I'm looking to put together a high quality hunting rifle. I want it to be a carbon wrapped barrel in either 6.5x284 Norma or 6.5 RPM . I have narrowed it down to either a Christensen Arms Ridgeline (at cost) or a Remington 700 built on a trued and blueprinted action with a Proof barrel and Bell and Carlson stock. Which of these would you recommend and why? Thanks in advance.
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Neither.
Christensen has a long and storied history of both terrible quality control and terrible customer service. This isn’t to say that everything they make is bad and no issues are resolved, but it happens often enough that I’m not interested in working with them.
If you can afford to put a carbon barrel on the rifle, it’s worth it to instead get an action that has repeatable headspace and whatever feature set you’d like instead of being stuck with Remington’s choices, like their terrible extractor, even if you can only afford a steel barrel going that route. Something like the Bartlein 3B profile is not that much heavier than a quality carbon fiber barrel.
What sort of budget and weight target are you looking at?
Christensen has a long and storied history of both terrible quality control and terrible customer service. This isn’t to say that everything they make is bad and no issues are resolved, but it happens often enough that I’m not interested in working with them.
If you can afford to put a carbon barrel on the rifle, it’s worth it to instead get an action that has repeatable headspace and whatever feature set you’d like instead of being stuck with Remington’s choices, like their terrible extractor, even if you can only afford a steel barrel going that route. Something like the Bartlein 3B profile is not that much heavier than a quality carbon fiber barrel.
What sort of budget and weight target are you looking at?
Very well put. I happen to have a Christensen that I’m happy with but I can’t ignore the reported issues.
I definitely wouldn’t go the Remington route again. Budget customs are in the same price range and much higher quality.
Wouldn’t go with CA again, tried that and it took a new barrel, some action work, and a new stock. It shot after that, but it should have been right the first time.
build a Proof on a Mach Bro’s EVO SS action. That action cost less than buying and fixing a Rem action and bolt and your in a custom action. If you want more weight savings, upgrade to the Ti EV, but at nearly twice the price of the stainless. I got mine before the stainless was out. Could’ve made it lighter for just hunting, but wanted something for all around and keep the weight down.
Proof 26 inch 7WSM, Manners PRS1, Mack Bro’s Ti EVO, ARC rings, MiNox ZP5, TT trigger.
build a Proof on a Mach Bro’s EVO SS action. That action cost less than buying and fixing a Rem action and bolt and your in a custom action. If you want more weight savings, upgrade to the Ti EV, but at nearly twice the price of the stainless. I got mine before the stainless was out. Could’ve made it lighter for just hunting, but wanted something for all around and keep the weight down.
Proof 26 inch 7WSM, Manners PRS1, Mack Bro’s Ti EVO, ARC rings, MiNox ZP5, TT trigger.
You're going to get lopsided answers here. The only hunting rifle worth having, according to the hide, is a custom action w/ a proof prefit in a manners elite shelled stock, and it'll cost $3k by the time it's all said and done.
The christensens are fine. If you can pick one up for cost, you really can't lose. If you don't like the way it shoots, you can send it to them and have them handle it or sell it for more than you paid. I know mine, and the handful my buddies have, shoot good.
Just my $.02
The christensens are fine. If you can pick one up for cost, you really can't lose. If you don't like the way it shoots, you can send it to them and have them handle it or sell it for more than you paid. I know mine, and the handful my buddies have, shoot good.
Just my $.02
I have owned more than a few CA and all have met my expectations. Now they are either loaners or sold off to hunting buddies and are all quite happy.
So for pure turn key and availability, I see nothing wrong with CA. Yes, they have a storied past. Yes, their CS is lacking at times. Take all this with a grain of salt and decide for yourself.
That being said, the next step is a trued up 700 and steel tube skimmed in a B&C or HS stock and go from there. A host of riflesmiths can do that quite well and I doubt you'll be disappointed. I've been there and done that many times as have others.
Further down the spectrum, all out custom. This is where the limit is dictated by your wallet. Endless options with countless combinations
and you will not get to answers the same.
In this regard, my suggestions as follows after going down the same wormhole:
If you decide on a custom action, pick one that has the features YOU want and not want is currently en-vogue/trendy.
The stock you pick has to fit YOU, purely personal.
