First Custom Build - Australia Based

[DaveOz]

Greetings one and all.

So I shot for a while and then had to sell up when I moved to the UK for 10 years.

I am now back in Australia permanently and have decided to get back into shooting.

The rifle I would like to build would be used for range mostly but also hunting now and then.

I am looking to do a ton of range work and get my muscle memory back to where it was before and then look at getting into PRS.

There are a few builders I have been in contact with and below is a list of actions I have access to and would like some help in picking an action.

Kelbly - Atlas Tactical or Black Bear.
AmericanRifle - Arc Nucleus $2000 AUD
Defiance - Deviant Tactical or Ruckus. $2800 AUD
ImpactPrecision - 737 - $2600 - $2800
Curtis Custom - Valor (Unpriced)
Terminus - Zeus (Unpriced)

The Kelbly's Atlas Tactical is coming in as the cheapest at $2000 AUD I prefer the BlackBear $2600 AUD however it seems the Black Bear is a bit of a pain in the ass to source a chassis for and stocks would require milling to seat the action.

I have included the other action options but really keen on Kelbly's stuff, they were around and very high quality when I used to shoot back in the day so its a name I know.

Current stock being looked at is a Manners PRS1. $2300 AUD

So I guess really what i'm asking is should I go with the Kelbly's Atlas Tactical for ease of stock and chassis selection or the Black Bear which seems far more rigid and had integral rather than pinned recoil lug.

Action will be used in extreme conditions (Australian Outback) so being able to run them dry in dusty conditions will be crucial which is why both the Kelly's made the cut, their nitride finish is top quality.

Thank you for taking the time to read and or help out.

 

[bunny too]

I like the Deviant Tactical it should fit into a Southern Cross chassis (or MDT) no problem. I am partial to MDT and Defiance. Good luck with your build.
Cheers,
David

 

[jcmullis2]

I’ve seen custom rigs fail in dirty environments on several occasions. I love my defiance actions but I don’t drag them through the swamps of north Florida because when I pull the trigger I want it to go bang. In extreme conditions I go with blue printed Remington 700 or 40x actions. They’ve been extensively tested in extreme environments and proved to be 100% reliable by militaries around the world. If I had to pick from your list, I would choose the defiance ruckus. Integral recoil lug and pinned rail are pluses and they’re prefit barrels available for the ruckus. I read somewhere that either bugholes or straight jacket armory has shipped barrels abroad for customers before but I can’t remember which one. Im sure they’re places down under that make prefit barrels.
Unless the manners has the mini chassis I’d go with a pillar bedded McMillan but they’re both good stocks.
Good luck with your build and happy holidays to you and yours

 

[DaveOz]

I’ve seen custom rigs fail in dirty environments on several occasions. I love my defiance actions but I don’t drag them through the swamps of north Florida because when I pull the trigger I want it to go bang. In extreme conditions I go with blue printed Remington 700 or 40x actions. They’ve been extensively tested in extreme environments and proved to be 100% reliable by militaries around the world. If I had to pick from your list, I would choose the defiance ruckus. Integral recoil lug and pinned rail are pluses and they’re prefit barrels available for the ruckus. I read somewhere that either bugholes or straight jacket armory has shipped barrels abroad for customers before but I can’t remember which one. Im sure they’re places down under that make prefit barrels.
Unless the manners has the mini chassis I’d go with a pillar bedded McMillan but they’re both good stocks.
Good luck with your build and happy holidays to you and yours

Manners PRS1 comes with the MCS mini chassis, atlas rail and 2 flush cups.

Thanks for your input and happy holidays to you and yours also.

 

[JeffLebowski]

ARC Nucleus.

 

[Simia Dei]

Did you talk to Dave and/or Craig at DC Precision? And would you consider just buying an AI?

 

[DaveOz]

Did you talk to Dave and/or Craig at DC Precision? And would you consider just buying an AI?

Yeah we've had a chat.

DC is still waiting on their shipments of both actions and barrels, they were unable to give me a proposed date of delivery because with most builders now days things are up in the air when it comes to shipping and then customs clearance timeframes.

And as for an AI, I do like their goods but they are quite pricey.

Cheers for your reply.

 

[DaveOz]

So I went ahead and grabbed the Kelbly's Atlas Tactical and ordered in a Bix And Andy Tac Sport Pro 2 stage trigger.

Waiting on Brux Heavy Varmint Barrel and MPA Ba Comp Chassis (Tungsten).

