Try me with an offer, you might be surprised... it will be sold in the next week one way or another.
Great rifle, but I need to raise funds for another purchase.
6.5x55, build or buy?
- Thread starter LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1
- Start date
Try me with an offer, you might be surprised... it will be sold in the next week one way or another.
Great rifle, but I need to raise funds for another purchase.
For the parties negotiating- the sum of the parts of that very nice mdt setup may be worth more than the whole- and Mr Enfield seems to be in need of a rifle less the stock in order to put a boyds stock on it. I think there may be opportunity here.
You bet, I also have a tikka tactical stock that it could go into.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
Ummm, I don't know.. my customers get all my experience included with every purchase.... and that is pretty darn extensive
What the customer wants is only something the customer can decide... But once they know what they want, I am happy to help them find the right stuff to help them reach their goals.
It gets pretty darn expensive making all of your own mistakes.
Jerry
If you are thinking about build or buy, and you have a limited budget I would suggest BUY. Buy a Tikka T3 Varmint in 6.5X55, I had one and like a dumb a$$ I sold it. It was a great shooter and easily could shoot at the magical 1/2 MOA mark, me on the other hand...well we know where that goes. If you decide to build, you almost always have cost over runs, either something isn't right, it doesn't turn out the way you want, you decide you want something different, and the reasons go on and on. I have had several custom rifles built over the last several years, and not once did the original price I worked up match the cost in the end, NEVER.
Plus the Tikka now has some great aftermarket parts available, from stocks to rails, bottom metal for factory or AI mags, you name it you can likely find it. Plus the trigger does not need to be touched, maybe adjusted but not replaced, and the polymer mags in spite of what some people might say are likely the smoothest operating mags available.
Plus the Tikka now has some great aftermarket parts available, from stocks to rails, bottom metal for factory or AI mags, you name it you can likely find it. Plus the trigger does not need to be touched, maybe adjusted but not replaced, and the polymer mags in spite of what some people might say are likely the smoothest operating mags available.
To defend my ignorance- Mr Enfield's original question was whether a Tikka will meet 3/4 minute accuracy demands, or if that is territory that requires a custom build, and after that, if said build can be completed inside a grand. Quite reasonable. The reply was a deluge of options with dollar values unstated, implying a willingness to provide a complex expensive solution to a simple inquiry. I think the folks here have a wealth of experience and great international experience- I think that's fantastic, and the debates that result are excellent and progressive. My advice is simply to help provide a well rounded foundation to make a decision. If the OP is looking to buy a $450 barrel to put on a $400 Savage, and find a $300 stock, then spend four months trying to sell off the spare parts that few others want either, to finally find out that there was a lot more to learn about their own personal preferences and finally take a significant loss when they sell the whole lot on the EE, that's a totally valid exercise in money burning. But in this case, the answer and action to the query are trivial, and the complexity introduced really didn't contribute meaningfully to the decision making facts.
I started once upon a time with an old Model 70- it was great and taught me a lot about what I wanted. It was less than 500$ and I learned how to make it outshoot builds that cost four times as much. I tried a Savage after that. I didn't know it was possible to make an action feel like nails on a chalkboard. It shot well though, factory barrel and all. After that, I tried a Tikka varmint. It was easy to tune, had the best trigger and overall performed very well. The savage left the safe shortly after and the Tikka stayed. By trial, I found that tikka delivers the highest value, and I'd say yes, even beyond Sako's civil line. Then when I decided what I wanted in a cartridge, I had a barrel done for the Tikka. It didn't perform any better than the factory tube, but the ballistics were enhanced. After that, the only question I had left was why people are so excited to burn money on trying to turn donkeys into racehorses.
I started once upon a time with an old Model 70- it was great and taught me a lot about what I wanted. It was less than 500$ and I learned how to make it outshoot builds that cost four times as much. I tried a Savage after that. I didn't know it was possible to make an action feel like nails on a chalkboard. It shot well though, factory barrel and all. After that, I tried a Tikka varmint. It was easy to tune, had the best trigger and overall performed very well. The savage left the safe shortly after and the Tikka stayed. By trial, I found that tikka delivers the highest value, and I'd say yes, even beyond Sako's civil line. Then when I decided what I wanted in a cartridge, I had a barrel done for the Tikka. It didn't perform any better than the factory tube, but the ballistics were enhanced. After that, the only question I had left was why people are so excited to burn money on trying to turn donkeys into racehorses.
I'll put in my two cents worth . Off the shelf rifles are fine .
But it's like a Tatoo , once you build one you'll be building another .
jerrys buddy terry from black art built a bunch of 6.5x 55 for our group
I'll never go back to a factory rifle .
Spend the money you'll never regret it ,build a custom rig 600-800-1000
yards very very doable all day long
mine is deadly
But it's like a Tatoo , once you build one you'll be building another .
jerrys buddy terry from black art built a bunch of 6.5x 55 for our group
I'll never go back to a factory rifle .
