company in the long-range rifle world so it shouldn’t surprise you too much that they made our list!

The T3x CTR is equipped with a free-floating cold-hammer-forged barrel with threads ready to take suppressors, flash hiders, or muzzle breaks. However, if you do not want to use it, you can use the threaded cap Tikka provided. We like the versatility!

This long-range rifle also has a loaded chamber indicator that protrudes from beneath the back of the bolt. It makes it easy for the shooter to see when a round is in the chamber and ready to fire.

It also incorporates two-position safety. When pressed to the rear, it locks both the trigger and the bolt. You’ll also note the huge polymer bolt knob, making it easy to palm and operate. It’s a nice feature that often goes overlooked, but you’ll be grateful for it on those snowy hunting trips or timed PRS stages.

The bolt lift is 70 degrees–so it won’t interfere with the optics. Never, ever interfere with the optics!

Also, the barrel is free-floating, which helps a lot to increase your accuracy. The heavy contoured barrel holds its own in a competition, but it’s still light enough for hunting purposes.

You can adjust the length of the pull by adding or removing spacers using a screwdriver–it’s a quick fix to adjust, which is always nice. No one wants to spend time wrestling with adjustments when they could be shooting.

The T3x CTR is a very precise and capable long-range rifle for a price less than $1,000. It’s a great not-so-beginner gun for those of us who have yet to go pro with our long-range marksmanship.

5. JP Enterprises LRI-20

The LRI-20 is one of the only semi-automatic precision rifles you can rely on at distances up to 1200 yards. 

This rifle is powerful in its accuracy, thanks to the AR-10-based construction and high-quality components. If you’re willing to drop the dough, the LRI-20 will take you far–like, over 1000 yards kinda far!

Stainless steel 416R Supermatch barrels are cryo-treated to suit the 7075-T6 aluminum receiver of the LRI-20’s main body. The bolt carrier in this rifle is JPE’s JP .308 Low Mass Operating System (LMOS) with a JP EnhancedBolt, which is just a lot of corpo-speak for an ultralight BCG and a seriously retool bolt that JPE designed from the ground up. It’s one of the nicest BCG’s you’ll probably ever have the pleasure of using.

This rifle features a lightweight military-style upper and a side-charging handle with a dust cover and a forward assist. The upper uses an integrated barrel nut that helps keep even the lowest quality barrel firmly in place… though why you’d use a bad barrel on this rifle is beyond us. It would be like dropping a ’98 Honda Civic engine in a Corvette.

Semi-monolithic platforms like the LRI-20’s upper receiver are pretty unique in the world of precision rifle shooting. When most companies are putting out bolt guns, a semi-auto AR-10 style rifle stands apart from the crowd.

The LRI-20 is only available from JP Enterprises as a complete upper, but all you need to do is slap in on their corresponding LRP-07 lower and you have a long-range rifle that’ll handle just about any range you want to stretch it to!

6. Ruger Precision Rifle

Since its debut in 2015, the Ruger Precision Rifle has generated interest in the media and firearms industry. It’s not winning any awards for creativity when it comes to the name, but that hardly matters when you see just how well this long-range rifle performs.

Despite the variety of great long-range guns on the market, the Ruger Precision Rifle remains one of the most popular choices. Let’s look at why!

This rifle has an American-made action and a free-floating steel barrel. The moly-steel alloy upper provides strength and durability in the harshest environments. That means you get a precision rifle that isn’t too finicky to hit the hunting grounds with!

The RPR’s magazine has some seriously cutting-edge tech–a mechanism known as the multi-magazine interface. The revolutionary magazine mechanism allows the Ruger Precision Rifle to use M110, SR25, DPMS, Magpul, and AICS magazines. Kiss proprietary mag prices goodbye!

This rifle features an adjustable buttstock connected to the receiver with a carbine-length buffer tube. It has a cam-style fast release for adjusting the LOP and comb height, so you can tweak the fit to your heart’s content without wasting the whole day. I also like that it comes with a QD sling mount, which, in my opinion, should be a standard feature on every rifle. Just sayin’.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the stock folds, making this rifle easy to transport!

7. Remington 700

The Remington Model 700 has become legendary in the gun business, particularly in the hunting world. Even after 50 years of pleasing consumers, Remington 700 is still one of the best-selling Remington rifles available on the market!

Any hunter or sports shooter will be satisfied with this gun’s wide range of models and calibers. Steel barrels with a triple-layer construction are available in a range of lengths. This long-range rifle also features various solid wood shoulder stocks and durable polymer frames.

What I love about the Remington 700 is how easy it is to upgrade, and just how many aftermarket upgrades are available! Nothing is more frustrating than trying to find compatible upgrade parts for your long-range gun and coming up empty-handed because the market hasn’t caught up with you yet.

The Remington 700 is a dependable, solid shooter. It’s a great long-range rifle for casual shooters or beginners, and the affordable price tag makes it all the more appealing!

8. Savage AXIS II Precision

For a long time, Savage’s rifles have stood out in the world of firearms with their reputation for accuracy and affordability. It’s not too often that a long-range rifle is equally perfect for new shooters as it is for long-range pros, but here we are!

The Savage AXIS II features a rounded receiver, available in right-hand and long-action models. It also offers carbon steel, button-rifled 22-inch barrel with thread-in headspacing.

