2K to 3K Budget Rifle Seekins, Tikka, Solus, MPA

Natetron

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Minuteman
Jan 7, 2024
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30
Minnesota
So I am looking at getting my first long range rifle. I have been researching and every time I think I know what I want, I start looking at something different. Seems they also keep on getting a little more expensive LOL. I want to keep it close to 2K, but may think about waiting a little longer and go up to the 3k mark. Problem is every time I do that it seems like it just goes up more. I already got my glass, I got a Vortex Razor Gen3 so will be good there now. I also should mention I am going with 6.5 creedmore and I don't reload.

At first I had it down to between the Solus and the Tikka. I then was looking at the Seekins Hit and thought I was sold, until I start looking at the MPA. I want to go Arca so if I put a Arca on the HIT it is getting closer to the MPA BA PMR rifle. I also looked at the MPA Matrix Pro and at 3K I really like the looks of the frame on the Matrix Pro. My main issue with the HIT was I played with the action on one at Scheels, and felt like it wasn't super smooth.

I also know that Shot show is going on this week, I haven't had the time to really see what is coming out, but would like to hear if there is anything new coming out that maybe I should wait for. I am a little excited to get a rifle, and a little ansy, but in all honestly am not in a super hurry and can wait. Not going to shoot outdoors in the winter anyways.

Side note on me, I want to learn on to shoot long range. I have never shot long range and also will more then likely be for fun and going to a range and target shoot. I don't plan on competing. As much fun as I think that would be I am a busy person and live fairly far from long distance ranges. I do like quality and cool guns so even though I probably won't shoot long range like some, I still want something on the nicer side. I don't hunt, but may try going out to SD to do some prairie dog hunting or something.
 
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When you build your own gun do you have to have a gun smith do anything to match the action to the barrel?

Short answer is no.

They can spin up the barrel, ship it to your door. From there you just screw it on the action and torque it on. This requires a couple of tools: barrel vice, torque wrench and action wrench.

You could also buy the action from the gunsmith, and have them spin up the barrel and ship it to you (your FFL) assembled. Or purchase an action from whoever has it available, and have the action drop shipped to your gunsmith.
 
Solus over any of those. The Solus is basically a custom action at a factory rifle price. It's not as smooth as some other actions that cost $1,000+, but it's a hell of a lot better than any factory production action, and a hell of a lot stronger, too. It's CNC machined from a solid chunk of 416r stainless. It's a pretty chonky action, and is 2 lbs. 4oz. by itself (stripped) according to my scale. Guaranteed the tolerances are better than any factory action out there, too.

Buy a Solus action, order a Zermatt Origin shouldered prefit barrel, get a Solus action wrench, a torque wrench, and a barrel vise, and you got yourself a custom rifle that you built (assembled) yourself. And you can always swap calibers back and forth easily with several shouldered prefit barrels chambered in cartridges that all use that same diameter bolt head. For example, .308 Win & all the Creedmoor cases use the same bolt face, .260 Rem, etc... Anything short-action that uses a .478" bolt face. Simply chuck the barrel up in the vise, pop the action loose from the barrel, screw on a new barrel with some anti-seize on the threads, and then torque it to spec, and you have a whole new rifle to play with. Simple as that.
 
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Hell, you can buy a Remingtin action and get a Remage barrel for it and make it look like an upscale Savage now adays.

I did two Remingtin's that way and now I am building a Solus action with a shoulder pre-fit barrel that I can install may self. Just need an action, torque wrench and a barrel vice.
 
Here's a suggestion:

ARC CDG Action: $899
Barrel: ~$700
KRG Bravo Chassis: $400
Trigger of choice: $200
Atlas Bipod: $230

Just a hair over $2400. You could probably save a hundred or two by shopping smartly.

✅
That's what I'm doing.
Only difference is the chassis.


Playing the waiting game now for everything to arrive.

Have yet to buy the scope & rings.
Waiting to see what my budget is going to be after tax refund & annual performance bonus at work measure up to be.

Fingers crossed there'll be primo glass monies....if not, I'm gonna dig 'em up from somewhere.




giphy-87.gif
 
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My next rifle will be a HIT PRO…

The rifles coming out of Seekins are top tier and there’s just something nice about turn key stuff you don’t have to fuck with or worry about from a company that has the best CS in the industry if something does go wrong.

