Im at that point where I feel ive pushed a factory rifle to the best of its ability (see other thread with 800m/1000m/1 mile shots) and while I was considering sending it off for a fancy new barrel, some action work and general upgrades, I realized that they tend to not have any value beyond the original cost of the rifle, so if I ever do sell it, im basically throwing the "investment" out the window. With that, I was looking into factory rifles that can consistently outshoot my setup, and of course that tends to narrow it down to the $5,000+ ballpark. I had narrowed it down to AICS and Barrett mainly because they seem like the easiest to resell seeing as how I have an issue keeping a gun for longer than 6 months, but also the expandability with them in simple caliber changes attracts me, and may keep me from selling as I can buy another caliber for a minimal investment and swap it myself. The other reason for these two, is specifically, I want a chassis style rifle, and not a standard stock setup like McMillan, GAP etc have. I love my current MDT setup, have used AICS and barrett in the past, as well as Sako folders, and liked them all.
Where my question comes in, is being there is a SIGNIFICANT cost difference between the MRAD and AICS (almost $3,000), and on the "lower end" the Sako TRG-42 in 300 win (I took it off the list because of the cost of accessories and lack of ability to upgrade/swap barrels/etc), what am I gaining or losing with each setup? Am I missing a solid contender that offers the same chassis setup with caliber changes? The ability swap calibers isn't a make or break, but seeing as how I plan on getting a 27+ inch barrel and sending 225-230 gr bullets out at warp speed, I want something I can change myself if/when it needs a barrel, or if I decide to get back into a XL caliber (MRAD and AICS both offer an XL chassis in 300 win, so I can switch to 300 norma, 338 Lapua, or insert flavor of the month wildcat cartridge) if I ever go that route again.
Where my question comes in, is being there is a SIGNIFICANT cost difference between the MRAD and AICS (almost $3,000), and on the "lower end" the Sako TRG-42 in 300 win (I took it off the list because of the cost of accessories and lack of ability to upgrade/swap barrels/etc), what am I gaining or losing with each setup? Am I missing a solid contender that offers the same chassis setup with caliber changes? The ability swap calibers isn't a make or break, but seeing as how I plan on getting a 27+ inch barrel and sending 225-230 gr bullets out at warp speed, I want something I can change myself if/when it needs a barrel, or if I decide to get back into a XL caliber (MRAD and AICS both offer an XL chassis in 300 win, so I can switch to 300 norma, 338 Lapua, or insert flavor of the month wildcat cartridge) if I ever go that route again.
