Budget PRS Builds

I think it is fairly easy and cheap to get a rifle together that is capable. As many have said above a 700/Tikka/Howa/Savage (barf) can get it done just as well as anything else.

Finding good glass on the cheap is much harder, the options are getting better which is good but there is a minimum price you have to pay.
 
From a basic economics standpoint, it is hard to beat the Ruger Precision and Tikka CTR.

But the custom/semi custom has a lot of desire just because of the pride of ownership aspect. The one thing I notice in the threads, is that while people are noting all the deals on the EE, they are not always available and not everyone is their own "smith".

For a budget build and still room to grow, I always recommend starting with a Remington. The nice thing is that some of the site sponsors have had R700 barreled actions up for under $700. These have been available in 6.5 Creedmoor which is the new flavour of the day.

Start with:
R700 barreled action - $700
MDT ESS Chassis - $900
Trigger Tech Trigger - $190
Muzzle Brake - $250

This leaves you an excellent platform to work from. Once you have funds, the barrel is shot out, or just feel like it, you can take that R700 and easily add a bolt knob, true the action, rebarrel it, etc. The aftermarket support for the R700 is OUTSTANDING.

And there are literally dozens of chassis and economical stock options for the R700. MDT just happens to be one of the more economical and value added options that I see right now.

And there are lots of great builders available that wont break the bank.

Shane
 
I noticed the trend towards the MDT chassis. I was surprised to see some of the CADEX chassis for the rem 700 wasn't too much more money. I've never used either but am leaning towards a CADEX. What say you gurus?
 
If you are looking at a higher end chassis the JAE is superior to the cadex for Quality and lends itself better to PRS style shooting. Do run more but you get what you pay for holds true in this area.
 
furtaker said:
If you are looking at a higher end chassis the JAE is superior to the cadex for Quality and lends itself better to PRS style shooting. Do run more but you get what you pay for holds true in this area.
Click to expand...

Probably the most expensive chassis you can get, but definitely my favorite! My comp rifle sits in one, as well as my soon to be new ELR rig. It's the most comfortable stock that I have been behind, and the quality is exceptional. They are coming out with an ARCA rail which I am very excited about!
 
Haha yeah JAE talk is probably for another thread. They look top notch. My comment was more directed toward a budget rifle. There's one on the ee right now for $900. Looks to be about 250 ish in savings. They run around the same price as the MDT, for their lower end offerings at least.
 
You don't see JAE much (I think I have seen one in the flesh) but they sure are pretty looking. They have a tonne of really cool features.

The MDT ESS is nice and if you look at the SAPRL photo gallery on FB you will see a lot of them. MDT was a huge supporter of our season this year (as were some other great companies that you can see on our FB page) - remember that when you go shopping.

JAE is a big supporter in the states too so that is good.
 
Last edited:
MackForce said:
I noticed the trend towards the MDT chassis. I was surprised to see some of the CADEX chassis for the rem 700 wasn't too much more money. I've never used either but am leaning towards a CADEX. What say you gurus?
Click to expand...

I run a cadex field ot on my budget match rifle, it has been great and very comfortable. I did have some issues with the magwell but cadex was really good about it and had me back in the game very quickly with an upgraded magwell. One thing to keep in mind is that the ones that come with the magpul prs buttstock is that the cheek riser doesn't go high enough for some people and will likely have to be upgraded and isn't cheap from cadex. I went with a mdt skeleton stock budget wise and it has been fantastic and also modified my forend to utilize my alphamount. If you check out the SAPRL Facebook page my rifle is the cover photo.
 
Last edited:
Ryan.M.Anderson said:
I think it is fairly easy and cheap to get a rifle together that is capable. As many have said above a 700/Tikka/Howa/Savage (barf) can get it done just as well as anything else.

Finding good glass on the cheap is much harder, the options are getting better which is good but there is a minimum price you have to pay.
Click to expand...

About $450 is the bottom of the price range for functional, durable scopes that work well for this kind of shooting. I may shoot next season with nothing but a SWFA SS 10x.
 
On another note, I was out for a local PRS shoot this past weekend. You don’t need expensive gear to participate and shoot well. Some guys were running 700s, some stock, some with new barrels and in chassis. One guy had a bone stock Savage with the McMillan stock.

I would suggest that anyone who is interested in PRS do the following, depending on available funds:

1) Buy the n’est scope you can afford, spend as much money here as possible (rifles come and a go, but you will keep a good scope for a long long time)
2) If you took care of #1 and don’t have much cash, buy a decent .22lr like a MKII or CZ 455
3) Get out and shoot and practice positions
4) Depending on money, get a decent rifle and get out a shoot and practice positions
5) Use your experience and the hands on you get to have with other shooter’s rifles at matches (all matches are part show and tell for gear) and you’ll have a good idea of what you really want to buy for a rifle

I’ve been all over the map with rifles. I currently run a Cadex that I quite like, other than the weight. My next project is to turn my Tikka T3 Varmint in .223 into an affordable PRS gun and then built a sister gun in a hotter caliber.
 
Your welcome! I had a blast! Problem is now I want to shoot it so the organizers will have to find someone to take my spot on a stage.

My shooting partner has a rig built by Insite and it is a fantastic shooter. It is also a Tikka CTR re barrelled to 6.5 CM.

kthomas said:
That will be a great rig, Insite builds some excellent rifles! My current rifle (former GAP rifle) was re-barreled by Insite, it's deadly accurate. You are definitely on the right track.

