"GoLite" PRS Build by MileHigh - its a shooter!

[300ATT]

After lugging 15-17 pound rifles around PRS style steel matches I decided I would try to start a new "GoLite rifle" fad by attempting to build a PRS rifle that weighs in at under 10 pounds with optics. It is possible - but harder with an adjustable cheek piece.

This rifle weighs in at 11.2 lbs with optics ... note it could have weighed in at 10.2 without the adj. cheekpiece:



- 6x47
- Mausingfield Action
- Proof Research 6mm 1:7.65 twist finished at 24"
- Manners carbon fiber MCS-PRS1 (love the swamp colors) It cost me a pound for the adj cheek piece
- Leupold Mark 6 (saved a pound) over an S&B
- Near mfg. Alfa Mount
- SAS Tomb break.

So how does it shoot? The folks at MileHigh do phenomenal work and have quietly built one of the best gunsmithing/gunbuilding operations around.

Here are the first 11 shots out of the rifle. All I did was guess at a load (39.8g H4350) then I literally stuffed 3 different bullets into the cases guessing seating depth at around 2.660" OCL:

Shot 1: bore sight and get on paper at 50 yds. Adjust scope and then move the target to 100 yards.


Shots 2,3,4,5 out of the gun - Sierra 107g tipped matchkings:
shots

shots 6,7,8 Hornady ELD-M 108gr:


Shots 9,10,11 - Berger 105 Hybrids:


I know that some will say that 3 shots do not a group make ... but I have to say it was a great first outing at the range. Props to MileHigh!

First two shots - prone off the bi-pod at 100 (POA lower diamond point):



The gun is perfect and I guess I miss out on all of the tuning and load development ... time to sell it.

 

[jonthomps]

Nice! An 11.2 lb comp rifle is a great day.

 

[stwcattle]

Very nice rifle.
I have built a couple hunting rifles with Proof carbon wrapped barrel's and love them.
I have been reluctant to try a carbon barrel on a match rifle not knowing how accuracy might be in a 10 rnd string in hot weather.
I currently have a match 6cm rifle needing a re barrel. Please keep us posted on how the barrel performs.

 

[BangBangBlatBlat]

I've found that shooting a heavier rifle is much easier in competition. I went from a 13lb rifle to at least 15.5lbs.

 

[300ATT]

Heavier guns can be more forgiving. I have a AI/AT w/heavy contour barrel in .243 that weighs every bit of 17 pounds. Hardly any felt recoil, almost like an artillery piece when laying prone in a slow fire string ... but the gun is unwieldy when moving. So far this "GoLite" gun is more handy it feels great and is more fun to shoot. I like the 6x47 hardly any recoil in this lighter set up.

 

[BangBangBlatBlat]

Heavier guns can be more forgiving. I have a AI/AT w/heavy contour barrel in .243 that weighs every bit of 17 pounds. Hardly any felt recoil, almost like an artillery piece when laying prone in a slow fire string ... but the gun is unwieldy when moving. So far this "GoLite" gun is more handy it feels great and is more fun to shoot. I like the 6x47 hardly any recoil in this lighter set up.

My issue isn't prone. It's how every stage is basically won by "put the gun on the Gamechanger and brush your Benchrest trigger". My light rifle wasn't as conducive to that form of shooting. Now I've got 28 inch heavy Palma barrels, and I'm going to see how that looks.

 

[300ATT]

"put the gun on the Gamechanger and brush your Benchrest trigger"

That's funny - might actually work.

I once competed in a 1,000 yard benchrest match here in CO and some guys showed up from PA to shoot with guns that weighed over 100 pounds (48" long 2.75" diameter barrels in .338-378 Wby) with 2 oz Jewel triggers. They ran their rigs off to the side feeding in 10 rounds as quickly as possible and brushing their 2 oz triggers. Never bothered to look through the scope after the shooting started. Load, fire, eject, push gun forward in the rest, repeat. They finished their strings in under 45 seconds. They didn't win. They didn't place. They were pissed. They were pissed that the wind blows in CO. They were pissed that we started the match after 10am (when the wind definitely starts to blow in CO). They were pissed that I outshot them with a 6.5x284 in an AI chassis (8.25" 10 shot group - btw I didn't win either). They had optimized their guns for the balmy PA match conditions where they shoot little 2-5" 1,000 yard groups early in the AM. They couldn't deal with the conditions we have here in CO.

