As the addendum said at the beginning of my post mentioned, I don't buy into "sniper rifles". Just never have. I've always felt that opsec and being invisible are the most important aspects of staying alive. My family has chosen the ar platform, mostly because of our environment and expected usage. I did visit a friend out i40 east and could definately see the need for a thousand yard gun out there.
The rifle I described isn't a military grade sniper rifle. It is described as a gunsmith putting together a sub moa bench rifle for competition using basic techniques and building over the course of a few months a couple of hundred dollars at a time.
I think a great "budget sniper rifle" would be a druganov ... Ak platform/family, accurized-ish. Good round. Semi auto, with a Provence track record. Used to be you could find them for about 700, haven't looked for one in years though. Heard they're hard to find now.
Honestly speaking, the earliest "sniper" rifles were deer guns with glass. And our average 30-06 bolty is more powerful and more common than sniper rifles in