Hunting/Competition Rifle Selection

[ShooterZ]

I’m planning on going on a big game hunt with my dad in the next 2-3 years (time to save up money and train) either out West or to South Africa. The problem is that neither of us have a bolt action rifle that would do the trick and I’m having trouble figuring out our next steps going forward.(I would also like to compete with my rifle.) For caliber I’m deciding between 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 or 6.5 PRC and the way I see it we have 3 options rifle wise: Bergara B-14’s, Tikka T3X’s, or build them ourselves off of one of the more available custom actions.
I have about 4 years of long range match shooting under my belt with precision gas gun as well as competing in local NRL22 matches. I have a 6.5 Creedmoor Ruger American I bought cheap to try out the NRL Hunter match in Georgia this year but it’s not really something I’d like to trust an expensive hunt to.

 

[b6graham]

what's your budget?

and are you talking elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and/or what in Africa?

competing meaning PRS or NRL Hunter?

 

[acourvil]

If you are going to hunt and compete on any knd of regular basis, you will want 2 different rifles. Exactly what rifles will depend on what you are hunting and what kind of competitions you are doing. Of the calibers you listed, I would say 6.5 Creedmoor for competition, and 6.5 PRC for hunting. I would not even consider a 308 unless it is required for a particular kind of competition you are doing. For most competitions, you will probably be happier with a 6mm caliber rather than 6.5.

 

[b6graham]

If you are going to hunt and compete on any knd of regular basis, you will want 2 different rifles. Exactly what rifles will depend on what you are hunting and what kind of competitions you are doing. Of the calibers you listed, I would say 6.5 Creedmoor for competition, and 6.5 PRC for hunting. I would not even consider a 308 unless it is required for a particular kind of competition you are doing. For most competitions, you will probably be happier with a 6mm caliber rather than 6.5.

NRL Hunter comps kinda change the separate hunt and comp gun requirements (caliber depending)

if he means NRL Hunter then a 6mm is not even possible. and a 6.5CM will fill his needs well. it's up to him if he wants to use a 6.5CM on elk or African stuff but it does just fine

my recommendation would be a Origin/ARC CDG/Mack Bros Evo
proof/gunsmith prefits. 6.5CM steel for NRL Hunter and then 6.5PRC/7SS carbon for hunting (or just a light steel or carbon 6.5CM as single barrel)
chassis/stock depends on budget. KRG Bravo up to XLR magnesium or HNT26
optic again depends on weight/budget. sub different brands but Razor Gen 3 for comp and a razor lht 4-22 for hunting (or just the LHT for dual purpose)

 

[ShooterZ]

what's your budget?

and are you talking elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and/or what in Africa?

competing meaning PRS or NRL Hunter?

Mule deer and pronghorn. Similar sized game in Africa.
It will be regional PRS matches and NRL Hunter matches. I’m looking at putting around $1500 in a rifle with about the same in optics.

 

[ShooterZ]

NRL Hunter comps kinda change the separate hunt and comp gun requirements (caliber depending)

if he means NRL Hunter then a 6mm is not even possible. and a 6.5CM will fill his needs well. it's up to him if he wants to use a 6.5CM on elk or African stuff but it does just fine

my recommendation would be a Origin/ARC CDG/Mack Bros Evo
proof/gunsmith prefits. 6.5CM steel for NRL Hunter and then 6.5PRC/7SS carbon for hunting (or just a light steel or carbon 6.5CM as single barrel)
chassis/stock depends on budget. KRG Bravo up to XLR magnesium or HNT26
optic again depends on weight/budget. sub different brands but Razor Gen 3 for comp and a razor lht 4-22 for hunting (or just the LHT for dual purpose)

Yeah, I’d be leaning much more to the hunter style matches. I really like the idea of learning how to use all of my gear together.

I wouldn’t mind parting out and building the rifles myself if it’ll get us more bang for our buck even if it’ll cost a little more. I’ll start looking into the different actions and prefit barrels. I’ve got experience as a machinist and drafter so some hand fitting isn’t a problem.
How does the LHT compare to the Gen 3 Razor in part/build quality?

 

[ShooterZ]

How do the heavier 6.5 bullets (147+) perform on game out of a creedmoor? Would it be enough for something the size of an elk?

