Suggestions on buying my first PRS rifle

[Underaverage]

Guys, I'm new to the PRS world. Don't even own a rifle yet and I got on this forum hoping to educate myself before I buy anything that I will later regret.

I'm looking for suggestions of what to buy for my first PRS rifle. Sadly, money is an issue for me so I can't be blowing a bunch of money out of the gate. I know it's expensive to get into the PRS world no matter how you slice it; I'm just hoping to cut cost where I'm able so I don't go bankrupt lol. A friend of mine suggested the Ruger Precision Rifle. Any other thoughts?

 

[Glen1978]

Tikka CTR.

 

[BootyLord]

What’s your budget?

 

[ken226]

Depending on your budget, the Tikka CTR is a good choice. I'm also partial to Howa for a budget shooter. The Howa Bravo comes in a nice chassis and is a good deal for what you get. A 24" 6.5 or 6mm creedmoor Howa Bravo would be just fine for PRS.

For optics, the Burris XTR2 tracks good and is mechanically reliable. You can pick up a used one in the PX or eBay for around 700$ if you keep your eyes open.

Howa Bravo Bolt Action Rifle 6mm Creedmoor 24" Heavy Threaded Barrel 10 Rounds Flat Dark Earth KRG Aluminum Chassis M-LOK Compatible Forend Black Finish [FC-682146389630]

Cheaper Than Dirt! is America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter, and we live up to that title. Expect bulk ammo deals, discount firearms, parts to build your next gun and more.

www.cheaperthandirt.com

 

[clcustom1911]

RPR is a great choice. I had one, but recently sold it to get a Tikka T3x Tac A1. You can do a solid setup like the CTR and one of these Athlon scopes people talk about. I dont have personal experience with them. I've done SWFA, Bushnell, and Vortex on my rifles. They all effectively did or do what I need them to do.

I've seen a couple Bergara B14's in the wild and they looked nice and shot pretty well.

So, 1000 for the rifle, 500-750 on optic, 50-100 on rings, add in a bipod and you'll be into the rifle setup for about $2k. A rear bag any maybe another front support bag like a "gamechanger" or equivalent to place on top of barricade positions, etc. Get a box or two of each type of match ammo you can reliably get your hands on. Shoot each brand at 100 and 300 from a solid position to see what ammo works best in your rifle, then buy a bunch of it.

I suggest you go to matches with just your rifle, ammo and other basic essentials like water and food. See what other guys are using. I'm still new to the match scene but usually everyone is helpful.

 

[salks]

I think if I were to start over I would go with the tikka CTR and put it in a different chassis. Tikka makes a great action and you can build from there if you wish. I would like to get one in .223 and use it for practice and local league matches.

 

[Austinjunks]

The Howa rifles sold in a chassis are a solid choice along with the Tikka ctr. Go to a match and ask to help out or observe, all the competitors will allow you to handle gear and such if you ask. See what you like before you buy and you will end up happier. Don't go buy what some doucher on the internet says is best and then dump money into making it work for you.

 

[Wheres-Waldo]

If you plan on actually shooting, practicing and competing, I’d suggest looking at getting set up to reload (used equipment).

Your wants/needs in a rifle will change as you shoot, practice and compete. I’d suggest buying something you can learn on, but don’t expect to be 100% satisfied with the rifle as you buy it on day 1.

Bags, spotting scope, calculator, magazines...

Even buying cheap and used, it adds up.

 

[Rob01]

Whatever you get make sure it takes AICS mags. Not a proprietary magazine to the company or bottom metal.

Ruger Precision is not a bad choice. The Bergara HMR or even some of the Savage options will get you in the sport and shooting. As mentioned the more you get into the sport the more you will change something to fit you but those rifles will work. If you wanted to part something together the Howa barreled actions are good.

Get it in a caliber you can shoot enough with. Don't worry about gamer 6mm rounds. Get a solid caliber that you can shoot a lot and learn and then change down the road. A basic .308 will work. Or if you wanted something with better ballistics the 6.5 Creedmoor would be a good choice.

Then you have to get a scope which is very important.

 

[Gobears16]

Tikka ctr 6.5cm. Sell stock, bottom metal. Then buy krg bravo ctr. Scope would be used Athlon btr 4.5-27. All up should be around 1600-1650. For cheap ammo the Hornady American gunner holds MOA out to 800 in my set up.

