ISO New Rifle; What To Avoid?

S

Stringbean

New member
It’s been a minute since I purchased a new rifle. I’m now shopping for a college graduation gift for my son. He’s been wanting a 6.5 Creedmoor for some time.

Some background, my son has no long range rifles, only rimfire’s, straight wall and muzzle loader. So this would be his first. He’s not wanting a dedicated bench rest or precision rifle but something he can use on paper and steel but also occasionally use for hunting.

I think he’ll get addicted to punching paper and steel but I still want to get him something light enough to carry around.

So, I’ve been overwhelmed by everything on the market. My max budget is approximately $2500 for rifle and glass both, so I’m looking at entry level.

I got burned with a Rem 700 20+ years ago and don’t care to go back to that well. I’ve been impressed with some Savages and Rugers in the past but hear less than flattering things about them now.

I’ve been looking at Bergara, Tikka and Benelli mostly.

Any suggestions on what to look at or what to avoid?
 
Yep. I won't trade my Tikkas for anything out there as far as factory rifles go. Easy to mod if you desire, and most all are extremely accurate out of the box.

Check out the Tikka website. They have a few new models out that might be of interest.

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It can get very expensive testing factory ammo in factory rifles. Premium after market barrels, chambered correctly will shoot most ammo better. 700-800 for glass leaves room for a semi custom.
 
Here are a few recent rifles that I own or have had the pleasure of spending some time with.

Savage - Don't forget they have higher end rifles too, not just the Axis models. Their new 110 Trail Hunter model looks like it may take the lead in the sub $600 range. With that said, I have two Axis heavy barrels, one in 6mm arc and another in .243win. Both will shoot under an inch.

Ruger - Ruger set the bar in "budget rifles" whenever they came out with the American line. Especially with the Predator model. Medium CHF barrels, aluminum bedding block, threaded, etc. I have a Predator 6.5cm that will shoot under and inch all day long. I did put a Timney in it. Now, I have seen some reviews of the new Gen 2's that were kind of concerning. They seem to be more picky about ammo.

Tikka - People fall in love with Tikka's super buttery smooth actions. I have a T3x Lite .223 and it's no exception. It shoots great, however it does tend to be picky about ammo. I will say that the trigger is the best factory trigger I've ever felt. It's right there with my Timney. Down side to Tikka is they seem to be a little behind in the new caliber offerings and threaded barrels.

CZ - Two of my favorite rifles right now are the two CZ Alpha 600s that I have. One in 6.5prc and the other in .308win. Again, a great trigger, CHF medium/heavy barrels, threaded. Probably the least picky of ammo of any rifles that I've ever owned. In terms of quality/accuracy/price, these are probably the best rifles I've ever owned. I only paid $420 a piece whenever CZ was having a $100 rebate.


CVA Scout - I have one in 350 Legend and it has become my go to rifle for deer. Terms of accuracy is simply awesome. It also has a Bergara barrel and a GREAT trigger.


Bergara - They have been making barrels for years. IMO they are the modern day Remington 700 plus some.


Man, the list goes on and on.



I typed all of that, but I am going to say this...

If I were you I would take him to as many gun stores as I could and have him shoulder tons of rifles and see what fits him the best and buy it. It's so hard to get a bad shooting rifle these days, I don't think you could go wrong. Hell, even the new Mossberg Patriots shoot good.

Also.... look up Whoo-Tee-Who on YouTube. He's a great guy that does tons of videos on tons of rifles. Most of his stuff is "budget friendly" stuff, but every now and then he will have a Sako or something like that.

I would also suggest maybe looking at bumping up that 6.5cm to a 6.5prc.
 
Appreciate all the great advice! I forgot to mention the Christensen Arms Mesa. I was looking at it too.

The Tikka is a strong contender, either the Compact Tactical or Lite Veil.
 
Can't go wrong with a Tikka have one in a 308 and works well.
Can say the same about my Bergara B-14 HMR in 6 creed.
 
Christensen Arms has had a lot of bad reviews and poor customer service. I have never had any experience with them personally, but before you consider them I'd have a look at some of the reviews online. FWIW.
 
My buddies have been buying Christensen arms lately like they’ve been going out of style. lol. Never owned one and don’t know if I ever will. They upgraded to them from their cheaply made Ruger American go wild 450BM’s. Don’t think they shoot any more accurate but the build quality is alot better. I know one of them had a short barreled rifle 223 version and the accuracy was horrible. He got rid of it pretty quickly. I always forget about the Bergara rifles because I haven’t bought a brand new rifle in a long, long time. I get more excited about a vintage, discontinue, used rifle lately. Only owned one Tika and I should’ve kept it. It was in 22- 250 I bought for 200 bucks. It’s back in the late 90s. I guy won it at an Unlimited banquet. It was entry-level model with a Tupperware stock. If put my hand on the front end the stock would rub against the barrel. So, if I backed the bolt out, it literally was so loose it felt like it was gonna fall out of the action. I knew I could’ve upgraded it at the time with a better stock. I was just getting into predator hunting at the time and going through calibers nonstop trying them. I remember shooting a squirrel and blowing it up like it stepped on dynamite and thought I’m never gonna say fur with that Caliber…lol. I’m sure I’d still own it If I knew back then what I know today. I wish i had it now! Always wanted a lightweight 22-250walking varmint gun..and had one! I Traded it off for a VLS 243 and never looked back. I did upgrade to a HS precision stock and a Timney trigger. It one if the most accurate, if not the the most accurate rifle, I own with hand loads. Too bad they don’t make them like they used to. If it were me, I’d rather have a better quality gun with cheaper glass. I can always upgrade the optic through my lifetime. I change optics like I change my underwear. lol. 😂
 
