Go with a Tikka CTR in 6.5 Creedmoor, get the 24" Barrelled version over the 20" if you can, and plunk it in the chassis or stock of your choosing from KRG, MDT, Cadex, or whatever. Your ammo availability for factory match/premium ammo is on par with .308 but the round itself bucks the wind with a far better Ballistic Coefficient. There is a ton of factory and aftermarket support for the Tikka T3X Action, so you would be good to go in that regard. Tikka's come with the smoothest factory Action that gives many Custom Actions a run for heir meoey. Stock CTR/UPR/Tac A1 Barrelled Actions are factory warranteed to print 3 rounds sub-MOA with factory match ammo. What more do you need to get started in the Precision shooting games?
Good Starting Caliber for PRS - 308Win VS 6.5 Creedmoor VS 6.5 PRC VS ???
- Thread starter DerScharfSchutze
- Start date
OK. That's not a huge budget to work with if you are including an optic. Get the ctr in 6.5. You can rebarrel later easily enough. Drop it in a krg Bravo, get a yodave trigger spring, InSite arms heathen muzzle brake and an Athlon midas TAC or better depending on how much $$$ is left. That rig would serve you well while you learn what you like and don't like.
Since you do not reload start by researching the cost and availability of various high bc match ammunition. I suspect everyone here that is telling you to buy this or that are actually competing with ammunition that they load for themselves. If it is too expensive you wont be able to practice.
DerScharfSchutze
Regular
Thanks for the advice Bartok5, its the direction I would like to go in.
I figure once I become more comfortable / experienced with the set-up, I could always build custom for my needs at that time.
Cheers.
DerScharfSchutze
Regular
Yeah, $3k is a little tight, I have a feeling I may go over a bit, especially because I like the KRG Whiskey-3 Chassis. So nice!
In terms of scopes I have been looking at the Arken EP-5 (If I can find it) which is ~$900, and people often compare to scopes at double the price-point. Not familiar with Athlon. Are they any good?
Thanks again for the tips!
Whiskey 3 is definitely nice. But if you are starting out and want to stay close to budget, the Bravo and x Ray have a similar "feel" to the whiskey 3. I have both and enjoy both. The whiskey 3 is my favorite chassis but I have no issues behind my Bravo's.
Arken is supposed to be ok. If you haven't looked at the EE yet, you should. Don't overlook a used scope. Especially something with a lifetime warranty. Personally, I'd take an Athlon over an arken.
Arken is supposed to be ok. If you haven't looked at the EE yet, you should. Don't overlook a used scope. Especially something with a lifetime warranty. Personally, I'd take an Athlon over an arken.
DerScharfSchutze
Regular
This is probably a dumb question, but how do you know its Match ammo? Is it in the title?
While searching some local distributors I found "Match" ammo, which appeared to be the company name. I also found Hornby Match Ammo in 6.5CM. Not readily available, but I did see some stock at a couple different retailers. I also found a website called ammobin.ca, it looks like it searches various retailers for stock across Canada.
Thanks again!
DerScharfSchutze
Regular
Thanks again.
I applied to the EE last week, but have not been given access yet. I am find with a used scope, as long at its in good working order, and as you said, has some warranty.
I will take a look at the Athlon. So many reviews are for the big players, but I don't want to spend $3K+ on a scope at the moment.
"match ammo" is a marketing term that is supposed to mean more consistent. High BC bullets can be sold in match or non. Ballistic Coefficient is calculated based on drag (friction) through the air. The higher the BC the more better it is (the less the air slows it down)
IE in 6.5 CM a 120 gr ELDM will have a lower BC than a 140 gr ELDM (.486 G1 for the 120 and .646 G1 for the 140), this matters on distance shots because it means less drop, meaning less wind pushing the bullet around and it means you carry speed for longer. This is the sole reason 6.5 is better than 308, because at distance, 6.5 carries much better.
this matters for PRS because it means less dialing for wind and drop. meaning you can engage multiple targets at different distances faster as the difference between targets is much less as compared to bullets with a low BC
If you actually want to improve significantly as a longish range PRS shooter, your centerfire ammo and travel budget will be far larger than $3K. I don’t get the disconnect that centerfire shooters that spend $2-$5/shot and only get past 300 yds a few times a year have with Rimfire. I’m thinking of a couple of local guys I know also, building a boutique rifle that will mostly sit because shooting it is so expensive. As far as glass goes, $1K glass really makes a negative difference at actual centerfire PRS ranges. Not as much of an issue if 350 is long range though.
