Most accurate factory rifle for the 6.5 CM

[FEENIX]

No I didn't, I'm pretty sure I ain't gonna get one for 20 bucks, if I'm wrong I'll take a couple dozen to start.

That explains it! If you took the time to read it, then you'd know.

 

[6pakzak]

I'm going to stretch mine out this summer. It's wearing a 4-16 vortex viper pst I bought in the cabelas bargain cave for $500. When I was shooting a testing ladder at 100 yds with 140 gr eld and H4350 it put 15 rounds over 1.5 grain charge weight in about 1". Once I dialed in the load it's a solid 1/4-1/2 moa depending on my shooting skills that day. When I bought it I bought a box of Hornady 129 gr sp's. Sighted it in then put 3 rounds touching. Went out the next day and shot a nice 8 point.

Wanna beat a Savage, you better bring a pretty good gun, got my 223 shooting 1/4 inch groups, no BS, honestly I thought 1/2 inch was best it was gonna do and I was wrong, guess I'm looking for one small hole now.

 

[6pakzak]

Sorry feenix

 

[6pakzak]

BTW I haven't bought factory ammo in years, I'm not paying 50 bucks a box for 20 6.5 creedmoors and hoping they're all the same, my ammo shoots better and it's a very repeatable process, want to get the most out of your rifle, reload your own ammo.

 

[Jon Bischof]

So it's settled then! The most accurate 6.5 CM factory rifle, out of the Box, is the Sauer, the Mauser or the bargain priced TC Compass. But seriously folks, this thread highlights the new standard for factory bolt action accuracy has changed. There was a time when 2 MOA was widely accepted for a hunting rifle. But even a hundred years ago a few stubborn innovators wanted something better. Just a few short years ago it wasn't uncommon to read reviews of factory rifles that praised them for exceptional accuracy if they shot 1.5 MOA.
Now we still have folks who believe you can't get anything better than 0.5-0.75 MOA from a factory rifle, so you might as well buy a Tikka so that you have an action to build on if you need to rebarrel it to get it to shoot.
How well a factory rifle shoots depends on what factory! Remember a few decades ago when an almost forgotten company named Savage Arms got new CNC machines and forever changed the expectations for "factory rifles". Then other makers began to up their game to compete with higher levels of accuracy. Weatherby Vanguard comes to mind. Howa, Tikka, etc.
Now the norm is changing again and again there are holdouts and innovators. "That new gun with the grooves in the bore will never outshoot my old Brown Bessie!"
The guys who say the words "factory rifle" with a sneer are growing fewer in number and the holdouts are going to have pretend they don't see those less than 1/4 MOA groups from factory rifles. Oh, newsflash for those guys, conical bullets are not a fad.

 

[nealm66]

I think the accuracy has been there in factory rifles for quite a while. At least for me, i had a model 70 with the boss, thinking early 90's? It was a .5 rifle. I remember a couple vanguards back when they had the moa guarantee, easy .5 although they had more recoil it seemed than the new ones. And of course savage. I remember saying to my brother " you bought a savage?" Well, we now know, they're not pretty but even the older ones were capable. Probably plenty of others that had it in them that I'm forgetting. Still, I definitely think the old 1 moa is becoming .5 for quite a few folks.

 

[Jon Bischof]

I think the accuracy has been there in factory rifles for quite a while. At least for me, i had a model 70 with the boss, thinking early 90's? It was a .5 rifle. I remember a couple vanguards back when they had the moa guarantee, easy .5 although they had more recoil it seemed than the new ones. And of course savage. I remember saying to my brother " you bought a savage?" Well, we now know, they're not pretty but even the older ones were capable. Probably plenty of others that had it in them that I'm forgetting. Still, I definitely think the old 1 moa is becoming .5 for quite a few folks.

Why settle for 0.5 MOA? I have 2 out of the box Creedmoors that shoot less than .5 MOA. Groups at 200 you can hide under a dime. 300 yard groups under a quarter. This is the "change" in factory rifles I am talking about. No need to measure anymore, I just use coins because it is quick, easy and tells me all I want to know. Someone else can do the math if they want to.

