PRS Talk How far will the rifle take you?

[fskjester]

I shot 2 local club matches last year and I'm hoping to do 3-5 club matches as well as 3-5 PRS matches this year.

I'm looking this year to purchase a more serious rifle. Something with a detachable magazine and a few other nice things to have in a competition rifle.

I'd been looking at the Ruger RPR in 6mm Creedmoor, however noticed the Bergara LRP and the MPA PCR rifles that are each $2000 or less which would allow me to compete in the production class while I'm still learning. My question is how far can you go with the LRP or PCR? Would those rifles still be competitive with the equipment in the open class?

For one I'm not at the level where I'll out shoot my rifle. I just wonder if I'm going to spend $2000 on a rifle, how many years I'll be able to compete with it as I become more experienced and skilled. if they're not gonna hold up in the open class I'd much rather just purchase a rifle half the price and use that for a year or 2 until I'm ready to go out and get a custom rifle or AI.

 

[Sheldon N]

If you're going to jump in and shoot 5-10 matches this year, I'd say just go for it and don't worry much about the production division. Look at the season standings for PRS Production Division in 2016... only 9 shooters. And of those 9 only 3 shot more than one match. My vote is to just jump in and shoot with everyone else in the open division.

To your question of "How far will the rifle take you" I'd say that once you get a 6mm or 6.5mm rifle that's capable of shooting 1/2-3/4 MOA, the rest is on the shooter. Give a capable RPR to one of the top 5 guys... maybe he drops down 2-3 places in a club match? Take a guy who's mid-pack shooter with a RPR and give him a full blown custom match rifle, maybe he picks up a place or two? The spread between mid-pack and top level is huge... at our regional finale the top guys shot 75-80% hit ratio in tough conditions. If you placed around 30th out of 100 you shot a 50% hit ratio.

The rifle isn't going to bridge that gap, in either direction.

 

[Rob01]

If your rifle doesn't have a DBM then you definitely need one to be competitive. The days of the top loader went away back around 2005.

A 6mm or 6.5mm rifle with .5-.75 MOA accuracy as Sheldon said will do what you need and the rest is on you. If you feel your current rifle won;t do what you need and you want to be more competitive then jump in and buy a new rifle. Make sure to have a good scope on there too though.

 

[morganlamprecht]

agree with the above guys, the main requirements for a rifle to compete for me....

1) mag fed rifle capable of consistently shooting 3/4 moa or better
2) rifle zero doesnt walk under heat stress from normal match strings of fire
3) reliable...no feeding issues, firing pin follows, ejection mishaps, etc...ill throw a unreliable rifle in the trash, as nothing pisses me off more, everything fails eventually but if its a common occurrence, nope..
4) SCOPE...holds zero and tracks without question, otherwise youre goin to be chasing your tail every time out and frustrated often

the rest is on the shooter to figure out what fits him/his shooting style and how to manage positions/dope and hit targets

 

[fskjester]

Yea my current rifle doesn't have a DBM. It's just a stock Howa 1500. No threaded barrel either. So rather than put a bunch into it I'm thinking I'll keep it as a backup.

My thought now is mainly between the Bergara LRP and the MPA PCR as both would allow me to compete my first year in the production class. The biggest question there though is from those two rifles do they seem like enough to also be competitive in the open class in a year or two? From what you guys have said they sound like they will fit what you're recommending.


Instagram.com/mattcramer

 

[Sheldon N]

Between the Bergara LRP and MPA PCR I'd go MPA... just personal preference. The wedge barricade stop is the biggest difference and that can buy you a few points on barricade stages. Either will shoot great and won't hold you back.

But going back to my original comments... why bother with the production division? In the real world you're shooting against everyone at a match, the divisions only matter on paper the day afterward. What does it matter if you got 82nd place but that was 1st in production among the 3 guys who shot production division? No one is in the division so there's no one to compare yourself against. Then if you buy a rifle just for production division, you'll soon discover that you want something slightly different and will sell it and rebuy.

7-10 matches is going to cost you thousands of dollars in match fees, ammo, travel, time, etc. Not to mention the trigger time and practice ammo between matches. Why not spend an extra $500-1000 and get the rifle that you can stick with rather than buy-resell-buy?

