1st bolt gun. Savage precision elite or Christensen MRP (300 prc)

[AZIROC]

As the title says, I'm looking for my 1st bolt gun. I shoot plenty of precision AR stuff but want to go alittle further range, hence preferring to go with 300 prc.

That's being said, any reason to go with 1 over another? I've shot plenty of savage rifles but only one christensen. Both shot great.

 

[fdkay]

For that kind of money, I'd probably build my own off an Origin action.

 

[Jackomason]

No love around here for either of those around here. Long action origin or Coup De Grace (if you're willing to wait) is probably the safest way to get an awesome rifle for a decent price.

 

[AZIROC]

Yeah, I've been doing searches and it seems I picked the two more popular brands lol

I do like the seekins havak hit but don't see any in 300 prc

 

[Long Range 338]

I believe the Havak HIT is short action only. I would pick an action that you can buy prefit barrels for and push forward from there. Nothing wrong with the Mack bros action but you’ll have to send it to a smith the first time. 300 PRC is going to be somewhat hard on barrels for ELR accuracy. Not a problem, just know going in to always spin up 2 barrels at a time.

 

[Turkeytider]

Unfortunately, to get a truly objective comparison of these guns ( or any guns for that matter), you`d need input from a source very familiar with the operations and characteristics of both. Otherwise, all you get is fan boy input. I`d be surprised if anyone on SH can accommodate you with those two brands.

 

[Jackomason]

Unfortunately, to get a truly objective comparison of these guns ( or any guns for that matter), you`d need input from a source very familiar with the operations and characteristics of both. Otherwise, all you get is fan boy input. I`d be surprised if anyone on SH can accommodate you with those two brands.

Um, wut?

We are trying to help a dude avoid a crappy rifle. Why would you think we've never owned or had hands on either of these brands or rifles?

To the OP, you have money... buy something nice with that money. That's all..

 

[DocRDS]

Unless shooting beyond 1200-1500 the answer to your question is a 6.5 Creedmoor from tikka/howa/bergara.

If you MUST have a 300PRC get a barreled action and stock chassis of choice. Bighorn Origin, ARC, etc.

Badrock Southfork uses a defiance style action and 300 PRC is a bit over 3000. (Price on defiance went up)

Most factory magnums don't have barrels that can optimize big heavy bullets and squeeze velocity.

 

[NewsShooter]

Yep, you can easily make a mile with a 6.5 CM and not have as much recoil or cost of reloading. I wouldn't bother with the .300 PRC for targets unless I was shooting a mile regularly.

 

[Turkeytider]

Um, wut?

We are trying to help a dude avoid a crappy rifle. Why would you think we've never owned or had hands on either of these brands or rifles?

To the OP, you have money... buy something nice with that money. That's all..

Don`t know from the posts if anyone has, that`s the thing. The OP asked for comparisons of those two. If one or both are crappy, and someone has hands on experience with them, it would probably be helpful to him if someone would outline for him what makes them so.

 

[Whistlermd]

Why do you want the 300 PRC if you are looking to go a little bit further than an AR? I have had savage rifles, a buddy of mine has a savage rifle and they are okay for infrequent shooting. I have handled the savage at cabelas and did not care for the bolt. Couldn't dry fire it or test bolt lift but there was slop in the bolt that I didn't want to pay $2k for. I haven't had the chance to try a Christensen. When you are at that price range, building a rifle to your specs isn't that much more.

You could get an Origin action, a proof barrel, TT special and a bravo or the new MDT field chassis for around $2100-2200 new with taxes. If you decide to get something other than the 300 PRC, you can get the Seekins or even the Aero Solus if you like that.

 

[AZIROC]

Sorry for not replying earlier.

As far as distance, it would be in the 1300-1700 range.

Why 300 prc... good question. I'm wanting to get more into 30 cal stuff. I was looking at 300wm for the longest time, but I like the idea of not having to worry about the belt on the wm when reloading. I'm sure 6.5cm could do the same, but for whatever reason, I'm not wanting to get into that caliber.

Right now I really enjoy shooting my 224V and it's not a bad round even out to 1000. But I'm wanting to go further and I feel a high BC 30 cal Buller would fit the bill.

I've seen plenty of posts on here about the savages and I'm sure most are true but its usually in the "more affordable" aka sub $500, but never their higher end stuff. I never really see to many CA reviews but the 2 I've shot, with factory ammo, I was stacking 3 shot groups @ 100 yards.

