1000 yard 6.5 under $1000

[Brando1992]

I have been an avid pistol shooter for the past 4 years and am just getting the long range bug. I am very inexperienced when it comes to rifles and currently just shoot 223. I have a few ars and got a thompson center compass in 223 to learn on. But I am wanting to step it up a bit and pick up a 6.5 (or possibly a 308) and am making it a goal to shoot at 1000 yards this upcoming year.

I reload and will come up with a good load for whichever option I choose. Also I am not concerned with hunting with this gun, strictly precision shooting.

I am currently looking at a Howa in an american built arms gen 3 chassis with a threaded 26in barrel for $675.

Am I going to get a better deal in this price range?

Ive heard a lot of good about the ruger precision and american precision. I've also heard bergara and tikka are up there. I feel like for my purposes I will want a heavy profile barrel and I just dont feel like the tikka and bergara in my price ranges have that... I could easily be wrong. I havent devoted enough time to researching it.

I would love yalls opinion, please let me know!

Thanks
Brando

[Bfglowkey]

I purchased the Rueger Precision in 6.5 and love it. After scope it came out more like 2000 for the setup. I also purchased a Savage 12FV from Cabela's and a Rueger American Predator in 6 mm and changed the stock on both....and both shoot lights out. The Savage was for my father and put an athlon Helos scope...setup cost 1300 and the RAP with it's Athlon Argos FFP 6x24 mil scope and new stock came in at 943 and that thing is insane for what was spent. You can just as easily get the RAP in 6.5. The Savage barrel is by far heavier then the other options and can take a string shot of 15+ ( minus reload time) and not toss out any fliers. I went with A Boyd's stock and a MDT chassis after market and love them both.

[sako2]

Bfglowkey how do you like the Athlon Argos? I'm looking at buying 1 for my 22-250.

[1stmar]

I just put an argos on a savage in 223. It was cloudy out so a bit tough to compare the brightness. The sharpness was good, the parallax was spot on from 25 yds to 100. It is very feature rich for the price. It tracks remarkably well. My savage is an excellent shooter, i shot a group of 5 dead center than moved .5 mils up, down, left, right amd all shots tracked very well. Up and left were dead on. Right was a tad low and down was a tad right. Then went back to zero and right into my original group. I did aome more agressive tracking as well, about 2mil changes and it was right on. Id give the tracking an A, features an A, reticle an A, glass probably a B, aesthetics a B, flip up covers an F. Overall hard to beat for $370 especially for an ffp. Want to see the glass on a better day.

Would be a good choice for rhe op

[Road_Clam]

If your intent is 1000 yds you better go with the 6.5CM. With a 308 and a 24" bbl reaching 1000 yds consistently might be a challenge. I shot 1K a few times, and I used my 300WM , and my 243 Win , both had 26" bbls, and both had adequate velocities to reach 1K.

[jmr40]

Once you get past 500 yards 6.5 starts pulling away from 308. Around 800 to 1000 is about the practical limit for 308, the 6.5 is still at 1000 fps to around 2000 yards and going strong at a mile.

With a $1000 budget this:

http://www.tikka.fi/en-us/rifles/tik...tactical-rifle

They offer the 6.5 with both a 20" and 24" barrel. The 20" barrel will get you past 1000 yards and keep weight down some. The 24" barrel might be needed to get you out to a mile or farther.

The Ruger Predator is a $400 rifle and people are shooting it at a mile just as it comes out of the box. You could get the rifle and decent optics for $1000 then modify it over time with improvements.

Or just buy the Ruger Precision rifle if you want the stock. I don't think they are necessary.

The Tikka doesn't come with a chassis stock, but you could buy one for it. My money says that for about $900 it out shoots either Ruger, Howa, or Savage just as it comes out of the box.

[TXAZ]

The 6.5 Creedmoor is rock solid at 1000.
The Ruger Precision is a bit over your price point but probably the best value at $1300 street out there.
And I’ve seen a guy shoot a cold bore first shot and hit steel at a mile with one.