The only other thing on your list I’d buy is a MPA. Other than that I’d build something as others suggested but I can tell you with absolute certainty that you’re not putting together an equal quality rifle on a Origin or Solus or any other action with a quality folding chassis, a TT diamond and arca all ready to go for what you can buy a hit pro that has all of that plus a quick change barrel system and tool less bolt disassembly for.
 
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My next rifle will be a HIT PRO…

The rifles coming out of Seekins are top tier and there’s just something nice about turn key stuff you don’t have to fuck with or worry about from a company that has the best CS in the industry if something does go wrong.

The only other thing on your list I’d buy is a MPA. Other than that I’d build something as others suggested but I can tell you with absolute certainty that you’re not putting together an equal quality rifle on a Origin or Solus or any other action with a quality folding chassis, a TT diamond and arca all ready to go for what you can buy a hit pro that has all of that plus a quick change barrel system and tool less bolt disassembly for.
The magazines binding the bolt on the HIT rifles is what steered me clear of them. It seems like any pressure on the magazine jams the bolt. I haven’t first hand experience but seen it in videos and read it in a thread.
 
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My next rifle will be a HIT PRO…

The rifles coming out of Seekins are top tier and there’s just something nice about turn key stuff you don’t have to fuck with or worry about from a company that has the best CS in the industry if something does go wrong.

The only other thing on your list I’d buy is a MPA. Other than that I’d build something as others suggested but I can tell you with absolute certainty that you’re not putting together an equal quality rifle on a Origin or Solus or any other action with a quality folding chassis, a TT diamond and arca all ready to go for what you can buy a hit pro that has all of that plus a quick change barrel system and tool less bolt disassembly for.
Do you think the MPA is better then the HIT
 
Solus over any of those. The Solus is basically a custom action at a factory rifle price.
So you like the Solus action, not should go with a different barrel. Part of the reason why I don't want to build, is I am not real familiar with what barrels and actions you should use when doing custom.

If buying used not real sure what bullet count is to high. Like a AR 1000 rounds is nothing but these rifles the barrel is close to the end of its life correct? Not sure a actions.
 
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If $3K is your max and you don’t want to build, an MPA or a GAPrecision PPR are the only way to go. Lots of folks recommend building your own. Not a bad idea, so the choice is yours. Still for rifles under $3000, hard to beat the two mentioned. I shoot MPA, but am all but dying to get my hands on a PPR.

Now, for my standard advice. Don’t, DON’T buy anything just yet. Get yourself enrolled in a Precision Rifle Class. There you will find out what you need, what you don’t need, what works for you and what you like. Best part, is getting started right, at the start, you will save lots of bucks in the long run. Otherwise, you will likely spend lots of money on ”stuff” that sits in the back of your safe or closet gathering dust, money that could have been spent on better equipment.

Make sure the class you sign up for offers loaner rifles. Robert Brantley @RobertB is a fine instructor, he works in the Mississippi/Georgia area. (Lives in Louisiana :D ). K&M in Tennessee are two places and there are many more spread throughout the country. Our own @Lowlight is one of the very best but not sure if his classes offer loaner rifles. (Frank, Correct me if I am wrong)

Anyway, it’s a long road, and its always great to start out with your eyes open and your wallet closed till you are sure.
 
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If $3K is your max and you don’t want to build, an MPA or a GAPrecision PPR are the only way to go. Lots of folks recommend building your own. Not a bad idea, so the choice is yours. Still for rifles under $3000, hard to beat the two mentioned. I shoot MPA, but am all but dying to get my hands on a PPR.

Now, for my standard advice. Don’t, DON’T buy anything just yet. Get yourself enrolled in a Precision Rifle Class. There you will find out what you need, what you don’t need, what works for you and what you like. Best part, is getting started right, at the start, you will save lots of bucks in the long run. Otherwise, you will likely spend lots of money on ”stuff” that sits in the back of your safe or closet gathering dust, money that could have been spent on better equipment.