Happy Days.

 

[Heffo]

Happy days indeed

 

[DaveOz]

Anyone have any idea's for glass?

I am torn between these two.

Vortex Razor HD 3-18x50 Gen II

Vortex Viper PST GEN II 5-25X50

The Viper apparently will do the job fine but I was just wondering if I should hold off a month or so and get the pricier Razor HD.

Scope will be used for PRS - Punching Steel and hunting twice a year.

Distances will be 300m - 1200m.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

 

[spife7980]

If a month is all it will take you... then definitely get the razor.

 

[b6graham]

If a month is all it will take you... then definitely get the razor.

but get the 4.5-27 instead

 

[Hardpan]

If a month is all it will take you... then definitely get the razor.

Definitely can’t go wrong with a gen 2 razor. I would wait the month as well

 

[GrumpyOleFart]

Razor Gen II 4.5-27.
I bought one last September, liked it so much, bought another for my .338 Lapua AI.
Though the Razor HD is a bloody good scope too.
Not mention their warranty
I'm in Western Australia, bushbash and all kinds of terrain. It's all going good.
If I was going with another chassis, it would be another AI or McMillan.
Hope you enjoy your new rig.
Enjoy!

 

[Heffo]

Once in that price range you can’t really go wrong mate. Seems we don’t get anywhere as good a deals as the US on the Razors being $3500-4000+ here. Depends what reticle you like. I had the 3-18 glass was fantastic and scope is solid AF but reticle wasn’t for me so I sold. I prefer a more basic reticle that’s why I have S&B and March scopes. Sounds like your going to have one hell of a dream rifle..... congrats! And agreed go the higher magnification.

 

[High Desert duck]

Don’t rule out the impact precision if you’re worried about running it in dry and dusty conditions. I live in the deserts of New Mexico and have run an impact here in everything from moon dust to snow. It has never gone down and rarely can I even feel the dust in it.

 

[Matt_3479]

You will not be disappointed. Currently have an atlas tactical in an mpa tungsten chassis. The action is awesome. Super smooth, great in dusty/dirty environment, excellent service!

As far as optics go, I’d hold of and get the razor in 4.5-27. Better power range for prs and excellent optic for the money. Being in Australia though, why not go with element optics? There an Australia based company and I just got there low end and high end to try (middle end is ok it’s way) and so far they seem excellent

 

[FjallJager]

I would talk to Russ LeMaitre in Canberra, I know he is flat out busy on bulids but he's good and has built a lot of F-Class and PRS team rifles in Australia.

 

[DaveOz]

Don’t rule out the impact precision if you’re worried about running it in dry and dusty conditions. I live in the deserts of New Mexico and have run an impact here in everything from moon dust to snow. It has never gone down and rarely can I even feel the dust in it.

Ive already bought the Atlas tactical, and the builder is really great to deal with but I have a 300win mag to build at some point so ill probably build a show stopper around that.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

A day late on reply here; you may have already decided on glass - but here's another vote for holding out for the Vortex Razor 4.5-27x56 over the Viper PST. I've had multiple copies of both scopes; the Viper will get the job done but the Razor is very much worth the extra cost. Be sure to get good rings; the Vortex PMR rings (made by Seekins) are mid-priced and very reliable.

Fwiw, I also have a ZCO 5-27x56 scope in a Spuhr one-piece mount - amazing optic in an indestructible mount which I really like, but I'll be replacing my one remaining Viper PST 5-25x50 with a Razor, not another ZCO or comparably-priced optic. Sure, the ZCO is "better" but, to me, not double-the-price better.

 

[Matt_3479]

A day late on reply here; you may have already decided on glass - but here's another vote for holding out for the Vortex Razor 4.5-27x56 over the Viper PST. I've had multiple copies of both scopes; the Viper will get the job done but the Razor is very much worth the extra cost. Be sure to get good rings; the Vortex PMR rings (made by Seekins) are mid-priced and very reliable.

Fwiw, I also have a ZCO 5-27x56 scope in a Spuhr one-piece mount - amazing optic in an indestructible mount which I really like, but I'll be replacing my one remaining Viper PST 5-25x50 with a Razor, not another ZCO or comparably-priced optic. Sure, the ZCO is "better" but, to me, not double-the-price better.

It’s funny I use and love the razors! I have Schmidt, nightforce, razor, and my buddy has steiners and dollar to dollar value plus some of the features snd feels I prefer the razors.

