Best 1000 Yard Guns for Under $1000
Want to hit a target half a mile away without breaking the bank? We go over what we look for in a rifle and our picks for the best 1000 yard guns around $1000.
US Army veteran: 2nd Bn 75th Ranger Regiment. Homesteader. Firearms writer
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So, you see a target. It's a nice one, except there's two problems. First, the target is 1,000 yards away, and second, this target has exactly zero holes in it. We can help you fix that!
Let's look at a few excellent bolt-action rifles that can help you reach out and ventilate your target while staying under $1,000. There are a few considerations when shooting 1,000 yards that may not be as important at shorter ranges.
Stick around, and we'll walk through what you should look for and why.
The Quick List
- Best Budget: Remington 700 SPS TacticalJump to details ↓
- Best Lightweight: Tikka T3x LiteJump to details ↓
- Best Rugged Rifle: Mossberg Patriot LR TacticalJump to details ↓
- Best Trigger: Savage Axis II PrecisionJump to details ↓
Table of Contents
How to Choose the Best 1,000-Yard Rifles
Accuracy
Accuracy is usually measured in Minute of Angle (MOA), or 1/160th of a circle. This correlates to roughly 1 inch at 100 yards (or 1.047 inches if you want to split hairs). So, at 1,000 yards, a 1 MOA gun/ammo/shooter combo would be shooting a 10-inch group. Life is rarely that simple, though.
Guns don't shoot perfectly straight. Minute changes in each bullet, slight variations in the powder charge of each round, and even the slightly increased fouling in the barrel's rifling after each round change the ballistic trajectory ever so much.
Imagine Tom Brady slinging footballs through a hanging tire at 50 yards. If all the footballs went through the tire, he'd be happy, but the reality is that none of the footballs went exactly where the others did. So, accuracy is useful to measure, but so is defining the necessary target.
Also, the gun is just one factor. Ammo, shooter, and environmental conditions are just as important, but this isn't a weather or training article!
Stock
A rifle stock has two main jobs.
First, to be the comfortable interface between the shooter and a hunk of metal trying to accelerate violently backward. Second, the stock doesn't just hold the rifle's action; it has to do so in a way that maximizes accuracy potential.
Free-floating the barrel so it doesn't touch anything other than the receiver is one example of what a good stock brings to the table.
Trigger
A good trigger brings out the best in a shooter. A crisp break, little-to-no creep, and a light pull weight all play a role in making every round fired as consistent as possible.
A trigger that works well with your shooting style is worth its weight in gold.
Value
All these guns come in under $1,000, but if they all did the exact same job, the price would be the tiebreaker, right?
Unless you have a custom build, there's a good chance you'll want to tweak some tiny details. More money in the budget means you can make it your own.
How We Chose the Best 1,000 Yard Rifles
This article is based largely on my experience, that of my primary long-range shooting partner, and a meta-analysis crowdsourcing many opinions on long-range shooting forums.
There will be a couple of omissions here because many of these lists are populated by the same guns over and over. I wanted to look at some lesser-known guns that still get the job done.
Any rifles mentioned with in-hand reviews adhere to a strict testing protocol requiring a minimum of 500 rounds through them with various ammunition to test accuracy and reliability. Rifles are shot from a rest to remove shooter error.
Best 1,000 Yard Rifles
1. Remington 700 SPS Tactical - Best Budget Long Range Rifle
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Accurate
- Robust aftermarket
Cons
- Trigger likely needs an upgrade
Specs
- Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor (other calibers offered include .308 Win, .300 BLK, .223 Rem)
- Barrel Length: 22"
- Overall Length: 4.75"
- Weight: 7.5 lbs
- Magazine Capacity: 4 rounds
Featuring 6.5 Creedmoor in its 22-inch barreled offering (and .308 in 20 inches and 16.5 inches), the 700 SPS Tactical is a budget builder's dream. These heavy barrels aren't fun to carry, but they're extremely accurate even when the strings of fire carry on longer than expected.
The X-Mark Pro trigger is good (post recall anyway..), but that's the one area I would really consider upgrading, which would still keep the rifle under $1K. One of these rifles (in .308) has been my go-to for years, allowing me to bisect flowers at 100 yards, make heart shots on deer to 400 yards, and ping steel easily to 800 yards.
Bumping up to 6.5 Creedmoor makes shooting at range a much simpler affair.
The Hogue stock definitely falls under the "budget" category; but is still very functional. Pillar bedding for the action and a free-floating channel for the barrel means that the stock won't be holding you back until you're a good enough shooter to know it.
The Hogue "overmolded" material that made them famous is featured here, which makes the stock pretty comfortable, too.
Some of the most impressive shots (and groups) I've made in my civilian career have been from a Remington 700 SPS Tactical in .308. Despite that venerable (old) caliber dropping pretty vertically at 1,000 yards, this rifle still sends them off with style. Upgrading to 6.5 Creedmoor means gaining a ballistic advantage against gravity.
The threaded barrel for a muzzle break/suppressor is a nice touch, as is the robust aftermarket for all things Remington 700.