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Ive got a Ruger American in 6.5 and its pretty much become my go to gun for just about everything. For the price it would be hard to beat imo
 
Guess I’m cheap. I own a Ruger American topped with a Leupold in .308 and wouldn’t trade it for anything. It kills everything I’ve put in the scope out to 250yds while riding and shooting does.
I have the Predator in .308 that’s my night time gun with an iRay and suppressed. So far it’s killed everything I’ve put in the scope.
I’m shooting 165gr tipped CoreLokts.
I’m waiting on the Gen 2 (.308) to come in right now and will swap some scopes around and it will become my primary night time gun.
These are fairly cheap rifles compared to the optics that ride on top, but I have NO complaints. Decent triggers. Hold a zero year after year. Most importantly, hit exactly where I have the crosshairs and fairly lightweight with no kick.
 
I’m on the tikka and Seekins band wagon.

Tikkas more customizable for sure but there’s just something about my Seekins Havak PH2 that I can’t get enough of. Plus they’re out of Idaho and have great customer service, if that’s something you care about. Can’t go wrong with either of them.

I like Howas too but it’s Tikka and Seekins for me from here on out.
 
I would not try to get him a rifle but better to let him pick out what he wants. Your talking about two different areas of shooting and don't really seem to know which he'll lean to. If you are going to pick it out yourself I'd try to figure out which rifle might work in both places. For myself I'd get a bolt action, seems they are better prospect's for a long range project. Also probably should thing about a 24" barrel. Might be unhandy hunting in heavy cover but he can choose the cover he wants. The 24" barrel will give a bit more velocity indicating with the right bullet's more left at long range so flatter shooting. As far as brand goes, I'm very partial to Remington 700's but everybody isn't. Much as you are willing to spend though, I'd be looking for a Sako. For a scope, again, there a lot of good scope out there that work well but you don't need to spend $1000 to get one. Not knowing which way he will go, I'd suggest a decent 3-9x. When I got my 6.5x06 I envisioned shooting 500yds plus at target's. Even did it a few times! Got a 4 1/2x14 scope for it and the scope was huge! It was a Nikon and had a problem with the adjustment's so sent it back to Nikon. Well they quit selling scopes so gave me a credit for whatever else they sold. That would make me wonder about any new brand scopes again! Leupold has been around a long time and have a huge name in the scope world, I'd trust them. Bushnell also around a long time but I don't think the scopes measure up to Leupold. Number of other's fairly new compared to those two I might try but would try their top of the line first. I have a couple Vortex 2-7x and haven't got a bad thing to say about them. But for the long range stuff I'd still go 3-9x. Reason I say that is on my 6.5x06 the farthest I shot was 500 yds and the highest power I used was 8x! 8x showed up my 4" aiming point on the target really well. The Nikon had adjustable turrets and those extra lines in the reticule and turrets seemed to work well till it went down on me. My Vortex also has adjustable turrets and they also work well, really like them.

Cartridge. Boy talk about choices! I am pretty much a 6.5 fan, have the 6.5x06, 260 Rem and 6.5x57. people that talk about 6.5's and long range seem to like 140gr match bullet's. In my 6.5x06 and my 6.5x57 I use 140gr Speer hot cores is about all any more. For hunting I could go up to something like 165gr bullet's but I've shot and killed three elk with it and 140gr Hornadys and three shots! For target shooting I think Sierra makes a 140gr bullet which I tried and typical of Sierra match bullet's they were super accurate! They also make a 142gr match bullet but have never tried it. If I were to get a 6.5 strictly for match shooting I think I'd go with the 6.5 CM. It get lot's of talk but something no one seems to mention is the lesser recoil and faster twist in the Creedmore. Jim Carmichael got the 260 Rem going and what he figured about the 260 was easier to shoot long strings of ammo in long range match's. He probably might have though about faster twist too for heavier bullet's. I'd talked to Hornady about their 140gr match bullet's and they said their 140gr bullet's needed a 1-8 twist, mine have 1-9 twist's and they claimed it was to slow.

Something else about cartridges. Seems the best match bullets for long range are in 6.5, 7mm and 30 cal. Those are where I'd look and at cartridges like the 6.5 CM, 7mm-08 and 308/30-06. BTW. I speak of match bullet's and the only ones I ever used were Sierra in 224 cal and 6.5 cal. I have it in my mind that they simply can't be beat, maybe equaled but never beat!

Bottom line for me is you could get crazy spending the money and depending on which way he goes, wasted money! What ever you decide you are looking for a dual purpose rifle and you don't seem to know which purpose will prevail. Good luck.
 
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I bought a New Tikka Lite Veil in 6.5 PRC. I'm done with the 6.5 Man Bun. Its a great rifle and the PRC offers a little more punch than the CM. The Savage High Country is a very nice rifle and extremely accurate also. Prices should fall in your budget and leave some for a decent piece of glass. I'd steer away from the Axis line or the Ruger budget guns. Nothing wrong with them but a few more $$ gets you into the upper end and better quality rifles. $2500 should buy a nice quality rifle and a decent scope that will last.
 
Not sure if the Weatherby Vanguard has been mentioned, but for a $500 rifle you can't beat it.
I had one in a 240 WBY and it did 3/4 MOA easy.
Looking to add another in a 6.5-300 WBY for a lighter packing rifle for deer and elk that can get thrown around and I don't have to care to much about it.

I would also vote for a Tikka.

Not a factory rifle guy myself these days, but if I was to buy one, those are the only two I would even consider under $1K. Still leaves a lot of room for a really nice $1K piece of glass, and a lot of powder and bullets...
 
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