 

[Underaverage]

Thanks everyone for all the information. There's an incredible amount of good info there; you all threw stuff at me that I wasn't even considering.

I would like to attempt to keep my budget around 2k maximum to start (including glass, I know I'm going to have to hunt the deals to make that happen).

Any other suggestions are definitely welcome.

 

[Luke G]

Going to have to echo the Tikka CTR plus KRG Bravo route as best overall setup for that kind of money. If you prefer 6mm over 6.5mm the Howa Bravo in 6 creed would also be a great option but doesn’t have as much aftermarket and lacks the smoothness of the tikka IMHO

 

[Pappakap]

Used, Used Used. With a little patience you can find literally an entire turn key competition rig for sale in the px with less wear and tear than you think. Lots of people here with gun ADHD which means lightly used quality gear at a discount for the rest of us.

 

[Rob01]

Yup keep an eye in the For Sale sections and you can save a lot of money and get a good rifle and scope.

 

[FLguy55]

So many ways to go, and this is gonna become brain overload, trust me....

My take, and just my thoughts for around $1k:

1) Out of the box and go compete rifle: Highly touted option is the Bergara B-14 HMR. Good rigid platform, decent starting trigger, chassis with flat bottomed front makes it easy for bag rests, slap a short pic rail in place of the stock bipod mounts, and probably invest in a decent $100 brake and off to the races you go. You can also pull the barreled action (2 screws...) and move it in to a KRG Bravo or any other higher end chassis down the road. The stock chassis it comes in goes used for around 300 so you can recoup a few bucks. The flexibility of this being a rem 700 platform gives a lot of flexibility from chassis to triggers for the future when you start thinking "upgrades" and believe me, that day will come. I know guys that competed with these for years and shot sub 1/2 MOA with their hand loads and certainly sub MOA out of the box with match ammo (per Bergara's sub MOA guarantee).

2) Tikka actions are the bomb but the default stocks aren't so much, especially for competition. In my opinion (and just an opinion) the CTR stock would probably be best, but again you can sell that stock for maybe 125 and drop the barreled action in to a KRG bravo (or other more expensive chassis) to give you some more accessory capability and even ability to add weight (which you'll want to do for comp). All in though this may be the most expensive option if you swap stocks. I'd say the Bergara barrels are a little nicer, given that's actually their core nitch, and the B14's barrel is a little heavier profile I believe (though shorter...).

3) The Howa Bravo, as mentioned above, is a good out of the box option as well. Really checks all the boxes and just need to add a brake. It comes stock in a KRG Bravo chassis and you can grab KRG accessories right from KRG as desired. You can actually save a hundred bucks by building it yourself though by buying the Bravo chassis direct from KRG and buy a Howa 24" barreled action straight from Brownells if you felt so inclined. Again, pretty much just a couple action screws. The Howa trigger is decent and can be lowered to a lighter pull weight with a little trickery.

4) The RPR is very popular and a good shooter. I'm just personally not a fan of the chassis, prefer open fore ends and Arca rails, and it doesn't leave a lot of room for change. It's always gonna be an RPR. I don't know a ton about the trigger either. Again, just a preference thing for me.

As for glass, you're gonna get hit with 300 options..... Be sure to leave budget for solid rings, or it's all for nothing. Leave 124-150 for decent rings (Seekins, Vortex precision, etc) and the rest for glass. On the "low end" I'm a fan of Athlon and an Ares ETR is a lot of optic for around $1k, and you can grab em here used for around 950. All I'll say, and again you'll get bunches of opinions on this, is I'd stick with something FFP, make sure it has a zero stop, MIL/MIL, some form of xmas tree reticle, and spend as much as you can afford.

 

[cjs88]

Although I have not taken it to the range yet, I'd go Tikka. Kept hearing great things about them on here and was able to snatch one off the px. Bought the KRG bravo and put it in there. All for just over 1k (before and after pictures attached). Even snagged the exact barrel I had on order for custom build elk hunting rifle. Now I don't have to wait months for Proof to manufacture it

 

[MotorOilMcCall]

If you plan on running Production class, you'll need to keep the factory barrel. Tikka's are a little slower, but they're shooters from the factory (precise).