 

[Long Range 338]

Sorry for not replying earlier.

As far as distance, it would be in the 1300-1700 range.

Why 300 prc... good question. I'm wanting to get more into 30 cal stuff. I was looking at 300wm for the longest time, but I like the idea of not having to worry about the belt on the wm when reloading. I'm sure 6.5cm could do the same, but for whatever reason, I'm not wanting to get into that caliber.

Right now I really enjoy shooting my 224V and it's not a bad round even out to 1000. But I'm wanting to go further and I feel a high BC 30 cal Buller would fit the bill.

I've seen plenty of posts on here about the savages and I'm sure most are true but its usually in the "more affordable" aka sub $500, but never their higher end stuff. I never really see to many CA reviews but the 2 I've shot, with factory ammo, I was stacking 3 shot groups @ 100 yards.

Savage is always a Savage and while it might shoot well it’s never going to be worth the money to invest in upgrades.

Christensen has as many haters as fanboys. It does seem their steel barrels fare better than the carbon fiber ones.

As you may have noted there is a metric ton of gear sold here as guys upgrade their equipment and change priorities. Most here are not just fanboing their favorite products but trying to offer insight into what products will serve you well and save you time and money over the long term.

Buy the best equipment you can afford, it seems expensive now but pays for itself.

 

[shoots100]

If you want to shoot now, buy a rifle in the chambering you want and shoot.
Step into the 21'st century with this rifle.
21'st Century Rifle
If you want to wait a year or who knows how long to shoot a modern version of a turn bolt rifle designed in prehistoric times, Order the parts and send it to a gunsmith for assembly.


SJC

 

[fdkay]

Sorry for not replying earlier.

As far as distance, it would be in the 1300-1700 range.

Why 300 prc... good question. I'm wanting to get more into 30 cal stuff. I was looking at 300wm for the longest time, but I like the idea of not having to worry about the belt on the wm when reloading. I'm sure 6.5cm could do the same, but for whatever reason, I'm not wanting to get into that caliber.

Right now I really enjoy shooting my 224V and it's not a bad round even out to 1000. But I'm wanting to go further and I feel a high BC 30 cal Buller would fit the bill.

I've seen plenty of posts on here about the savages and I'm sure most are true but its usually in the "more affordable" aka sub $500, but never their higher end stuff. I never really see to many CA reviews but the 2 I've shot, with factory ammo, I was stacking 3 shot groups @ 100 yards.

A good 7mm will do a better job than a .30 cal with lighter recoil and much higher bc's
A 180 eldm has a G1 bc around .796.
There are other, higher bc bullets.

 

[AZIROC]

So would you say a reg 7mm mag or something new like the 7mm pcc?

 

[Jackomason]

You'd probably be happier with a 7mm, there are a lot of great 7mm chamberings. That said, there's something about getting the caliber you want and not the one you need haha. Just know you probably won't shoot it as much.

If you want to shoot now, buy a rifle in the chambering you want and shoot.
Step into the 21'st century with this rifle.
21'st Century Rifle
If you want to wait a year or who knows how long to shoot a modern version of a turn bolt rifle designed in prehistoric times, Order the parts and send it to a gunsmith for assembly.


SJC

VIPER BARREL VISE

The Viper Barrel Vise, constructed of 6061 aluminum, features a heavy duty bottom half that is 1” thick for added strength.

www.altusshooting.com

I think you need to come into the 21st century. You don't need a gunsmith and you dont need to wait a year.

 

[DocRDS]

A magnum as a first rifle is almost universal bad idea. You do mention xp with semis but magnums find your weak spots in fundamentals. I mean if you want a 30 cal, get a 30.

But if you want something for your ranges a 6.5 PRC might also be of consideration.

7s are also a good option. Usually in this cal range people pick a bullet and find the caliber that can launch it at 2800 to 3000 fps or wherever they want.

So asking 'what 300 PRC' throws up red flags that many of us have experienced ourselves. It's us saying 'been on your path, have wasted time and money before I got smart'

I'm guessing you have preferences in semis--get those established in bolt action and then go to the big rifles

 

[st1650]

I’d go with some kind of 7mm as well if I was the OP. Easy button would be a LA (Archimedes, CDG or Origin) with a prefit and some kind of 2 stage trigger (either TT or BnA)

I know a guy who’s also just starting learning ELR. He did it the right way, got a Archimedes LA, a 30in heavy MTU 7-300 PRC and a 470 bolt face and a 6 Dasher (single feed) in a quick change setup so he can switch from the dasher to the magnum in 2min and simply record his offsets on his ballistic software. Helps build confidence, fundamentals, etc.

