Help with build vs buy 7 prc short barrel

[T3clay]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to get into my first quality rifle. I’m looking for a chassis rifle with a folding option in 7 PRC and I’d like to go with a 20” barrel.

I’m currently shooting a Bergara B-14 ridge 7mm rem mag.

I’m having a hard time finding any off the shelf rifles that fit my needs, but with that being said I’m not super knowledgeable on rifle building but I have been doing my research and learning a ton.

I’d love to just have someone build a rifle for me but to be honest I simply can’t afford a top of the line custom rifle.

I’m hoping I can get what I’m looking for under $3000 (without optic) with either the element or HNT26 chassis. - these are the obvious top choices but are there other folding chassis that are relatively lightweight I should be looking at? I’d be open to a folding stock as well, but having a vertical grip and adjustable riser is important to me

I considered rebarreling my 7 rem mag…. But if I replace the stock and barrel I’ll be $2500 in upgrades and still only have one rifle…. And I would like to keep that rifle to hand down to my son.

If you were in my shoes what route would you take to get into a 20” or 18” barreled PRC in a lightweight folding chassis?

I’ll add that I do not have and don’t plan to add a supressor

Thanks!

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I’d really not recommend 7 PRC in a chassis. Been there, done that, and it was a lot to handle. Especially if lightweight. A 9 lb 7PRC in an XLR element was a lot of recoil. Too much. Compared to my carbon stock, there was an increase in felt recoil with the chassis. All of my experience in shooting it suppressed. Braked could be marginally better.

20” barrel is fine for 7PRC - I’d really think about getting a stock from alterra if you build one….

As far as the rifle goes, “quality” is nice but doesn’t get you much for accuracy and dependability compared to basic rifles. Saying that as a guy with a custom on its third iteration. I’d consider a 6.5PRC since you have a 7 RM. I’d lean towards seekins for nicer factory, but honestly would look at doing something with a tikka for aftermarket support. If you really want a lighter folder, I’d do a creedmoor in hnt26 so you aren’t punished so much for cutting weight.

Do what makes you happy but thought I’d pass along some thoughts since I’ve been down this exact road. Good luck.

 

[T3clay]

I’m not worried about recoil, that 7RM is no problem at all and is 10ish Lbs. and I’m planning to stick with 7 prc - this will replace the 7RM as my primary big game rifle.

 

[T3clay]

I’d really not recommend 7 PRC in a chassis. Been there, done that, and it was a lot to handle. Especially if lightweight. A 9 lb 7PRC in an XLR element was a lot of recoil. Too much. Compared to my carbon stock, there was an increase in felt recoil with the chassis. All of my experience in shooting it suppressed. Braked could be marginally better.

20” barrel is fine for 7PRC - I’d really think about getting a stock from alterra if you build one….

As far as the rifle goes, “quality” is nice but doesn’t get you much for accuracy and dependability compared to basic rifles. Saying that as a guy with a custom on its third iteration. I’d consider a 6.5PRC since you have a 7 RM. I’d lean towards seekins for nicer factory, but honestly would look at doing something with a tikka for aftermarket support. If you really want a lighter folder, I’d do a creedmoor in hnt26 so you aren’t punished so much for cutting weight.

Do what makes you happy but thought I’d pass along some thoughts since I’ve been down this exact road. Good luck.

Does alterra make a folding stock?

 

[Shawn_Guinn]

Seekins element Hunters will at some point start showing up in LA actions there msrp is 3200, I don’t think 7 prc is available in 20 inches the 300 prc I orders comes in 22 I would assume it’s the same for 7 prc. If they have the same feel as the havok slams I much prefer the feel of it over the other folders available. Fierce has a bad wrap but their mountain reaper folder is very nice for 3k and I’m positive you can order it with a 20 inch barrel the new battle worn finishes are very sharp in person. I got to look them over at a parking lot event at Big Al’s a few weeks ago I almost called to cancel my seekins order just get a battle worn tan Mtn reaper. But to be honest I almost shot a Hoyt bow a couple years ago just for the battleship grey battle worn finishes and I’m very much a Mathews shooter. Looks matter more than I will sometimes admit lol.

 

[ReddingArcher]

You can definitely get it done for under 3000. I have a tikka with a 22” barrel that I’ll be dropping in an element chassis in the next couple weeks. I got the element chassis for 1400ish, the tikka was 1040 out the door. If you have to have 20” you can always have it chopped and threaded. I’m anxious to get it set up and shoot it. I have a maven rs 1.2 sitting waiting to be put in too. We’ll see how it shoots!

 

[bow puller]

If going 18-20" I'd highly recommend a 7 saum over the prc. Shorter case, slightly faster burn rate will be just as fast without the blast. If doing it for factory ammo I get it. Good luck with the build

 

[T3clay]

You can definitely get it done for under 3000. I have a tikka with a 22” barrel that I’ll be dropping in an element chassis in the next couple weeks. I got the element chassis for 1400ish, the tikka was 1040 out the door. If you have to have 20” you can always have it chopped and threaded. I’m anxious to get it set up and shoot it. I have a maven rs 1.2 sitting waiting to be put in too. We’ll see how it shoots!

Looks like msrp on a tikka t3 stainless (22”)is $900. Are the triggers in the tikka stock rifles decent or should I plan to replace it?