Another buddy of mine has both zco and tangent and he told me just the other day if it wasn’t for the fact he wants to try the two top dogs, he feels the razor is the best optic on the market for zeroing, turret feel, glass quality to price point. The tangent and zco are nicer but not double plus nicer

 

[DaveOz]

A day late on reply here; you may have already decided on glass - but here's another vote for holding out for the Vortex Razor 4.5-27x56 over the Viper PST. I've had multiple copies of both scopes; the Viper will get the job done but the Razor is very much worth the extra cost. Be sure to get good rings; the Vortex PMR rings (made by Seekins) are mid-priced and very reliable.

Fwiw, I also have a ZCO 5-27x56 scope in a Spuhr one-piece mount - amazing optic in an indestructible mount which I really like, but I'll be replacing my one remaining Viper PST 5-25x50 with a Razor, not another ZCO or comparably-priced optic. Sure, the ZCO is "better" but, to me, not double-the-price better.

Thanks for the advice.

I was going to go with a one piece mount by either Spuhr or ERA-Tac.

 

[DaveOz]

Quick Update.

So we went with the Kelbly's Atlas Tactical with heavy duty bolt stop upgrade.
Brux Barrel
Bix & Andy Tac Sport Pro 2 Stage.
MPA Ba Comp Chassis. (tungsten or sniper green)

Smith has everything except the chassis which is expected to arrive Mid or Late March.

I was playing with the idea of going with a KRG Whiskey 3 but decided to go with the MPA for increased weight as we will not be running a muzzle break due to club/range restrictions.

I have however had the barrelled threaded and a thread protector included so we can spin on a break when we do the odd hunt or shoot long range on private property.

Calibre will be 6.5 Creedmoor and at some point once we have time to invest into reloading perhaps I will make a move over to 6mm Dasher.

I shall throw up some pics once the Smith fires some over to me.

 

[Matt_3479]

Quick Update.

So we went with the Kelbly's Atlas Tactical with heavy duty bolt stop upgrade.
Brux Barrel
Bix & Andy Tac Sport Pro 2 Stage.
MPA Ba Comp Chassis. (tungsten or sniper green)

Smith has everything except the chassis which is expected to arrive Mid or Late March.

I was playing with the idea of going with a KRG Whiskey 3 but decided to go with the MPA for increased weight as we will not be running a muzzle break due to club/range restrictions.

I have however had the barrelled threaded and a thread protector included so we can spin on a break when we do the odd hunt or shoot long range on private property.

Calibre will be 6.5 Creedmoor and at some point once we have time to invest into reloading perhaps I will make a move over to 6mm Dasher.

I shall throw up some pics once the Smith fires some over to me.

Sounds like a nice build! You’ll love the kelbly. Such a smooth action. Mines sitting in an mpa and love the set up. You couldn’t of gone wrong between the krg or the mpa. Have both, love both. Prefer the krg but that’s personal preference

 

[DaveOz]

Sounds like a nice build! You’ll love the kelbly. Such a smooth action. Mines sitting in an mpa and love the set up. You couldn’t of gone wrong between the krg or the mpa. Have both, love both. Prefer the krg but that’s personal preference

Well we do have a 300 Win Mag to build at some point so I will look towards the Whiskey 3 for that build depending on which action I go for, was contemplating a Kelbly's Black Bear Tactical but want to wait until there are greater stock/chassis inlet's for it.

Cheers.

 

[Matt_3479]

Well we do have a 300 Win Mag to build at some point so I will look towards the Whiskey 3 for that build depending on which action I go for, was contemplating a Kelbly's Black Bear Tactical but want to wait until there are greater stock/chassis inlet's for it.

Cheers.

Well I believe you can’t go wrong with any kelbly but I have a bunch of different actions and like them all pretty much.

The feel of an individual chassis/stock is ones personal preference. The mpa is amazing but the krg just feels slightly better to me. The acc is another killer chassis

 

[DaveOz]

Well I believe you can’t go wrong with any kelbly but I have a bunch of different actions and like them all pretty much.

The feel of an individual chassis/stock is ones personal preference. The mpa is amazing but the krg just feels slightly better to me. The acc is another killer chassis

Yeah problem with Australia is everything is as rare as rocking horse shit.

So its hard to handle various stocks/chassis to get a feel of what you like because not many people have these things, at least not in my neck of the woods.

