Factory rifles

[mpayne]

The HMR is heavy but so is all the stuff you're going to kill with it!

 

[Wv shooter]

I have all brands but the bergara the Remingtons are great to build on the savage long range shoot great but a little heavy the Christenson masa are accurate and fairly light and good to build on the Winchester is fairly light also trigger not so great and not threaded I have four browning x bolts they are all sub moa threaded and light weight Trigger good with a spring job and have fast twist in hunting calibers don't forget kimber they have great triggers and the lightest of the bunch good luck trying to pick one

 

[basinman]

I will throw in a vote for the Winchester Model 70. I have a 2006 Super Shadow in 300 WSM with a Timney trigger. Otherwise it is all stock. It is easy to carry and shoots .50 inch groups with factory 150 grain Ballistic Silvertips. It shot so well I duplicated that factory load. Getting about 3315 average fps from the 24" barrel with that load.

 

[Lonnie Pendleton]

I own the Bergara B14 HMR, one in 6.5 Creed and another for the Grandson in 7mm Rem Mag, they are well built, they are on the heavy side, but with the barrel they have it is heavier than a normal factory rifle with the pencil barrel. The action is smooth, the trigger breaks clean, best one I have had from a factory rifle, the barrel is free floated. The load development was easy on the 7 mag, have not had time on the 6.5 Creed, but will start soon. You cannot go wrong in the Bergara, it is the best factory rifle you can buy without going Custom, in my opinion, I was able to purchase both from TSS Warehouse, the 6.5 Creed for under 850.00 and the 7mag for under 800.00. Good luck in whichever way you go.

Yeah i have to agree with that,i got 5000 rounds out of my HMR barrel 6,5 CM,you get a lot for less than a grand with that rifle and mine was and absolute tack driver to.I highly recommend to Samuel,and they shoot so good he might reconsider having a custom built.

 

[Lonnie Pendleton]

Hello all I'm eyeing couple different factory rifles and I know what caliber I'm wanting but I would like some pros and cons of the ones I'm looking at to purchase later down the road I'm wanting to do a semi custom build and want a rifle I can use this season and then build on later I'm looking at savage lr hunter, Remington 700 long range hunter,christenson arms mesa,and bergara ridge and bergara hmr winchester 70 extreme weather and browning x bolt out of these rifles there is a couple on that list that i will probably end up leaving the way they are maybe do a stock or trigger job on but I would like to hear some real input on these

Bergara HMR you will love it.

 

[7070yshot]

Hello all I'm eyeing couple different factory rifles and I know what caliber I'm wanting but I would like some pros and cons of the ones I'm looking at to purchase later down the road I'm wanting to do a semi custom build and want a rifle I can use this season and then build on later I'm looking at savage lr hunter, Remington 700 long range hunter,christenson arms mesa,and bergara ridge and bergara hmr winchester 70 extreme weather and browning x bolt out of these rifles there is a couple on that list that i will probably end up leaving the way they are maybe do a stock or trigger job on but I would like to hear some real input on these

I would recommend shooting a few rifles then make a decision and first answer the following.
1. What animals do you plan on hunting?
2. How do you hunt? Stalking? Sitting on ground? Sitting in a tree or deer blind? From the back of Jeep/Polaris safari style high seat?
3. Max "Range of Confidence" not what can you a target at but what distance are you confident in taking down any animal from Q1 in one shot? I can hit a mile on a 24in target but that doesn't mean I'll ever try that on an animal.
4. Scopes or irons?
5. Will you use the rifle for target shooting?
6. Will you reload or use factory?

Answer these questions and that will determine direction IMHO.

also Consider doing a partial custom. Allow a qualified gunsmith, such as myself, take a factory rifle, restock it so it fits you, Bed the action to the stock properly, upgrade the trigger and mount a quality scope.
test with various ammo to see what works best for the game you intend to use it on.

