Long Range Build Advice

[Upnorth1]

I have one of these coming this week in a 7 mm PRC. I think it's what you're looking for also. Weatherby model307

 

[Buckskinner]

I would recommend you put together your own rifle based off of one of the many excellent actions/prefit barrels that are offered today. Very simple to do and you will have a "custom" built rifle that will be exactly what you want and will shoot lights out. If you are patient and watch the classifieds here you can easily stay within your budget. I Built a 6.5 and 7 PRC and only bought action and barrel at retail, the rest was purchased here and saved a bunch of $$.

 

[HandgunHTR]

no elk in west texas or aoudad unless it's a fenced range

There are free-range elk and aoudad in TX. No real public land opportunities, but plenty outside of the high-fence operations.

 

[ARlife4me]

There are free-range elk and aoudad in TX. No real public land opportunities, but plenty outside of the high-fence operations.

If yhere is there aren't any I've ever seen or heard about in West Texas. South Texas, yes in a few places

 

[Joefrazell]

If you're going to purchase a rifle I'd look very hard at seekins. If you wanna spend as little as possible just buy a tikka and go kill stuff.

 

[V35BTC]

If yhere is there aren't any I've ever seen or heard about in West Texas. South Texas, yes in a few places

They are there, I see them regularly. There is even a herd of Aoudad around Possum Kingdom.

 

[ARlife4me]

They are there, I see them regularly. There is even a herd of Aoudad around Possum Kingdom.

that area is labeled west texas? that area would make more sense for those animals

 

[Horse1]

Havak Element Hunter and a scope with a fine reticle and a max power between 10x-15x.

 

[V35BTC]

that area is labeled west texas? that area would make more sense for those animals

Some would say so, I say its Central. Insee Aoudad in the Snyder area and also near Van Horn.

 

[RichCoyle]

DIRKCW,

It appears no one suggested the six lug Mark V .280 Ack! They weigh under six pounds. I have the steel model with a twenty-two ounce scope in Tally rings and a brake. Ready to go it is about seven pounds.

 

[DIRKCW]

ARC CDG Lightweight Action -$1300
Proof Prefit Carbon Barrel - $1100

If your budget is $5k, that leaves you $2600 for a good trigger, BM, mag, stock, and gunsmith time to put it together. You'll have a build that's much better than any factory gun, and can easily be re-barreled to a different caliber down the road. Just a thought.

I really wouldn't spend all that much on a factory gun. Their limitation is that they are put together quickly and without the same care as a custom. Nothing wrong with that, but a $1k tikka or savage gets you the same level of gunsmithing as a $3k Seekins or Bergara. The high-end factory guns have better features, but are not put together as precisely as a custom build, so I don't see the point in them. If you do go with a factory gun, one option would be a savage ultralight. It already has a proof barrel on it. Outstanding accuracy. The stock, trigger and action won't be as nice as a custom build, but the barrel is what determines accuracy, and proof barrels just rock.

My BIGGEST advice - use caution when buying or building a lightweight rifle in bigger calibers. As someone who owns several. The recoil from a 6lb 300WM makes it very difficult to keep the animal in your scope for follow-up. It also exponentially magnifies any minor errors in your shooting posture, so you'll need to practice positional shooting a LOT to build good habits. Lightweight barrels need more cool-down time between shots, which increases with bigger calibers. I'm not saying don't buy a lightweight cannon, just be prepared for some extra range time learning to shoot it. A 280AI or 6.5PRC will do what you're asking for, and will be more forgiving than a 300WM or 7PRC.

Thank you! I think building one out may be the route to go. I made a few calls and got a nearby contact who is a retired gun smith highly recommended through friends at a reasonable price. Since the season is a ways out I have time to get everything together.

 

[DIRKCW]

Seekins Havak Element in 6.5PRC: https://www.eurooptic.com/Seekins-P...1-1-8-Bbl-Desert-Shadow-Rifle-w-1-3rd-Ca.aspx

Maven 2.5-15X44 FFP MIL scope: https://mavenbuilt.com/collections/riflescopes/products/rs1-2-2-5-15x44-ffp?variant=42954112762027

Unknown Munitions rings: https://www.unknownmunitions.com/product/um-scope-rings/

That combo will cost you around $4000, a bit less if you are a vet and get the discount from Maven. Spend the other $1000 on ammo/components and shoot the hell out of it.

The reason I recommend the 6.5 PRC is that I am going to assume you are not a reloader, so the 6.5 PRC will give you plenty of factory options to choose from. It is more than capable of taking anything walking in W. TX, including elk, has a lot less recoil than a 300 mag or PRC, and ammo is going to be cheaper as well.

I actually do reload for rifles I hunt with regularly. I generally try out 2-3 different loads and stick with one to keep it simple. That is why I was intrigued by the 6.8 westerns ballistics compared to a 300wm since it is a short action. I am thinking a long action round will be the way to go.

 

[Longtine88]

If you reload do a 7 SAUM or 300 WSM action in your choice of action and a proof carbon barrel or benchmark 20" barrel and a suppressor. Just built a 7saum for a guy and that was his build. Shooting 175 bergers at 2,840 fps ES of 4. I shot a 5 shot .18" group at 100 yards with it and that was the 20th - 24th shot on load development. He then shot it at steel at 755 yards and printed a 3 shot group at 1.2" I was like dang good shooting man! Barreled action should t cost you more than $2,500 or so. You can have a a dang good shooting rifle for 3800 or so. Just find a gunsmith that knows what he's doing.

If factory then I'd steer away from the 7prc. It's not quite cracked up to what they make it out to be. If factory I would go find a 300 win mag in their G3 5R. Those rifles shoot for factory and they aren't that heavy. Or just a good 7mag would be great also. If factory your set on then I'd look at the Seekins line.

PM me if you have any questions.