2. Tikka T3x Lite - Best Lightweight Long Range Rifle
Pros
- Good trigger
- 3-shot sub-MOA guarantee
- Lots of caliber options
Cons
- Finish can rust
Specs
- Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor (Lots of other caliber options)
- Barrel Length: 22" and 24" options
- Overall Length: 42.6" (22" barrel) / 44.5" (24")
- Weight: 6.6 lbs
- Magazine Capacity: 3+1 rounds
The T3x Lite brings 6.5 Creedmoor in 22-inch and 24-inch barrels, with other capable calibers also offered. The T3x is one of the least expensive rifles on this list, but don't get it twisted…that doesn’t mean it’s less capable.
Tikka famously offers a 3-shot sub-MOA guarantee on these rifles. While other rifles will also be capable of this, the fact that Tikka makes this a mandate for every rifle they build shows a major commitment to excellence.
The trigger on the T3x is a light one-stage affair with a nice crisp break.
Other notable features include:
- Modular synthetic stock
- Upgraded recoil pad to mitigate felt recoil
- Redesigned ejection port that creates easier single feeding through the ejection port
- Improved rail attachment via an extra screw placement on top of the receiver for sturdier rail placement
- A robust metallic bolt shroud to cover and shield the rear of the bolt body and firing pin
- Steel recoil lug to decrease deformation even in larger calibers compared to the aluminum ones in use in T3 rifles
- Cold Hammer Forged steel barrel
Plenty of 1,000-yard shooters are shooting Tikka rifles and a whole lot of those are T3x for a reason.
3. Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical - Best Rugged Long-Range Rifle
Pros
- MDT chassis is solid
- Very ergonomic feel
- Price is decent
Cons
- Not as many caliber options
Specs
- Caliber: 6.5 PRC
- Barrel Length: 24”
- Overall Length: 42”
- Weight: 9.4 lbs
- Capacity: 7+1 rounds
Did you expect to see the name "Mossberg" on this list? A couple of years ago, I wouldn't have.
The company is famous for its rugged, pistol-gripped shotguns and has evolved into an excellent precision rifle manufacturer. Don't just doubt based on the name; talk to someone who's shot a Patriot LR Tactical.
The gun starts with the MDT stock. This is an extremely rigid affair, with the aluminum bedding block securing the receiver.
The spiral-fluted bolt cycles smoothly, feeding 6.5 Creedmoor ammo into the 20-inch barrel. Sub-MOA is the standard for long-range shooting, and everyone I've talked to who's actually put rounds downrange with the Patriot line has an experience that mirrors my own: the Patriot LR Tactical can achieve the standard.
Dropping rounds onto steel at a 945-yard range nearby was downright easy on a windless day.
When it debuted, we got an early look at the Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical. Check out our review or the full video below!
4. Savage Axis II Precision - Best Trigger
Pros
- Exclusive MDT Chassis designed for Savage AXIS II platform
- Adjustable comb height and length of pull spacers
- 2.5-6 lb user-adjustable AccuTrigger
Cons
Specs
- Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor, .223 Rem, .243 Win, .308 Win, 30-06 Sprg, .270 Win
- Barrel Length: 22”
- Overall Length: 43.5”
- Weight: 9.89 lbs
- Capacity: 10 rounds
If you've been watching the bolt-action market in the last 10 years, seeing Savage make this list shouldn't be surprising. They've made huge strides in the quality of their rifles while keeping them reasonably priced.
The Axis II Precision represents the pinnacle of Savage's bolt-action offerings. Sub-MOA is routinely achieved from these rifles with factory ammo. The MDT chassis no doubt contributes to this, as does the free-floated barrel and Savage's excellent user-adjustable AccuTrigger.
Other features include an adjustable comb height and length of pull spaces as well as a 22-inch carbon steel button rifled threaded heavy barrel with cap.
Rifles are provided with either a metal or polymer AICS magazine
Why You Should Trust Pew Pew Tactical
Learning more about the people behind the articles is always a good idea, so who’s in charge of this thing?
Leading the way is Pew Pew Tactical author Jens "Rex Nanorum" Hammer. A five-deployment veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Jens served with the 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, where he earned his nickname. Jens has extensive experience with long-range shooting and uses that experience in written reviews and articles for Pew Pew Tactical and other publications.
Editing this article is Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings. With a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Jacki runs our experienced team of expert writers and editors. She has worked as a media professional for over 20 years and has specialized in gun media for almost 10 years. As Editor-in-Chief, she uses her expertise to set testing protocols and editorial standards across the site.
Final Thoughts
While plenty of factory rifles are sub-MOA capable, in calibers appropriate for 1,000-yard shooting, and coming in under $1,000, these are by far my favorites.
I know the Bergara and Sako fans are coming for me, and my only defense is that I haven't been able to line up range time with those manufacturers yet. I'm always happy to revisit this topic in the future.
In the meantime, stay sharp and keep training!
What's your go-to long-range rifle? Let us know in the comments below. Pair your rifle with the perfect scope by checking out our recommendations on the Best Long-Range Scopes.
Latest Updates
October 2024: Complete rewrite of this article with all new product recommendations and information.