 

[rustyshackleford]

I've got a model 70 EW SS. I've put it in a CF McMillan and love it. It's plenty accurate and the trigger breaks right on the nose at 3 lbs with no creep or overtravel. It's a nice light rifle. I think the bergara would have the potential to shoot better due to the weight but we are talking a difference of bragging rights accurate. Btw those two I'd have no qualms. If you are looking for a threaded barrel get ready to saddle up some weight. The Browning's that are threaded are weird metric threads until you get to the really heavy contours. Bergara doesn't really make any super light contours

 

[davidu]

Based on your choices (other than Savage) I assume you like the Rem 700 Platform.
Though I don't own a Begara, they get good reviews other than being heavy. I know Tikka didn't make your list But, IMHO, the Tikka is the or one of the best factory rifles made. The T3x lite is easy to carry around. The trigger is exceptional and can be made safely lighter with a $10 spring. Some folks don't like the stocks or plastic mags ( I do) but you indicated you might want to customize. The Tikka T3x CTR has a SS threaded barrel and metal underside if that matters to you. The company guarantees submoa and all of mine were right out of the box
I own 5 Tikkas for the reasons above. Do your research and I'll bet you'll find what you're looking for.

 

[gvjm]

I started playing around with 7 mags a few years ago. I've proved to myself that with today's technology you don't have to "build" a custom rifle for accuracy. If you want to that's another matter. The 7 mag I settled on shoots sub MOA with everything I put through it. That is when it's not shooting sub 1/2 MOA! It a "customized" cheapie gun. It's a T/C Compass! I put in a $10 trigger spring making the trigger break at 3lbs. Because it's threaded I put a Harrell's adjustable muzzle brake on it. Now it has almost no recoil! And just to spoil myself I put an oversized bolt handle on it. Total cost all in $425. There is one caveat, the gun is such an absolute joy on the range I had to put a temperature monitoring tape on the barrel so I won't burn it up!

 

[freddogs]

Think about the features you want. Don't go too heavy if you are using the rifle for hunting. Do you want a break? Look for a threaded barrel. Is the stock something you like or are you going to replace it anyway. Same with trigger. Look at bedding. Look at the balance of the gun. Find what you like. We all have favorites.

 

[Pulpwood]

The Winchester extreme is hard to beat . I have several and love them all .

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

I would recommend shooting a few rifles then make a decision and first answer the following.
1. What animals do you plan on hunting?
2. How do you hunt? Stalking? Sitting on ground? Sitting in a tree or deer blind? From the back of Jeep/Polaris safari style high seat?
3. Max "Range of Confidence" not what can you a target at but what distance are you confident in taking down any animal from Q1 in one shot? I can hit a mile on a 24in target but that doesn't mean I'll ever try that on an animal.
4. Scopes or irons?
5. Will you use the rifle for target shooting?
6. Will you reload or use factory?

Answer these questions and that will determine direction IMHO.

also Consider doing a partial custom. Allow a qualified gunsmith, such as myself, take a factory rifle, restock it so it fits you, Bed the action to the stock properly, upgrade the trigger and mount a quality scope.
test with various ammo to see what works best for the game you intend to use it on.

To answer al those questions I hunt deer mostly but plan on going elk and bear hunting next year and hope to add pronghorn in there in couple years if all gos well
I hunt tree stands and stalk
I've shot deer out to 450 yards but I've shot steel farther than that
It will be scoped with leupold lrp
Or vx3i with z lock and sf
I will use for target shooting and predator hunting time to time
And yes I will be reloading for it

 

[rustyshackleford]

To answer al those questions I hunt deer mostly but plan on going elk and bear hunting next year and hope to add pronghorn in there in couple years if all gos well
I hunt tree stands and stalk
I've shot deer out to 450 yards but I've shot steel farther than that
It will be scoped with leupold lrp
Or vx3i with z lock and sf
I will use for target shooting and predator hunting time to time
And yes I will be reloading for it

I think that bergara mountain or the Model 70 EW would both be good choices for that application. That bergara is a fuzz heavier but a little will make it steadier too. I'm getting to the point that I'd be very comfortable shooting my EW out to 500 though. It could go further but I think all factors considered that's as far as I'd like to push it

 

[skipglo]

I for got to add those to my list I knew I'd forgotten one

Actually.....it is on your list....