Having recently moved to the area from Maryland, firearms are finally a hobby one can reasonably pursue. Distance shooting has always interested in me, but I've only recently stumbled upon precision marksmanship and all that goes with it. I'm reaching out for some advice on rifles/cartridges to help me meet my goals.
Up front, I'm not a hunter (I only bring this up because people often recommend firearms if they might meet multiple objectives) and I don't need the $3k "Tacti-cool" gun. My goal is to achieve a decent grouping at 1000 yards - not saying I'm looking to do this straight out of the box, just that is my current end-goal of skill. And yes, I am fortunate to have a nice chunk of acreage to actually conduct this kind of shooting.
What's my budget? Well I'm not looking for junk, but like I said, I don't need the $3k gun either. I also understand the rifle is only half the purchase in this, so advice on optics is welcomed as well.
My thoughts originally came down to either the Remington 700 or the Ruger American Predator after ruling out the similar Savage and Mossberg models. The 700 obviously has its lineage and accessories, although rumor has it the quality has gone down recently. The RAP has a lot of nice features (free floating barrel, etc.), and in .223 can be found to accept Magpul magazines (so less reloading). And yes, with that, part of the reasoning for choosing these two is both are available in .223 - a round that is relatively cheap, plentiful, and can pull double-duty when it comes time to build that AR15.
QUESTION 1: What recommendations do you have for cartridges. I've listed some of my thinking behind the .223 above. I've read about the .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor, which I know will easily meet my distance goal, but at nearly a $1/round, I'm not sure that's for me. Investing in a firearm is one thing, but I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it less if every trip out is $50-$100. Any middle-ground you might recommend?
Went to the local gun store today and the guy there said forget all that and go with a Ruger Precision Rimfire. I've looked at it and like the price of .22 - but match grade .22 rounds start to hit per-round prices of larger cartridges, I'm not a fan of all the plastic, and I question if "working up" rifles instead of starting and growing into the rifle I intend to end up with will help the salesman's pocket more than mine.
QUESTION 2: What recommendations for a good "middle-of-the-road" (i.e. capable and $300-$700 or so) do you have? Any firearms no longer in production (that aren't super-rare) that you might recommend? Something I'm not thinking of here?
Appreciate any thoughts you have. Thank you!