Budget Precision Rifle Thread: 2022 edition

[Mntneer357]

Ruger Precision.

Buy a tikka and drop it on a KRG bravo chassis.

Honestly nowadays if you were serious about a precision rifle one of the 6 mm or 6.5 mm rounds is the way to go. 6.5 Creedmore is increasingly mainstream and in use by some U.S. SOF elements.

308 is now primarily used in semi auto sniper systems and as a sub caliber trainer on ranges which are not rated for the more powerful calibers military boat guns for now chambered for.

Military use aside, the ballistics of the 6 mm and 6.5 mm rounds make 308 a nonstarter unless you were sitting on thousands of rounds of free or already paid for .308.

*checks spiral notebooks*
Yup, sounds right to me.

Having set up a precision rifle myself, with advice from here, I was reasonably certain the P-F cognoscenti "school house" answer went something like this...

Rifles:
Ruger American whatever - best pick for budget conscious, while still delivering a solid platform that will punch above its weight class
Tikka CTR, Bergara B-14 HMR, Ruger Precision Rifle - all very solid performers, with a slight edge to the Tikka for smooth action. Then again, the Bergara fits into Remington footprints, which can be nice. Pick whichever you like - they'll all outshoot the nut behind the trigger

Scopes
Leupold, Vortex - folks have their favorites, but both are more than adequate for what most people will ever use them for. Slight edge to Vortex on basis of price. Athlon scopes also worth looking into. Remember, Schmidt and Bender is just German for "couldn't swing the Hensoldt"

Double-checking your stated budget, you'd be hard pressed to go wrong or be unhappy with the Ruger American Hunter + whatever Vortex glass you like. Tough as nails and more than capable of putting accurate rounds on target a serious ways off.

Best wishes in your search. Cheers!

[kwb377]

@kwb377, what cheek riser is that in your first pic?

It was on the rifle when I bought it, but I think it was this one...

https://matthewsfabrication.com/shop/


I've also used this one on a couple of rifles/shotguns...

https://victorcompanyusa.com/titan-universal-cheekrest

[DamonL]

I was going to mention the Bergara B14 as another option, but the cost is around a $1000. So it is above budget. It is the closest to the Remington 700 PSS that Ash556 has in his pictures. I shot the PSS a lot as it was my first precision rifle. It was a great value. I don't know if the PSS are still available.

The Vortex Strike Eagle is a great value for a scope because it has a lot of features that people like in a long range scope, FFP, high variable magnification, reticle, etc. I have a Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x on my rifle and like it a lot. It is the next step up from the Strike Eagle line. The PST are under a $1000 new.

I am thinking of getting a rifle to try in 6.5 creedmore. So because of this thread, I am looking at the Savage 110 tactical and the Ruger American Hunter. They seem to be a similar in price and features. The plus for the Savage is the pre-fit barrels are easy to change. If that is important to you.

I think the sweet spot for me would be the Bergara B14 HMR with a Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x.

[vcdgrips]

Way back in the day I flirted in this arena. I had an entry level heavy barrel Savage in .308 that would shoot sub MOA out to 300 (all I ever took it out to) with Fed GMM. I had a very basic Leupold VX2 3x9 in some Warne Rings. The AccuTrigger was no joke. I am not a rifleman and I am sure that the rifle would do sub MOA at 700 if I "knew" how to do my part.

I would revisit the entry level "tactical" offerings of Savage in 6.5 as I have read it shoots flatter and softer relatively speaking to the .308. If budget was really driving the train-perhaps a scope from SWFA or Vortex. I would shoot off an old backpack initially and add a bi-pod later.

I suspect that one could be quite accurate to 700 with such a set up quite easily.

Historically-Leupold was the brand that exceeded the intersection of quality/value with great QC and CS for life. Made in the USA as well.

I do not know if that is still true and Vortex certainly knows how to take care of their customers these days.