 

[nealm66]

I hear you. I just finished tuning an old savage 111 6.5-284 and was inside one of those 2" orange stickers at 500 meters but it's had some modifications to it. Probably hard to believe unless you're there but it took some work getting it to that point. Will be shooting it in a 600 competition hunter class on the 23rd. Has to be factory except the stock and none of the higher priced rifles like CA etc. those go in the custom class. I shoot a couple rifles in the custom class. Ones a bone stock CA Mesa LR 300 prc. Really a cool match and you get to see some really good shooting

 

[Jon Bischof]

I hear you. I just finished tuning an old savage 111 6.5-284 and was inside one of those 2" orange stickers at 500 meters but it's had some modifications to it. Probably hard to believe unless you're there but it took some work getting it to that point. Will be shooting it in a 600 competition hunter class on the 23rd. Has to be factory except the stock and none of the higher priced rifles like CA etc. those go in the custom class. I shoot a couple rifles in the custom class. Ones a bone stock CA Mesa LR 300 prc. Really a cool match and you get to see some really good shooting

I believe you. Not as astounding as your Savage, but my Win 70 Featherweight shoots 0.72" groups @ 200 yards, repeatedly for years now. I did modify it. Had my gunsmith cut a new recessed target crown and Acraglass bedding. I shot and ground the bedding until I got the first 0.72" group at 200. And it has been shooting like that every year since then.

That being said, and as much as I love that rifle, I will probably never buy another Winchester 70 again because now there are much better "factory rifles" being made. You just have to know which factory is making the best. Why should I settle for 1/3 MOA after working on a rifle to get it to shoot 1/3 MOA when I can and have bought new rifles that shoot better out of the box?

 

[Nomosendero]

Jon, is there a store in our part of the country where you can look at a Sauer or Mauser? Did you buy yours at a local GS ?
I am thinking about the Mauser Savanna (not that it would shoot better) because of the threaded barrel and in the 6.5PRC would have a 22" instead of 24", great for suppressed.
The 22" PRC would still be a good deal faster (or should be) than a 24" CM. But I would like to see one first.

 

[Jon Bischof]

Jon, is there a store in our part of the country where you can look at a Sauer or Mauser? Did you buy yours at a local GS ?
I am thinking about the Mauser Savanna (not that it would shoot better) because of the threaded barrel and in the 6.5PRC would have a 22" instead of 24", great for suppressed.
The 22" PRC would still be a good deal faster (or should be) than a 24" CM. But I would like to see one first.

Private Message coming your way.

 

[Jon Bischof]

Private Message coming your way.

Here's a picture of mine if that helps.

 

[Nomosendero]

Thanks

 

[6pakzak]

So it's settled then! The most accurate 6.5 CM factory rifle, out of the Box, is the Sauer, the Mauser or the bargain priced TC Compass. But seriously folks, this thread highlights the new standard for factory bolt action accuracy has changed. There was a time when 2 MOA was widely accepted for a hunting rifle. But even a hundred years ago a few stubborn innovators wanted something better. Just a few short years ago it wasn't uncommon to read reviews of factory rifles that praised them for exceptional accuracy if they shot 1.5 MOA.
Now we still have folks who believe you can't get anything better than 0.5-0.75 MOA from a factory rifle, so you might as well buy a Tikka so that you have an action to build on if you need to rebarrel it to get it to shoot.
How well a factory rifle shoots depends on what factory! Remember a few decades ago when an almost forgotten company named Savage Arms got new CNC machines and forever changed the expectations for "factory rifles". Then other makers began to up their game to compete with higher levels of accuracy. Weatherby Vanguard comes to mind. Howa, Tikka, etc.
Now the norm is changing again and again there are holdouts and innovators. "That new gun with the grooves in the bore will never outshoot my old Brown Bessie!"
The guys who say the words "factory rifle" with a sneer are growing fewer in number and the holdouts are going to have pretend they don't see those less than 1/4 MOA groups from factory rifles. Oh, newsflash for those guys, conical bullets are not a fad.

I won't keep a rifle unless it can shoot under 1 inch all the time, I really hated trading in that browning xbolt but it just wasn't doing it, I'm sure most shoot great and mine was probably an exception but after 250 reloads I had enough.