[std7mag]

First off, 1000 yards for doing what?
Ring steel, drop Bambi, PRS, F class?
All have different requirements.

I can hit steel at 1000 yards with my Ruger 77 MKII in 257 Roberts. Grand cost invested $532.
Shoot F class with a Stevens 200 in 7mm-08AI. Total investment $750.
I didn't say i do well at it. Just that i can go out and do it.

Oh, and you don't need the Creedmore. Unless your trying to do 1000 yards with the AR platform.

[craddleshooter]

Sir, you need a Tikka T3 CTR creedmoor. falls into your price range, its an excellent Long range shooter.

[Bfglowkey]

Argos and Helps are both very easant surprises for the money spent. Both IMO have all the performance or more of the Vortex PST gen 1 and at a fraction of the cost. The ARGOS is really only missing a true zero stop which the HELOS has and the glass upgrade is noticable on the HELOS. The extra 170 bucks was well spent but that ARGOS for the money is phenomenal. I still love my Night force SHV for my RPR....it just belongs on it. My father is enjoying his Savage 12FV in 6.5 and we recently got it in 308 as well. My father is a wood savant and wants to try making a classic stock for it. Casted a mold with clay for him and when he finds the right wood he is going to start his project. Back to the thread at hand:
Tikka, Bergera and Howa all shoot very nice and the Tikka or Bergera will be true out of the box comfortable to shoot ready. The RAP and others will require a new stock in my experience but will most definitely reach out to 1000 as is. Fun fact, the barrel on the RAP has nearly the exact same countor and diameter as the RPR. Chassis vs crappy plastic and the bolt are the main difference I can see so something to consider. I will again say...the RPR is a very very fun and capable out of the box option that will allow for easy AR style customization as time passes....

[Brando1992]

So to clarify, I am planning to just ring steel. Its a goal that allows me to learn the bolt action and long gun platform.

The scope I am leaning towards is the primary arms mil/mil/ffp that goes for $230.

The Tikka t3 looks like an excellent gun. As does the Bergera HMR.

Considering the overall cost of each of the following rifles how do they stack up against eachother?

Howa 26" 6.5 in chassis for $675
Savage 10 BA stealth for $750
Tikka t3x ctr for $900
Bergera HMR for $850
And lastly Im not sure I can get a RPR so RAP for $450

I still find myself leaning towards the howa due to all thats offered for the $675 pricepoint.

But I am just looking at what cane be read online.

thoughts?

Also heres a link to the howa: Howa

[taylorce1]

Howa rifles are great rifles IMO, but Id be happy with any of the rifles listed for ringing steel. You're not going to beat the price right now of $675 easily, that's the best deal on a chassis I've found.

You're weak link in your plan is the scope, for a long range scope you need a scope that will track and return to zero consistently. That's far more important than having FFP reticle or high end glass. I highly doubt a $230 scope with all those features is going to hold up.

For the kind of money you want to spend on a scope to bang steel I'd go with a SWFA Super Sniper fixed 10X42 scope with MIL/MIL adjustments. They have higher powered fixed power scopes for the same money, but with the 42mm objective lenses they become dark with a narrower field of view in my experience. The SWFA SS has enough internal adjustment to reach 1000 yards without a canted base in the 6.5 Creedmoor, but Id still use a 20 MOA base or Burris Signature Tactical rings with up to 40 MOA offset inserts to allow you to really stretch things out if you ever get the chance.

[std7mag]

Brando,
For 1000 yard shooting your signature is correct, except for the last sarcasm part.
I've watched my wife out shoot multiple people that have shown up at the range with rigs running close to $8,000 with her Rossi single shot in 243 Win ($200) with a $169 Vortex Crossfire II scope.

Why the "need" for a chassis? A good stock would serve you just as well, and open up other options.

I've owned a Howa ( first gen Vangard) worst shooting rifle i've ever owned. Was only rifle i was glad to get rid of!!