Something straightforward like a full size MPA competition chassis, barreled action of your choice with a match grade barrel, a decent trigger and a good optic.

 

[AMAC79]

Couldn't agree more. If you are planning to take on the expense to shoot that many matches you definitely shouldn't short change anything about your rifle. Spend the extra money to have a rifle/scope that you can develop complete confidence in.

 

[fskjester]

My question is how far can you go with the Bergara LRP, RPR or PCR? I can get each of them in a 6mm Creedmoor which I'm pretty set on. Would those rifles still be competitive with the equipment in the open class? Those are currently in my budget. I liked the idea I can use them in the production class however after looking at it, that's a very small consideration any longer in the decision. So really I'm wondering if they will last me a few years of competition and allow me to be competitive. I'd love to have a custom 6mm in a manners stock however most builders I've looked at are gonna be well above $4k to get something custom. I thought about using my current rifle setup (Howa 1500 6.5Creedmoor with Burris XTRii 5-25x50) and just adding a dbm while I save up and get a slightly used AI as well. Which direction would you most recommend?

 

[Sheldon N]

Any of those will be competitive rifles in 6 creedmoor and won't hold you back in the open class in any significant fashion.

However, by the time you've been to a bunch of competitions, watched what other guys are shooting, shot a bunch yourself, my guess is that none of them will be the rifle you *want* to shoot. You've got two options, one is buy the rifle, shoot it a bunch, resell it later when you want something else. I think the RPR is probably the cheapest/easiest resale route there. Other is buy something that's reasonably close to your "custom" goals and shoot that from the beginning. Buying used off the forum here is a great way to avoid the wait and save a few $.

Here's one that popped up with a quick search... plus it comes with a spare barrel. You're going to need one shooting 6 Creed.

https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...xlr-chassis-for-surgeon-591-burris-xtrii-8x40

As far as a new custom for competition, you can do one way cheaper than $4k.

Defiance Deviant action $1330 (Bugholes)
Bartlein 6mm barrel $340 (Bugholes)
Long Rifles Inc chamber/thread barrel in 6 Creedmoor ($450ish, usually a 2 week turn around)
Jewell Trigger $195 (OTM Tactical)
Area 419 Hellfire brake $165 (OTM Tactical)
XLR Element Chassis $600 (or maybe a MPA BA Competition chassis for a bit more)

That's a full blown competition rig, same type of setup that top PRS shooters are running, just a shade over $3k and all the parts are in stock and could be obtained quickly.

 

[fskjester]

Any of those will be competitive rifles in 6 creedmoor and won't hold you back in the open class in any significant fashion.

However, by the time you've been to a bunch of competitions, watched what other guys are shooting, shot a bunch yourself, my guess is that none of them will be the rifle you *want* to shoot. You've got two options, one is buy the rifle, shoot it a bunch, resell it later when you want something else. I think the RPR is probably the cheapest/easiest resale route there. Other is buy something that's reasonably close to your "custom" goals and shoot that from the beginning. Buying used off the forum here is a great way to avoid the wait and save a few $.

Here's one that popped up with a quick search... plus it comes with a spare barrel. You're going to need one shooting 6 Creed.

https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...xlr-chassis-for-surgeon-591-burris-xtrii-8x40

As far as a new custom for competition, you can do one way cheaper than $4k.

Defiance Deviant action $1330 (Bugholes)
Bartlein 6mm barrel $340 (Bugholes)
Long Rifles Inc chamber/thread barrel in 6 Creedmoor ($450ish, usually a 2 week turn around)
Jewell Trigger $195 (OTM Tactical)
Area 419 Hellfire brake $165 (OTM Tactical)
XLR Element Chassis $600 (or maybe a MPA BA Competition chassis for a bit more)

That's a full blown competition rig, same type of setup that top PRS shooters are running, just a shade over $3k and all the parts are in stock and could be obtained quickly.

Great info, that's exactly what I was looking for. I think for now I'll DBM my Howa, buy some more ammo hit a class, a few matches and save another $1500 or so for something custom by late summer.

 

[Sheldon N]

Sweet! Have fun, you're going to love it.