Next Rifle.....HELP!

[David W Strait]

My first thread. Been lurking for a few years. So I have decided I need (want) a 6.5 PRC. My all in budget is $2k with my first group punched in paper so I need to allow for dies and brass. Maybe a couple boxes of factory ammo.
I have full custom to bone stock and some modified bolt guns in between. I have a Browning xbolt Western hunter in 6.5cm with a vx2 4-12 with BC reticle that I love and am quite confident up to 500yds.
The scope limits the gun to that range for me. This gun was meant to be a grab and go, light weight, woods to field capable peice and it does just that so I'm not going to mess with it.
I have a Remmy based .308 in a choate stock with an 8-32 Siii on it that is great for set/known distance shooting but past 500 theres no room for error in distance and it weighs 16 lb.
I have a full custom 30-06 an old guy had built for a local match some he and older veterans dreamed up. Military action and caliber made prior to the end of ww2 and had had to have solid wood stock and original mil-spec trigger. Otherwise anything goes. Mine is a Springfield action married to a xx Douglas stainless 28" Bull barrel setting in a gorgeous piece of beavertail style cherry. It wears an OLD 6-18 Redfield that of course has no clicks to count when you adjust the poi with a coin. I have a Timney to drop in it.
Finally on the custom side I have a Savage action with an x-caliber barrel in a Boyd's adjustable stock sitting atop a Sinclair aluminum bipod in 22-250AI. It currently has a Monarch mil-dot on it. Otherwise I have more rifles than I will ever use. But most have a sentimental value.
So....I am looking for a 400-700 yard WV whitetail setup to use on our farm. I want a 10 lb "ish" gun that will be shot off a bipod. The caliber and scope are decided on. 6.5PRC Because the Creedmor impresses me with devastating kills and minimal recoil. The scope will be a Sig Sierra BDX in most likely the 6.5-20 denomination. I already have the rangefinder and like it a lot....Figure it at $700. So that leaves right at $1200 for a rifle. I was dead set on the Xbolt Max Long Range...but seeing some accuracy issues in reviews. I like what the reviews say about the Ruger Hawkeye LRT but I just am hesitant. Then theres the CA Mesa long range which is a good option. Finally the Savage line up. The Hill Country doesn't have a break or a base on it. So theres more $$$ and can you find a break to match that coyote brown coating?

So who has played with these and give their opinion and why/why not.

Thanks in advance for sharing your time and information.

 

[birdiemc]

I can only comment on the sig bdx, make sure you look through one before buying. I have 2 and I hate the reticle, way too big for my tastes...but it's just so darn cool I have decided to live with it. The glass is definitely not premium glass but is good enough for most hunting, those last seconds of legal shooting just might be out of the question...I have pretty darn good vision and I typically set my rifle down about 5-10 mins before last call anyway so its not that big of a deal to me.

 

[birdiemc]

Oh yeah, welcome to LRH. others will be along soon and overwhelm you with opinions

 

[WildRose]

Are there any of the current rifles you own that you really don't like and or don't shoot much?

If so you could start with one of them.

If you already have a decent stock you could probably rebarrel a Remington 700 but I'd definitely do a long action as bullets will just keep getting longer and heavier.

Definitely want a 1:8, maybe even 1:7.5 twist barrel as well. I'm rapidly becoming a fan of the 5R rifling both for accuracy and cleaning.

 

[CVCOBRA1]

That piece of junk 6 x 18 Redfield might be something I'd be interested in. Grew up with a couple of them.

 

[David W Strait]

Thanks for the replies.
Birdiemc which. Models do you own?
CVCOBRA I was thinking of changing that glass when I do the trigger. I am all about sentimental shooting so if you would want it, you may be able to twist my arm enough to pry it out of my hand.

 

[Canhunter35]

I think Bergara is making some 6.5prc.
Maybe check out the hmr or something?

 

[nvschütze]

I think Bergara is making some 6.5 PRC. Maybe check out the HMR or something?

A friend of mine has a Bergara B14 HMR in .308Win. It shot 0.191 MOA from 200 yards the very first time he had it on the range. The barrels on Bergaras are world-class. The actions operate quite smoothly. The HMRs go for around $1000. The Premier Series go for around $2000, and each is 'smithed by one man Bergara's US headquarters in South Carolina, I think it is.

https://www.bergara.online/us/rifles/premier/lrp-rifle/

 

[Jud96]

I would get the Savage 110 High Country in 6.5 PRC. They're around $850 and have a fluted bolt and barrel and the 6.5 PRC rifles are not only threaded but also factory equipped with a muzzle brake. It's also fully PVD coated for protection to the metal parts. The stock is their AccuStock with aluminum bedding and it features AccuFit which allows you to adjust the length of pull and cheek height on the stock. Every Savage I have been around has been a shooter and that's a lot of rifle for under $1000. I'd get a set of Hornady Dies, 100 pieces of ADG brass, some Hornady 147gr ELDs or Berger 140-156gr Elite Hunters and try to find some magnum rifle powder. I'd be trying to find some RL26, H1000, Retumbo, or IMR 7977 for it if I were you.