This long-range rifle boasts an exclusive black aluminum MDT chassis, AccuTrigger, and customizable stock–features that you would not expect at this price! 

The ultra-lightweight chassis has an adjustable comb and length of pull, which are pretty much necessary features for a quality long-range gun. The forend is nice and slim and features M-LOK rails to mount your accessories. And–since the aluminum chassis is so lightweight–this rifle is great for hunters!

Considering the low retail price, this is a fantastic deal for a long-range rifle. If you’re going hunting or long-range shooting, the Savage AXIS II offers everything you need. This rifle is an excellent option for both newcomers and veterans alike.

9. Browning X-Bolt Max Long Range Hunter

The X-Bolt Max Long-Range Hunter has the characteristics and precision needed for long-distance hunting. It might not have the capacity of some of the others on our list, but it is a comfortable gun to carry and shoot, even with its rather long overall length.

This long-range rifle features a 26″ free-float stainless steel barrel with a recessed muzzle crown to protect the rifling from damage, no matter what conditions look like. It has a 60-degree bolt throw, so it’s quick and easy to cycle the bolt when follow-up shots count.

Personally, I like the safety features included in this rifle’s design. In addition to a top-tang safety–which physically blocks the sear–you also have a bolt unlock button that makes it easier and safer to check the chamber by letting you open the bolt while the top-tang safety is engaged.

The X-Bolt Max’s stock is equipped with an Inflex II Technology recoil cushion. This feature displaces recoil away from the cheek and shoulder. Shooters may comfortably rest their heads on the stock for lengthy periods because of the comb’s generous width. Hence, expect a comfortable shooting experience when shooting this long-range beast.

Three integral studs also allow attachment of sling or bipods. It also has a drilled and tapped receiver for attaching optics. Plus, this rifle is customizable.

Accurate, loaded with long-range features, and priced affordably, the Browning X-Bolt Max Long Range has it all.

10. Christensen Arms MPR

When it comes to the Christensen Arms MPR, it’s an excellent all-arounder that can also double as a deadly long-range tool. As a versatile and accurate rifle, the MPR rifle from Christensen Arms is a perfect match for the modern hunter. It’s an accurate long-range rifle that’s also simple to use and maintain.

The whole body is made of stainless steel and has a nitride coating for added corrosion resistance. When folded, a strong magnet keeps the chassis in place. The overall design of the weapon is sleek, which is very appealing to look at.

Christensen Arms was able to keep almost all of the desirable features of a rifle without too much bulk, making the MPR one of a kind. This was made possible with the use of carbon fiber and meticulous design effort.

Consequently, this rifle could be worth looking into if you’re in the market for a multipurpose weapon.

11. Ruger Hawkeye Long-Range Target

The Ruger Hawkeye Long-Range Target looks every bit the tactical firearm. This rifle’s attributes, such as an adjustable stock and matte finish, make it seem like a sniper rifle… which, we suppose is just a long-range rifle to the max.

Ruger’s Hawkeye Long-Range Target Rifle is marketed as a target rifle. However, some long-range gunners might also find that it doubles well as a medium-range sniper rifle… though we recommend sticking to steel targets. The 26″ free-floated, cold hammer-forged 4140 chrome-moly steel barrel with 5R rifling means business. It’s great at matches and features a Ruger Precision Rifle Hybrid Muzzle Brake to reduce recoil and noise.

It features a deep thumb well, allowing the pistol grip to feel comfortable in your hands. If you’re not a fan of an old-school stock, I think you’ll really enjoy the Hawkeye Target’s stock with an adjustable length of pull and comb height!

You can easily customize the buttstock’s adjustable spacer mechanism. And when it comes to adjustable LOP settings, I really like the spacer system configurations – they are rigid and solid. Plus, considering that the bolt is made of one solid piece, it should last for many years.

Bonus

Howa 1500 6.5 Creedmoor in the New MDT ACC Chassis

This one is for those who want to step up their precision shooting at long ranges.

The Howa 1500 is an excellent budget hunting rifle. But just because it has an affordable price doesn’t mean it lacks features. It has superior accuracy, feel, finish and build quality.

Not only is it known for its quality and price, but the Howa 1500 also has a good reputation in the shooting industry. Also, part of why most gun owners love it is because of its versatility and customizability. Plus, it comes with a threaded barrel, a smooth action, and an excellent trigger.

Now, what about the MDT ACC (Adjustable Core Competition) Chassis? 

It’s a chassis system on par with some of the much more expensive chassis in the market. Additionally, MDT is built on the concept of using interchangeable modules. Therefore, you can adjust the weight and balance to optimize performance while reducing felt recoil.

So partner your Howa 1500 with the new MDT ACC Chassis, and you’ve got yourself one unstoppable precision beast!

Conclusion

Long-range rifles are a favorite among hunters, sports shooters, and anyone interested in long-range shooting. There are many long-range guns to choose from with different features that can meet the needs of nearly any shooter.

If you’re thinking of bringing one to the range with you next time, you’re already on the right track. Now all you need is a nice shooting bench!

Whether you’re looking for accuracy or power, there’s something here for everyone! If you have your eye on one rifle but want some recommendations before making a purchase decision, let us know in the comments below which gun caught your attention when reading through this list.

You might also like to read:

• Best Long-Range Scopes
• The Best 6.5 Creedmoor Bolt Carrier Groups (BCG)
• Best Long Eye Relief Scopes