Personally, i'd get a Savage 11 VT(Dicks exclusive, i think the VF is Cabelas) in 243 Win for $400, put a 20 MOA 1 piece base and a Sightron STAC 4-20X50 ($400) on and go shooting well under budget.

[ice monkey]

OP - you might want to consider a Remington 700. With an aftermarket as rich as it is for that platform, you can build perfection as you learn what you want/need/like. Heck, you can even replace the barrel itself - on your own - with just a few tools (~$100).

Tikka and Savage have a good aftermarket too, but nothing like the 700.

[kraigwy]

I got my wife a Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5 CM, after playing with it I picked up a Ruger Amerian Predator in 6.5 CM.

I found out the RAP is ever bit as accurate as the Ruger Precision, using the same loads, but at 1/3rd the cost. I got my RAP for a hair under $400.

Its more then capable of shooting well past 1000 yards.

Check out the Youtube videos on the RAP/6.5. There is one where a gun is hitting at a mile. Since that Video came out, Hornady has developed better bullets (the 143 gr ELD-X for one).

That 143 gr pill is an excellent long range hunting round. I think the 143 is a bit over kill for antelope and deer, but since I also use it for elk, I'll stick with the one bullet idea.

On the RAP i didn have to change the rail to be able to get distance. I put a 20 MOA rail, and with this rail, my Vortex scope is at the bottom when sighted in for 100 years. I like that, I can always go back to zero without looking.

I shot a long range match more then once and ended up with my elevation knob a full revolution off. That really screws with your score.

I like to go back to zero and start all over when I have to make adjustments.

[sako2]

Thanks guys for the feedback on the Athlon scopes.

[Brando1992]

I went ahead and ordered the primary arms 4-14 mil/mil/ffp scope. The reason for this was based on the great reviews it received from military arms channels 1000 yards for $1000 build. I was able to use a coupon and get the scope for $205 which if it tracks accurately at all will be a steal.

I trust MAC and feel like this is a safe bet for a beginning build.

I couldn't just order the scope so I went ahead and purchased the Howa 1500 in 6.5 creedmoor that included the chassis system. This one cost me $675 and once it comes in an additional $10 FFL fee.

With the scope came a $25 optics planet gift card which will help out with either a sun shade for the scope, a bipod, brake or rings.

Speaking of rings my chassis will have a monolithic flat top rail and the scope objective lens is 44mm, I will also be looking for rings that include 20MOA in the rings as the monolithic rail doesnt allow for a 20 moa base.

Any suggestions? I am looking at a set of burris that seem like they may do the trick.

Also what height do yall suggest to get the scope off the rail? Would 1.25in rings do the trick?

So far in the build I have $890 invested in this build. The rings will likely take up the rest of my $1000 budget. but nonetheless do yall have any suggestions on rings, brakes and budget harris style bipods that work?

[Brando1992]

Also I feel like it is worth mentioning I dont intend on topping out at the $1000 budget as time goes I am willing to invest in it to improve my equipment, its just a good starting number and goal. lol I will eventually upgrade my glass to something a bit nicer and the scope i just ordered will likely go on my 223 bolt gun at that point.

Thank you everyone for your input!

[craddleshooter]

Congrats on your new purchase, it an amazing choice....

Talking about upgrading you glass... you would look into NF scope with zero stop, the nxs model to be precise. It was one of my very first long range and hunting scope and I must say it really made things easy plus the illuminated reticle is a must have. Good luck

[RC20]

To start with I would suggest a Savage 12FV from Cabella (its a store only though Dicks also has similar models)

Its got a low cost plastic stock (Boyds makes great stock to replace that), but it does have a 26 inch Heavy Varmint barrel (close but not quite a bull)

It has an Acu Trigget that adjusts down to 1.5 lbs, which is a decent target trigger0.

To get to 1000 you need pretty hot loads and a 6.5 CM will use up a barrel in something around 2500 rounds. So if you shoot a fair amount you will eat the throat out of a barrel.