Make sure the class you sign up for offers loaner rifles. Robert Brantley @RobertB is a fine instructor, he works in the Mississippi/Georgia area. (Lives in Louisiana :D ). K&M in Tennessee are two places and there are many more spread throughout the country. Our own @Lowlight is one of the very best but not sure if his classes offer loaner rifles. (Frank, Correct me if I am wrong)

Anyway, it’s a long road, and its always great to start out with your eyes open and your wallet closed till you are sure.
Yea thought about taking a class and then getting a rifle, but also kinda want to have a rifle and then take a class to learn on my rifle. But will think about doing that.

I have heard people talk about GAP in that price range but when I go to their website everything there is like 5k+
 
Not reloading is missing out on more than half the experience IMHO. Starting with a projectile and desired velocity leads to cartridge selection and chamber specs, barrel twist, coal considerations, and on down the line. Definitely try to shoot someone else's rifles - decide how far the rabbit hole you want to go, and then buy stuff. If I had to shoot a factory rifle and box ammo, I would be bored out of the sport.
 
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Yea thought about taking a class and then getting a rifle, but also kinda want to have a rifle and then take a class to learn on my rifle. But will think about doing that.

I have heard people talk about GAP in that price range but when I go to their website everything there is like 5k+
The PPR is a production class rifle. They typically make about a hundred a year and release them not long after the start of the year. If you are interested, give them a call. This might not be a great week to reach them as many are at the Shot Show., but still call them. if you want one, get on the list.

The PPR is a production class rifle and by the rule, has to cost less than $3000, and they have to build a certain number which I believe is 100.
 
Not reloading is missing out on more than half the experience IMHO. Starting with a projectile and desired velocity leads to cartridge selection and chamber specs, barrel twist, coal considerations, and on down the line. Definitely try to shoot someone else's rifles - decide how far the rabbit hole you want to go, and then buy stuff. If I had to shoot a factory rifle and box ammo, I would be bored out of the sport.
Well I don't reload now. Some day I wouldn't mind to get into it but have heard that can be a whole new rabbit hole.
 
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Well I don't reload now. Some day I wouldn't mind to get into it but have heard that can be a whole new rabbit hole.

If you are the type to really enjoy long range shooting, you will get into every little aspect that could help your first round and overall hit % at further and further distances. I used to drive 2 hrs to get to my spot, hike an hour to set targets, and sometimes only shoot 10-20 rounds. It's a huge multi-variable equation, and the further out you get, the higher the coefficients on each variable required to solve. If this appeals to you, I expect you'll be buying reloading equipment after your 3rd trip out to 1K yards :D
 
The magazines binding the bolt on the HIT rifles is what steered me clear of them. It seems like any pressure on the magazine jams the bolt. I haven’t first hand experience but seen it in videos and read it in a thread.

I don’t believe everything I read on the internet, hardly any of it actually. Got a link? I know a couple people with them and I’m sure they’d mention it if it were a problem they’d experienced. My PH2 doesn’t bind with magazine pressure though.

There’s a shop here with a few of them in stock that I’ll be driving by today so I’ll stop in and see if they do it.

Edit: I searched the bowels of google because I was generally curious, the only thing I can find mentioning the bolt binding from magazine pressure is yours in the HIT thread asking about it and nobody even responded. Not sure if you’re just trying to spread rumors or what but if this is an issue I have not heard of it and others aren’t talking about it. Some have mentioned the bolt binding when cycling the action but that’s the nature of the beast with a full bodied bolt diameter and a straight handle if you run it like a retard. You can bind up anything if you run it stupid, I can even bind my impact if I put sideways or downward pressure on it.


Do you think the MPA is better then the HIT

To me no, if I did it would be on my radar instead. They’re certainly not bad rifles and it would be my second choice out of the ones on your list. If you prefer it though there’s nothing wrong with it but for my uses I was the QC barrel and bolt heads so I can easily shoot 223, 6 ARC, and Creed out of the same rifle.
 
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I don’t believe everything I read on the internet, hardly any of it actually. Got a link? I know a couple people with them and I’m sure they’d mention it if it were a problem they’d experienced. My PH2 doesn’t bind with magazine pressure though.