My personal feeling is that fundamentals and reading wind will always carry the day over a match optimized rig. That being said, there is nothing wrong with optimizing your rig as you see fit like going heavy w/light triggers ... been there done that ... now I'm going the other way and I will let everyone know how it works out. So far it appears very promising and I like shooting this "GoLite" gun more than my heavy guns but I am far from wringing out the new stick. I will also keep people posted as to heat issues with longer strings through the proof barrel on a hot day ... so far the gun just hammers.

 

[TorF]

If one copied a stage similar to 500m metallic silhouette in to a PRS match you woild need enough omph to knock down the "500m ram" targets, a "light weight" rifle with optimal balance and a shooter able to hit at 500m standing. 95% of the rifles would be configured like 300ATT's new rifle with 6.5cm a minimum caliber..

 

[Wyzrd]

Tagged in for updates on how your rifle performs. She’s a sexy MF’er...!!!

 

[300ATT]

So what is the perfect "GoLite" PRS caliber? That is a tough one.

I agonized over the 6 vs. 6.5mm question but since managing recoil is key I opted for 6mm. Some of my PRS buddies say that this was a mistake as sometimes you lose points beyond 1,000 yard as it harder to see 6mm bullet splash on steel.

If all the matches were 1,000 yard or less I might have gone 6 Dasher but some of the matches I shoot go out past 1,300.

Even after choosing 6mm over 6.5 it was a pain to select a cartridge. What do you do? 6x47, 6 Creedmore, 6XC, 6SLR ... do a Google search and there are only about 50,000 pages of opinions for which is best.

 

[hlee]

Heck, you missed that dime 11 times. Send the rifle to me (shipping paid) for disposal...

 

[300ATT]

Well I don't think its the rifle's fault ... shooter needs some upgrades ...

 

[300ATT]

stwcattle asked to know how the barrel performs heating up. Here is the first "stress test" of the MileHigh "GoLite" rifle. Temp was cold (36 degrees) but I shot two 5-round groups of different loads off a bench an then shot this 20 round string off a bipod at 100 yards in less than 3 minutes. When I got done the barrel was hot to the touch and throwing off a ton of mirage. I believe that the gun/barrel shoots better than I do and did not see any evidence of shots walking ... I claim the high and low flyers as well as all of the others that went through the 3/4" dot:

I will repeat this test when it gets warmer but I believe that a 10 shot string in hot weather will not be any worse than this 30 shot string in cold:



I believe that Frank G. did a video of stress testing the Proof barrels and he found that they were stable throughout the temp range.

 

[jackinfl]

300ATT,
I like that color patter too. Did you get any rail under the stock? THe MPA or any of the RRS dovetail rails? Also, how does this shoot off barricades being lighter? Better or worse than a heavier 15-17LB gun

 

[300ATT]

jackinfl, I started this project with a spare McMillan A3 that had a rail w/adj. hand-stop but it was too heavy. I may add a rail in the future as they are very useful. Will test without for now.

I will test off barricades against my heaviest match gun in the next 2-3 weeks when I get back from business travel.

My feeling is that a heavier weight gun helps with recoil management in supported positions like prone off bi-pod w/rear bag or shooting off a bench. I don't believe that an extra 5-7 pounds of rifle weight does much to dampen the BIG MOVING BLOB at the end of the stock from its fulcrum off a barricade. But proof is in the pudding so to speak and I will compare them side to side and report back.

 

[Primus]

Just an FYI, if you used LRI titanium lightweight cheekrest hardware you could have shaved some decent weight off.

 

[300ATT]

Dang. Wish I would have know about that LRI offering ... when trying to achieve a goal weight of 10 pounds or less w/optics every ounce counts.

Will add it to the list of potential upgrades. Thanks!

