Buy or build?

[swampy14]

When you guys are looking for a hunting rifle, do you tend to search till you find the one model you like or do you build a rifle?
The main job of this rifle will be hunting whitetails out to 300yds but will see 1000yd range days. Have to have Thread muzzle from factory. Looking at 20-22” barrels in a 6.5cm/prc

I’m interested in competing in nrl hunter matches in the factory category using a weatherby 307 or Springfield 2020

But I’m also interested in getting a savage 110 trail hunter to build and upgrade.

Or should it be completely custom?

 

[Schmo]

When you guys are looking for a hunting rifle, do you tend to search till you find the one model you like or do you build a rifle?
The main job of this rifle will be hunting whitetails out to 300yds but will see 1000yd range days. Have to have Thread muzzle from factory. Looking at 20-22” barrels in a 6.5cm/prc

I’m interested in competing in nrl hunter matches in the factory category using a weatherby 307 or Springfield 2020

But I’m also interested in getting a savage 110 trail hunter to build and upgrade.

Or should it be completely custom?

I’ll be the first to say it, get a Tikka.

 

[hereinaz]

For NRL hunter and hunting and 1000 yard, buy a factory 6 creed…

For your purposes a good factory rifle will suffice, IMO. Maybe swap the stock. You can buy a Tikka in 6.5 cm and do everything you want. The Weatherby and Springfield seem like decent options. There is no reason for a PRC in hunting or NRL. It gives a small advantage at the 1000 yard range, but that is the absolute smallest consideration.

No need to build, unless you really want to. The money is spent better elsewhere, like ammo for practice and the scope.

 

[khuber84]

For nrl hunter factory class, there is nothing better than a seekins nrl hunter edition(I prefer the ph2 VS ph3 as it's half # lighter for more flexibility in comp setup), or just straight ph2/ph3 line. It's relative light, has arca provisions, TT diamond trigger. The 6cm will give you the highest chance of success due to low recoil, excellent ballistics, and no power factor. 65cm is also an option. The only Tikka that I'd recommend for nrl hunter is the ctr 65cm, as you should(don't have to) have 8rd mag capacity. I have heard and saw a lot of teething issues with way point and 307 rifles. Tikka and seekins are proven, but I'm not a cult Tikka fanboy like most on this forum. They reliably go bang, and general out of the box quality and accuracy is above average.

Building a rifle pushes you out of factory class into open class. Building a rifle, even if going with as budget(without compromised quality) components is still going to land you around $3k minimum, list of example prices:

Quality barrel and fitment: $800
Budget action: $900-1100
Trigger, dbm, magazine: $450-500
Stock: $700-1100
Bedding: $200-300

You can buy fair bit cheaper than build, but it's still a production rifle, and there is a small(or large) chance that something may not have been assembled or machined perfectly. You run the same risk with a custom rifle too, but you can greatly decrease that chance by utilizing components and highly skilled gun plumber to put it together.

 

[hereinaz]

For nrl hunter factory class, there is nothing better than a seekins nrl hunter edition(I prefer the ph2 VS ph3 as it's half # lighter for more flexibility in comp setup), or just straight ph2/ph3 line. It's relative light, has arca provisions, TT diamond trigger. The 6cm will give you the highest chance of success due to low recoil, excellent ballistics, and no power factor. 65cm is also an option. The only Tikka that I'd recommend for nrl hunter is the ctr 65cm, as you should(don't have to) have 8rd mag capacity. I have heard and saw a lot of teething issues with way point and 307 rifles. Tikka and seekins are proven, but I'm not a cult Tikka fanboy like most on this forum. They reliably go bang, and general out of the box quality and accuracy is above average.

Building a rifle pushes you out of factory class into open class. Building a rifle, even if going with as budget(without compromised quality) components is still going to land you around $3k minimum, list of example prices:

Quality barrel and fitment: $800
Budget action: $900-1100
Trigger, dbm, magazine: $450-500
Stock: $700-1100
Bedding: $200-300

You can buy fair bit cheaper than build, but it's still a production rifle, and there is a small(or large) chance that something may not have been assembled or machined perfectly. You run the same risk with a custom rifle too, but you can greatly decrease that chance by utilizing components and highly skilled gun plumber to put it together.

I endorse the Seekins option.

 

[swampy14]

The only reason I considered the prc was cause of the power factor. But I have a budget savage 6.5cm and it’s been a decent shooter. I am not set on a 6.5cm but I’m leaning strongly towards it

 

[swampy14]

For nrl hunter factory class, there is nothing better than a seekins nrl hunter edition(I prefer the ph2 VS ph3 as it's half # lighter for more flexibility in comp setup), or just straight ph2/ph3 line. It's relative light, has arca provisions, TT diamond trigger. The 6cm will give you the highest chance of success due to low recoil, excellent ballistics, and no power factor. 65cm is also an option. The only Tikka that I'd recommend for nrl hunter is the ctr 65cm, as you should(don't have to) have 8rd mag capacity. I have heard and saw a lot of teething issues with way point and 307 rifles. Tikka and seekins are proven, but I'm not a cult Tikka fanboy like most on this forum. They reliably go bang, and general out of the box quality and accuracy is above average.

Building a rifle pushes you out of factory class into open class. Building a rifle, even if going with as budget(without compromised quality) components is still going to land you around $3k minimum, list of example prices:

Quality barrel and fitment: $800
Budget action: $900-1100
Trigger, dbm, magazine: $450-500
Stock: $700-1100
Bedding: $200-300

You can buy fair bit cheaper than build, but it's still a production rifle, and there is a small(or large) chance that something may not have been assembled or machined perfectly. You run the same risk with a custom rifle too, but you can greatly decrease that chance by utilizing components and highly skilled gun plumber to put it together.

I did not know seekins made an nrl edition. I was looking at the ph2 (non nrl) for my next rifle but it’s on the higher end of what I wanted to spend.

The weatherby 307 range xp in 6.5cm I can find for around $800 online and was leaning towards that