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joining the 6.5 club
- Thread starter CarbonMTN
- Start date
Please remove Remington from your list. Out of the box they suck. That magpul stock will rattle. Think about this also....whatever money you sink into it...you will not get back. For example....buying the tika and then wanting a manners stock for it. Run what you brung until you know what you "need" in a rifle. By the time you shoot your barrel out, you will know this.
Spend money on reloading stuff/ammo instead. Look at rebarrel cost also.
The exchange is your friend on here. Guys change guns/parts like womens shoes for the latest and greatest.
Spend money on reloading stuff/ammo instead. Look at rebarrel cost also.
The exchange is your friend on here. Guys change guns/parts like womens shoes for the latest and greatest.
I posted tikka earlier but didn't give my reason why.
I actually just made this decision and bought a tikka ctr 6.5 20 inch. I have a mpa 6.5 for the range but needed something lighter for deer season and went with the tikka. It's been great out to a 1020 yards and whacked 9 deer so far. If this was my all around gun I would go 24 inch barrel though.
I actually just made this decision and bought a tikka ctr 6.5 20 inch. I have a mpa 6.5 for the range but needed something lighter for deer season and went with the tikka. It's been great out to a 1020 yards and whacked 9 deer so far. If this was my all around gun I would go 24 inch barrel though.
Of those listed, I say Tikka. Only prob is if you run into issues (highly unlikely, but still), Beretta can be a nightmare to deal with.
My personal choice is Ruger for various reasons. Excellent customer service IMHO; accuracy is sufficient; open, mechanical two-stage is quite reliable; rugged weather reliability is superb, although i have to admit their scope mounting solutions are sub-par. It's kinda silly that Pine Tree doesn't incorporate an integral pic rail into the actions and turn them into a closed-action integral-railed system, which they can do with castings. Or at least provide better ring mounting systems. They got a pretty good system, only to knee-cap it by not having a wide range of rings. Bedding it with the angled action screw can trip some folks up, too.
Hence the Tikka recommendation. Right over the border the Rangers are using the Arctic to good effect, although that one has a two-stage, which last I knew was not found in the rest of them. Obviously they are accurate and pretty reliable, and after market is growing.
+1. If you added it to your list of possibilities, #1 would be a Howa 1500 either KRG Bravo or just a barreled action from Brownell's put into your stock / chassis of choice. Once in a while you can get the Howa KRG 6.5 for under $1,000 @Brownell's. Actions have been less than $500 on sale.
My personal choice is Ruger for various reasons. Excellent customer service IMHO; accuracy is sufficient; open, mechanical two-stage is quite reliable; rugged weather reliability is superb, although i have to admit their scope mounting solutions are sub-par. It's kinda silly that Pine Tree doesn't incorporate an integral pic rail into the actions and turn them into a closed-action integral-railed system, which they can do with castings. Or at least provide better ring mounting systems. They got a pretty good system, only to knee-cap it by not having a wide range of rings. Bedding it with the angled action screw can trip some folks up, too.
Hence the Tikka recommendation. Right over the border the Rangers are using the Arctic to good effect, although that one has a two-stage, which last I knew was not found in the rest of them. Obviously they are accurate and pretty reliable, and after market is growing.
+1. If you added it to your list of possibilities, #1 would be a Howa 1500 either KRG Bravo or just a barreled action from Brownell's put into your stock / chassis of choice. Once in a while you can get the Howa KRG 6.5 for under $1,000 @Brownell's. Actions have been less than $500 on sale.
Tikka, Howa, Savage, Ruger RPR, good luck with Remington/ other rugers.
I've owned 4 tikkas, 2 in 6.5. A CTR 20 In SS and a Tac A1 24 inch. Both were half minute rifles with good ammo out the box.
I've owned 1 howa, a 308. It was capable. I have had 2 savages, they were a bit rough around the edges but they shot beautifully. Same for the Ruger RPR.
I've had a ruger Hawkeye that wouldnt shoot. Sold it to a friend, he claimed the receiver and barrel weren't square and he had to do some work. It's a shooter now. I wont buy another.
Remington. I have owned many. They are not the same company they were for sure. I still have an old 700 build that shot half moa out the box. But my last 2 had to go back at least once each. Twice in one case of a 308 Sendero. Just dont.
I've owned 4 tikkas, 2 in 6.5. A CTR 20 In SS and a Tac A1 24 inch. Both were half minute rifles with good ammo out the box.
I've owned 1 howa, a 308. It was capable. I have had 2 savages, they were a bit rough around the edges but they shot beautifully. Same for the Ruger RPR.
I've had a ruger Hawkeye that wouldnt shoot. Sold it to a friend, he claimed the receiver and barrel weren't square and he had to do some work. It's a shooter now. I wont buy another.
Remington. I have owned many. They are not the same company they were for sure. I still have an old 700 build that shot half moa out the box. But my last 2 had to go back at least once each. Twice in one case of a 308 Sendero. Just dont.
I don't know much about that particular Ruger model, but I'd still go Tikka. There's a reason you'll see so many here recommend the CTR when people are looking for factory rifle recommendations. They have a reputation for shooting well right out of the box and they're reliable. Plus the actions are so smooth lol which is a bonus.
Why? I have a good friend that says he could throw a Howa more accurately. and i know that Howa has put more money into marketing and sponsorship but i still dont see too many of their rifles at my range.
I find my ruger scout smoother than my friends Remington 700 but I am a Mauser action fan to maybe my hand is lying to my brain about how smooth it is?