There in is the rub, replacing a barrel on most guns takes a gun smith (or tools and knowledge)

Savage is a nut you break loose (some tools a smith can do it easily) and you can get fully cambered pre fit barrels to screw back on, lot lower cost than having a barrel ordered, thereade3d, then chambered (or finish chambered)

For hunting, you would not wear a barrel out in a lifetime.

For target shooting you can in a couple of years.

Some of the other rifles mentioned do have the Savage type nut system, Ruger Precision I believe.

The 12FV is a good platform to start with, may well be all you need. Something around $450 and some great sales at times.

Put the money into optics as noted below. I have a 35 x Nightforce and at 300 meters I find it challenging for older eyes anyway.

[precision_shooter]

You need to seriously step up your budget for optics for consistent and constant 1000 yard shooting. $1000 is a good price range and will net you my favorite factory rifle brand, Tikka. A Tikka T3x CTR in 6.5 Creed is what I shoot but mine is topped with a Burris Veracity 5-25x50 FFP. Your chosen scope will make hits at 1000, but optical clarity will be lacking compared to higher end scopes, and not sure the repeatability of the adjustments will be as accurate or consistent as on a better scope. I learned this the hard way over many years and it wound up costing me a lot more money in the long run. I started with cheap optics, then always upgrading, sell, upgrade, sell upgrade, instead of just saving for a good scope to begin with. Fought a lot of frustration and uncertainty on if the bad hits were optical or rifle related...

[m&p45acp10+1]

The Savage Model12 FV at Cabela's sounds like it would be a great fit for you. Price is under $450. Many have a $100 rebate as well. It would allow you to be able to upgrade to a better stock. Or just spend the surplus on a nicer mount, scope rings, and scope. For the scope at long range I would advise being ready to spend the $400 or more.

I own the RPR and the Savage 12 FV. Both in 6.5 Creedmoor. The savage is every bit as accurate as the Ruger is. The thing is I spent as more on the scope, rings, and mount than I did on the rifle itself. I went with the Cabela's scope that was around $399 it is very good scope. Though I will admit it is not nearly as good a scope as the Night Force on my Ruger. Granted I spent bout $1300 on that scope.

[taylorce1]

He bought the Howa ABA and Primary Arms scope, pretty much a moot point suggesting anything else right now.

[M88]

Brando congrats on your new rifle, hope it does what you want it to! Was going to mention the Weatherby Vanguard 6.5 CM with a bull barrel and good glass. I purchased mine (with so-so decent scope) for less than a grand this spring. Have only shot it at 100 yards so far though, but from what I read that rifle will do what you want with good ammo.

[RC20]

Also I feel like it is worth mentioning I dont intend on topping out at the $1000 budget as time goes I am willing to invest in it to improve my equipment, its just a good starting number and goal. lol I will eventually upgrade my glass to something a bit nicer and the scope i just ordered will likely go on my 223 bolt gun at that point.

Thank you everyone for your input!

That was pretty much my approach. I did buy the 12FV as I did not have a target rifle at that point. As noted, I did not care at all for the stock but in 6.5 is likely ok (308 and a bit harder shooting)

I have two used Cablella Alaskan scopes (made in Japan). Pretty nice glass, one 12x and the other 20x.

I found a Savage 110 BTH in 30-06 (Thumbhole Stock) got that, it had a rail so no need to add that and eventuality the Night-force Scope.

I sold other guns to pay for it. Now I have my stable of 3 I like (12FV in 308, BTH in 06 and a 7.5 Swiss I built on a low cost Savage 114 action )

With the nut system I did the barrels myself.

The Boyds stocks fit so good they needed just a bit of relief on the rear tang. I like TH but the Super Grip Target type (Prairie Hunter?) works very good as well.

The Nightforce is a lone Dot in the middle, I like that type, Ok with Cross hairs but the dot is nice.

Scopes have all moved around until kind of settled in, but you can shift and move as you want with scopes (all mine are railed and I have a QD for the 20x Alaskan)