factory BENCH rifle for a beginner

T

trx680

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Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 3, 2008
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Dinwiddie Virginia
#1
I'm not looking to compete, just have fun. I have a couple of custom built ARs. One 300blk that I consistently hit target @ 400 yrds. And a .223 out to 400, and 500 if I'm lucky.
I have access to a 500 yard range, might have something even longer coming up soon.

Budget? Well, nothing crazy. I'm not wealthy so spending $4-5k just for the rifle is out of the question. I'd say $2k is my max...not that it has to be that much. I'll deal with the scope later.

So whats out there that you wouldnt be afraid to buy? (bolt action, bench rifle, heavy bull or semi-bull barrel)

And what caliber do you like beyond 500 yards?
 
#4
if its not going to be hunting/carry/prs gun sooner or later. savage makes a few that are shooters and nice to the wallet.
out to 600 the 6mmbr is almost impossible to beat, records are pages long.
factory ammo is excellent quality, and not expensive.
savage has a load one shoot one (no mag) $1000 on the street (1500 on the site).
factory 6br will outshoot most customs in different calibers.
factory ammo 10 shot groups can be had in the .2-.3MOA in a good gun more often than not.
i wish i got on the 6br band wagon earlier than i did.
used to think shooting 1/4" groups with my tac ops was shooting well, now if i get over a 1/4" i know im not shooting well that day.
get the 1-8 twist and but laupa 105gr ammo.

just one idea
 
#7
trx680 said:
I see the savage 12 benchrest in 6 norma and 6.5 x 284

Whats your take on these two calibers?
Click to expand...
6 Norma (6br) without question. Only reason to go 6.5x284 is if you plan to shoot 1000 yds or longer. 6br is much cheaper to shoot, more accurate and 3 times the barrel life. Also much more pleasant to shoot. I have a Savage model 12 f-class in 6br and it's a laser. It will definitely do everything you are looking to do and stay well within your budget.
 
#8
Look at the PVA John Hancock Rifle. It is made for PRS production class but comes in excellent cartridges with a top action (ARC Nucleus), tigger (Timney featherweight), and barrel (Rock Creek spun up by PVA). It is right at the top of your budget at $2,000 though, but by all accounts a steal for the price point.

Good luck and have fun!
 
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#10
trx680 said:
interesting about the barrel life with the 6.5.
Why is that?
And about how many rounds is that life?
Click to expand...

I would guess that you might get 1200 (1-1.5k) rounds out of the 6.5x284, why? Because youre pushing a bunch of powder comparatively down a relatively small bore. More fire in a confined space will burn it out faster.
 
#11
Just get a PVA built John Hancock in 6br. The thing is sub $2000, basically a full custom and will have replacement barrels available.

6br is probably the easiest cartridge to load for and is one of the most accurate rounds ever made for intermediate ranges.
 
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#12
GGK said:
Just get a PVA built John Hancock in 6br. The thing is sub $2000, basically a full custom and will have replacement barrels available.

6br is probably the easiest cartridge to load for and is one of the most accurate rounds ever made for intermediate ranges.
Click to expand...

I’ll put a vote in for the John Hancock recommendation.
 
#14
spife7980 said:
I would guess that you might get 1200 (1-1.5k) rounds out of the 6.5x284, why? Because youre pushing a bunch of powder comparatively down a relatively small bore. More fire in a confined space will burn it out faster.
Click to expand...

Like he said. The 6br should go double or maybe even more for barrel life. Another bonus is the br is really close to 223 as far as recoil. A br is stupid easy to load for. Put a berger 105 over varget and it will shoot great.
 
#15
6.5 creedmoor in a savage LRP. Under 1K and will shoot as good as anything else. Mine still shoots as good as my custom with 2K rounds down the barrel. Not as smooth as my custom when running the bolt but it certainly shoots as good. I'll be taking it to an Fclass match this weekend.
 
#16
For all the people recommending the JHR from PVA... anyone know when those will start shipping out or what the lead time is expected to be? I only ask because I know Josh has been very busy keeping up with custom orders, let alone his new barreled action offerings, and the new "production" JHR.

For the OP, I'm assuming you'd like to get out and shoot in the near future, not 6-8-12 months down the road?
 
#17
Xander3Zero said:
For all the people recommending the JHR from PVA... anyone know when those will start shipping out or what the lead time is expected to be? I only ask because I know Josh has been very busy keeping up with custom orders, let alone his new barreled action offerings, and the new "production" JHR.

For the OP, I'm assuming you'd like to get out and shoot in the near future, not 6-8-12 months down the road?
Click to expand...

Based on his website its April.
 
#18
spife7980 said:
Based on his website its April.
Click to expand...

Right, and that's the expected date for these to start shipping out. And I'm sure he is getting a truck load of orders on these right now based on the responses in this thread, so it could even be several more months after April before the OP could get one.

Basically what I'm saying, is that if the OP is okay with that type of wait time, then the JHR is a great deal and he will certainly be happy with it when he gets it. If he would like to be shooting the rifle sooner than that, he could get a factory rifle and be shooting it in like 2 week. Based on that, it comes down to budget. For sub 1k, he could go savage/remington/tikka/howa to get started. Tikkas may be on the higher end of that spectrum price wise. For a little more he could get a RPR. For a little more he could go Bergara, Sako, etc.