So buy once cry once sounds a great idea in theory but sometimes we gotta do a whole lot of crying lol.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

...we will not be running a muzzle break due to club/range restrictions.

I'm curious - why the restriction on brakes?

 

[DaveOz]

I'm curious - why the restriction on brakes?

So in Western Australia muzzle breaks have been banned from use on the mound of every single club I have contacted, they claim it disrupts other shooters.

They have everyone lay side by side on the the mound and there argument is that the gases disrupt the person next to you so they are banned.

I asked if I was allowed to use one for sighting in and the said no even though your not anywhere near any other shooter when sighting in.

PRS is also not allowed yet until it has been approved and there is a club willing to take it up as a discipline.

Anything firearm related in Western Australia is a nightmare.

The property which I have my supporting letters from will allow me to do this but its a 6 hour drive away and you need to camp there.

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

So in Western Australia muzzle breaks have been banned from use on the mound of every single club I have contacted, they claim it disrupts other shooters.

They have everyone lay side by side on the the mound and there argument is that the gases disrupt the person next to you so they are banned.

I asked if I was allowed to use one for sighting in and the said no even though your not anywhere near any other shooter when sighting in.

PRS is also not allowed yet until it has been approved and there is a club willing to take it up as a discipline.

Anything firearm related in Western Australia is a nightmare.

The property which I have my supporting letters from will allow me to do this but its a 6 hour drive away and you need to camp there.

I`m kinda up against this too

I am building a new rifle for PRS & F Class, muzzle brakes are allowed for PRS and you would be at a disadvantage to not use one whereby muzzle brakes are banned for F Class for pretty much the same reasons you mention.

My plan is to get a muzzle brake that is easy to add / remove and use a thread protector when shooting F Class.

Only question for me is whether I will be able to use the same load for both or if it will mean developing a load for each (muzzle brake on / off)

 

[Matt_3479]

Yeah problem with Australia is everything is as rare as rocking horse shit.

So its hard to handle various stocks/chassis to get a feel of what you like because not many people have these things, at least not in my neck of the woods.

So buy once cry once sounds a great idea in theory but sometimes we gotta do a whole lot of crying lol.

I feel you there. Sure everything in Canada isn’t that rare but in my neck of the woods it seems to be. I’ve never handled a single stock, action, or trigger before making the purchase on which I feel I should get. It’s a tough call to make when spending a bunch of money on something you’ve never even seen but with so many great choices it’s hard to go wrong

 

[Pete B]

I'm curious - why the restriction on brakes?

As Dave states and that the shooters in Australia are generally an aging group.

So they are rather set in there ways, but mostly just because the anti-muzzle brake crew are a bunch of fucking sooks that just cant seem to see the need for shooters to respect each others disciplines ........ Without embracing all codes and increasing our range use, the ranges will dissappear.
Cheers
Pete

 

[DownhillFromHere]

So in Western Australia muzzle breaks have been banned from use on the mound of every single club I have contacted, they claim it disrupts other shooters.

They have everyone lay side by side on the the mound and there argument is that the gases disrupt the person next to you so they are banned.

I asked if I was allowed to use one for sighting in and the said no even though your not anywhere near any other shooter when sighting in.

PRS is also not allowed yet until it has been approved and there is a club willing to take it up as a discipline.

Anything firearm related in Western Australia is a nightmare.

The property which I have my supporting letters from will allow me to do this but its a 6 hour drive away and you need to camp there.

I can understand a brake ban under conditions where shooters are close together - especially if they're on bare ground. Early in my rifle journey, I set up my gear on a bench in the 100-yard bay of an indoor range. There was a guy with a braked 6.5CM or .308 at the bench next to me... benches spaced just far enough apart that a person can barely squeeze between them. So he fired, and my loose targets and other lightweight items went flying.

I can empathize, insomuch as one can without experiencing a situation first hand, with your difficulty with engaging in our hobby. On the other hand, most if not all of the landowners I've known over the years have told me harrowing stories of people just showing up unknown and uninvited, leaving trash and shell casings and shooting hell out of anything that might be used as a target. Years ago, I lived briefly in a northeastern US state which had extremely restrictive firearms and hunting regulations compared to most. I joined a club - almost a requirement to shoot - and members obtained exclusive rights to hunt on a nice large farm in exchange for, effectively, looking after the land during the season. Well, as I recall, the season for pretty much everything that ran or flew opened on the same day. We showed up at daybreak... and found wire fences cut and vehicles driven across fields by assholes who think trespassing is a right. Most of our party spent the first few hours routing out and expelling these shitheads. I don't know what happened as regards repairing fences and filling the ruts left by vehicles... I never went back.