 

[fdkay]

So would you say a reg 7mm mag or something new like the 7mm pcc?

The 7 PRC would be the off the shelf option, as the SAAMI chamber is specifically designed around long, high bc, heavy for caliber bullets and the proper twist rates are part of the factory option. The same can be accomplished with the 7 rem mag, but requires either a reamer cut specifically for the long bullets, or throating the chamber, plus, factory options have too slow a twist for the heavies.
7 SAUM in a medium action is another option, but brass and ammo are difficult to come by.
Any time you deal with magnums, you will have short barrel life.

 

[AZIROC]

I feel my experience in semis is pretty good. That and I don't really feel like spending the $ in a 308 or 224v bolt gun. The 2 calibers I'm truely interested in is 7mm mag and 300 prc. The 300prc more so because the rifles I've shot with this caliber, was much softer shooting that I thought. To me, the 7mm hits "harder" than the 300 prc. I was looking into 300wm but after shooting 300wm and 300prc back to back, the 300prc had much more noticeable lack of recoil.

Admittingly, I will only be pushing it to a mile, maybe a hand full of times a year (if I'm even that luck) vs between 800-1200 is alittle more common. My 224v I am getting bored with because even at 1000ish yards, im hitting ipsc target head shots so regularly that I find myself pulling out the 308Aar just for the challenge. **which at 1000 is a huge challenge.

 

[HMRamateur]

I can give my experience from shooting both savage and CA. Savage are accurate, but clunky as hell. Savage was my first rifle (116 in 7RM) and I'm selling it. Between all my rifles I have had, I only liked it more than my browning (first rifle) because of the heavy ass trigger. My bergara premier, multiple tikkas and custom built off an origin have all been much more consistent and way better to operate than my Savage.

As far as christensen arms goes, my dad has the mpr with a carbon barrel. It was super picky to find a load, and the barrel lasted 1000 rounds, if that. It was the most finicky rifle I've ever touched. He replaced the barrel with a bartlein, and it's much better now, but I wouldn't even trust a CA steel barrel after that.

 

[verdugo60]

Do yourself a favor and listen to these guys, you've received some good advice.

You don't seem to want a 6.5 Creedmoor with cheap, high BC, quality factory ammo, not sure why but it's your rifle.

I would recommend a 6.5 PRC in a Seekins Havak HIT rifle. You get a little more velocity for the mid-range ELR stuff you seem intersted in but you can buy quality, cost effective factory ammo for it. Lot's of good reloading components too.

The Seekins rifle is way higher quality than the two you mentioned for not much more money. You have cheap pre-fit barrels and bolt heads straight from Seekins so you can shoot magnum short action stuff, 308 family stuff and even 223 with their small bolt. It's 90% of an Accuracy International rifle at less than half the price. Quick change barrel, accurate, quality action and an adjustable chassis that can be fit to you.

Seekins Precision Havak HIT Rifle

SCHEELS.com

www.scheels.com

Other good option would be a Long Action BigHorn Orgin action and assemble yourself, just can't buy barrels off the shelf in less common calibers. It will be a bit longer wait time to get a Pre-Fit barrel in 7PRC than buying the Seekins but that would be a great intermediate ELR round and eventually ammo will get cheaper like it did with 6.5 and 300 PRC. Add a Bix and Andy or Trigger Tech trigger, bolt into a used chassis you buy off Sniper's Hide and order a pre-fit barrel from any number of places. Straight Jacket Armory, Patriot Valley Arms, Preece Precision, Blue Mountain or a local smith to you.

 

[Long Range 338]

The 300prc more so because the rifles I've shot with this caliber, was much softer shooting that I thought. To me, the 7mm hits "harder" than the 300 prc. I was looking into 300wm but after shooting 300wm and 300prc back to back, the 300prc had much more noticeable lack of recoil.

The recoil has more to do with rifle setup and bullet weight than the actual cartridge. All things being equal the heavier bullet is going to create more recoil.

