Budget PRS Builds

kthomas

kthomas

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There seems to be some interest in budget PRS rifles, unfortunately there is some misleading information on this board. The idea of this thread is to show that PRS budget builds are possible, there has been a lot of focus on this from manufacturers this past year, and that interest will only continue to grow. I'm throwing up some ideas that I am aware of, but I fully encourage those of you that have experience with PRS type builds to contribute. There are lots of options for those looking to get into PRS on a budget, you certainly don't have to spend $5-10k on a rifle to get into this game.

The idea behind this thread is to have experienced shooters in the PRS discipline, that have no ulterior financial motives, to provide quality suggestions for those trying to get into the PRS shooting discipline on a budget.

Factory ready PRS rifles:

  • Ruger RPR - $1,695 CDN
  • Tikka CTR - $1344 CDN - eventually you will probably want to upgrade the stock and throw it in a KRG XRAY chassis or equivalent.
  • Howa HCR - $1200 (USD)
  • Bergara B14 BMP - $1499 (USD)
  • Tikka TSR - $1899 (USD)
  • Seekins - TBD, should be around ~$2,000 (retail, USD) and designed for PRS
  • MPA Rifle - ~$2,000 list price (USD, available for less from retailers)
  • Tikka T3X tactical - $2,640

Aftermarket route:

A remington 700 barreled action from Insite Arms costs ~$1750-2125 (action & associated action work, chambered barrel, TT or equivalent trigger - price difference is if you include the Heathen brake or not). Throw that in a chassis of your choice, and you will have a shooter that will compete with the best of them. This will be even cheaper if you have a remington 700 action laying around, or can dig up a donor action for cheap. Great option for those that want to customize/spec your own rifle build. Prices are approximate, contact Insite or other trusted smith for actual prices.

Lot's of options for chassis, everything from budget minded to the "sky is the limit" category. KRG and MDT offer great options for those on a budget. Other options include: XLR, MPA, JAE, AI, Cadex, Killer Innovations, Magpul, etc.

Scopes - not going to tackle this right now, but lots of options available on a budget.

This is not an all inclusive list. I've barely begun to skim the surface with this. Let's encourage our newer PRS shooters by showing what can be accomplished on a budget.
 
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Excellent post. I figure that someone could likely have a lot of fun at a PRS match with a Rem 700 SPS dropped into a MDT Tac 21 or ( for the more traditional look ) a Greyboe Stock with DBM. Add a couple of AICS-pattern mags and you are ready to play. In fact one of my rifles is exactly that: barreled action from Hirsch in 6.5 CM (600 or so) Greyboe and DBM from Bighorn (750 or so ) Heathen Brake, Timney 510 and one of those bolt-on oversized bolt knobs for a total of what - say, $1950. Add a rail and rings and a Bushnell 3.5-21 HDMR for another approx. $1500 and I figure one is good to go. Of course a sweet build from Insite is better but I really don't see why anyone needs to invest in an odd bird action like a Rem 783 or any other action that really isn't supported.
 
This is my first year shooting PRS style matches and my first rig that i used all season is a 700 action with a benchmark barrel in a cadex chassis. It's been working very well and has got me a couple top 10 finishes. Now that I've had so much fun shooting these matches I now have 2 full customs for next season. It was very hard for me to justify since my 700 actioned rifle shoots so well but I just had to do it. As it has been stated there are many options keeping budget in mind for every shooter to get started in the sport and one thing to always keep in mind is rifles can always be sold or traded but when you build something on a platform without much aftermarket support when problems arise you won't find much help. Most matches at least half the competitors will have a spare firing pin or trigger for a 700 action to lend out if another shooter has a problem. Even though it's a competition most shooters don't want to see another shooter miss out during a match due to a rifle/gear failure. The PRS community has been fantastic at every match I've attended, nobody has hesitated to lend gear or give advice to help out after shooting a stage. This topic is great! Hopefully new shooters can be pointed in the right direction now
 
For the ultimate budget rifle, 2X4 and a Savage;)

On a more useful note, Tikka CTR's retail for $1344 CAD up here.

 
Great thread idea.

Another option is to go used and you can save some big bucks. Currently on the EE there is:

A trued 700 in a KRG Xray for $2,275 (with a brake and rail)
Rem 700 in an ESS chassis for $1,750 (with a brake and rail)
A T3 Sporter for $1,800 (includes some dies, brass, and bullets) not my first choice stock wise but some guys run TRG type stuff with success

If you have a bit more cash to spend there are some quite nice full custom rigs with minimal round counts that can be had in the $2,500 to $3,000 range.