 

[DaveOz]

I feel you there. Sure everything in Canada isn’t that rare but in my neck of the woods it seems to be. I’ve never handled a single stock, action, or trigger before making the purchase on which I feel I should get. It’s a tough call to make when spending a bunch of money on something you’ve never even seen but with so many great choices it’s hard to go wrong

Well when its all said and done and the build is finished with mount, optic and bipod this will be $12,000 build (Yikes).

And while I do earn ok money its still pretty steep should I buy something I don't get on with.

Action is sound because I've handled and shot many kelbly actions and tried a few Bix&Andy triggers.

Brux Barrels from everything ive read are excellent barrels and very reliable.

I am very excited...

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

As Dave states and that the shooters in Australia are generally an aging group.

So they are rather set in there ways, but mostly just because the anti-muzzle brake crew are a bunch of fucking sooks that just cant seem to see the need for shooters to respect each others disciplines ........ Without embracing all codes and increasing our range use, the ranges will dissappear.
Cheers
Pete

Unfortunately it seems to be the way of the world now, some people just like stomping their feet & making rules and it seems some enjoy being told what to do.

Those two groups should be a match made in heaven but I just want to be left out of it to do my own thing.

In theory if the blast from a brake is such an issue why couldn't shooters be placed far enough apart that it would no longer be a problem?

I did some F Class practice in the summer and used a rifle with a brake (which is a no no as per F Class rules) but the folks there let me shoot over a bit from them to negate the effects - no muss no fuss. Proof that a group of sensible individuals and a quick discussion is all that is required.

 

[Rocketmandb]

@DaveOz - Curious about Western Australia... it seems like there is a ton of open land. Is it that difficult to find someone that will allow you to shoot on their land? Is there not public land you can shoot on?

 

[Matt_3479]

Well when its all said and done and the build is finished with mount, optic and bipod this will be $12,000 build (Yikes).

And while I do earn ok money its still pretty steep should I buy something I don't get on with.

Action is sound because I've handled and shot many kelbly actions and tried a few Bix&Andy triggers.

Brux Barrels from everything ive read are excellent barrels and very reliable.

I am very excited...

Prices seem about par then for what mine go for once optics and mounts go in.

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

Prices seem about par then for what mine go for once optics and mounts go in.

Same, a quick calculation in my head suggests my build will be around there too

 

[DaveOz]

@DaveOz - Curious about Western Australia... it seems like there is a ton of open land. Is it that difficult to find someone that will allow you to shoot on their land? Is there not public land you can shoot on?

Ok so over here there are two ways to get a firearm licensed.

Open license - which requires you to provide a letter from a property owner giving you permission to shoot on their land.
You don't actually get to shoot their its just a letter of support which you pay for.

You can also get a letter if you or someone you know owns land big enough for the calibre you wish to license.

Open license allows you to take your firearm and use it wherever for hunting and or target shooting.

Club Support - Requires you to be a financial member of a shooting club and they will provide you with a letter if you have been a paying member for some time and they know you.

Club support only allows you to use that firearm at the club.

Once you have obtained a letter for the desired calibre's you then need to do a firearms safety test and then fill out the forms for license.
There is a 28 day waiting period before your license is processed, at the end of the 28 days you will be asked to send photos of the safe and the anchor points/fixings to show where the firearms will be stored and if they are compliant as per the police guidelines.

And after all of that you will get your license which will allow you to go to y our gunshop to collect your firearms.

This is assuming your getting a rifle, don't bother with a hand gun because its a nightmare and can only ever be used at a club where you have been a financial member for 6 months before you will be able to apply for a handgun license and will only ever be able to be used at the club.

So while there is tons of what they refer to as Crown Land, your not allowed to shoot on it in this state.

Sucks doesn't it.

 

[Cardboard Assassin]

Ok so over here there are two ways to get a firearm licensed.

Open license - which requires you to provide a letter from a property owner giving you permission to shoot on their land.
You don't actually get to shoot their its just a letter of support which you pay for.

You can also get a letter if you or someone you know owns land big enough for the calibre you wish to license.

Open license allows you to take your firearm and use it wherever for hunting and or target shooting.

Club Support - Requires you to be a financial member of a shooting club and they will provide you with a letter if you have been a paying member for some time and they know you.