And of course he could always just keep his eyes on the classifieds and scoop up any of these or even a semi-custom/custom rifle for some savings.
 
#19
just looked up the Patriot Valley Arms website.
I see the John Hancock. Its available in:
308
6.5 SAUM (whatever that is)
6.5 creedmore
6 creedmore
6 bench Lapua brass
6 Dasher Lapua
6 Dasher Norma

so....with these options still stick with a 6mm over a 6.5?
And theres some unusual options as well. Any recommendations?

thanks again guys!!
 
#20
You said bench rifle. The JHR is not a bench gun. The savage is what you should be looking at if you are interested in a new bench gun in that price range. Otherwise, got over to accurateshooter and. Cruise the classifieds. They do bench guns and that's where to find used ones
 
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#22
How is the JHR not good enough for bench use?

Excellent action, well made barrel in recommended calibers, great trigger, good stock... I could see putting a beffier stock on the rifle for bench use. That said I see no reason it wouldn’t outperform a Savage IF the budget is 2k.
 
#23
For a bench rest rifle it’s got a small narrow stock that won’t ride bags, it’s got a shorter barrel, it’s got a thinner barrel, it has too heavy a trigger, it’s a repeater, it’s made for field use.

I bet the Hancock puts up some great groups but I think it will be harder to do consistently as it’s geared in a different direction.
 
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#24
Yeah if your looking for a true bench rest gun, the Savage would be the best entry level gun. You need a stock that will track correctly on the bags. The typical tactical stock is not going to ride the bags like it should. The Savage or find a good used gun is the best way to go. Like someone else said, keep cruising the accurate shooter classifieds. One of the guys I used to shoot varmint benchrest silhouette ran across a great deal on a Savage 6mm Norma BR a while back.
 
#25
spife7980 said:
For a bench rest rifle it’s got a small narrow stock that won’t ride bags, it’s got a shorter barrel, it’s got a thinner barrel, it has too heavy a trigger, it’s a repeater, it’s made for field use.

I bet the Hancock puts up some great groups but I think it will be harder to do consistently as it’s geared in a different direction.
Click to expand...


This
 
#26
Hey trx680, are you asking about a benchrest rifle or a rifle to shoot from a bench?

Sounds like folks are steering you towards this:

DeSimRedx620.jpg


I'm thinking you're wanting this:

Tikka-T3-Super-Varmint-1.jpg


Which is it?
 
Last edited:
#27
NewsShooter said:
6.5 creedmoor in a savage LRP. Under 1K and will shoot as good as anything else. Mine still shoots as good as my custom with 2K rounds down the barrel. Not as smooth as my custom when running the bolt but it certainly shoots as good. I'll be taking it to an Fclass match this weekend.
Click to expand...
Savage is pronounced "garbage" in the real world.
 
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#29
Everyone has a savage who shoots .2 and is dead nuts reliable on the internet. In the real world, they fail when run even moderately or in less than ideal conditions. It's nothing new and nothing has changed in decades. Run a course or two and see first hand.
 
#30
Primus said:
Everyone has a savage who shoots .2 and is dead nuts reliable on the internet. In the real world, they fail when run even moderately or in less than ideal conditions. It's nothing new and nothing has changed in decades. Run a course or two and see first hand.
Click to expand...
Never said it was dead nuts reliable. And why on gods green earth would a guy run a course or two with a bench rifle?!

Witnessed by 52 guys. Beat 49 of them. 1.39" at 420yrds in a match. Not at home in cherry picked conditions. At least 3 members here were there also. I can get some more if you'd like.

IMG_0603.JPG
 
#32
Geno C. said:
You said bench rifle. The JHR is not a bench gun. The savage is what you should be looking at if you are interested in a new bench gun in that price range. Otherwise, got over to accurateshooter and. Cruise the classifieds. They do bench guns and that's where to find used ones
Click to expand...

This is good advice
 
#33
trx680 said:
just looked up the Patriot Valley Arms website.
I see the John Hancock. Its available in:
308
6.5 SAUM (whatever that is)
6.5 creedmore
6 creedmore
6 bench Lapua brass
6 Dasher Lapua
6 Dasher Norma

so....with these options still stick with a 6mm over a 6.5?
And theres some unusual options as well. Any recommendations?

thanks again guys!!
Click to expand...

6.5 SAUM is Short Action Ultra Mag. It was real popular when George at GAP used one quite successfully in a season. But it’s picky to load for and hell on brass and barrels. But when it comes together, it is an excellent combination.
 
#34
Primus said:
Savage is pronounced "garbage" in the real world.
Click to expand...

Well it shoots like this with with over 2k rounds through the barrel. That was after I threw a PST on it and zero'd it at 100 yards for a buddy to shoot with me. Upper right shot is the first one, the other five are after the correction. Not as smooth as my custom, but I shot matches for over a year with it without any problem. Shoots just fine, I'll be shooting my "garbage" rifle instead of my custom at the f class match tomorrow. :p

SavageGroup.jpg
 
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