There’s a shop here with a few of them in stock that I’ll be driving by today so I’ll stop in and see if they do it.



To me no, if I did it would be on my radar instead. They’re certainly not bad rifles and it would be my second choice out of the ones on your list. If you prefer it though there’s nothing wrong with it but for my uses I was the QC barrel and bolt heads so I can easily shoot 223, 6 ARC, and Creed out of the same rifle.
The one thing I have seen in a few videos is when you put the mag in, you have to pull down on it. Do you need to do that on yours? Might be something that they have fixed or maybe there is a fix or adjustment for it.
 
The one thing I have seen in a few videos is when you put the mag in, you have to pull down on it. Do you need to do that on yours? Might be something that they have fixed or maybe there is a fix or adjustment for it.

I don’t have a Hit yet, but I’ve got a PH2 and no I haven’t had to pull the magazine down. Pretty sure the mag cuts and everything are the same between the actions. Do you have a link to these videos?

I’ll swing by the store and bring a few different mags with me and see if they do it.
 
Of course we loan rifles

I have the very nice SH Rifles from APO - 6.5, 308, plus I have recently loaned a KAC EMC, an AI ee
Welpt then, put me down fer that 22 Valkery bolt gun of yours. I'll need to borrow yo dies ,too........oh about fifty rounds of brass also. What bullet is recommended ,so I can have some on hand.(y)
 
Not reloading is missing out on more than half the experience IMHO. Starting with a projectile and desired velocity leads to cartridge selection and chamber specs, barrel twist, coal considerations, and on down the line. Definitely try to shoot someone else's rifles - decide how far the rabbit hole you want to go, and then buy stuff. If I had to shoot a factory rifle and box ammo, I would be bored out of the sport.

Reloading is the logical conclusion to this hobby, but not necessarily the starting point.
 
I spent the better part of a half hour messing with 3 rifles (2 308’s, 1 6.5 creed) which had magpuls in two of them and a polymer MDT in one and I brought a metal MDT 10rd, the polymer MDT 5rd that came with my PH2, and a AI AICS 10rd. I couldn’t get the bolt to bind from magazine pressure with any magazine and I couldn’t get one to over insert. I didn’t try to beat the metal mags in because I didn’t want to possibly mar up a rifle someone is going to buy but I smacked them pretty good and put pressure on all of them from the bottom and from the front like if you were pushing it into a bag. The mags seemed to seat on the chassis or action. Even resting the full weight of the rifle on the mag the bolts ran exactly as it should. With one of the magpul mags I was able to feel it touching a little as I lifted the bolt handle but I couldn’t make it bind lifting the bolt or running it back and forth.

I don’t know if people are retarded or if Seekins changed something but I couldn’t replicate what the other guy is claiming on 3 different rifles with 4 different types of AICS mags. Hopefully this clears up any confusion though.
 
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I spent the better part of a half hour messing with 3 rifles (2 308’s, 1 6.5 creed) which had magpuls in two of them and a polymer MDT in one and I brought a metal MDT 10rd, the polymer MDT 5rd that came with my PH2, and a AI AICS 10rd. I couldn’t get the bolt to bind from magazine pressure with any magazine and I couldn’t get one to over insert. I didn’t try to beat the metal mags in because I didn’t want to possibly mar up a rifle someone is going to buy but I smacked them pretty good and put pressure on all of them from the bottom and from the front like if you were pushing it into a bag. The mags seemed to seat on the chassis or action. Even resting the full weight of the rifle on the mag the bolts ran exactly as it should. With one of the magpul mags I was able to feel it touching a little as I lifted the bolt handle but I couldn’t make it bind lifting the bolt or running it back and forth.

I don’t know if people are retarded or if Seekins changed something but I couldn’t replicate what the other guy is claiming on 3 different rifles with 4 different types of AICS mags. Hopefully this clears up any confusion though.
Glad to hear that. Might have been something they fixed.
 
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So I am really starting to lean towards the Matrix Pro. Just something about the styling on it. I know some have said to build my own.

So if I decided to go with the Matrix Pro Chassis would I get a better rifle for the same money if I did my own barrel,action and trigger. Or would I be best to go with a full Matrix pro rifle.

