Entry level precision rifles
- Thread starter Couleecreek
- Start date
I recommend Bergaras. I have a B14 BMP in 6.5 CM, and a B14 HMR in 308. And thinking of getting an HMR in 6mm Creedmoor because my other 2 are track drivers. They are the real deal and have done well in competition for me. I could go custom but like besting customs with out of the box off the shelf rifles.
But the next post will tell you Tikka probobly haha...
But the next post will tell you Tikka probobly haha...
I do like the RPR. I have one in 338LM and my buddy has the 308 Gen 3 and another has a 6.5 Gen 2.
Not a bad choice. But not my 1st choice. Not quite up to the accuracy of the Bergaras I've seen. And about the same price. RPR is a little more $. But comes from the factory with a brake and scope rail etc.
Remington's QA/QC and manufacturing has made a steady decline over the years. Lots of better more budget friendly precision rifle options these days. Likewise I would also avoid Savage.
Bergara and Howa are both producing pretty quality rifles for the price these days. Tikka is also a great choice.
Get any of the above and drop it in a KRG Bravo chassis, and that's a really nice start to a budget precision rifle setup. The KRG Bravo is IMO the best budget chassis out there right now - very affordable with lots of accessories if you want to dress it up.
Custom stuff is getting more affordable as well. ARC Nucleus, Bighorn Origin, Kelbly Atlas Tactical and Defiance Tenacity are all more affordable budget custom options. I believe out of these four, the Kelbly is the most affordable in Canada. Put a prefit barrel on it and slap it in a KRG Bravo, and you have an excellent budget precision rifle. Of course, going in this direction will be a bit more expensive than the above options.
Lots of great budget options are presenting themselves these days, we are going through a bit of a renaissance period in the precision rifle world. No need to try and smash a square peg through a round hole to make something work on a budget these days.
Bergara and Howa are both producing pretty quality rifles for the price these days. Tikka is also a great choice.
Get any of the above and drop it in a KRG Bravo chassis, and that's a really nice start to a budget precision rifle setup. The KRG Bravo is IMO the best budget chassis out there right now - very affordable with lots of accessories if you want to dress it up.
Custom stuff is getting more affordable as well. ARC Nucleus, Bighorn Origin, Kelbly Atlas Tactical and Defiance Tenacity are all more affordable budget custom options. I believe out of these four, the Kelbly is the most affordable in Canada. Put a prefit barrel on it and slap it in a KRG Bravo, and you have an excellent budget precision rifle. Of course, going in this direction will be a bit more expensive than the above options.
Lots of great budget options are presenting themselves these days, we are going through a bit of a renaissance period in the precision rifle world. No need to try and smash a square peg through a round hole to make something work on a budget these days.
Have you seen the latest pricing on the RPR? IMHO they are now priced out of their category and are (due to pricing) no longer what I'd consider an entry level or budget precision rifle.
The Remington PCR, the Bergara HMR and the Tikka CTR are still priced accordingly for the market segment they fit.
And as another member suggested, don't be afraid to give a Howa a look. I actually like my Howa rifles better than my Remingtons, only downfall of the Howa is less aftermarket accessories available.
Just my .02
Savage.... i know i will get a lot of hate for saying savage is good, however i have 2 that are sub MOA out of the box.
1 is a HS FCP in 300wm and is absolutely a tac driver, especially after bedding the stock with hand loads is a absolute tac driver.
The other one i just picked up for 650$ and is a Savage 10tr in 308, stock is not as nice but at 300m i can keep it under 2.5 inches no problem with factory gold medal match.
other advantage with savage is a great trigger out of the box , and easy to change barrels (With the right tools)
make sure you save enough money for a decent scope, i find the Nikon Black series are good if on a budget, or a Bushnell fixed 10 if on a tight budget.
1 is a HS FCP in 300wm and is absolutely a tac driver, especially after bedding the stock with hand loads is a absolute tac driver.
The other one i just picked up for 650$ and is a Savage 10tr in 308, stock is not as nice but at 300m i can keep it under 2.5 inches no problem with factory gold medal match.
other advantage with savage is a great trigger out of the box , and easy to change barrels (With the right tools)
make sure you save enough money for a decent scope, i find the Nikon Black series are good if on a budget, or a Bushnell fixed 10 if on a tight budget.
686 Shooter
Regular
I have a Remington 700 in 223, a Savage 12FV in 308, and a Ruger Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor. I like them all and find them all accurate, with the Ruger being the most accurate of the three. I would recommend any of them. Budget wise the Savage 12FV can be found at Cabelas on sale for $500 from time to time. The stock it comes with leaves something to be desired but is usable. I ended up putting mine in an Oryx chassis. I have worked up hand loads for the 223 and the 308 and both rifles regularly shoot 3/4 MOA and can squeeze out a 1/2 MOA group when I can do my part. The Ruger with hand loads shoots smaller than that, again, when I manage to do my part. That's off the bench with bipod and rear bag.
I don't have experience with the Bergaras, but have heard a lot of great things about them. They seem to be great shooters as well. Tikka's are really nice as well but you can completely outfit a well shooting rifle for less than the cost of the Tikka alone.
I don't have experience with the Bergaras, but have heard a lot of great things about them. They seem to be great shooters as well. Tikka's are really nice as well but you can completely outfit a well shooting rifle for less than the cost of the Tikka alone.
