I'm in the same position as you. Im going to buy a CTR, drop it in a Manners, put a 2 stage and go to town. Tikkas are phenomenal for the price and shoot lights on. I'll replace the barrel eventually but the factory barrel will get me all I need.
I use them for hunting, particularly for lowlight/night hunting. Using the lit reticle or dot makes it easy for quick acquisition and accurate shooting when non-illuminated reticles would be almost impossible to see. I think it gives an advantage to take an accurate and ethical shot in every...
If your sole purpose is shooting steel and paper, the 224 is what I'd do in an AR platform. For hunting and all around use, the 6.5 gets the advantage.
I'd like to hear about the bullet weights as well. I've been thinking of building another 6.5 with a 20" barrel and would still like to shoot the 140s or 143s but it seems most are recommending a little lighter bullet