Jerry @ Mystic has some good advice going with the 223 caliber - PRC ammo is going for $3.25 - $4.25 per trigger pull didn't check the other 6mm offerings but would imagine b'out the same.
If you want to go in for a deep dive custom action/barrel and a chassis/stock of your choosing. Glass well the sky is the limit on that - but I think once you bought your shoot'n'see targets and a stapler your probably around $5k
If you want to go in for a deep dive custom action/barrel and a chassis/stock of your choosing. Glass well the sky is the limit on that - but I think once you bought your shoot'n'see targets and a stapler your probably around $5k
Yea you can use ammobin.ca for ammo shopping. Some places will even ship free if you are over a certain $$ amount. Makes ordering online easy that way. That said, I bought 200 rounds from Ontario a month ago, and only paid $32 for shipping to BC. Was a bunch of 142 gr match king in the 6.5 CM.
I am in the process of building a 6.5 CM for bench work, and couldn't pass up a great sale price on the ammo. I still don't have the rifle built, but have all components and now factory ammo for when I start off. I'll be using a 26" barrel with brake, and tuner. Weighted chassis, so the recoil will be negligible.
Save all your factory brass for either reloading when you start, or you can sell it and recoup some of your costs. I have good brass already for reloading, so the factory brass will be good trigger time, settling in a new barrel, and then the brass sold off.
I have a 6.5 PRC for hunting with, and the CM is way less recoil. Should serve you well as a starting point, then work from there. The option of using small rifle primer brass is also a go on the 6.5 CM, and still accessible primers, so I would start building up stock for reloading, as you will save $$ for the amount you will want to be shooting over factory rounds. Bonus is you get to play with custom loading to really dial in your rifle.
It truly is easy to reload, and there is now a vast supply of great utube video's on reloading. Yes it takes some time, so that would be a consideration, but it is not a time waster by any means. No need to pay for classes. That said, if you have a chance to sit down with someone locally and watch what they do, ask questions, it will truly be helpful. Most guys are okay doing this as well. Heck some would even let you use there equipment, and you just provide the dies and components. (primers, powder, bullets) Most of the reloading community, and that said gun community are awesome people. I started to reload for myself just over a year ago now.
I'd probably bank on 1000 rounds for your first year, to get you some good trigger time, and still be in some shoots.
I am in the process of building a 6.5 CM for bench work, and couldn't pass up a great sale price on the ammo. I still don't have the rifle built, but have all components and now factory ammo for when I start off. I'll be using a 26" barrel with brake, and tuner. Weighted chassis, so the recoil will be negligible.
Save all your factory brass for either reloading when you start, or you can sell it and recoup some of your costs. I have good brass already for reloading, so the factory brass will be good trigger time, settling in a new barrel, and then the brass sold off.
I have a 6.5 PRC for hunting with, and the CM is way less recoil. Should serve you well as a starting point, then work from there. The option of using small rifle primer brass is also a go on the 6.5 CM, and still accessible primers, so I would start building up stock for reloading, as you will save $$ for the amount you will want to be shooting over factory rounds. Bonus is you get to play with custom loading to really dial in your rifle.
It truly is easy to reload, and there is now a vast supply of great utube video's on reloading. Yes it takes some time, so that would be a consideration, but it is not a time waster by any means. No need to pay for classes. That said, if you have a chance to sit down with someone locally and watch what they do, ask questions, it will truly be helpful. Most guys are okay doing this as well. Heck some would even let you use there equipment, and you just provide the dies and components. (primers, powder, bullets) Most of the reloading community, and that said gun community are awesome people. I started to reload for myself just over a year ago now.
I'd probably bank on 1000 rounds for your first year, to get you some good trigger time, and still be in some shoots.
for some experience, find a used chassis rifle in what-ever cartridge, add a bunch of weight, and take it for a spin, then trade up as required, nothing lost
243 is pretty economical to shoot too, and easy to buy, has advantages over 223
one manufacture lists a 6 BR varmint, and another has a 6.5 Grendel, both good prs , just buy whatever ammo you can whenever you see it
243 is pretty economical to shoot too, and easy to buy, has advantages over 223
one manufacture lists a 6 BR varmint, and another has a 6.5 Grendel, both good prs , just buy whatever ammo you can whenever you see it
There is no reason you cannot do exceptionally well in PRS with a 223. No, not the Sammi spec version, but all you need is a long throat so you can run 88s or 90s seated out close to 2.7" OAL. Just register in open class.