Recon Schultz & Larsen tactical with the lapped cut barrel, carbon fibre stock might be fairly up there in choice. Tikka would be my second choice but you'd need to change the stock. Last Saturday we dropped a friends new T3 CTR 6.5CM 24" in a factory bedded carbon stock and proceeded to zero it. Same day at a range they broke clays at 940m. Sunday competed at a PRS match and did well. Good hits out to 1060m. He will take part in European PRS competitions along with a Guardian long range in Ireland in the coming weeks.
Factory rifle tricked up with aftermarket stock but factory Sako TRG ammo (136gr Scenar L).
edi
Factory rifle tricked up with aftermarket stock but factory Sako TRG ammo (136gr Scenar L).
edi
Savage is a crap shoot. Bought a Stealth Evolution last year and this "factory blueprinted" (and you'd think test fired) rifle came with such a burr in the aft end of the chamber that the bolt had to be beaten open, brass with a nice gouge around 1/4 of the web.
I myself am only interested in left handed options now, and I'm looking at maybe a Tikka varmint model or Begara, depending.
I might spin the wheel with Savage again if there is a deep discount. Other than the irritation of losing it for the season, and having to pay to ship it off to Grech to get fixed, it's a decent rifle
I myself am only interested in left handed options now, and I'm looking at maybe a Tikka varmint model or Begara, depending.
I might spin the wheel with Savage again if there is a deep discount. Other than the irritation of losing it for the season, and having to pay to ship it off to Grech to get fixed, it's a decent rifle
Yeah, not nearly as cheap as they were. I paid $350 less for my gen 2 6.5 on an average sale. One vendor just sold a pile of gen 2 6cms for close to $1k a few weeks ago, so good deals on gen 2s can still be found.
Put a Tikka varmint/CTR in a Bravo, buy 2 mags and a brake for it, and you're looking at $150-200 more than a full retail gen 3 RPR. I very recently put a new 223 Tikka varmint in a Bravo, the rifle and chassis were $1850 before tax and shipping. Cadex mags were ~$85 each after tax and shipping, Accurate mags found locally were more. And a CTR would still need a brake to be apples to apples with a RPR, so factor in another $100-150. Going to a Magpul hunter would save just over $200, but I'm not a fan at all of them.
I just looked at the price for a Howa HCR, and they're $300 more than they were when I bought my RPR a couple years ago. I'm guessing exchange rate is what's hurting us now.
Cheapest options are a Savage 10tr, which go on sale regularly at Cabelas. Or a remmy 783. IMO, both need work done to the stock to free float the barrel and firm up the forend. But a dremel, arrow shafts and epoxy can do that cheaply.
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Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
HB 783 in 6.5 Creedmoor
Oryx Chassis
Under $1200....
If you want more accuracy, swap in a match barrel but the factory one likely shoots sub MOA. Yep, Rem NY has had their issues... Rem elsewhere are using some very modern tooling and making awesome stuff. 783's are made "elsewhere".
700 production will start to be made "elsewhere" and hopefully, the QC will get back on track.
Jerry
Oryx Chassis
Under $1200....
If you want more accuracy, swap in a match barrel but the factory one likely shoots sub MOA. Yep, Rem NY has had their issues... Rem elsewhere are using some very modern tooling and making awesome stuff. 783's are made "elsewhere".
700 production will start to be made "elsewhere" and hopefully, the QC will get back on track.
Jerry
If you aren't stuck on a chassis type firearm another good option would be the Remington 700 5r Gen 2 in 308 or 6.5 Creedmoor.
These rifles are one of the better rifles that Remington produces and the pricing from this vendor is decent. I've seen them as high as $1699 from a different vendor on this site so as always it's best to shop around.
http://frontierfirearms.ca/remington-700-5r-milspec-g2-308/
http://frontierfirearms.ca/remington-700-5r-milspec-g2-6-5-creedmoor/
EDIT: found one in 6.5 for even less $
https://store.theshootingcentre.com...cision-stock-sand-color-w-black-webbing-rifle
These rifles are one of the better rifles that Remington produces and the pricing from this vendor is decent. I've seen them as high as $1699 from a different vendor on this site so as always it's best to shop around.
http://frontierfirearms.ca/remington-700-5r-milspec-g2-308/
http://frontierfirearms.ca/remington-700-5r-milspec-g2-6-5-creedmoor/
EDIT: found one in 6.5 for even less $
https://store.theshootingcentre.com...cision-stock-sand-color-w-black-webbing-rifle
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Recon Schultz & Larsen tactical with the lapped cut barrel, carbon fibre stock might be fairly up there in choice. Tikka would be my second choice but you'd need to change the stock. Last Saturday we dropped a friends new T3 CTR 6.5CM 24" in a factory bedded carbon stock and proceeded to zero it. Same day at a range they broke clays at 940m. Sunday competed at a PRS match and did well. Good hits out to 1060m. He will take part in European PRS competitions along with a Guardian long range in Ireland in the coming weeks.
Factory rifle tricked up with aftermarket stock but factory Sako TRG ammo (136gr Scenar L).
edi
Nice looking rifle and damn that suppressor is making me jealous.
I went with the RPR 6.5 CM for around 1550.00 was ok but then swapped out the trigger for around 350.00...then put on a heathen brake around 250.00...then swapped out the barrel for a IBI SS barrel around 700.00...then put on a Sightron III 8-32x56 LRMOA think it was about 1200.00 ...now I got something fun to shoot!! 
I'm a big fan of the Remington mil-spec 5r rifles. You can find used examples in the EE for quite reasonable prices. I would also dive into the 783 varmint on a lower budget or a Tikka on a little higher budget. Bergara certainly belongs on the list too. Try to handle them all and see which one your tastes prefer.