If better to do my own, can I get recommendations on barrels, actions and triggers and maybe how they would compare to what would come on the complete rife.

I am thinking if I do build my self then I can just buy a piece here and there maybe watch forums.
 
So I am really starting to lean towards the Matrix Pro. Just something about the styling on it. I know some have said to build my own.

So if I decided to go with the Matrix Pro Chassis would I get a better rifle for the same money if I did my own barrel,action and trigger. Or would I be best to go with a full Matrix pro rifle.

If better to do my own, can I get recommendations on barrels, actions and triggers and maybe how they would compare to what would come on the complete rife.

I am thinking if I do build my self then I can just buy a piece here and there maybe watch forums.

I love the Matrix Pro and have 3 that I've assembled. From what I understand MPA is using the ARC CDG action in their full builds now, so not much difference between that and the recipe below. Here's the formula I would use....

MPA Matrix Pro
Zermatt Origin (the Aero Solus and ARC CDG are other good options)
Cut rifled prefit barrel (Bartlein, Krieger, Benchmark, etc) in a shouldered or nut style from SPR, PVA or other reputable gunsmith
Triggertech Diamond
Optic of your choice
 
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I spent the better part of a half hour messing with 3 rifles (2 308’s, 1 6.5 creed) which had magpuls in two of them and a polymer MDT in one and I brought a metal MDT 10rd, the polymer MDT 5rd that came with my PH2, and a AI AICS 10rd. I couldn’t get the bolt to bind from magazine pressure with any magazine and I couldn’t get one to over insert. I didn’t try to beat the metal mags in because I didn’t want to possibly mar up a rifle someone is going to buy but I smacked them pretty good and put pressure on all of them from the bottom and from the front like if you were pushing it into a bag. The mags seemed to seat on the chassis or action. Even resting the full weight of the rifle on the mag the bolts ran exactly as it should. With one of the magpul mags I was able to feel it touching a little as I lifted the bolt handle but I couldn’t make it bind lifting the bolt or running it back and forth.

I don’t know if people are retarded or if Seekins changed something but I couldn’t replicate what the other guy is claiming on 3 different rifles with 4 different types of AICS mags. Hopefully this clears up any confusion though.

I'm pretty interested in the HIT as well. One of the YouTube channels I found when I was searching for HIT videos was Rob's Reloading. He's had a HIT for a while now with 6.5CM, 6CM, 6GT, and 6BRA barrels.

Either his rifle is the anomaly, or he just can't run a bolt gun (probably a combo of a little bit of both). But his rifle has fed like crap in just about every video of every cartridge. He's had different magazines, shot off a bag, bipod, etc...

He put a video up of his 6GT's average group size over like 50 groups during load development, and his factory 6GT barrel from Seekins is damn impressive.

But that feeding though...😄

I'm still tempted to get a HIT Pro in another year or two for my girls. The fact that it will be 1/3 the price of an AT-XC with my EO discount makes it a no-brainer.
 
Short answer is no.

They can spin up the barrel, ship it to your door. From there you just screw it on the action and torque it on. This requires a couple of tools: barrel vice, torque wrench and action wrench.

You could also buy the action from the gunsmith, and have them spin up the barrel and ship it to you (your FFL) assembled. Or purchase an action from whoever has it available, and have the action drop shipped to your gunsmith.
Please explain to the noob OP that what your talking about is only possible with certain aftermarket (they're not really custom) actions due to the very high level of dimensional consistency maintained by their manufacturers on the features that comprise headspace.
 
I'm pretty interested in the HIT as well. One of the YouTube channels I found when I was searching for HIT videos was Rob's Reloading. He's had a HIT for a while now with 6.5CM, 6CM, 6GT, and 6BRA barrels.

Either his rifle is the anomaly, or he just can't run a bolt gun (probably a combo of a little bit of both). But his rifle has fed like crap in just about every video of every cartridge. He's had different magazines, shot off a bag, bipod, etc...

He put a video up of his 6GT's average group size over like 50 groups during load development, and his factory 6GT barrel from Seekins is damn impressive.