There's a bunch of Tikka Chassis in the PX that would make fine platforms. Get some bags cheap (or borrow them), get a decent piece of glass (25x is plenty, I see guys run <20 a lot), and a decent bipod (Harris is as common as Atlas, if not more common). You won't need much else. Guys will let you borrow everything else you need. Find stuff you really need as you go. Just build up ammo, mags (only need a few honestly), and skills... a backpack is a good idea as well. Somewhere to keep your stuff together, and a good shooting platform when needed, but use something you already have to see how big you actually want/need... don't drop $300 on a MR or Eberlestock to start with.

 

[AdultOnset]

I echo the Tikka CTR/KRG Bravo set up. Solid, stiff, adjustable stock with great ergonomics for a very reasonable price. Great company to deal with also. For the optics, take a look at Expert Voice, GovX and GuideFitters websites to see if you qualify for some very deep discounts through their sites. I got my all my Vortex optics for hunting and shooting for 40% off and didn’t have to wait for them due to limited availability. Going this route, my set- up came in under the $2K threshold you are looking at. There would even be some $$ left for a bipod, AICS style mags, etc.

 

[Rockrivr1]

I wouldn't overlook the Savage line. I shoot PRS with a Savage BA Stealth w/ a Vortex Viper PSS scope. I picked up the Savage used and with the Vortex I'm sitting under $2,000 for the set up. Was out banging a 12" steel gong at 1000 yards with her just this past weekend.

 

[MotorOilMcCall]

Savage is honestly a very accurate rifle box stock. Easy to swap barrels too (again, can't stay production class unless you have a factory barrel). Problem is, very limited aftermarket support for them, and the actions are just so-so at best.

Don't get me wrong, I still have a 10FCP-K... its a good hog gun, but I'd be a little self conscious taking it to a match.

 

[Underaverage]

I'm honestly blown away by how much you all contribute information on here. I love it! Super glad I found a community like this that is willing to throw out support so readily.

It appears that I have some research and pricing to do before I arrive at a solution. You all definitely are giving me plenty to think about.

I definitely know that I want whatever barreled-action that I end up with going into a KRS Bravo stock. Got to handle one of my friend's rifles in a Bravo stock and I fell in love with it. Could use it for hunting too which is a big time draw for me.

Now it's a matter of finding the right setup for the right price. I'm definitely for a turn-key production class rifle with a Bravo stock. Would take a lot of the legwork out of me having to buy and assemble everything.

 

[FLguy55]

I'm honestly blown away by how much you all contribute information on here. I love it! Super glad I found a community like this that is willing to throw out support so readily.

It appears that I have some research and pricing to do before I arrive at a solution. You all definitely are giving me plenty to think about.

I definitely know that I want whatever barreled-action that I end up with going into a KRS Bravo stock. Got to handle one of my friend's rifles in a Bravo stock and I fell in love with it. Could use it for hunting too which is a big time draw for me.

Now it's a matter of finding the right setup for the right price. I'm definitely for a turn-key production class rifle with a Bravo stock. Would take a lot of the legwork out of me having to buy and assemble everything.

Good stuff. Just note that for a rifle to qualify for the production class it has to come out of the factory built with chassis, barreled action, and I believe trigger (may be wrong on the trigger piece and if you can swap that or not though). The big thing is that when it comes time to rebarrel, if you want it to stay in production you have to send it in to the original manufacturer to do the rebarrel. Point being, this takes Tikka and Bergara out if you want the Bravo chassis, and leaves the Howa Bravo. Note that while the production class is growing, most PRS matches don't have a ton of guys shooting that division (granted it leaves a better chance of getting a "win" ;-). Point is, build the rifle you want, that you're gonna enjoy at this price point and don't sweat production. If you really want a bangin rifle in production your budget should be north of $1700, but the Howa Bravo is a shooter for $1k.

 

[Gobears16]

Another option is find the cheapest tikka for a donor action and then buy a prefit in 6.5 or 6 CM and throw it together in a Bravo. Could be close to same price as a new CTR if you plan on putting it in a Bravo anyways.