Spend the money you'll never regret it ,build a custom rig 600-800-1000
yards very very doable all day long
mine is deadly
I just came across this thread tonight, and an interesting read! I'll give you my thoughts, as I had the same dilemma a couple years ago, when I first started into long distance shooting. First off, if you decide to deal with Jerry, as I have on probably 7-8 scope buys, and reloading advice, and shooting questions in general, then feel 100% confident that it is straight answers and not to sell a few parts. I don't know anyone as enthusiastic or willing to give his free time to new shooters then Jerry. Wealth of knowledge, and no strings attached. My personal experience.
While there are great, and expensive, stock off the shelf rifles to be had right now, (Accuracy International, Barrett, Desert Tech), to name a few, lots of times a custom build is cheaper and just as, or even more accurate. An entry level gun may serve you well for years and may be exactly what you are looking for, and I have many friends that think it's lunacy to spend 3-5K on a custom gun, when they can buy Tikkas and Rem 700s off the rack, but only you can make that personal choice. I love my high end rifles, and when we all go shoot, everyone wants to try the Barrett and AI, and marvels at the triggers etc.
A custom built gun made to your exact wants is a lifetime investment though, and in the end probably save you much more money then the 2-3 entry level guns you will buy before going down that path anyways. Guns are a huge addiction for most of us here, and you are a better man then me, if you don't have your next gun/project/purchase planned out.....no matter how many guns are in your safe, lol.
Having said all that, I have also bought several used, high end rifles that others have built, tweaked and sold at big discounts and are enjoy for 1/2 what it cost the original owner. May take a few months of searching on the EE, to find something that really suits you, but I find that is half the fun.
In fact I just bought a beautiful .223 bolt gun off the EE, for an unbelievable deal, as I have been wanting to add that caliber to my collection for some time now and have been waiting on the right deal to come along. By the way, the .223 I bought was from Ntm, who posted his 6.5-55 for sale on this thread, and I would say if that is the caliber you want, feel confident in dealing with him. My gun was in great shape, he threw in tons of extras, and the gun is a high quality piece of kit. I couldn't have built it for twice what I paid for it.
Probably confused you as much as helped you, lol, and everyone has their own ideas of what's best, but in the big scheme of things, no wrong answer here. it is lots of fun dealing with custom builders, or buying a good used high end piece of the EE, and the chase of a good deal, or the process of building a custom gun thru someone like Jerry, is a great pastime in its own right. I know my safe won't see another entry level gun, and I agree with others that to wait and save and buy a higher end piece that you'll own for many years, will actually be a cheaper way to go in the long run. IMHO.
While there are great, and expensive, stock off the shelf rifles to be had right now, (Accuracy International, Barrett, Desert Tech), to name a few, lots of times a custom build is cheaper and just as, or even more accurate. An entry level gun may serve you well for years and may be exactly what you are looking for, and I have many friends that think it's lunacy to spend 3-5K on a custom gun, when they can buy Tikkas and Rem 700s off the rack, but only you can make that personal choice. I love my high end rifles, and when we all go shoot, everyone wants to try the Barrett and AI, and marvels at the triggers etc.
A custom built gun made to your exact wants is a lifetime investment though, and in the end probably save you much more money then the 2-3 entry level guns you will buy before going down that path anyways. Guns are a huge addiction for most of us here, and you are a better man then me, if you don't have your next gun/project/purchase planned out.....no matter how many guns are in your safe, lol.
Having said all that, I have also bought several used, high end rifles that others have built, tweaked and sold at big discounts and are enjoy for 1/2 what it cost the original owner. May take a few months of searching on the EE, to find something that really suits you, but I find that is half the fun.
In fact I just bought a beautiful .223 bolt gun off the EE, for an unbelievable deal, as I have been wanting to add that caliber to my collection for some time now and have been waiting on the right deal to come along. By the way, the .223 I bought was from Ntm, who posted his 6.5-55 for sale on this thread, and I would say if that is the caliber you want, feel confident in dealing with him. My gun was in great shape, he threw in tons of extras, and the gun is a high quality piece of kit. I couldn't have built it for twice what I paid for it.
Probably confused you as much as helped you, lol, and everyone has their own ideas of what's best, but in the big scheme of things, no wrong answer here. it is lots of fun dealing with custom builders, or buying a good used high end piece of the EE, and the chase of a good deal, or the process of building a custom gun thru someone like Jerry, is a great pastime in its own right. I know my safe won't see another entry level gun, and I agree with others that to wait and save and buy a higher end piece that you'll own for many years, will actually be a cheaper way to go in the long run. IMHO.
I have a tikka 6.5x55 varmint. . I love it.. Its in my top 5 favorite guns. Has next to no recoil. You can get factory lapua ammo... trigger is amazing. I used it right out of the box at a 300-800 yrd borden shoot. I left it stock for years. Now I put some money into it. It's well worth it. Most accurate gun I have shot. Ive had 338 lapuas and 50 bmgs come and go but I can't ever see getting rid of this one. Everyone that I have let shoot it has only had really good things to say about it.