 

[NewsShooter]

If you want to shoot now, buy a rifle in the chambering you want and shoot.
Step into the 21'st century with this rifle.
21'st Century Rifle
If you want to wait a year or who knows how long to shoot a modern version of a turn bolt rifle designed in prehistoric times, Order the parts and send it to a gunsmith for assembly.


SJC

Or buy the parts and put is together yourself. And you're going to have a far better rifle at that price.

 

[AZIROC]

I guess my side question is, should I look to invest in a bolt gun or really try to stretch these 224 Valkyrie rounds? As I said above, even at 800 yards, these rounds make me look like I know wtf I'm doing. I know 800 yards isn't that far for 224v.

 

[db2000]

Do yourself a favor and listen to these guys, you've received some good advice.

You don't seem to want a 6.5 Creedmoor with cheap, high BC, quality factory ammo, not sure why but it's your rifle.

I would recommend a 6.5 PRC in a Seekins Havak HIT rifle. You get a little more velocity for the mid-range ELR stuff you seem intersted in but you can buy quality, cost effective factory ammo for it. Lot's of good reloading components too.

The Seekins rifle is way higher quality than the two you mentioned for not much more money. You have cheap pre-fit barrels and bolt heads straight from Seekins so you can shoot magnum short action stuff, 308 family stuff and even 223 with their small bolt. It's 90% of an Accuracy International rifle at less than half the price. Quick change barrel, accurate, quality action and an adjustable chassis that can be fit to you.

Seekins Precision Havak HIT Rifle

SCHEELS.com

www.scheels.com

Other good option would be a Long Action BigHorn Orgin action and assemble yourself, just can't buy barrels off the shelf in less common calibers. It will be a bit longer wait time to get a Pre-Fit barrel in 7PRC than buying the Seekins but that would be a great intermediate ELR round and eventually ammo will get cheaper like it did with 6.5 and 300 PRC. Add a Bix and Andy or Trigger Tech trigger, bolt into a used chassis you buy off Sniper's Hide and order a pre-fit barrel from any number of places. Straight Jacket Armory, Patriot Valley Arms, Preece Precision, Blue Mountain or a local smith to you.

I agree. 300 PRC will not be fun to shoot for any period of time. Brutal recoil compared to 6.5 PRC which has factory ammo readily available. I have this in MPR and really like it. I paid $1900 which isn’t bad and it’s light. I have a lot of Seekins ARs and they’re nicely built. 6.5 PRC in HAVAK would be a great choice and have other barrels/calibers to swap.

 

[shoots100]

Or buy the parts and put is together yourself. And you're going to have a far better rifle at that price.

Like this ?
.243 fluted Factory and CF, .260, .308 and 20-250 barrels assy's that can swap between either of my Impulse predators.
I've been at this game awhile and the Impulse is the perfect platform for the 21st century shooter and you don't need a vise to swap barrel assy's, just a 1/8" Allen wrench.

SJC

 

[b6graham]

Like this ?
.243 fluted Factory and CF, .260, .308 and 20-250 barrels assy's that can swap between either of my Impulse predators.
I've been at this game awhile and the Impulse is the perfect platform for the 21st century shooter and you don't need a vise to swap barrel assy's, just a 1/8" Allen wrench.

SJC

View attachment 8187165

no. not even close.

cool rifle i guess but...just no

 

[NewsShooter]

Like this ?
.243 fluted Factory and CF, .260, .308 and 20-250 barrels assy's that can swap between either of my Impulse predators.
I've been at this game awhile and the Impulse is the perfect platform for the 21st century shooter and you don't need a vise to swap barrel assy's, just a 1/8" Allen wrench.

SJC

View attachment 8187165

First two savage barrels I changed out on my counter with my hands and a wrench for the barrel nut. I still have one of my savages, very accurate, just not as nice as an Impact or even close to a tikka.

 

[Thump_rrr]

I started shooting about 13 years ago.
The first precision rifle I bought was a Savage 10BA in .308.
Being in Canada finding a good smith that can rebarrel a rifle in less than 6-12 months is nearly impossible.

For that reason I own plenty of Savages which I can rebarrel myself.

My latest build is an Ultimatum Deadline action with an IBI 1-7.5” twist in 6.5 Creedmoor.
The Ultimatum Deadline has the same barrel threads as a Savage small shank so I can replace barrels myself.

The only shortcoming of the Savage is the sloppy bolt feel. When I’m competing or even concentrating on shooting fast I never notice any sloppiness and can run the bolt as fast as anything else.