A final thing to remember - if you buy a factory rifle (or a custom from a well known shop sometimes) you can often sell them at not a huge loss if the sport is not for you. Sako TRGs/Accuracy Internationals/Desert Techs have a very high initial investment but can often be sold for very close to your purchase price. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for customs, especially if it has an oddball parts list/odd ball cartridge (ask how many bites I got on my tactical 6.5X55... which was an amazing rig BTW).
 
J996 said:
For the ultimate budget rifle, 2X4 and a Savage;)

On a more useful note, Tikka CTR's retail for $1344 CAD up here.

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Updated original post, thanks!

That's Jacob Bynum of Rifles Only. Very good dude with a great facility and training program. I encourage anyone who has the ability to go train at Rifles Only, their PR1&2 course is excellent for those wanting to get into this discipline of shooting. It's how I started out in precision rifles, and it really helped me progress as a shooter. They also put on excellent PRS and club matches
 
Tomochan said:
New shooters should note that a Zombie Green color scheme is entirely optional and likely did not contribute to Mr. Span09's success :)
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Span09's zombie green barreled action is actually one of the less crazy guns on the line.

Andy from Insite shoots a nerf gun, one of the other Match Director's is a bright green too. There is even one guy with a hot pink muzzle brake...

The crazy colours make you high speed, low drag. That is what we tell ourselves at least.
 
Yes a lot of vendors will encourage an equipment race when what you need to do to succeed is know your dope, learn wind and wind strategies, and how make perfect shots with a reliable and reasonably accurate rifle.

Whenever the urge to spend money comes on, I re-read this article http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/04/15/how-much-does-group-size-matter/

The urge to buy that defiance action, whidden dies, or lapua brass goes away and i dry fire at the little mini-ipscs stapled to my fence instead.
 
Ryan.M.Anderson said:
Span09's zombie green barreled action is actually one of the less crazy guns on the line.

Andy from Insite shoots a nerf gun, one of the other Match Director's is a bright green too. There is even one guy with a hot pink muzzle brake...

The crazy colours make you high speed, low drag. That is what we tell ourselves at least.
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My rifle is bright but that Nerf gun scheme is awesome. I wish I would've thought of that!
 
McGowan has just announced they are coming out with a barrel nut design for Howa rifles. For those of you looking for a barrel nut design in a budget factory PRS ready rifle, this could be the ticket.

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Here is some what of a budget prs rifle,
Tikka action from ee $375
Benchmark barrel $500
Mpa chassis $1200
Muzzle brake $110
Mdt scope rail $50
Smith work $400

So minus the scope and there is a great rifle more than capable of competing at any level in a prs match. And the color will make sure your never missed on the line lol
 

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Here is some what of a budget prs rifle,
Tikka action from ee $375
Benchmark barrel $500
Mpa chassis $1200
Muzzle brake $110
Mdt scope rail $50
Smith work $400

So minus the scope and there is a great rifle more than capable of competing at any level in a prs match. And the color will make sure your never missed on the line lol
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Top that rig off with a used Bushnell or even a new one and you got yourself a sweet setup for under $4,000 with some awesome cerakote of course cause we all know it won't shoot as good without cerakote haha
 
span09 said:
Top that rig off with a used Bushnell or even a new one and you got yourself a sweet setup for under $4,000 with some awesome cerakote of course cause we all know it won't shoot as good without cerakote haha
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That is a PRS rig that would compete with any of them. If you are looking for pure value per performance, it would be hard to beat a rig like that.
 
kthomas said:
That is a PRS rig that would compete with any of them. If you are looking for pure value per performance, it would be hard to beat a rig like that.
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Exactly. My 700 action rig shoots fantastic, not 1 shot I miss is due to the rifles performance. Picked up the barreled action off the EE for $1,500, timney Calvin elite 2 stage trigger and cadex chassis was another $1,100. It's performed fantastic all season and very easy to carry spare parts to a match with all the aftermarket support and quick availability of parts.
 
But can you swap bolts ? Noooo, just kidding !

I think many if us agree that one doesn't have to spend a fortune ( though that doesn't stop me lol ) but that building off a solid proven foundation with good aftermarket support is the way to go.

Bob
 
Tomochan said:
But can you swap bolts ? Noooo, just kidding !

I think many if us agree that one doesn't have to spend a fortune ( though that doesn't stop me lol ) but that building off a solid proven foundation with good aftermarket support is the way to go.

Bob
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Exactly. A 3moa steel plate doesn't give a crap if you have a GAP Tempest or a Savage Model 10 because that hanging tire you are using as support pretty much makes all guns equal in those short ninety seconds.

Only place you can't skimp on is a FFP reliable optic with matching reticle and turrets. A few years ago these were mostly north of $2-3k, now we have the Burris xtr2 (4-20 horus at wanstalls for $1199 last month), the Bushnell dmr2 ($1317 at Prohet last week), and the NF SHV 4-14 F1 for around $1600. Any of these will take a dedicated shooter a long long way.
 
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