 

[Digetydog]

A trip to Africa is a huge investment. I would not want to risk being under gunned when I got there. I would want something with a 7mm bullet in it.

 

[1911Shootist]

What makes a great hunting gun (high energy, light weight) is the exact opposite of what makes a good game gun (low recoil, heavy weight).

If you must use one gun for both, and you’re interested in NRL Hunter matches AND okay with lugging a match gun around on your hunts, you’ll want to build to a certain division (open heavy <16lbs, open light <12 lbs, or Factory <12 lbs). Select the weight you’re willing lug around, subtract known accessories (bipod, scope, suppressor or brake) then go gun shopping based on weight and features.

I’ve had the Razor LH and LHT 3-15’s on my previous hunting guns. They’re great scopes. The G3 is awesome, but on the heavy side if you need to make weight for NRL Hunter. I’m putting the LHT 4-22 on my Hunter build.

Plenty of elk are taken with the 6.5C. Some folks are uncomfortable with it. With proper shot placement, it can work perfectly. You just don’t have as much margin for error if the animal moves or a bone gets in the way. If you can definitely put a bullet exactly where you want to, and where to, it’s fine.

 

[nksmfamjp]

Just my 2 cents….

First, do you reload?

First of all, I’m going to pull from my experience and what I hear Joseph VonBenedict say. You want to target good 1/4 mi capability in a guided hunting rig. I believe you also kind of want a bit of a 2 is 1 and 1 is none mentalaity. Last, you want to think through some what ifs…..

1/4 mi capability…..this is what drives a bolt action rifle. Most bolt action factory rifles can shoot 1/4mi with enough accuracy to be lethal. The second part of that is considering what bullet/caliber do you need to drive tip to tail through your biggest toughest animal. This is because these are once in a lifetime experiences. You need to be prepared to make your one chance successful. This is where if 6.5 Creedmoor can do it that I would suggest the bump up to 280ai, 7 Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag. Those rounds just drive hunting bullets better.

2 is 1 and 1 is none mentalaity…. You or a gunsmith want to go through your rifle making sure everything is working right. I would even freeze it and the ammo…..as well as shooting it on a hot day.
This is where I would consider a nearly unbreakable optic like a Nightforce and/or a backup optic. I have backup irons on my travel rifle.
I also carry a complete tool kit. I can tear down my rifle in the field, just in case.

what ifs…..What if the barrel is jammed in mud? What if I need to get ammo local to the hunt? What if optic blows up? What if dropped in a mud puddle? What if grizzly? What if Lion/Buffalo?

Good luck!

 

[redneckbmxer24]

If you want one rifle to do it all. Impact or TL3, Manners CS2, Proof SS prefit for matches, Proof CF prefit for hunting. Blows your budget but if you want one rifle to truly be great at both then something like that is about the only option.

 

[wpeach1912]

Pretty much anything under $1500, I'd recommend a Tikka. You can throw it in a nicer stock to get it to $1500. For muley and pronghorn, 6.5 PRC is fine, but if you go to Africa I'd go to at least a 7mm something. Probably 280 ai, 7 saum, 7 PRC, 7 rem mag, 300 wsm, 300 win mag. Having the rifle double as a competition rig pretty much only makes sense with the 6.5 prc, but limits capability in game taking for anything bigger than a mule deer IMO.

 

[ShooterZ]

I do reload quite a bit, so I’m looking for a caliber that’s pretty easy to get components for. I know the 6.5 Creedmoor has lots of options, along with the 308 and I have experience reloading both. Would the 308 be a better choice? I’m unfamiliar with shooting and loading the long action calibers so short action has been my main focus.

I’ve reached out to a handful of gunsmiths I know of to get prices on barreled actions. Both the Tikkas and Bergara are fairly common at gun shops in my area.