 

[stwcattle]

Thanks for the stress test report.
My smith has a 6mm Proof in inventory so I am going to install the barrel on my wifes match rifle.

 

[300ATT]

I been privileged to shoot Obermeyers, Kriegers, Chanlin, Bartliens, Mike Rock, Lilja, Shilen, Lothar Walter, Hart barrels on various rifles and this Proof Research shoots as well as any of the above listed - at least as far as I can tell.

I had a Christensen carbon barrel on a .223 varmint rig that would shoot three shots in the same hole and then the POI would start to "walk" as much as 2 inches when it started to heat up. I was worried that this might also be the case with the Proof barrel. So far, this Proof barrel has been rock solid and has exceeded my expectations.

I need to run a 20 round string on a 95-100 degree summer day - acid test but so far so good.

 

[Safety_3rd]

Good looking rifle. I am a big fan of chassis rifles for prs type stuff though. I just imagine the aluminum (with the Arca rails, barrier stops, bag sleds etc.) will hold up to getting banged into barriers better than the carbon. Admittedly I am a horrible shooter and a gear chaser I have a T4a elite on my hunting rifle (28 Nosler) and love it.

 

[Conrad]

jackinfl, I started this project with a spare McMillan A3 that had a rail w/adj. hand-stop but it was too heavy. I may add a rail in the future as they are very useful. Will test without for now.

I will test off barricades against my heaviest match gun in the next 2-3 weeks when I get back from business travel.

My feeling is that a heavier weight gun helps with recoil management in supported positions like prone off bi-pod w/rear bag or shooting off a bench. I don't believe that an extra 5-7 pounds of rifle weight does much to dampen the BIG MOVING BLOB at the end of the stock from its fulcrum off a barricade. But proof is in the pudding so to speak and I will compare them side to side and report back.

I'm interested in this feedback as most people will say a heavier rifle/barrel will settle for them a little better; however, Frank recently spoke of the virtues of going light for himself in his podcast. He was talking on 2 fronts: one being lighter bullets for more speed, and another for lighter/shorter rifles for easier handling and less fatigue through the day. This is a bit off topic, but he goes from light 6.5 bullets to jumping to the 224 Valkyrie so I'm curious why he skips 6mm's? Maybe he does have a barrel life limitation despite barrels being expendable, as much as he shoots maybe he doesn't want to constantly be swapping barrels....?

 

[Safety_3rd]

Ps how long from placing your order with Mile high to it being shipped? I've heard good things

 

[bjay]

Beautiful....swamp camo looks good

 

[300ATT]

Safety_3rd, the turn-around from order date to delivery for this build was about 60 days or less. Order placed early December 2017 and delivered on Feb 7th, 2018. After having waited over a year for some gun builds in the past this was a new and wonderful experience.

What I like about MHS is that they have a large inventory and everything I wanted was in hand and the good crew running CNC machines in the back were able to finish my build quickly - I just had to get in line.

My experience is that if MHSA has to wait on a specific part like an action, barrel or stock color then it is about 45-60 days after the final part arrives - depending on which part it is.

 

[300ATT]

As to light vs. heavy here is my $0.02: If you are a "free recoil" type of guy then go HEAVY or as heavy as you can stand with the smallest cartridge possible that will get the job done. Otherwise I believe (note I have NOT empirically proven this to myself) that this lighter weight build will easier to manage. It is definitely more fun to shoot.

 

[BallisticPrimate]

One way to reduce weight is by using a XLR Cheek Rest

 

[W54/XM-388]

How much did they charge you (not including the scope)?

 

[300ATT]

BallisticPrimate - Agreed. I actually looked at going with a Manners Elite T4 w/o a cheek piece (2 lb). I looked at the NEAR Alpha mounts w/o a pic rail to get the scope down low as possible so as not to need a cheek piece. I even looked at what it would take to mold one in after the fact. In the end I felt that it was a more risky approach than just going with the Manners with the adj. cheek piece. Besides I didn't want to wait months and months to finish this project.

I do believe that leveraging a light action (titanium), being careful with your stock, optic and barrel selection you can get a great shooting PRS rifle under 9 pounds empty.

