I plan to purchase my first PRS-type competition rifle by the end of the summer. I think 6.5mm Creedmoor is the right place for me to start because until I am competent at hand loading, the factory ammo is less expensive and the barrel life is a little longer that the smaller 6mm calibers. That said, I realize that the trend in PRS shooting is toward the smaller, lower-recoil caliber chamberings such as 6mm Creedmoor, 6mm Dasher, etc. I want to have the option of rebarreling the rifle in a smaller caliber myself once the original barrel is shot out, and for all subsequent barrel swaps if I move to calibers with shorter barrel life.
I've been reading the different posts here about at-home barrel changes. Bergara barrels sound like only Bergara can swap them, and it sounds like it is a serious pain to get the factory barrels off Tikkas T3xs, Howa M1500s, and maybe anything else other than a Ruger Precision Rifle, a Savage Model 10, an Accuracy International, or a Q The Fix. The AI and the Q are WAY out of my price range (I'm looking at $1200-1400), and I get the sense that the RPR and Savage are rifles that shooters move out of into something better. I have a friend recommending the Ruger M77 Hawkeye Long-Range, but I have read mixed opinions of the M77 action. Lacking a shop that stocks each of these rifles, it's difficult to get an idea of which rifle is the right place to start.
Things that are important to me are: an easily swappable barrel, upgradable trigger, able to fit into a stock/chassis such as the KRG Bravo or Oryx by MDT, and capable of consistent 1/2 MOA accuracy. Are those attributes attainable without doing a custom build on something like a Bighorn Origin or Defiance action?
What other factors do I need to consider to avoid purchasing the "wrong" rifle? What other questions should I be asking?
Thanks!
I've been reading the different posts here about at-home barrel changes. Bergara barrels sound like only Bergara can swap them, and it sounds like it is a serious pain to get the factory barrels off Tikkas T3xs, Howa M1500s, and maybe anything else other than a Ruger Precision Rifle, a Savage Model 10, an Accuracy International, or a Q The Fix. The AI and the Q are WAY out of my price range (I'm looking at $1200-1400), and I get the sense that the RPR and Savage are rifles that shooters move out of into something better. I have a friend recommending the Ruger M77 Hawkeye Long-Range, but I have read mixed opinions of the M77 action. Lacking a shop that stocks each of these rifles, it's difficult to get an idea of which rifle is the right place to start.
Things that are important to me are: an easily swappable barrel, upgradable trigger, able to fit into a stock/chassis such as the KRG Bravo or Oryx by MDT, and capable of consistent 1/2 MOA accuracy. Are those attributes attainable without doing a custom build on something like a Bighorn Origin or Defiance action?
What other factors do I need to consider to avoid purchasing the "wrong" rifle? What other questions should I be asking?
Thanks!
