New to the forum and wanted to ask the groups opinion to help me best select my new rifle.
I grew up shooting small calibers for target practice and I’m well versed in ARs as an Army vet and through my Sig M400 with an EOTech XPS2. I have recently got into hunting and have done a fair share on the in-laws West Texas ranch, mainly white tail. I’ve been using two hand me down Remingtons in 22-250 and .270, but I’m ready to buy my own rifle.
I’ve mainly been shooting 100-150 yard range so far but looking to do a lot more long range shots, especially as this ranch can easily support 500-800 yard shots. I also would rather spend the money today for a good versatile long rage rifle that I can grow into and use for bigger game too rather than having to buy another one then. ’I’ve been doing quite a bit of research and after initially planning on going .308, I’ve settled on 6.5 Creedmoor as the next caliber I’m buying. I’ve also narrowed down the rifles to either:
1) Bergara B-14 HMR
2) Tikka T3X CTR 24”
3) Browning X-Bolt Hell’s Canyon Speed
I’vd read tons of reviews and they all are highly rated by the critics and right around the $1000 price point that I’ve been setting for myself. Everyone says they are tack drivers that can easily reach out to 600-800 yards and beyond and be sub 1 MOA out of the box. I’m also not planning to do much besides a Harris bypod and a Scope, so take that into consideration.
From what I can tell the pros/cons are as follows
Bergara
Pro: Cheapest rifle of the bunch, medium weight barrel from a company with a barrel pedigree, able to fire all day without issue, likely best stock of the three that is sturdy with the adjustable cheek rest. Remington 700 clone allowing easy parts swaps/upgrades.
Con: heaviest of the three by more than a pound as it’s over 9 lbs.
Tikka
Pro: all around highly reviewed, longest barrel without being too long (like the 26”” Hell’s Canyon Long Range), medium barrel, right under $1k, smooth action, under 8 lbs
Con: Stock has mixed reviews. If the magazine alone is over $100k, it seems like it will be expensive to work on/modify.
X Bolt
Pro: lightest of the bunch at under 7 lbs, 60 degree three lug bolt, smooth action, comes with muzzle brake
con: about $100 over budget, reduced aftermarket support for x bolt, lighter barrel would be first to get hot/reduce effectiveness
Again, I think all three rifles pass they eye test, and have great reviews by critics. Really trying to get a sense of what the people on the forum think, especially for those who have experience between the three. I appreciate everyone’s input and thank you in advance.
I grew up shooting small calibers for target practice and I’m well versed in ARs as an Army vet and through my Sig M400 with an EOTech XPS2. I have recently got into hunting and have done a fair share on the in-laws West Texas ranch, mainly white tail. I’ve been using two hand me down Remingtons in 22-250 and .270, but I’m ready to buy my own rifle.
I’ve mainly been shooting 100-150 yard range so far but looking to do a lot more long range shots, especially as this ranch can easily support 500-800 yard shots. I also would rather spend the money today for a good versatile long rage rifle that I can grow into and use for bigger game too rather than having to buy another one then. ’I’ve been doing quite a bit of research and after initially planning on going .308, I’ve settled on 6.5 Creedmoor as the next caliber I’m buying. I’ve also narrowed down the rifles to either:
1) Bergara B-14 HMR
2) Tikka T3X CTR 24”
3) Browning X-Bolt Hell’s Canyon Speed
I’vd read tons of reviews and they all are highly rated by the critics and right around the $1000 price point that I’ve been setting for myself. Everyone says they are tack drivers that can easily reach out to 600-800 yards and beyond and be sub 1 MOA out of the box. I’m also not planning to do much besides a Harris bypod and a Scope, so take that into consideration.
From what I can tell the pros/cons are as follows
Bergara
Pro: Cheapest rifle of the bunch, medium weight barrel from a company with a barrel pedigree, able to fire all day without issue, likely best stock of the three that is sturdy with the adjustable cheek rest. Remington 700 clone allowing easy parts swaps/upgrades.
Con: heaviest of the three by more than a pound as it’s over 9 lbs.
Tikka
Pro: all around highly reviewed, longest barrel without being too long (like the 26”” Hell’s Canyon Long Range), medium barrel, right under $1k, smooth action, under 8 lbs
Con: Stock has mixed reviews. If the magazine alone is over $100k, it seems like it will be expensive to work on/modify.
X Bolt
Pro: lightest of the bunch at under 7 lbs, 60 degree three lug bolt, smooth action, comes with muzzle brake
con: about $100 over budget, reduced aftermarket support for x bolt, lighter barrel would be first to get hot/reduce effectiveness
Again, I think all three rifles pass they eye test, and have great reviews by critics. Really trying to get a sense of what the people on the forum think, especially for those who have experience between the three. I appreciate everyone’s input and thank you in advance.
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