Help picking out new 6.5

[Deadman Walking]

Hello, I've been a long time reader, but this is my first post. If this is the wrong place to post this I apologize. I'm in the market for a new gun, and I'm pretty set on the 6.5 creedmoor. This will mainly be a practice range rifle, but it will also be my backup hunting rifle. So, I'm looking for some weight, but not too much, about 8.5-9.5 pounds for the rifle is what I'm shooting for. Because of the weather here I would very much prefer stainless steal a preferably some sort of protective treatment/coating. Also I would prefer an adjustable stock. My budget is $1500 for the rifle only. I have already searched all over this thread and others. I'm just hoping maybe I can get some personal experience on some of these rifles and some more information from people with more experience and knowledge then me.


I have a short list, the top of my list is the Steyr THB. I've seen it for about $1200. Pros- under budget, strong action, I've read short bolt throw?, accurate (at least according to the reviews), mannox finish (from what I understand its a nitride finish, does the bore also receive the treatment?). Cons- the stock isn't adjustable (but both manners and mcmillan make a nice stock for it for about 1k, so maybe I could find one on sale some time). Sako S20 precision- Pros- short bolt throw, adjustable stock, good weight, stainless, cerakoted. cons- over budget, new so not much info, and with the stock configurability there are more things that could break. Bergara HMR Pro- Pros- cerakoted, stainless, adjustable stock. Cons- A little heavy, a little over budget, 90 degree bolt throw.


I am leaning towards the Steyr, maybe getting the base model and then later looking for a manners stock to go on sale. I've also looked at the seekins havak bravo, but it's a bit above the budget, a little heavy, I don't like the feel of the bravo stock and I'm not sure what the black finish is. I've also looked at christensen rifles, but have heard a bit of negatives about customer service and quality control. Also looked at the x-bolts, the long range meets all of my preferences except for it's not cerakoted, while the hells canyon is a little light and the stock isn't adjustable. I've heard of a lot of suggestions for a custom build, but I haven't found where it can be done within budget so any suggestions there are welcome. Any suggestions and personal experience with any rifles are most welcome. Thank you all in advance for your time and sharing your expertise, and sorry for the long winded post.

 

[Highvoltage]

Bergera hmr, tikka Ctr, Remington 5r, savage fcp-sr or high country are some of the rifles that come to my mind as being a able to double but may not have every feature you want. You may have to upgrade a stock or cerakote but all will be very accurate. if your budget is $1500 I think you can build just about what you want starting with a Remington short action, prefit criterion barrel, slightly used McMillan, trigger tech/ timney, and bottom metal. or either rebarrel an existing rifle, new stock and trigger and keep it way under budget. Best wishes

 

[338 dude]

Why buy a rifle you're going to modify spend more money hopefully find used parts on the web just get the bergara HMR Pro I have a friend that has one it's a very nice rifle for the price point very accurate

 

[dxlbaile]

You might want to give the (Seekins Havak) a look.. Not cerakoted but stainless, they come with a decent stock and they shoot great. I have seen them on Gunbroker for 1550.00.. You can also get prefit barrels for them that screw directly on from "Straight Jacket." My Brother has one that shoots lights out.. Nice package for hunting when you want it.
Good luck.

 

[Deadman Walking]

Thank you all for the suggestions. It would be nice to not have to search around for parts as it might have to be my hunting rig this fall, unless I can get mine fixed up before August. It seems the HMR Pro would be a good way to go. I should be able to get it at my local shop, they might have to order the specific caliber, but they do carry the HMR, so it shouldn't take too long to get it in, and I was able to play with that one and know it fits me well (better when I adjust it). I have looked at the seekins, for 1550 it would be hard to pass up, even though it's not exactly what I'm looking for, I've heard great things about it.

 

[Jud96]

Remington 5R Gen 2. It already has a good stock with aluminum bedding block, it's threaded for a brake or suppressor, it has a Sendero contour barrel with flutes. They shoot very well and are priced in the $1000 range. I would recommend getting an aftermarket trigger. I love the Triggertech triggers and the Timney's are great too and they're both around $150. The aftermarket and the support in general for the 700 platform is huge! Remington has stepped up their quality in the last couple years and are making very true and consistent rifles from the factory.

My next option would be a Savage Long Range Hunter or Savage High Country. Savages have been excellent shooters right out of the box and come with a lot of nice features from the factory. They also have a big aftermarket and barrels can easily be swapped on them at home. Remingtons have this option now as well, but there's still more options for Savage pre-fits.

I personally prefer Remingtons. They look, feel, and just function better for me. I also like to build semi-custom rifles and the Remingtons just have more aftermarket options and they feel and look nicer when done up. Both rifles out of the box will be good shooters and both will be reliable and perform similarly.

Have you considered possibly building a semi custom rifle? With your $1500 budget it's very much possible to build a semi custom Remington.

 

[Deadman Walking]

No I haven't really considered a semi custom, would a gun smith be required for a semi-custom? Excuse my naivety, but what is gained with a semi-custom over something like an HMR Pro? It already have a remington clone action, a quality barrel, a quality stock, and I believe a trigger tech trigger.

 

[Deadman Walking]

Does anyone have experience with the Steyr THB?

 

[Kmccord]

Bergara HMR Pro can be had at TSS Warehouse for $1393.70 right now, you can also get a Bergara B14 Wilderness for $949.24 and the B14 HMR can be purchased for $856.56 also at TSS. I own B14 HMR in 6.5 Creed and 7mm Rem Mag and I can say they are a very accurate and well built. You can shop around, but I don't believe you can find a better deal anywhere else, all I can say, is pick between the three version that fit your bill and pull the trigger while they are in stock.

StackPath

 

[JMW67]

if you are going bergara go with the pro or rem 5r gen 2 and bed action and swap trigger about equal money either way

 

[Deadman Walking]

Thanks for the heads up on the good deals at tss warehouse, I wasn't familiar with them.