Entry Long Range Hunting Rifle

[Edub33]

Hey folks -

I’d like to get some input on an entry level LR hunting rig. Leaning towards an R700 Gen2 or a Seekins Havak PH2 in 6.5CM. Primarily South Texas so the weather could be -10 degrees at 9am and 105 at noon...sarcasm, but you get the point. This rig would mostly be used to take a crack at a steel plate, coyote, or hog at long distances. Probably wouldn't feel good about taking a trophy WT past a couple hundred yards (yet). Someday it'll be hauled around for Elk/Mulie hunts, but not any time soon. Slowly piecing together reloading supplies, but definitely would not call myself a reloader at this time.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[Flightmurse]

What is your budget? A savage, ruger precision rifle, tikka t3x tac a1, etc. would all work well. If you have more to spend there are several rifles designed for prs production division that would make great starting points.

 

[Gustav7]

Whats your budget? Where are you hunting? How much walking will you be doing?

 

[Newbie2020]

My Havak shoots half moa W ELDMs and has a sweet trigger. My friends Havak 6.5prc PH2 and Havak Bravo also both Consistently shoot Half moa w match ammo

 

[spife7980]

I don’t know if seeking has any discount coupons out there still but if you can get 30-50% off a havak I would do that every day

 

[Newbie2020]

Find me one too. I’m a believer.

 

[Edub33]

What is your budget? A savage, ruger precision rifle, tikka t3x tac a1, etc. would all work well. If you have more to spend there are several rifles designed for prs production division that would make great starting points.

I’d like to stay under $2k for the rifle. Figure out the glass a little later.

 

[Edub33]

I don’t know if seeking has any discount coupons out there still but if you can get 30-50% off a havak I would do that every day

Thanks. I’d love to get my hands on one. Where can you find them?

 

[Gustav7]

I’d like to stay under $2k for the rifle. Figure out the glass a little later.

Well for that you could just build on a custom action ... I posted this in another thread somewhere but....

1.) Bighorn Origin - $825
2.) Northland Prefit - ~$350-400
3.) TriggerTech Special - $175 (on sale now)
4.) KRG Bravo or X-Ray - $450

Total - $1800

Or get a factory Tikka and buy a bunch of ammo lol

 

[spife7980]

Thanks. I’d love to get my hands on one. Where can you find them?

The exchange section at the bottom of the main forum list has stuff for sale and sometimes people sell them. People get them off prize tables at matches etc and sell what they won’t use.
I’m not sure if they are still donating in covid or just in general though, for awhile there were tons of them floating around.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Hey folks -

I’d like to get some input on an entry level LR hunting rig. Leaning towards an R700 Gen2 or a Seekins Havak PH2 in 6.5CM. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

If you're wanting a 6.5 creed then just get a tikka T3x for $650 ish and put a Mesa Precision carbon fiber Altitude stock on there for another $650.
That'll be about the best factory lightweight LR hunting rifle for under $2000.
My buddy has one and I'm amazed how well it shoots beyond 1k

 

[Luke G]

I will have to echo the post before me, tikka with a Mesa stock would be an awesome option and keep the whole package light.

 

[Cclary60]

Budget plays a large part in that.
What do you want to spend?

 

[Gustav7]

Budget plays a large part in that.
What do you want to spend?

Read all the comments lol... he said anything south of $2k

 

[Edub33]

Read all the comments lol... he said anything south of $2k

That's my bad I probably should have included that info in my OP.

 

[Edub33]

If you're wanting a 6.5 creed then just get a tikka T3x for $650 ish and put a Mesa Precision carbon fiber Altitude stock on there for another $650.
That'll be about the best factory lightweight LR hunting rifle for under $2000.
My buddy has one and I'm amazed how well it shoots beyond 1k

Thank you. Hadn't looked into that setup yet. Which Tikka would fit the bill? 24" CTR?

 

[Gustav7]

That's my bad I probably should have included that info in my OP.

Its definitely going to help you get better responses if you put more information. The more the better.

Where you live
Where you'll hunt
What you hunt
What you might hunt
How much you'll walk
What temps you'll hunt in
Whether you reload or not
etc, etc, etc

People also need to read all the comments. Hard to give someone the best advice if you don't read the whole damn thread lol...

 

[Edub33]

Budget plays a large part in that.
What do you want to spend?

I'd like to try and stay under $2k for the rifle. But, if there's a better value I could get for a little more money I could swing it.

 

[Edub33]

Its definitely going to help you get better responses if you put more information. The more the better.

Where you live
Where you'll hunt
What you hunt
What you might hunt
How much you'll walk
What temps you'll hunt in
Whether you reload or not
etc, etc, etc

People also need to read all the comments. Hard to give someone the best advice if you don't read the whole damn thread lol...

lol definitely a rookie mistake on my part...

Primarily South Texas so the weather could be -10 degrees at 9am and 105 at noon...sarcasm, but you get the point. This rig would mostly be used to take a crack at a steel plate, coyote, or hog at long distances. Probably wouldn't feel good about taking a trophy WT past a couple hundred yards (yet). Someday it'll be hauled around for Elk/Mulie hunts, but not any time soon. Slowly piecing together reloading supplies, but definitely would not call myself a reloader at this time.