 

[300ATT]

W54/XM-388 - It was not cheap!

75-80% of the cost was in the parts list - MileHigh was the same as everyone else (proof barrel - $850, Mausingfield - $1,600, GC Mod 22 trigger $330 ... etc) The chambering, crowning/threading, bedding was within $50-100 of what other great gun builders in the area charge ... the MileHigh guys were able to get it out the door in 60 days or less, some of the others would be a 6-12 month wait.

 

[BallisticPrimate]

Obviously how much a comp rifle should weigh is an entirely subjective issue - I've found a decent middle ground (for me) is 13 - 14lbs. Heavy enough to assist recoil management but light enough to shoot positional/unsupported stages. In the Precision Rifle Comps here in Australia there's a significant portion of unsupported shooting (slings are permitted) from prone, seated, kneeling and occasionally standing - it's those stages where weight makes a real difference (spare me the 'get stronger in the gym' spiel - lighter is lighter regardless of how strong one is)

 

[300ATT]

Obviously how much a comp rifle should weigh an entirely subjective issue - I've found a decent middle ground (for me) is 13 - 14lbs. Heavy enough to assist recoil management but light enough to shoot positional/unsupported stages. In the Precision Rifle Comps here in Australia there's a significant portion of unsupported shooting (slings are permitted) from prone, seated, kneeling and occasionally standing - it's those stages where weight makes a real difference (spare me the 'get stronger in the gym' spiel - lighter is lighter regardless of how strong one is.

Exactly!!!

 

[300ATT]

I did a really quick and dirty test at my local range (200yards) of positional shooting comparing my Heavy PRS gun which is an AI/AT in .243 that weighs in at almost 18lbs. Both guns shoot 105 bergers well the .243 is 30-40fps faster.

Prone bipod w/rear bag - the AI was more forgiving even with the heavier trigger - both guns put all rounds (5) on 1.5" diamonds at 200 yards ... had to concentrate harder with the GoLite gun not to screw up.

GoLite - 5/5 AI - 5/5

Standing Offhand - no contest. The GoLite rifle was SO MUCH easier to put rounds on target 8" steel plate at 200 yards. Holding up the AI quickly sucked the life out of me and I felt lucky to hit as well as I did:

GoLite - 4/5 AI - 3/5

Simulated Barricade - I placed a bag on top of a box on top of a bench and hunched over both rifles (without touching the box or bench) - 5 shots in 60 seconds or less at 4" diamonds at 200 yards. THIS WAS REALLY UGLY ... for both rifles - less stable than standing offhand. The GoLite had an advantage, if you could call it that, in that it was easier to muscle gun to "snatch and grab" the trigger as it waggled in and around the target. It was harder to muscle the AI to "snatch and grab" a hit - too much inertia to overcome under time pressure:

GoLite - 3/5 AI - 0/5

[EDIT] added picture of the simulated barricade set up - shoot two shots on the lower box move bag to taller box and shoot 3 shots in 60 seconds or less - UGLY - more luck than skill that the GoLite gun managed 3 hits at all:



Not a valid barricade test but more of a confirmation of how important it is to improvise as stabile a position as possible in such a situation.

I need to compare these guns this on a real barricade as well as a tri-pod at distance on steel ... to really tell if there is an advantage one way or the other ...

 

[BangBangBlatBlat]

I like my rifle a lot better now with a heavy Palma barrel. It sits on Sandbags better. That's also partially because the rear end of the KMW stock is kind of heavy.

It's more like a "Go medium" rifle. Not as heavy as an AI or rifle in MPA Chassis.

 

[DAVID1989]

Damn that rifle is sexy! Im in the planning stage for a rifle for my wife as she wants to get into the long range game and ultimately some smaller matches. Weight is a big factor for her. Good to know the proof barrels can handle the 10+ round strings.