Club support only allows you to use that firearm at the club.

Once you have obtained a letter for the desired calibre's you then need to do a firearms safety test and then fill out the forms for license.
There is a 28 day waiting period before your license is processed, at the end of the 28 days you will be asked to send photos of the safe and the anchor points/fixings to show where the firearms will be stored and if they are compliant as per the police guidelines.

And after all of that you will get your license which will allow you to go to y our gunshop to collect your firearms.

This is assuming your getting a rifle, don't bother with a hand gun because its a nightmare and can only ever be used at a club where you have been a financial member for 6 months before you will be able to apply for a handgun license and will only ever be able to be used at the club.

So while there is tons of what they refer to as Crown Land, your not allowed to shoot on it in this state.

Sucks doesn't it.

That truly blows!

The cynic in me thinks that is to put Joe Average off firearm ownership. How did we (society) get to this point?

The rest sounds like Canada - handgun can only be used at a range etc.

 

[DaveOz]

That truly blows!

The cynic in me thinks that is to put Joe Average off firearm ownership. How did we (society) get to this point?

The rest sounds like Canada - handgun can only be used at a range etc.

And Despite the gun buy backs that happened over here, there are more firearms than there were back then.

And criminals have always been able to get their hands on firearms on the black market.

All they have been able to achieve is to take firearms out of the hands of average Joe Aussies and make it hard for them to get into any shooting sports.

 

[Heffo]

Western Oz is a funny beast.

I`m kinda up against this too

I am building a new rifle for PRS & F Class, muzzle brakes are allowed for PRS and you would be at a disadvantage to not use one whereby muzzle brakes are banned for F Class for pretty much the same reasons you mention.

My plan is to get a muzzle brake that is easy to add / remove and use a thread protector when shooting F Class.

Only question for me is whether I will be able to use the same load for both or if it will mean developing a load for each (muzzle brake on / off)

My loads are the same mate, when I take break off for F class.

 

[DaveOz]

Little Update...

So we happened to be going through various precision rifle FB groups and spotted a practically brand new Vortex Razor HD 4.5x27x56 EBR7C Mrad listed by a group member who had bought and mounted it and fired 20 rounds.

He wanted the cash to move forward with a Vudoo 22 build for PRS .22 so I picked it up second hand and saved $850 off the price of a new one.

Happy Days.

Our rifle has not yet been started by the Smithy but it should be any day now.

Kelbly Atlas Tactical
Brux 26 Heavy Varmint chambered for 6.5 Creed
Bix & Andy Tacsport Pro 2 Stage trigger (with 90 degree shoe)
MPA Ba Comp Chassis (Sniper Green)
APA Gen 3 Little Bastard Muzzle Break

Current dilemma is picking between rings or a Spuhr mount.

Apparently, because the action becomes with a 20moa pinned rail, adding an additional 20moa on rings/mount causes problems with zero.

Not sure if that sounds entirely correct, but apparently the 20 Mao integrated into rail is plenty for what we wish to achieve.

Pics of scope attached

Thanks For Reading.

 

[Steel head]

Little Update...

So we happened to be going through various precision rifle FB groups and spotted a practically brand new Vortex Razor HD 4.5x27x56 EBR7C Mrad listed by a group member who had bought and mounted it and fired 20 rounds.

He wanted the cash to move forward with a Vudoo 22 build for PRS .22 so I picked it up second hand and saved $850 off the price of a new one.

Happy Days.

Our rifle has not yet been started by the Smithy but it should be any day now.

Kelbly Atlas Tactical
Brux 26 Heavy Varmint chambered for 6.5 Creed
Bix & Andy Tacsport Pro 2 Stage trigger (with 90 degree shoe)
MPA Ba Comp Chassis (Sniper Green)
APA Gen 3 Little Bastard Muzzle Break

Current dilemma is picking between rings or a Spuhr mount.

Apparently, because the action becomes with a 20moa pinned rail, adding an additional 20moa on rings/mount causes problems with zero.

Not sure if that sounds entirely correct, but apparently the 20 Mao integrated into rail is plenty for what we wish to achieve.

Pics of scope attached

Thanks For Reading.

That scope should easily be able to work with 40 moa on inclination and still zero at 100 yards.

 

[DaveOz]

That scope should easily be able to work with 40 moa on inclination and still zero at 100 yards.

So really we should be picking up the extra 20moa in whichever format we decide to go with unmount/rings.