Although I didn't shoot Meaford this year, I appreciate you volunteering to RO the match! That's what really keeps these sports going, the volunteers who spend their free time to put together these matches and make sure that they run smoothly.

Enjoy the new rig, and welcome to the sport!
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Jordan Smith said:
About $450 is the bottom of the price range for functional, durable scopes that work well for this kind of shooting. I may shoot next season with nothing but a SWFA SS 10x.
Click to expand...


The SWFA are solid scopes for sure.

Another budget option is the Athlon BTR talos 4-14 which is under $500 from red star

It has a usable milrad x-mas tree reticle and FFP. I have one on my 223 trainer. Another advantage is that the parallax goes down to 10 yards and I can dryfire in my shop with it.

It holds zero but tracking is not good enough for a serious match, but that's what the tree is for anyway.
 
Crashman said:
our welcome! I had a blast! Problem is now I want to shoot it so the organizers will have to find someone to take my spot on a stage.

My shooting partner has a rig built by Insite and it is a fantastic shooter. It is also a Tikka CTR re barrelled to 6.5 CM.
Click to expand...

The matches I've attended everyone works together helping run a spotting scope or helping RO a stage so that everyone even the dedicated Ro's have the chance to shoot.
 
Im not sure I would say there is QC difference between the Cadex products and the MDT products. There is definitely a "refinement" difference. EM Precision has done lots of builds on both the MDT and Cadex chassis and both are excellent products. They just appeal to different markets.

The ESS hits a price point of $900 and functionally provides everything you need in a chassis without a pile of bells and whistles. It is also about 20% lighter than the Cadex Field Competition which runs about $1,600.

The JAE is pretty cool, but if I remember correctly, also hitting $2k or higher. The MPA is also a really great chassis option, but I think they are landing at about $1500 as well.

We have been very fortunate in our young PRS sport and all the sponsors supporting the events. Plus we have a lot of really excellent Canadian manufacturers to choose from. Chasing the PRS Blog trends is kind of a waste of time. Every year it is something new that seems largely based on which manufacturer gave away the most stuff the season before. Hint Hint, JAE.
 
stevesummit said:
Im not sure I would say there is QC difference between the Cadex products and the MDT products. There is definitely a "refinement" difference. EM Precision has done lots of builds on both the MDT and Cadex chassis and both are excellent products. They just appeal to different markets.

The ESS hits a price point of $900 and functionally provides everything you need in a chassis without a pile of bells and whistles. It is also about 20% lighter than the Cadex Field Competition which runs about $1,600.

The JAE is pretty cool, but if I remember correctly, also hitting $2k or higher. The MPA is also a really great chassis option, but I think they are landing at about $1500 as well.

We have been very fortunate in our young PRS sport and all the sponsors supporting the events. Plus we have a lot of really excellent Canadian manufacturers to choose from. Chasing the PRS Blog trends is kind of a waste of time. Every year it is something new that seems largely based on which manufacturer gave away the most stuff the season before. Hint Hint, JAE.
Click to expand...

Agreed on the PRS blog, people read way too much into that. It's all about who sponsors the most shooters, not exactly what is best. There's a reason why Vortex is at the top of the list, and it's not because they have the best optics (nothing wrong with them either, don't read too much into that statement). But simply, they sponsor the most shooters. Sponsored shooters are constantly jumping between manufacturers, and they always say the same thing on their blogs and facebook posts after their good matches. "Couldn't have done it without the equipment from brand X, brand Y, blah, blah blah" - same old story. But they were saying the exact same thing about different manufacturers the year prior.

Sure, JAE definitely sponsors a lot of shooters, which makes them move up in the PRS list year to year. They also make a great chassis with excellent features, and have some cool new innovations coming out. But at the end of the day, it's what works best for YOU. If you are looking at any of the top brands, you are going to find a quality product. You just need to find the best option for your body type and shooting style. Those PRS "what the pros shoot" lists need to be taken with a heavy grain of salt.
 
say what...its only kool if its free. Kinda like a few on here...its only kool if they sell it and if not it isant. PRS has a lot of that for sure though. And from what I have seen of the new MDT stiff they are really stepped up the game and are very much on par with the cadex stuff.
 
The MDTs that I have handled in comparison to the Cadexs that I have handled are close enough to not make a difference to me (in terms of fit and finish that is). It is not like the MPA chassis are pieces of art either, all of them are functional and will get the job done.

We have to remember that we are jamming them into stuff and dropping them (it is painful to watch what Harley and Andy to do their rigs sometimes). Any slight cosmetic benefits are removed shortly after a match or two.
 
I think the real trick for shooters is to do the following:
buy the very best glass you can - 100% best advice ever;
buy a rifle with good aftermarket support;
use a stock or chassis that suits YOU - for me ( a prone 90% of the time guy it's an A5 or similar but on rifles shot from my rare forays into positional stuff I like an AICS - YMMV );
practice as much as you can in various weather conditions and have good DOPE and learn to use it
lastly, reach out to quality builders and shooters for advice. People like the real shooters on this thread, builders like Insite and glass guys like Omer at Plainsight are good guys for genuine advice. Do try and avoid people who only recommend what they sell - that's like going to the Ford store and expecting good advice on the Toyota Tundra.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom