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Suggestions for starter Chassis bolt action rifle in 6.5?
- Thread starter faylix
- Start date
Would certainly be worth asking @bohem
While you're at it, I would put that cerakote money towards timing that trigger if Josh is willing to provide that service.
Ive heard of blue printing, I've tuned a lot of gas blocks, - what is timing a trigger? I mean I could Google it but what's the quick and dirty?
It's a process that optimizes the interface between the trigger sear and action sear - this results in providing light and smooth operation of the bolt while maintaining reliability.
Too little sear engagement, and your rifle won't reliably hold the firing assembly back. This results in accidental discharges. Trigger companies really want to avoid this and potential lawsuits, so they typically aim on the side of too much sear engagement. This can result in an overly heavy bolt operation.
Trigger timing optimizes that interface to give you that sweet spot.
I gotta say, I'm a bit leery of anything that increases the potential to fire without a trigger pull.
Though it's not like you exactly carry a bolt gun with one in chamber and the chamber closed.
Still, it's bad form to blast one into the ground or over the berm (and potentially lethal) because you just closed your bolt and you were getting your final shooting position set and not watching your barrel angle.
I'm intrigued though. I read a few of the threads (here lol) on it and if they are willing to take the Dremel to it (even though it sounds like a huge potential for a lawsuit?) I'm into it.
On the other hands I have all the fine measuring tools, files, and Dremels a man could want so maybe I'll see what the delta is on my particular trigger.
Though it's not like you exactly carry a bolt gun with one in chamber and the chamber closed.
Still, it's bad form to blast one into the ground or over the berm (and potentially lethal) because you just closed your bolt and you were getting your final shooting position set and not watching your barrel angle.
I'm intrigued though. I read a few of the threads (here lol) on it and if they are willing to take the Dremel to it (even though it sounds like a huge potential for a lawsuit?) I'm into it.
On the other hands I have all the fine measuring tools, files, and Dremels a man could want so maybe I'll see what the delta is on my particular trigger.
You should be.
It's a safety concern if you have a rifle that can't reliably operate in a safe condition.
That said, it's a relatively simple operation, and something a gunsmith should be able to achieve relatively simply.
I wouldn't suggest doing it yourself if you are just getting into it. I'm sure a stock TT will be fine in the Solus as is.
This is a bit of a rabbithole, and one I probably shouldn't have brought up. I wouldn't worry about it too much at the moment.
You don't need either if you go the Solus/TT trigger route.
Blueprinting and timing are old-school gunsmithing techniques applied to stock Remington factory actions and triggers. They were necessary to ensure the action was lined up and square to the barrel's chamber and to improve the awful stock trigger's safety.
You won’t need a Diamond. Buy a Special Pro Curved with no bolt release, and remove the screw completely. 1 lbs. pull, for $150 less than a Diamond. And this is coming from someone who owns Diamonds, as well.
Your hands are certainly tied if it’s a Foundation or ARC you want. I just can’t get behind the idea that there aren’t options. KRG, MDT, XLR, Vision, and MPA all support Tikka (and some of them support Howa). You can easily order a quality prefit barrel. You don’t have to touch the trigger, but it’s an option if you hate money.
There are legitimate reasons to choose a 700 footprint over a Tikka, but for the vast majority of people parts availability isn’t one of them.
There is nothing wrong with the Timney HIT. I have a couple and also TT Diamonds and can’t feel the difference. Get the TT if you want but if not going below a pound then get the Special as mentioned.
Special Pro curved for single stage or TT 2 stage special.You won’t need a Diamond. Buy a Special Pro Curved with no bolt release, and remove the screw completely. 1 lbs. pull, for $150 less than a Diamond. And this is coming from someone who owns Diamonds, as well.
The 2 stage special diamond doesn’t do anything that the special does and I also have both. On the single stage you’ll feel the difference between the special and the diamond on something like a RimX or voodoo but not on the 2 stage, the difference is imperceptible.
I prefer (and run) single-stage triggers myself...Even in my AR's. The only thing I like a 2-stage in, is my handguns.
Preference. I prefer how my finger seems to find the same spot on a curved trigger.
Personal preference. I like curved with how my finger sets on the shoe.
Personal preference. Keep in mind that LOP is set by the furthest rearward part of the trigger shoe, and you can increase your needed grip length by about 3/4" going with a flat trigger, and it will feel very different compared to a traditional curved trigger. I have both flats and rounds in bolt guns. I like both. But honestly, I still prefer the pro curved in my bolt guns, and flats in my AR's.
This is the trigger I run in all my Solus rifles, and it's on sale right now at EuroOptic for an awesome price. That's who I usually order mine from.
TriggerTech Rem 700 Clone Special Pro Curved Clean Blk/Blk Single Stage Trigger R70-SBB-13-TNP
TriggerTech Rem 700 Clone Special Pro Clean Blk/Blk Single Stage Trigger R70-SBB-13-TNP For Sale
You just might wait a year for an in stock rifle to ship
Not if he bought it from anyone other than directly from Aero... The link I provided was to Classic Firearms, and they ship SUPER fast. The last thing I bought from them was here in like 2-3 days.
If I were in your shoes, I’d go ahead and bite the bullet on the wait time for the PVA deal. The Solus is a good action and the factory barrels aren’t bad, but you’re gonna get a lot more for your money with that osprey barrel.
You said it yourself, you’ve already bought the wrong equipment in the past and double bought, don’t do it again.
This is the pot calling the kettle black though as I’ll still make a dumb decision to save time and pay more down the road to make it right knowing I’m doing it.
You said it yourself, you’ve already bought the wrong equipment in the past and double bought, don’t do it again.
This is the pot calling the kettle black though as I’ll still make a dumb decision to save time and pay more down the road to make it right knowing I’m doing it.
Well, if that falls through, I'd definitely jump on that last one from Classic. The way I look at that one is, you're basically buying the action and chassis at MSRP price, and getting a free barrel and TriggerTech trigger.
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Obviously this model would depend on availability...
www.sako.global
T3x Ace Target Rifle for PRS shooters
T3x Ace Target, a rifle designed for long range shooting
www.sako.global
We can build you whatever, though it's typically easier/cheaper for customers to source their own TT triggers. We're an OEM Timney shop and I don't carry anything from TT. Nothing against them, it's just not something that we do. We don't carry Jewell or BnA's or the others either. There are so many options out there that it's not feasible to do that and try to actually build things, it's not how we're setup to run. Altus, Mile High, EuroOptic, etc are parts dealers and they're very good at what they do.
I know we offer a much larger option range for the Solus BA than Aero does. I do have a couple of the Aero chassis here in Black too, we've done a couple of rifles for customers on them. It's not a high end chassis but for the money spent they're pretty nice, I was impressed by what came in the box for the price tag (read that as it's a high value to cost ratio). The ARC Xylo chassis blows it out of the water, but it's a lot more expensive deal. What you want to do with it will dictate what you need to spend to get there.
I know we offer a much larger option range for the Solus BA than Aero does. I do have a couple of the Aero chassis here in Black too, we've done a couple of rifles for customers on them. It's not a high end chassis but for the money spent they're pretty nice, I was impressed by what came in the box for the price tag (read that as it's a high value to cost ratio). The ARC Xylo chassis blows it out of the water, but it's a lot more expensive deal. What you want to do with it will dictate what you need to spend to get there.
For the purposes of this discussion on trigger sear engagement - if OP was interested, could they order a PVA Solus Barreled Action combo from you, along with the Timney of their choice, and pay for some shop time so you could install the Timney, check engagement, and time it if necessary?
Thank you very much for jumping in sir.
I'm def looking heavily at a PVA barreled action with one of your osprey barrels. Buy once cry once.
I'm not sure you saw the initial thread - but this is basically a 1 - 200 yard gun where I'm trying to get significantly better accuracy than my WOA gasser. I've only started shooting PRS about 12 months ago and this would be my first bolt action gun.
I'm trying to see an order of magnitude better accuracy (read since my gasser is shooting sub moa right now I'd like to get to sub 1/2 moa on average at 100 yards when i do my part) - but I'm also trying to keep the cost at a level where I won't be 40+ and divorced.
I know those two goals are at odds.
I also know that it took me years of tinkering, buying the wrong thing, pulling my hair out to learn to build AR's competently and I'm here in this thread trying to drink from the snipershide fire hose of knowledge (tm) to avoid some of the easy mistakes.
thank you for coming in and answering questions.
Had a lot of luck with the Howa barreled actions from Brownells. They run sales on them quite often, you can get into a 6.5CM action for under $500 if not under $400.
KRG Bravo, MDT Field, or MDT LSS-XL Gen 2, and a Timney rail section and whatever glass you want.
The most aftermarket support will be R700 & Tikka though, if you care about swapping smaller parts out.
I have built two Howa 1500s with MDTs and with quality ammo they're very accurate guns.
KRG Bravo, MDT Field, or MDT LSS-XL Gen 2, and a Timney rail section and whatever glass you want.
The most aftermarket support will be R700 & Tikka though, if you care about swapping smaller parts out.
I have built two Howa 1500s with MDTs and with quality ammo they're very accurate guns.
We don't do any trigger timing on the Solus stuff. It's one of those things that Insurance carriers get real touchy about really fast since the Remington and Sig lawsuits. For the dollars involved in timing them, it's the same cost to buy a higher dollar action with different trigger hangers that adjust the timing. It's a lot less of a problem than forums seem to make it out to be. Somewhat like starting the discussion "what's the best _________ and _________ to buy".
I'm pretty confident that we can handle that without issue. There's a few things to consider in caliber, overall weight, etc but if you choose any of the common competition calibers )6 or 6.5mm) and we hang an Osprey on the front of the Solus it's going to do what you're looking for. Especially with the prevalence of decent match ammo from Berger and Hornady if you don't reload.
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Yeah timing a trigger is something I have never done or had to do in over 30 years of shooting long range rifles. Adjust the weight and go. I have heard people talk about it but sounds more like people trying to make their life harder lol
As an alternative to “timing” you can buy the Bix n Andy TacSport Pro X. They have 3 different sear heights.
I was getting some soft strikes on my RimX with a TT diamond with a very low pull weight and I believe this has been resolved with the BnA.
I still kind of prefer the TT triggers generally and haven’t had any issues with my centerfire actions and I have half a dozen defiance anTI and half a dozen ARC.
I did have some issues with a garbage R700 SPS where the striker wouldn’t catch when you angled the rifle 30deg up or down and/or if you ran the bolt too quickly. Glad I got rid of it.
I was getting some soft strikes on my RimX with a TT diamond with a very low pull weight and I believe this has been resolved with the BnA.
I still kind of prefer the TT triggers generally and haven’t had any issues with my centerfire actions and I have half a dozen defiance anTI and half a dozen ARC.
I did have some issues with a garbage R700 SPS where the striker wouldn’t catch when you angled the rifle 30deg up or down and/or if you ran the bolt too quickly. Glad I got rid of it.
I swear everyday I get closer to fudd status.
Long underwear at the range? Check.
Get off my lawn? Double check.
Don't like "modern" music? Yeahcheck
About to spend a bunch of money on a bolt action ? 1800 check.
None of that is FUDD
A FUDD is someone who thinks they know everything about guns, but everything they know is outdated and based on old technology—usually lifetime hunters, cops, etc. Examples include believing that your scope's objective bell should almost touch the barrel to be properly mounted, lapping rings, timing triggers, blueprinting actions, etc. There are more examples.
And remember, there is no such thing as “Buy once, cry once.”
Reality is “Buy, cry, get curious about something else, get bored, start the cycle over.”
-Stan
Reality is “Buy, cry, get curious about something else, get bored, start the cycle over.”
-Stan
Follow up:
I scored a gun broker competition Solus in 6.5 for 1625.
Next is to learn the ways of the bolt gun and eventually start upgrading.
What should I order from target sports to feed her as a test run?
I scored a gun broker competition Solus in 6.5 for 1625.
Next is to learn the ways of the bolt gun and eventually start upgrading.
What should I order from target sports to feed her as a test run?
Factory ammo ? Any of these will get you 1/2 moa or 5/8 at the worst at 100y with any decent barrel.
Hornady 140 eldm
FGMM 130 Berger
Sako TRG 136 Scenal-L
Hornady 147 eldm
Probably just get a case of this and call it a day
Federal Gold Medal Berger 6.5 Creedmoor Ammo 130 Gr Berger Hybrid - Ammo Deals
Federal Gold Medal Berger 6.5 Creedmoor Ammo 130 Gr Berger Hybrid at Target Sports USA with free shipping available. Enjoy deals on 6.5 Creedmoor ammo
www.targetsportsusa.com
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I've noticed a pretty huge difference in some actions with timed vs untimed triggers.
Had a TL3 that had ungodly amount of sear engagement with a stock TT - it made the bolt lift on an AI feel light.
Another example off the top of my head is comparing my Mausingfield with BnA (self timed) versus a friends Mausingfield with Huber. My Mausingfields bolt operation felt at least half of what it took to operate his bolt. It was extremely noticable.
Most of the time you can throw a trigger in an action and it will be good enough. If you have a trigger hanger or trigger with adjustable sear engagement, you can make a pretty noticeable difference.
Either way, not something for the OP to worry about, I regret bringing it up.
That Federal 130 recommended earlier is pretty excellent stuff. The brass Federal used in my last batch of that ammo is Small Rifle Primer (SRP), which some folks prefer for the extra meat in the brass, but I'll just provide mild caution that you may have issues in truly severe cold weather as the small primer, even hotter magnum small rifle primers like CCI-450, just have less energy in them than Large Rifle Primer (LRP) brass.
Literally zero SKUs of it in stock at Target Sports right now, but I have had excellent results with factory Berger ammunition, both the 140 hybrid and the 153.5 long range hybrid target. Note that I'm at higher elevation, though - if the barrel on that Solus has a 1:8 twist as is typical, stick with the 140, it's still excellent and I have a few 10 round groups in the .7's with that stuff.
For some light bedtime reading, this series from Precision Rifle Blog (I linked to the entry that has group sizes, I'd encourage you to check out the whole series) was a meaty dive into factory ammo statistics. You'll note that even through his custom rifle, once he sampled a large enough quantity of each type, the best of them settled in around the 0.7's. He's reporting Mean Radius, but there's a chart in there should you wish to go back to Extreme Spread.
Literally zero SKUs of it in stock at Target Sports right now, but I have had excellent results with factory Berger ammunition, both the 140 hybrid and the 153.5 long range hybrid target. Note that I'm at higher elevation, though - if the barrel on that Solus has a 1:8 twist as is typical, stick with the 140, it's still excellent and I have a few 10 round groups in the .7's with that stuff.
For some light bedtime reading, this series from Precision Rifle Blog (I linked to the entry that has group sizes, I'd encourage you to check out the whole series) was a meaty dive into factory ammo statistics. You'll note that even through his custom rifle, once he sampled a large enough quantity of each type, the best of them settled in around the 0.7's. He's reporting Mean Radius, but there's a chart in there should you wish to go back to Extreme Spread.
You mentioned it in your original post but haven’t seen it mentioned here. The Ruger RPR sure seems like the easy button for you…as it has been for a lot of others. They just revamped them so stock may be limited but you also might be able to find an “old” on the cheap around $1,100-1350 in your caliber of choice. Personally I have the custom shop in 6.5cm as I was having paralysis by analysis like you. It’s a flat out shooter and have taken it to a mile. Averages .5 moa with American gunner when I stay out of the way.
Side note: lots of aftermarket barrel options for it including WOA.
Ruger customer service is also TOP notch should you ever need it. Have not heard the same about Aero or even Tikka at times.