 

[Steel head]

So really we should be picking up the extra 20moa in whichever format we decide to go with unmount/rings.

Certainly would be helpful if your planning on some mile shots.
Get it if you need it.

 

[Rocketmandb]

Little Update...

So we happened to be going through various precision rifle FB groups and spotted a practically brand new Vortex Razor HD 4.5x27x56 EBR7C Mrad listed by a group member who had bought and mounted it and fired 20 rounds.

He wanted the cash to move forward with a Vudoo 22 build for PRS .22 so I picked it up second hand and saved $850 off the price of a new one.

Happy Days.

Our rifle has not yet been started by the Smithy but it should be any day now.

Kelbly Atlas Tactical
Brux 26 Heavy Varmint chambered for 6.5 Creed
Bix & Andy Tacsport Pro 2 Stage trigger (with 90 degree shoe)
MPA Ba Comp Chassis (Sniper Green)
APA Gen 3 Little Bastard Muzzle Break

Current dilemma is picking between rings or a Spuhr mount.

Apparently, because the action becomes with a 20moa pinned rail, adding an additional 20moa on rings/mount causes problems with zero.

Not sure if that sounds entirely correct, but apparently the 20 Mao integrated into rail is plenty for what we wish to achieve.

Pics of scope attached

Thanks For Reading.

I have the same scope - by the way, if he wants to sell anything else at 30+% below used market value, snap it up! - and I have a 20 MOA integral rail on the action and a 20 MOA mount. It is not causing issues.

Details:

That scope has 28.5 Mils of elevation adjustment, which equals about 98 MOA (just under). If you mount it flat, you'd be able to adjust both up and down about 48.75 MOA (or 14.2ish mil). When you introduce 40 MOA via rails and mount, it means you can now adjust up by 8.75ish MOA and down by 88.75ish MOA. So you still have room. You could not go to a 30 MOA mount and still get zero, but your 20/20 setup will work.

 

[DaveOz]

I have the same scope - by the way, if he wants to sell anything else at 30+% below used market value, snap it up! - and I have a 20 MOA integral rail on the action and a 20 MOA mount. It is not causing issues.

Details:

That scope has 28.5 Mils of elevation adjustment, which equals about 98 MOA (just under). If you mount it flat, you'd be able to adjust both up and down about 48.75 MOA (or 14.2ish mil). When you introduce 40 MOA via rails and mount, it means you can now adjust up by 8.75ish MOA and down by 88.75ish MOA. So you still have room. You could not go to a 30 MOA mount and still get zero, but your 20/20 setup will work.

20 and 20 is what we will do then.

Thank you for your reply.

 

[Slides]

Most centre fire rifles will only be about 2 MIL below centre on a 20MOA base, a 34+mm tube, other than March should easily handle 50MOA total inclination for 100 yard zero, you need to remember you have to compensate for both the scope to bore offset and bullet drop to zero distance which are additive. I have confirmed on both my 30mm tube scopes that 40MOA rails will zero at 100 yards, I will be running a 6MIL Spuhr mount for my Delta stryker over a 40MOA rail on my Lithgow chambered in 6.5cm to shoot to a mile.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

While a Spuhr mount is an indestructible beast, I just don't see the need to spend $400USD on this mount when a pair of $150USD Vortex/Seekins rings is perfectly adequate for a relatively light caliber like 6.5CM. Plus, with separate rings you get more flexibility in placement over a one-piece mount.

I don't understand why people want to jack so much extra elevation into rail/rings and force the erector assembly to near the limits of its adjustment (with attendant optical degradation) for 99% of their shooting when the cartridge runs out of fizz well short of the ranges made possible by said elevation. I've shot both my 6.5CMs, both with 20MOA rails and mounted with Viper PST, Razor, and/or ZCO optics, to a mile with a few mils of holdover. I can dial to 1500 yards or so, by which my 2800fps MV loads are going transonic. I have yet to shoot a match where range exceeded 1150 yards, most stages are 1/2-2/3 that distance, and 400-1200 yard match shooting is what I built the rifles for.

Yeah, it's fun to shoot the mile with my 6.5CM... like it's fun to shoot a .22 to 400-500 yards... but hits at those extended ranges with those cartridges are leaving the "skill" arena and getting into the "luck" arena. If I want to shoot ELR - and I admit there's a bit of an itch to do so - I'll build a rifle in a caliber up to the range (once components are available again). That's just me