You'll be able to hit muzzle velocities at or near 2,900 FPS with a G1 BC around 0.55 to 0.585
That either matches or exceeds what most are doing with 6 BR or even Dashers, but with less recoil.
Bottom line is for less money, less recoil and common components you can get all the performance your skills can deliver.
In the end, PRS ranking is about a whole lot more than what cartridge you use, and this gets you close enough.
DerScharfSchutze
Regular
Thanks Maple57, I appreciate the information. I never really looked at .223, need to see what is a good option for that caliber.
Consider this too down the road - these are 'approx' but close to accurate #'s.
223 rem/Wylde uses 23-26gr of powder = 280ish rounds per lb of gunpowder
6mmbr family uses 29-33 gr of powder, = 230ish rounds per lb
6.5 & 308 use 41-44 gr of powder, = 160ish rounds per lb
6.5 PRC uses 55-58gr, = 122ish rounds per lb.
You do the math for $$$
223 rem/Wylde uses 23-26gr of powder = 280ish rounds per lb of gunpowder
6mmbr family uses 29-33 gr of powder, = 230ish rounds per lb
6.5 & 308 use 41-44 gr of powder, = 160ish rounds per lb
6.5 PRC uses 55-58gr, = 122ish rounds per lb.
You do the math for $$$
Lot's reasonable advice here for you to consider, but I'll reiterate what others have said. Before jumping into a purchase, show up to one of the rimfire prs matches going on in Ontario. 95% of the gear is identical to centerfire PRS, and the rimfire PRS crowd is generally very open and willing to letting newbies try their stuff out. That way you get tons of hands on, touch, and feel with a massive volume of different stocks, chassis, mounts, you name it.
I can certainly guarantee you'll go home after a 1 day match having some clarity on what you want, and possibly even more confusion... but that's a good thing. You might find out you much prefer X chassis over Y and so on. Ultimately you'll be able to make a better informed decision and not regret purchasing something only to find out you want something different afterwards.
I can certainly guarantee you'll go home after a 1 day match having some clarity on what you want, and possibly even more confusion... but that's a good thing. You might find out you much prefer X chassis over Y and so on. Ultimately you'll be able to make a better informed decision and not regret purchasing something only to find out you want something different afterwards.
DerScharfSchutze
Regular
Hi All,
Firstly, thanks to everyone who response with their recommendations, it gave me alot to think about, and perhaps I would crawl before I try to sprint.
I am still sticking to my Tikka T3x set-up, but will put it off to later in the year, once I am comfortable with a cheaper set-up, and have attended some events, so I can determine, first hand, what I like, and what I don't like.
I found two very reasonable options to get started with, and my only question now is .22 LR Rimfire vs 0.223 Rem Centrefire. In terms of ammo, rimfire is ~$0.15/pull, where centrefire is ~$1/pull. So I am getting 6x more pulls from the rimfire vs the centrefire. Is this a question of quality vs quantity?
Two options I have been looking at over the past day is the (i) Savage Mark II FVXP .22 LR, 21" or the (ii) Savage Axis II XP .223 Rem. 22". Many reviews say they are good "Bang for your buck".
Any thoughts on the caliber, both from a pricing and learning standpoint?
Really appreciative for all the info and help guys!
Cheers.
Firstly, thanks to everyone who response with their recommendations, it gave me alot to think about, and perhaps I would crawl before I try to sprint.
I am still sticking to my Tikka T3x set-up, but will put it off to later in the year, once I am comfortable with a cheaper set-up, and have attended some events, so I can determine, first hand, what I like, and what I don't like.
I found two very reasonable options to get started with, and my only question now is .22 LR Rimfire vs 0.223 Rem Centrefire. In terms of ammo, rimfire is ~$0.15/pull, where centrefire is ~$1/pull. So I am getting 6x more pulls from the rimfire vs the centrefire. Is this a question of quality vs quantity?
Two options I have been looking at over the past day is the (i) Savage Mark II FVXP .22 LR, 21" or the (ii) Savage Axis II XP .223 Rem. 22". Many reviews say they are good "Bang for your buck".
Any thoughts on the caliber, both from a pricing and learning standpoint?
Really appreciative for all the info and help guys!
Cheers.
