Yet another "Pick One" suggestions thread.....

MDof2

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Wanting to kit out a new rig for longer range stuff. Kind of undecided in my head, so figured I'd throw it up on the ceiling and see what sticks. Open to thoughts and input on the following:

All of which would be in the 6mm or 6.5-284 chambered family. Target shooting. (PRS/NRL, etc.)

Bergara HMR / B-14 / LRP

Tikka T3x TAC or possibly the CTS with some mods.

Ruger Precision Rifle (this would be a very lightly used Gen 3 I can pick up for 900ish)

Scratch build on a Howa 1500 / R700 / or other barreled action dropped in an MPA chassis.

Clearly, the price point says RPR, however that kind of pigeon holes me into that rifle with not a lot of options later for changes, comparatively to the Begara or Tikka, and or a scratch build.

As always, I appreciate the input from the CFF community.

Go.....
 
I went the R700 build route... but that was a while ago (15 years?). There weren't a lot of cool options back then, so I built mine out of mostly used parts and having things re-worked figuring I would change it all and then spent a week at Rifles Only learning to drive it. After the class, I had my glass re-tureted (from mil/moa which is a stupid combo, to mil/mil) and changed nothing else except the color of the spray paint on the chassis. Once I learned how to drive it, the rifle was 'good enough' for everything I wanted to do (even out to 1200 yards with a 308 which we all know "can't be done!" :) )

Couple years back I got tired of cutting myself on the crack in the chassis skins and replaced them. Still looks good for an old workhorse.

If I had to start over, I would go RPR and learn to drive it well. Then if I was still into it, go custom. The RPR will be easier to sell later vs. higher end gear. My used route cost more because buying the 700 then getting it sorted out by a shop isn't cheaper/better than just starting out with good parts. BUT the trick is knowing which good parts you really should start out with for your objectives.

That bipod looks oh so dated, but I'm not a good enough shooter to need an atlas (or whatever is cool these days). As @BurnedOutGeek how awesome this rifle works from a rooftop though. :)

IMG_7994.JPG


EDIT: holy cow it's been longer than I thought. Here's a picture from a match in 2015... so even those 'new' skins are 5 years old. Damn.

team_woodys.jpg
 
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I went the R700 build route... but that was a while ago (15 years?). There weren't a lot of cool options back then, so I built mine out of mostly used parts and having things re-worked figuring I would change it all and then spent a week at Rifles Only learning to drive it. After the class, I had my glass re-tureted (from mil/moa which is a stupid combo, to mil/mil) and changed nothing else except the color of the spray paint on the chassis. Once I learned how to drive it, the rifle was 'good enough' for everything I wanted to do (even out to 1200 yards with a 308 which we all know "can't be done!" :) )

Couple years back I got tired of cutting myself on the crack in the chassis skins and replaced them. Still looks good for an old workhorse.

If I had to start over, I would go RPR and learn to drive it well. Then if I was still into it, go custom. The RPR will be easier to sell later vs. higher end gear. My used route cost more because buying the 700 then getting it sorted out by a shop isn't cheaper/better than just starting out with good parts. BUT the trick is knowing which good parts you really should start out with for your objectives.

That bipod looks oh so dated, but I'm not a good enough shooter to need an atlas (or whatever is cool these days). As @BurnedOutGeek how awesome this rifle works from a rooftop though. :)

View attachment 229633


EDIT: holy cow it's been longer than I thought. Here's a picture from a match in 2015... so even those 'new' skins are 5 years old. Damn.

View attachment 229639
The time definitely has been going by faster and faster
 
I went the R700 build route... but that was a while ago (15 years?). There weren't a lot of cool options back then, so I built mine out of mostly used parts and having things re-worked figuring I would change it all and then spent a week at Rifles Only learning to drive it. After the class, I had my glass re-tureted (from mil/moa which is a stupid combo, to mil/mil) and changed nothing else except the color of the spray paint on the chassis. Once I learned how to drive it, the rifle was 'good enough' for everything I wanted to do (even out to 1200 yards with a 308 which we all know "can't be done!" :) )

Couple years back I got tired of cutting myself on the crack in the chassis skins and replaced them. Still looks good for an old workhorse.

If I had to start over, I would go RPR and learn to drive it well. Then if I was still into it, go custom. The RPR will be easier to sell later vs. higher end gear. My used route cost more because buying the 700 then getting it sorted out by a shop isn't cheaper/better than just starting out with good parts. BUT the trick is knowing which good parts you really should start out with for your objectives.

That bipod looks oh so dated, but I'm not a good enough shooter to need an atlas (or whatever is cool these days). As @BurnedOutGeek how awesome this rifle works from a rooftop though. :)

View attachment 229633


EDIT: holy cow it's been longer than I thought. Here's a picture from a match in 2015... so even those 'new' skins are 5 years old. Damn.

View attachment 229639
Resale later. That's an interesting point I hadn't thought of. Which in one regard is my hesitation to go the RPR route, while it is an excellent rifle in its own right, it's a dead end for a donor platform to upgrade and drop another barreled action in from AI, Gunwerks, Defiance, Badger, etc. Yes, new barrels or triggers are easy to come by, but other than those, it's pretty much a straight grab and go. However, it does have resale value at the end of that path. And a lot easier to sell versus a chassis here, action, there, trigger there, etc.

Nice pics! Even from 5 years ago!
 
Resale later. That's an interesting point I hadn't thought of.

I'm in the process of selling things off right now so resale is at the top of my mind. I've got a GAP-10 I'm sitting on and while it's 'stock' as it came from GAP, there are some add-ons I had done that drove up the cost but may not have driven up the value to others.
 
If you are just getting into it, I'd go with the RPR and roll the savings into ammo, better glass and/or trigger time. Performance wise, you will see little difference on the target. As I have pointed out in these discussions before, a second advantage to the RPR (and especially the Gen 3) is that it comes with lots of the "extras" included. It already has a nice adjustable trigger. It comes with a muzzle brake. It comes with a 20 MOA rail already built right in. It is compatible with multiple magazine types. It has a folding chassis with toolless adjustment. All of that is "stock". So you don't have to invest extra money into purchasing options.

I currently run a Bergara B14 BMP that I later dropped into a PDC Custom chassis. Out of the box, I still had to add a brake and 20 MOA rail. I also hated the cheap stock Timney trigger it came with, so it had to be replaced also. So that was $400 more dollars to get the features I wanted and make the rifle useable for its intended purpose. By way of contrast, I bought my wife an RPR for a little less initial money, slapped glass and a bipod on it, and it was good to go. I am also pretty certain that I would lose less money selling the RPR than the Bergara at this point.

In the end, if you have a clear and unwavering preference, then buy what you like and will enjoy taking to the range. But if not, pick whichever one will give you the most bang for your buck at this stage of your shooting development. That's just my layman's opinion.
 
I don't know how much shooting you are planning on doing but the 6.5x284 barrel life el suckos. Had a bud that shot F-open with me at Butner changed his barrels around 900-1000 rounds.
 
Yep, familiar with barrel life. I've shot F for a few years and migrating over to PRS/NRL stuff. I've got one rig now which I'm very happy with (Howa action in an ABA chassis), and looking/wanting to build another.
 
Caliber decisions aside, and being biased, I have yet to see any other options as nice as the Tikkas....

Spendy custom options notwithstanding...
 
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