Love the Tikkas and Rugers as well but I'm shooting a Savage 10 FCP in 6.5 CM mounted in a MDT chassis. 1st year newbie, self taught, budget build with less than $2K invested with scope, action, chassis, grip, rings, rails, bipod.
Still shooting sub .5 MOA at 100 yards and pissing off the neighbors. I know it's blasphemy but at least look at Savage.
VooDoo
Still shooting sub .5 MOA at 100 yards and pissing off the neighbors. I know it's blasphemy but at least look at Savage.
VooDoo
ive owed a few Savage's and Savage's aftermarket doesn't tingle my junk. Dont get me wrong, its a great factory rifle, just not for me. That Ruger doesn't have an aftermarket either but I'm a slut for Ruger. If I could get a KRG for that Ruger hawkeye I would lose my pants and buy 5 of them and all their calibers.
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+1 for Tikka. Everyone I've owned or shot was a damn nice rifle, right out of the box. Awesome triggers, silky smooth action and very accurate. Look at the 24" CTR in 6.5. My buddy just got one and its an awesome setup for the price.
Of your 3 choices, I still agree with the Tikka.
The only reasons I suggested you consider a Howa over the Tikka:
1) since budget is a consideration: with the ability to buy a barreled action you are not spending money on something you don't want. You can get the action and barrel you want, and then put it in the stock you want, without having to spend extra $ on a stock that you don't want or a non-preferred barrel length/weight as with the Tikka.
2) I strongly prefer two-stage triggers for this type of shooting discipline, and to the best of my knowledge the Tikkas don't come with one (save for the Arctic, which I think is only 308). That's a personal preference thing, though.
3) the Howa has a 3-position safety, which means you can either lock the bolt down completely, or cycle the bolt while the weapon is still on-safe. To my knowledge, the Tikkas do not offer this capability.
4) I really don't like dealing with Beretta
Personally, I'm a Ruger M77 junkie too, but they have a bunch of drawbacks, and unless you're a Mauser fan, they're really not worth the weight, bedding, and scope mounting hassles (N/A for the one you're considering). Of course you can't discuss Ruger in this context without hearing about the US Palma team debacle, and I'm sure they would make the same claim about the Ruger rifles that your friend does about Howa. But for me the Ruger's accuracy has not been a limiting factor.
Lots of folks have great accuracy and reliability out of their Tikkas. Howas, too: check Lowlight's video review.
Was out at -47*F ambient today, no worries with the Ruger functioning. At that temp, the humidity drops to zero, as the air simply cannot hold any water, and you are shooting thru a fog of ice. Most equipment has ceased functioning, calculations require charts, pencil and paper. Sun is just starting to peek over the southern horizon now, so spotting trace is a hoot. Have seen some of the dudes with Tikkas functioning in similar conditions. Rampant larceny out here demands a limit on the cost of weaponry, and then it's the above reasons along with the safety of the action in a ruptured case scenario that made me choose Ruger over Tikka.
If you're in the SW, none of those things really apply. If you don't have same preferences, then Tikka.
The only reasons I suggested you consider a Howa over the Tikka:
1) since budget is a consideration: with the ability to buy a barreled action you are not spending money on something you don't want. You can get the action and barrel you want, and then put it in the stock you want, without having to spend extra $ on a stock that you don't want or a non-preferred barrel length/weight as with the Tikka.
2) I strongly prefer two-stage triggers for this type of shooting discipline, and to the best of my knowledge the Tikkas don't come with one (save for the Arctic, which I think is only 308). That's a personal preference thing, though.
3) the Howa has a 3-position safety, which means you can either lock the bolt down completely, or cycle the bolt while the weapon is still on-safe. To my knowledge, the Tikkas do not offer this capability.
4) I really don't like dealing with Beretta
Personally, I'm a Ruger M77 junkie too, but they have a bunch of drawbacks, and unless you're a Mauser fan, they're really not worth the weight, bedding, and scope mounting hassles (N/A for the one you're considering). Of course you can't discuss Ruger in this context without hearing about the US Palma team debacle, and I'm sure they would make the same claim about the Ruger rifles that your friend does about Howa. But for me the Ruger's accuracy has not been a limiting factor.
Lots of folks have great accuracy and reliability out of their Tikkas. Howas, too: check Lowlight's video review.
Was out at -47*F ambient today, no worries with the Ruger functioning. At that temp, the humidity drops to zero, as the air simply cannot hold any water, and you are shooting thru a fog of ice. Most equipment has ceased functioning, calculations require charts, pencil and paper. Sun is just starting to peek over the southern horizon now, so spotting trace is a hoot. Have seen some of the dudes with Tikkas functioning in similar conditions. Rampant larceny out here demands a limit on the cost of weaponry, and then it's the above reasons along with the safety of the action in a ruptured case scenario that made me choose Ruger over Tikka.
If you're in the SW, none of those things really apply. If you don't have same preferences, then Tikka.
So, if we're opening the door to other options and budget is a concern, I'd also recommend the Howa. Grab one in 6.5 Creed, find a stock or chassis of your choice (Bell and Carlson makes a nice stock with adjust cheek rise for $400, KRG Bravo would be good, or the new MDT Oryx for $400), spend the extra money in your budget on better glass or more bullets.
I have 4 Howas now and they all flat out shoot. Also, the actions are pretty smooth.
Rem 700 barreled action from Europtic: $507.00
KRG Bravo:
$316.00
$823.00 is an option for a Rem 700.
KRG Bravo:
$316.00
$823.00 is an option for a Rem 700.