 

[300ATT]

I have been pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Proof research barrels. It saves around 3 pounds off the rifle and really improves the weight and balqn

 

[BallisticPrimate]

Is there some kind of barrel weight calculator for Carbon barrels? I'm thinking about getting one but I'd like to know precisely how much weight I can save

 

[Conrad]

Is there some kind of barrel weight calculator for Carbon barrels? I'm thinking about getting one but I'd like to know precisely how much weight I can save

Compare this chart to normal steel barrel contour charts to start to get an idea: https://www.proofresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/bolt_action_barrel_weights_chart_v2.pdf

To further extend this question. How much weight is shaved on a proof after all the threading, chamber cut, and cut to length?

 

[Wyfox]

Proof Research Sendero contour is the same as an M24 contour, it saves an average of 2 pounds. You're only loosing a few ounces after threading and chambering. I have 4 Proof Carbon barreled guns now, strictly high volume match rifles wear all steel barrels. Not practical to burn out an $1000 barrel every year.

 

[300ATT]

Wyfox brings up a good point. Any time you optimize a system you face the law of diminishing returns and the additional exponential costs of getting that "last ounce" of performance out of the system. The "GoLite" PRS rifle is an interesting optimization problem and it's challenging to find the right balance.

With respect to barrel cost I found that the difference in barrel pricing was roughly $450.00 more for a carbon over a SS barrel. Assuming you can coax 2,000 rounds out of a barrel you are saving $0.22/shot ($0.40 vs $0.62/shot) of barrel cost by going plain-Jane ss barrel. Maybe that matters, maybe that doesn't .

A middle-of-the-road approach is to flute the heck out of the SS match barrel (Adds another $150-$200) to the price and will take a good 1-1.5 pounds out of the rifle and will help the barrel cool faster. IMHO fluting gives you a lot of bang for your buck pursuing a "GoLite" PRS rifle.

The more interesting question is which part of the system has the potential for the most weight savings when optimizing? I found it to be in this order - assuming a at least a Rem varmint contour barrel of 24-26" - but this was just a back of the napkin figuring over lunch one day and not an in-depth scientific study on my part.

Rough wt. savings range:
1.) Stock 2.5 - 5.0 lbs
2.) Barrel 1.0 - 3.0 lbs
3.) Scope 1.0 lbs or less
4.) Action 1.0 lbs or less

So what are you willing to give up? ...

 

[Primus]

Flutiing may help it cool faster, but it will also heat it up faster.

Its a zero sum game and a waste of money and looks like piss IMO.

 

[reich10]

I have looked into making a Lite match rifle for positional matches that tend to have a lower average target distance. I was thinking a Howa Mini action fitted with a 22in Proof in one of the Grendel wildcats(6mmAR or 224AR). Only problem is finding a decent chassis for it. MDT is the only one making one for it. Was kinda hoping MPA would release a chassis to fit it.

That's a slick rifle though OP.

 

[300ATT]

Thanks for compliments. But positive feedback should go Adam and his crew at MileHigh for the flawless execution and quick delivery.

I like chassis. Could not find one as light and stiff as the manners.

 

[kRcu]

Mile High is the bomb for Smith work. My TL3 build was perfect. Quoted 6 weeks, done in 5 days.

 

[Lowlight]

The Gunsmiths are MHSA are friggin Awesome ...

They build lasers that Han Solo Endorses in his new moving coming out

 

[300ATT]

Didn't Han Solo die? I thought he was killed by his disturbed bastard son on some death planet ... D'oh- wrong forum ... i should post this in the Bear Pit ...

 

[BallisticPrimate]

Anyone got other examples of light - mid weight comp rifles? Not sure exactly how we're defining the weight categories - perhaps lightweight is anything sub 13 lbs, and mid weight anything less than 14.5lbs

 

[300ATT]

My stab:

Lite - 9-12.5lbs
Med - 12.5-14.5
Heavy - 14.5+

 

[BallisticPrimate]

My stab:

Lite - 9-12.5lbs
Med - 12.5-14.5
Heavy - 14.5+

I like that, are you including a bipod in your criteria?

 

[HoustonB77]

Great looking build!

 

[Covertnoob5]

I would say:

Light: 12lbs and under
Medium: 12.5-15lbs
Heavy: 15+ lbs

And this would be as it sits with whatever you’re going to put on it. Empty mag seeing as how that weight fluctuates based on how many rounds in the mag.