 

[Gustav7]

lol definitely a rookie mistake on my part...

Primarily South Texas so the weather could be -10 degrees at 9am and 105 at noon...sarcasm, but you get the point. This rig would mostly be used to take a crack at a steel plate, coyote, or hog at long distances. Probably wouldn't feel good about taking a trophy WT past a couple hundred yards (yet). Someday it'll be hauled around for Elk/Mulie hunts, but not any time soon. Slowly piecing together reloading supplies, but definitely would not call myself a reloader at this time.

IF you don't reload yet, then you're going to want a factory caliber... something like 6/6.5 Creedmoor, 6ARC, .223, .308, etc.. You can get good factory match ammo for all of those.

Since you don't plan on walking a bunch, then absolute weight savings isn't a huge prioirity. By the time you are hiking around for Elk/Mulies, you may want a different rifle by then. So I don't see the need to get a sporter style gun now, if you wanna shoot steel and yotes at long range. But you could still keep the weight in the middle range, around the 11-15lb range

If you went with something in the 6.5 class, that'd be enough for your future elk hunts, but honestly you might just get a different gun by then lol.

I'd really look into the Tikka line of rifle in the 6.5cm class. You can get anywhere from 120gr-147gr match ammo. You could also pony up for Berger ammo and hold onto the Lapua cases for when you start reloading more. Find one of the Tikka rifles thats a good middle ground or something.

Personally I stand by my first recommendation. Get a Bighorn Origin or Kelblys Atlas Tactical and get a prefit barrel for them in 6.5cm in something like a light or medium Palma contour. A Trigger tech special and stock of your choosing. Then once you start reloading down the line you can switch to a different caliber if you wanted with a barrel change.

I bought a Savage 10sba for my first long range bolt gun and it shoots great, but I'm getting the itch for a custom action now.

 

[TNSleeper99]

I will echo above, Tikka CTR in 6.5CM. They have great action for the money, and upgrades are really coming on strong for the Tikka actions.

 

[Cclary60]

I'd like to try and stay under $2k for the rifle. But, if there's a better value I could get for a little more money I could swing it.

Personally, I’d pick up a Savage 110 Elite Precision in 6.5 creedmoor and spend roughly $800 on solid glass if you handed me $2K.

 

[Edub33]

I will echo above, Tikka CTR in 6.5CM. They have great action for the money, and upgrades are really coming on strong for the Tikka actions.

Are there trigger upgrades for them yet?

 

[B4forever]

+1 on the Seekins PH2. If elk is on the menu I’d bump up from the Creedmoor to 6.5 PRC. The Seekins satisfies all your needs in a factory package with a warranty.

 

[TNSleeper99]

Are there trigger upgrades for them yet?

Timney and KRG both make a replacement trigger upgrade, there may be more. That’s all I know of the top.

 

[daylate]

Timney and KRG both make a replacement trigger upgrade, there may be more. That’s all I know of the top.

Jard also but if I was going to stay with a single action trigger ..I d just stay with the tikka trigger as good as any other. 2 stage krg or timney

 

[Potsy]

I'm getting old enough I'm starting to get entirely too pragmatic about this "long range deer rifle" thing.

I've got at least 7 deer legal (in TN) rifles in the safe, so me putting together another "deer rifle" probably won't ever happen. But to just whack whitetails, pigs, 'yotes, and even (hopefully someday) mulies, elk, or black bear, I'm doing a stubby/light 6.5 Creed. Probably a sporter weight Tikka chopped off at 17". I don't even think I'd get it threaded for my suppressor.

In 32 years of deer hunting, I've never said; "I wish this SOB was longer and heavier". Whether walking, ground blind, box blind, tree stand, open country, or a nasty thicket, I've never said that.

Chopped off T3X Lite Stainless, probably would gain a little weight with the scope and rings; I'd to a SWFA 3-9, a rail for mounting latitude, and Seekins lows, just so I'd never have to fret them, and don't see how I'd feel undergunned this side of 500 yards (and maybe a shade past). If I thought I needed more than that, I'd build a 7mm Rem Mag or LRM.

Another thing nobody mentions, with hunting bullets, it's not a matter of how far it'll stay supersonic, it's a matter of how far it'll expand. Most bullets, that threshold is around 1800fps (I get that it'll vary). With a 6.5 Creed, 140 Berger at 2700, you're gonna dip below that at around 600-650 yards in my A.O. Not saying there aren't lots of variables there, just that there's a bit more to consider when thinking about trying for a trophy at half a mile and killing it humanely.

That, combined with the fact that the most rounds I've fired in a day of DEER HUNTING was three, over the course of a morning, and that was at coyotes, barrel heat isn't a real concern. Outside of a heavier rifle being a bit more forgiving, I just don't see the need.

I wouldn't disagree with building a heavy, long, hunting rifle. I carried my 15lb .22BR last year, but it was only about a 1/3 of a mile back to the blind. When I was young, I'd have loved to have had a Remington Sendero, but at 47, I really like my short little Ruger #1 7x57 that's about 7-1/2lbs. all up. Oughta get it bedded, do some actual load development, and pop a 3-9 SWFA on it, just to piss off my Beanfield Rifle buddies...........