But that feeding though...😄

I'm still tempted to get a HIT Pro in another year or two for my girls. The fact that it will be 1/3 the price of an AT-XC with my EO discount makes it a no-brainer.

I just looked up this guys channel and skimmed through some of his videos, I’ve seen some of his stuff before and he doesn’t seem like a total dud.

It’s worth noting though that the feeding issues he says he’s been having is with an aftermarket 6BRA barrel and it sounds like he may have even chambered himself. It’s extremely common to have feeding issues with 6BR based cartridges in any action (I’ve seen it first hand in almost every aftermarket action) and that they often need tuning on the mags. Add in the fact that he didn’t put enough chamfer on the chamber… yeah, that’s not the rifles fault.

 
OP, take a class, choose and buy rifle/optic/bipod/rear bag/1000 rounds factory ammo and apply the lessons. Take good notes, pay attention to detail-fundamentals, fundamentals. Save brass and decide later if reloading is something you want to take on.

By the time you do the above, you should have a grasp on everything and know if you enjoy it enough to stay in the game.

All I can say is decide what you want the gun to do and pick the best option. Avoid the attempt to have a "do all" rifle.
 
I just looked up this guys channel and skimmed through some of his videos, I’ve seen some of his stuff before and he doesn’t seem like a total dud.

It’s worth noting though that the feeding issues he says he’s been having is with an aftermarket 6BRA barrel and it sounds like he may have even chambered himself. It’s extremely common to have feeding issues with 6BR based cartridges in any action (I’ve seen it first hand in almost every aftermarket action) and that they often need tuning on the mags. Add in the fact that he didn’t put enough chamfer on the chamber… yeah, that’s not the rifles fault.




He had a lot of problems with the 6GT and 6CM as well. Not that he couldn't get them to feed...but about every 2-3rd round would hang up a bit and he'd have to cycle the bolt back a little and try again.

Definitely not a total dud channel, but not my favorite.
 
Eurooptic has the 24” stainless Tikka CTR in 6.5cm on sale for $999. And tikka has a $75 rebate until Jan 31st. A stainless CTR for 925 is by far the cheapest I’ve ever seen them. Sell the original stock and drop it in a manners, KRG, etc, chassis and you’re set.
+1 The CTR/KRG Bravo would be my choice for starting out and has been the "easy button" for years. The Tikka will hold it's value if you think you need to upgrade later.

Watching the px would be good also, used customs go much cheaper than the initial investment.
 
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. Sell the original stock and drop it in a manners, KRG, etc, chassis and you’re set.
Not a bad idea at all. I have a disgusting amount of bolt guns in all different calibers and configurations, and my old school Tikka CTR in an MDT chassis is still one of the best shooting, best feeding, smoothest, rifles I have. I replaced the crappy bolt knob they have too and I love that gun. Extremely accurate as well and shoot most everything sub moa at all ranges.
But that feeding though...
For your purposes, a rifle that doesn't feed is going to end up in the scrapyard. I do like shooting hogs with bolt guns, really helps you practice your technique and stay on target while manipulating the bolt.
 
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For your purposes, a rifle that doesn't feed is going to end up in the scrapyard. I do like shooting hogs with bolt guns, really helps you practice your technique and stay on target while manipulating the bolt.

I've got enough other rifles that I do enjoy that don't give me issues for sure. I'm still interested in the HIT Pro though for the wife and kids (this is where I keep forgetting that I already have several rifles "for them").

My "technique" is not far from Jesse Ventura in Predator. I just spray and pray and hope that I don't look like too much of an ass. I guess I could edit out all the misses, but that wouldn't be an honest representation of my piss-poor shooting skills. :D
 
Just as long as you aren't a....

My Tikka I mentioned above became my daughters and wifes gun. I have the MDT LSS Xl chassis and put a Luth buttstock on it. Pretty cost effective solution and really adjustable.
 
Seekins HIT with the diffent quick change barrel options would be a pretty great starter rifle. Want to shoot 223 or a magnum like 6.5 PRC? swap to different bolt/barrel/mag. Done.

Tikka CTR in 6.5 Creedmoor is another great option. Accurate but slow barrels out of the box. The 10 round mags feed well until they don't. Sucks to figure out in the middle of a stage.