[OlongJohnson]

The lift I got several years ago from all the reading I did was that Leupold was a great, possibly the best, choice for a lightweight, zero-and-forget hunting scope, but if you wanted to do a bunch of dialing, you were better off elsewhere. I have Leupolds and Vortexes, a few other odds and ends for specialized applications.

[awp_101]

It was on the rifle when I bought it, but I think it was this one...

https://matthewsfabrication.com/shop/


I've also used this one on a couple of rifles/shotguns...

https://victorcompanyusa.com/titan-universal-cheekrest

Thanks, I wondered if it was a Matthew's Fab. They’re on my list of possibilities if I find I need a riser on my rifle.

[ccmdfd]

I do not know if that is still true and Vortex certainly knows how to take care of their customers these days.

+1 to that.

I purchased a Razor HD-LHT last year and put it on one rifle. Ended up not liking that rifle so I sold it but kept the scope.

Just put it on a new rifle, got it zeroed, then realized I had lost the zero stop ring which set the zero stop. I called up the company expecting to have to pay anywhere from 10 to 50 bucks for this thing, and after all it's my fault it's gone. I do remember having it but just misplaced it somewhere.

Nope, they said they'd ship me a new one for free. Can't beat that!

[rd62]

I was going to mention the Bergara B14 as another option, but the cost is around a $1000. So it is above budget. It is the closest to the Remington 700 PSS that Ash556 has in his pictures. I shot the PSS a lot as it was my first precision rifle. It was a great value. I don't know if the PSS are still available.

The Vortex Strike Eagle is a great value for a scope because it has a lot of features that people like in a long range scope, FFP, high variable magnification, reticle, etc. I have a Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x on my rifle and like it a lot. It is the next step up from the Strike Eagle line. The PST are under a $1000 new.

I am thinking of getting a rifle to try in 6.5 creedmore. So because of this thread, I am looking at the Savage 110 tactical and the Ruger American Hunter. They seem to be a similar in price and features. The plus for the Savage is the pre-fit barrels are easy to change. If that is important to you.

I think the sweet spot for me would be the Bergara B14 HMR with a Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x.

How's the stock on the Savage 110 Tactical? I like the idea of prefit barrels and would consider a .300Win Mag and adding a prefit 6.5CR barrel.

I've had an itch to buy/build a bolt gun both to hunt with and to take to a rifle class. I don't fancy myself a sniper but would like some formal training on reading wind, dope, etc. At some point soon I'd like a travel west to hunt for some mulies and elk and would cross utilize the rifle for that as well as target and east coast game.

[DamonL]

@fatdog has the Savage 110 Tactical. He can tell you about the stock better than me because I don't have one. I am not a hunter, just a target shooter. I think the Savage tactical would be overkill for hunting. @ASH556 did have pictures of his precision rifle being used for hunting, though.

[fatdog]

As it comes out of the box, I think this would be a terrible choice as a hunting rifle, too long, too much weight, but I guess if somebody only had to walk 100 yards to their deer stand and was not moving it could work. And yes it has lots of potential as a rebarrel or second barrel set up because of the 110 barrel paradigm.



The accustock is not nearly as capable or adjustable as any of the chasis systems, however there are a range of replaceable combs and butt plates to get LOP and your cheekweld about where you want them. I found a combination that will let me stay on the rifle comfortably.

It will group as tight as anything I can accomplish. A better shooter, especially one of the good prc competitors or benchrest guys could wring the potential out of it. I am just out having fun seeing what I can do.

How it groups, full size USPSA Steel target, 1,000 yards, Rockford Gun Club, AL, January 2021, 140gr Hornady ELD BTHP using RL18 and regular Federal primers. Very little wind that day.



I think the rifle is quite a bargain, I looked back at my receipts from early 2020 and I paid $675 plus tax for the rifle. $550 for the PST on a "last one clearance sale" at Midway, about $65 for the Warne rings and $110 for the magpul bipod, $45 for the Strike compensator......I call that precision rifle for cheap.

I obviously got a good barrel, how representative is this of the performance of most of these off the shelf Savages? Dunno...