Food for thought. Enjoy the process!
*Edit: I guess you can find the new model they just came out with in 6.5cm for around $1450. Not sure what the new custom shops will go for but normally $250-300ish more
Side note: lots of aftermarket barrel options for it including WOA.
Ruger customer service is also TOP notch should you ever need it. Have not heard the same about Aero or even Tikka at times.
Food for thought. Enjoy the process!
*Edit: I guess you can find the new model they just came out with in 6.5cm for around $1450. Not sure what the new custom shops will go for but normally $250-300ish more
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I ended up getting a solus competition for about 1600 (after tax and shipping it was 17 something?).
I figure I'll learn to shoot a bolt gun on this first barrel and then when I'm ready to step up I'll grab something from NSS or similar.
I'm excited for my first bolt gun since the boy scouts!
I figure I'll learn to shoot a bolt gun on this first barrel and then when I'm ready to step up I'll grab something from NSS or similar.
I'm excited for my first bolt gun since the boy scouts!
What else do I need to do?
- I have a 1 - 6x optic that isn't being used right now I can put on this thing while I save up for a DNT the one (anyone with an extra one want to give me a good deal?) - I guess I could use one of my optics from my other long range guns - but they are sighted in and zero stopped and I just don't want to break up a working gun set.
- I have a good bipod on a quick release mount
- I have a few different kinds of bags
- I ordered a box of the suggested ammo.
- I need some kind of bag that will accept a gun that long - any suggestions?
- I have targets, target stands, etc.
- Muzzle compensator - I'm in MA so suppressors are kind of a no go (right this second) - I have a 419 6.5 compensated break I was going to put on my 6.5 LMT barrel but I can save it for this? I also have a simple KAK compensator that would work. Or I can just leave the thread protector.
What am I missing?
also, Where should I start reading about pre fit barrels for when I'm ready to move up? Who should I be looking at? I've read about Osprey, Bartlien, NSS, proof.... so far Bartlien looks like it'll be around 500, the NSS barrels are in the 3 - 4 range, proof is in the 1k range, osprey is 6 - 7.
Again, super appreciate all the help.
- I have a 1 - 6x optic that isn't being used right now I can put on this thing while I save up for a DNT the one (anyone with an extra one want to give me a good deal?) - I guess I could use one of my optics from my other long range guns - but they are sighted in and zero stopped and I just don't want to break up a working gun set.
- I have a good bipod on a quick release mount
- I have a few different kinds of bags
- I ordered a box of the suggested ammo.
- I need some kind of bag that will accept a gun that long - any suggestions?
- I have targets, target stands, etc.
- Muzzle compensator - I'm in MA so suppressors are kind of a no go (right this second) - I have a 419 6.5 compensated break I was going to put on my 6.5 LMT barrel but I can save it for this? I also have a simple KAK compensator that would work. Or I can just leave the thread protector.
What am I missing?
also, Where should I start reading about pre fit barrels for when I'm ready to move up? Who should I be looking at? I've read about Osprey, Bartlien, NSS, proof.... so far Bartlien looks like it'll be around 500, the NSS barrels are in the 3 - 4 range, proof is in the 1k range, osprey is 6 - 7.
Again, super appreciate all the help.
This...
Berger Match Grade 6.5 Creedmoor Ammo 140 Grain Berger Elite Hunter
Berger Ammunition provides the most demanding hunter, competitive shooter and Mil/LE warfighter a precision-built performance product that is unequaled...
www.midwayusa.com
Amazing hunting bullets, too. I love the Elite Hunter bullets, because they're essentially target bullets made for hunting, so they have the extremely high BC of long range target bullets, but a softer jacket for proper expansion on game.
The Solus was designed around using TriggerTech 700 clone triggers (which is why Aero uses TT as their factory triggers in all their Solus rifles), so there is no need to time a TT with a Solus.
Is your total budget still “in the low twos” as you said in your first post?
I feel like it’s not as that leaves you like $500 for an optic.
-Stan