 

[David W Strait]

I would get the Savage 110 High Country in 6.5 PRC. They're around $850 and have a fluted bolt and barrel and the 6.5 PRC rifles are not only threaded but also factory equipped with a muzzle brake. It's also fully PVD coated for protection to the metal parts. The stock is their AccuStock with aluminum bedding and it features AccuFit which allows you to adjust the length of pull and cheek height on the stock. Every Savage I have been around has been a shooter and that's a lot of rifle for under $1000. I'd get a set of Hornady Dies, 100 pieces of ADG brass, some Hornady 147gr ELDs or Berger 140-156gr Elite Hunters and try to find some magnum rifle powder. I'd be trying to find some RL26, H1000, Retumbo, or IMR 7977 for it if I were you.

I have bullets, powder and primers....just need brass and dies. Oh, and a gun to shoot them in!!!

 

[Jud96]

I have bullets, powder and primers....just need brass and dies. Oh, and a gun to shoot them in!!!

Well I would be ordering some ADG or Gunwerks brass if you can get it. The Hornady brass is pretty good from what I've heard too. And like I said, I'd be looking hard at the Savage 110 High Country

 

[Bigeclipse]

My first thread. Been lurking for a few years. So I have decided I need (want) a 6.5 PRC. My all in budget is $2k with my first group punched in paper so I need to allow for dies and brass. Maybe a couple boxes of factory ammo.
I have full custom to bone stock and some modified bolt guns in between. I have a Browning xbolt Western hunter in 6.5cm with a vx2 4-12 with BC reticle that I love and am quite confident up to 500yds.
The scope limits the gun to that range for me. This gun was meant to be a grab and go, light weight, woods to field capable peice and it does just that so I'm not going to mess with it.
I have a Remmy based .308 in a choate stock with an 8-32 Siii on it that is great for set/known distance shooting but past 500 theres no room for error in distance and it weighs 16 lb.
I have a full custom 30-06 an old guy had built for a local match some he and older veterans dreamed up. Military action and caliber made prior to the end of ww2 and had had to have solid wood stock and original mil-spec trigger. Otherwise anything goes. Mine is a Springfield action married to a xx Douglas stainless 28" Bull barrel setting in a gorgeous piece of beavertail style cherry. It wears an OLD 6-18 Redfield that of course has no clicks to count when you adjust the poi with a coin. I have a Timney to drop in it.
Finally on the custom side I have a Savage action with an x-caliber barrel in a Boyd's adjustable stock sitting atop a Sinclair aluminum bipod in 22-250AI. It currently has a Monarch mil-dot on it. Otherwise I have more rifles than I will ever use. But most have a sentimental value.
So....I am looking for a 400-700 yard WV whitetail setup to use on our farm. I want a 10 lb "ish" gun that will be shot off a bipod. The caliber and scope are decided on. 6.5PRC Because the Creedmor impresses me with devastating kills and minimal recoil. The scope will be a Sig Sierra BDX in most likely the 6.5-20 denomination. I already have the rangefinder and like it a lot....Figure it at $700. So that leaves right at $1200 for a rifle. I was dead set on the Xbolt Max Long Range...but seeing some accuracy issues in reviews. I like what the reviews say about the Ruger Hawkeye LRT but I just am hesitant. Then theres the CA Mesa long range which is a good option. Finally the Savage line up. The Hill Country doesn't have a break or a base on it. So theres more $$$ and can you find a break to match that coyote brown coating?

So who has played with these and give their opinion and why/why not.

Thanks in advance for sharing your time and information.

I just got a Christensen arms mesa 6.5prc and it is shooting factory eldx sub .75MOA consistently. I have not worked up any loads for it since this ammo has shot fine. This has been tested with 3 different boxes of the ammo too so I know it is not just a lucky box. I really enjoy the Mesa rifle. Id buy one again. Bergara is also another rifle to look at. My buddy swears by them. He is an FFL and says everyone he has purchased for a customer has been a shooter.

 

[Bigeclipse]

Well I would be ordering some ADG or Gunwerks brass if you can get it. The Hornady brass is pretty good from what I've heard too. And like I said, I'd be looking hard at the Savage 110 High Country

I do not like savage anymore. I used to LOVE them but the last two I have purchased were shooting 1.5inch groups with dozens of different types of factory ammo. I ended up rebarreling them myself and now they shoot fantastic. The highcountry is VERY heavy for the size of the rifle. Just my two cents.

 

[David W Strait]

Keep the comments coming. I'm down to Browning, Savage, Bergara or Ruger. I will handle a CA Mesa again before its a "no" but the extra $400 may be best used in good bipod or trigger and a spare magazine, a chronograph and load development.