 

[ReddingArcher]

Looks like msrp on a tikka t3 stainless (22”)is $900. Are the triggers in the tikka stock rifles decent or should I plan to replace it?

I have multiple tikkas and every one of the triggers has been great. I put the aftermarket trigger spring in them and get the pull weight down a little lower than the stock trigger will go, but that’s personal preference. Factory tikka triggers are very good.

 

[T3clay]

Tikka T3X Barreled Action - Oregon Mountain Rifles

Tikka T3X Barreled Actions come fully assembled and head spaced to SAAMI specs, utilizing OMR’s Shouldered match grade carbon fiber prefit barrel. OMR guarantees 1/2 MOA with all our rifle builds. If you're looking for a complete Tikka T3 rifle build, click here. Your Tikka T3X barreled...

omrifles.com

This will put me over my budget but considering this option if anyone has review or opinions

 

[T3clay]

Or are there other barreled actions under $2000 I should be looking at?

 

[Shawn_Guinn]

By the time you add in a chassis to a barreled action your overbudget. I looked hard at soldier Mtn arms and Oregon mountain rifle to build exactly what your trying to do. Both would give me a credit since I have a donor action tikka but when I added up the cost I could get a Seekins and I would still have 2 guns. That and I wanted a 300 prc the biggest upgrade I could achieve was 7 prc. I live in Idaho so it would have been soldier Mtn arms since it just a 2 hour drive.

 

[wind gypsy]

Looks like msrp on a tikka t3 stainless (22”)is $900. Are the triggers in the tikka stock rifles decent or should I plan to replace it?

Yes, factory triggers are solid.

These have been available as low as low $700s online recently but seem sold out at those sites currently.

Tikka T3x Lite Stainless Synthetic 7MM PRC 22bbl 1:8 5/8in x 24tpi Synthetic/Stainless JRTXB37122MT For Sale - EuroOptic

Tikka T3x Lite Stainless Synthetic 7MM PRC 22bbl 1:8 5/8in x 24tpi Synthetic/Stainless JRTXB37122MT For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

If ya have to have it 20" instead of 22" you could get it chopped and re-crowned and threaded for pretty cheap.

 

[SloppyJ]

The Tikka option is perfect for you. However, consider getting a cartridge that might be a little more shootable but still gets the job done. Frankly, if you give your son a 7mag, I bet it sits in the safe for the rest of its life.

 

[T3clay]

The Tikka option is perfect for you. However, consider getting a cartridge that might be a little more shootable but still gets the job done. Frankly, if you give your son a 7mag, I bet it sits in the safe for the rest of its life.

What do you mean by more shootable?

And he loves that 7RM, he has taken several big game animals with it, so at a minimum it has plenty of sentimental value

 

[XLR]

Its been mentioned above but the Tikka would be a great option to hit that price point! You could use a Tikka Factory barreled action, and an Element 4.0 MG. Then if you want to upgrade that barrel in the future you have a great platform to build off of. If you have any questions about the process feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call.

 

[ruger35]

It’s not quite as light, but I really like my MPA Ultralite chassis. Have the holding option. Same barreled action I thought it had less recoil than my Element magnesium in 6.5CM.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Does alterra make a folding stock?

Technically no but yes, it’s not folding, it slips out and stores on side

 

[sklax17]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to get into my first quality rifle. I’m looking for a chassis rifle with a folding option in 7 PRC and I’d like to go with a 20” barrel.

I’m currently shooting a Bergara B-14 ridge 7mm rem mag.

I’m having a hard time finding any off the shelf rifles that fit my needs, but with that being said I’m not super knowledgeable on rifle building but I have been doing my research and learning a ton.

I’d love to just have someone build a rifle for me but to be honest I simply can’t afford a top of the line custom rifle.

I’m hoping I can get what I’m looking for under $3000 (without optic) with either the element or HNT26 chassis. - these are the obvious top choices but are there other folding chassis that are relatively lightweight I should be looking at? I’d be open to a folding stock as well, but having a vertical grip and adjustable riser is important to me

I considered rebarreling my 7 rem mag…. But if I replace the stock and barrel I’ll be $2500 in upgrades and still only have one rifle…. And I would like to keep that rifle to hand down to my son.

If you were in my shoes what route would you take to get into a 20” or 18” barreled PRC in a lightweight folding chassis?

I’ll add that I do not have and don’t plan to add a supressor

Thanks!

I would call David over at Deep South Tactical as he builds a lot of custom rifles for PRS and hunting. I went the custom route for the same reason you point out upgrades cost and I’m left with only one rifle. He will work with you and has the ability to bring anything to life. Their prices are super reasonable compared to many of the other custom builders and the quality and accuracy are right there with the higher priced custom’s.

 

[Quandary]

To reiterate Mt_Wyatt I have a Manners PHs and a XLR 4.0 magnesium both inletted for my 7PRC and 300PRC. The felt recoil in the XLR is surprisingly more stout than in the Manners. The XLR is not a problem for hunting but for longer range sessions, load development etc the Manners is much better. As a note the Backstop butt pad is a considerable improvement over the stock XLR pad.

It would be hard to do something higher end for $3,000 but you could certainly put together something with a Tikka or a Bergara 416 barreled action.