 

[Underaverage]

Good stuff. Just note that for a rifle to qualify for the production class it has to come out of the factory built with chassis, barreled action, and I believe trigger (may be wrong on the trigger piece and if you can swap that or not though). The big thing is that when it comes time to rebarrel, if you want it to stay in production you have to send it in to the original manufacturer to do the rebarrel. Point being, this takes Tikka and Bergara out if you want the Bravo chassis, and leaves the Howa Bravo. Note that while the production class is growing, most PRS matches don't have a ton of guys shooting that division (granted it leaves a better chance of getting a "win" ;-). Point is, build the rifle you want, that you're gonna enjoy at this price point and don't sweat production. If you really want a bangin rifle in production your budget should be north of $1700, but the Howa Bravo is a shooter for $1k.

Noted. Thanks for the clarification on that. I think finding a way to start out in production class would be a good avenue for me (my buddy who shoots PRS knows all those rules and stuff so before I buy anything I can just clear it with him). I can always continue to build from there if I ever want to jump up in class.

 

[Rob01]

Don't worry about staying in a class. You are just getting into the sport so just buy what you like and can afford. Get it and shoot.

 

[scotchtape]

RPRs are a capable starting point for sure. If you get one in 308, it'll force you to learn to manage recoil and reading wind.
You also have a longer barrel life, if you plan to shoot it enough to burn a barrel.

 

[Rockrivr1]

Noted. Thanks for the clarification on that. I think finding a way to start out in production class would be a good avenue for me (my buddy who shoots PRS knows all those rules and stuff so before I buy anything I can just clear it with him). I can always continue to build from there if I ever want to jump up in class.

Remember that most PRS matches will let new shooters participate for no points in order to get some experience. Won't matter what classification your shooting in. That is how I started. I just showed up, stated I was brand new and they squaded me with a group that was very helpful. If you're not shooting for points they can help you adjust for where your hits are landing compared to target. Doesn't happen if you're competing. I can't guarantee that will be the case for matches everywhere. Just my experience. They want new shooters to join so they are very accommodating.

 

[Rob01]

Also remember you don't have to join the PRS to shoot matches. Just go shoot some and have fun and save the membership fee for ammo.

 

[hereinaz]

Buy used from the PX...

 

[TangoDown7717]

I recently started last year too and quickly went down the rabbit hole. I have to agree with the comments above. If I had to go back and restart, I would run a Tikka in a KRG bravo or a Tikka in the new XRS platform from MDT.

1. The 20" 308 was absolutely amazing to learn how to deal with recoil and I plan to keep it for just that.
2. The RPR I started with I am already yearning for modifications on. Swapping the 20" barrel to a 26" from LRI or PVA soon and replacing the forend with a seekins precision one. If you go the same route rifle wise...you will likely want to do the same at some point.

Recently got a KRG 180 alpha for a 223 trainer (savage 12FV) and the KRG chassis are EXTREMELY comfortable. I imagine the KRG bravo will be similarly comfortable even though its more traditional.

 

[Underaverage]

I just wanted to bump and update this thread with my development thus far. Today I purchased a beautiful Bergara HMR barreled action off of a friend of mine. It actually has the fluted HMR Pro bolt in it, and the barreled action was shipped off to LRI and was blued and trued by them. It's chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and has a 24" Bergara barrel on it. I have personally witnessed my buddy shooting this rifle out to 700 yards getting sub 1/2 MOA ballistics. He let me have the barreled action for $700 and threw in a hellfire muzzle break for $130.

To say that I'm thrilled with the deal that I got is an understatement. Now that I have the business end of my rifle, I'm in need of a chassis to drop it into and a solid piece of glass to put on top of it. Suggestions are welcome from everyone.

However, I will say that the KRG Bravo chassis in Sako Green has my full attention (if you have one and want rid of it, PLEASE reach out). I'm open to suggestions on glass but the EOTech Vudu scopes look pretty intriguing to me. Again, suggestions on glass are much appreciated!

 

[FLguy55]

That's a nice score on the barreled action.

If your price range for a chassis is the Bravo, that's about it for a good option at that price. Some may recommend the Oryx but it's not nearly as customizable as the Bravo. I'd grab the fore end weight and a heavy LOP spacer for the Bravo to beef it up a little too for PRS, if you go that route.

If you want to step up, watch the PX here for used chassis. There's a ton of absolutely killer deals on real nice chassis popping up all the time from MPA comp chasssis in the $600s (which is insane for this chassis), to XLRs, to MDTs.

As for glass, there's a bunch of killer options that don't break the bank. Depends on your budget.

 

[BajaMedic]

Bergara ridgeback in 6mm