 

[xphunter]

I’m planning on going on a big game hunt with my dad in the next 2-3 years (time to save up money and train) either out West or to South Africa. The problem is that neither of us have a bolt action rifle that would do the trick and I’m having trouble figuring out our next steps going forward.(I would also like to compete with my rifle.) For caliber I’m deciding between 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 or 6.5 PRC and the way I see it we have 3 options rifle wise: Bergara B-14’s, Tikka T3X’s, or build them ourselves off of one of the more available custom actions.
I have about 4 years of long range match shooting under my belt with precision gas gun as well as competing in local NRL22 matches. I have a 6.5 Creedmoor Ruger American I bought cheap to try out the NRL Hunter match in Georgia this year but it’s not really something I’d like to trust an expensive hunt to.

The 6.5 Creed will work for plains game of the size you are talking about and it will work fine for the PRS/NRL game as well.
Encourage you to use a bonded bullet like the Accubond or bullets like the Barnes LRX or Hammer's for SA game.
The PRC is going to give you more horsepower than the Creed, so it comes down to the trade-off's.

 

[Covertnoob5]

As someone who’s been down that road many times, I think your best bet is a Tikka in a KRG bravo and spend a good amount on optics. The razor 3 blows the LHT out of the water, but it’s really heavy. I’d suggest a kahles DLR or a Leupold MK5 as a really good crossover scope. IMO both are much better as a total package than the LHT. If you get a custom barreled action get a heavy Palma around 26” in 6.5CM. The origins are really nice, the tikka is great, just depends how much past your budget you’re willing to go.
For $1500 I’d get a tikka t3x and replace the stock with a bravo.

 

[Digetydog]

As someone who’s been down that road many times, I think your best bet is a Tikka in a KRG bravo and spend a good amount on optics. The razor 3 blows the LHT out of the water, but it’s really heavy. I’d suggest a kahles DLR or a Leupold MK5 as a really good crossover scope. IMO both are much better as a total package than the LHT. If you get a custom barreled action get a heavy Palma around 26” in 6.5CM. The origins are really nice, the tikka is great, just depends how much past your budget you’re willing to go.
For $1500 I’d get a tikka t3x and replace the stock with a bravo.

After reading your post, I got to thinking about trying to carry around an action with a 26" heavy Palma barrel hunting.

I think OP should get an Origin LA with whatever LA cartridge he wants for his competition. He could get a prefit barrel and a stock set up for the competitions he wants to compete in. I can confirm that can be done for under $2K.

When he wants to go hunting, get a lighter, prefit barrel in a cartridge suitable for Africa. Depending upon what he picks, he might need a new bolt, but they are easily swapped out with the Origin. If he is on a tight budget, he could get a Savage take off in 30-06 or 7mm RM for under $100 and screw it on.

 

[perttime]

On the africahunting forums, people who have been there and done that tend to recommend calibers that have ammunition available locally. It does happen that ammunition gets "misplaced" during travel.

 

[Robert Chambers]

A trip to Africa is a huge investment. I would not want to risk being under gunned when I got there. I would want something with a 7mm bullet in it.

I would be more expensive to go to a high Fence ranch in Texas than a High fence ranch in S. Africa.

 

[buckdog]

I’m planning on going on a big game hunt with my dad in the next 2-3 years (time to save up money and train) either out West or to South Africa. The problem is that neither of us have a bolt action rifle that would do the trick and I’m having trouble figuring out our next steps going forward.(I would also like to compete with my rifle.) For caliber I’m deciding between 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 or 6.5 PRC and the way I see it we have 3 options rifle wise: Bergara B-14’s, Tikka T3X’s, or build them ourselves off of one of the more available custom actions.
I have about 4 years of long range match shooting under my belt with precision gas gun as well as competing in local NRL22 matches. I have a 6.5 Creedmoor Ruger American I bought cheap to try out the NRL Hunter match in Georgia this year but it’s not really something I’d like to trust an expensive hunt to.

ShooterZ
africa ,been there done that 46 confirmed africa critters doa. 6.5creed WILL NOT DO THE JOB IN AFRICA!! think 300 WM. the animals in africa are much tougher than our elk and deer, they dont go down easy and the africa rule is you bleed it you bought it you pay for it period! Shot will be 100-300yds and will be standing off sticks. So I dont really know if 1 gun will do both for you but a 300WM tika is a good choice 200 gr bonded bullets.

 

[Digetydog]

I would be more expensive to go to a high Fence ranch in Texas than a High fence ranch in S. Africa.

True.