Go steel pending the final weight you want to achieve BUT do not forget about balance in non-supported MPHAJ positions.
Go carbon if you want realizing the primary advantage is weight reduction.
Good luck!
So for pure turn key and availability, I see nothing wrong with CA. Yes, they have a storied past. Yes, their CS is lacking at times. Take all this with a grain of salt and decide for yourself.
That being said, the next step is a trued up 700 and steel tube skimmed in a B&C or HS stock and go from there. A host of riflesmiths can do that quite well and I doubt you'll be disappointed. I've been there and done that many times as have others.
Further down the spectrum, all out custom. This is where the limit is dictated by your wallet. Endless options with countless combinations
and you will not get to answers the same.
In this regard, my suggestions as follows after going down the same wormhole:
If you decide on a custom action, pick one that has the features YOU want and not want is currently en-vogue/trendy.
The stock you pick has to fit YOU, purely personal.
Go steel pending the final weight you want to achieve BUT do not forget about balance in non-supported MPHAJ positions.
Go carbon if you want realizing the primary advantage is weight reduction.
Good luck!
I'd stay away from B&C stocks. They are heavy and not very rigid. I bought a sako a7 thinking I was getting a nice rifle, wel it was, but the B&C stock sucked. I have a few r700s, but if I were gonna build now, I'd buy a tikka or howa. If you had the cash, throw a proof carbon barrel and a stockys stock carbon fiber stock and you're set.
I don't know what the general consensus around here is for the stockys stock, but I've used 5-6 of them for builds for me and my buddies, and they have all been really nice. I think its one of the better values out there.
I don't know what the general consensus around here is for the stockys stock, but I've used 5-6 of them for builds for me and my buddies, and they have all been really nice. I think its one of the better values out there.
The CA will shoot great and will be super light weight. Your other option will shoot great and you get to build it. I built a rifle this year and bought an MPR. I thought I was going to hunt with my built rifle but I picked up a 16" 308 MPR and was like damn..... this is what I was trying to build.
Both will work.. do you want to probably spend less and have instant gratification with the CA or do you want to build it and make it personal I guess is the question.
Are you suppressing the rifle? If so, that may help decide because of barrel length of the CA rifles.
Both will work.. do you want to probably spend less and have instant gratification with the CA or do you want to build it and make it personal I guess is the question.
Are you suppressing the rifle? If so, that may help decide because of barrel length of the CA rifles.
Two of my hunting parts have Ridgelines in 6.5x284. Both very accurate and not even the slightest problem with them. Shooting handloads with 130 accubond and 142 ABLR. Kills antelope, deer and elk dead.
So I have done some looking, and I have found a Christensen Mesa in 7mm Mag for 925 at my local gun shop. I like the stock, trigger, and action it has on it already. Would I be crazy to rebarrel it with a Proof and make it a LA 6.5 PRC? It would also allow me to turn it into a 300 Win or Wby Mag at some point should I decide I want that.
That would be crazy to me, but I also think the CA stocks are garbage. You can get a Bighorn Origin for $825 and a TT primary for $125 (or less). Cost of a new barrel is the same, Gunsmithing is the same, and cost of a new stock is the same, so full custom is same price as CA semi-custom.
Not much wrong with a 7mm. This is the wrong forum for Christensen arms. Ask over on hunting forums and you will get different advice. I've owned 3 and all shot well under MOA. From a resale perspective you will be way ahead with the CA. Custom rifle values tank as soon as you put them together.
As a guy that put a Bartlein CF barrel on his M70, I'm certainly not going to tell you don't do it. I'm just hear to remind you that if you want to save weight, buy a steel barrel. Take the money you saved on the barrel and buy a custom action and a lightweight optic. If I had it to do all over again...
Right now, I'm about (math...$1350 base, $1000 for barrel, chambering, cerkote, $250 trigger, $660 on stock w/ .mil discount) $3250 and some change. I easily could have had a custom action for less than the base rifle price - lesson learned on that. Speaking of, that's not much less than my KRG SOTIC ran me with intro pricing. If I wanted a custom action on a budget, the Mack Bros over a worked Remy would be the easiest non-decision I'd ever make.
If I just wanted a hunting rig and a 13.125" LOP was G2G - Seekins all day. Guaranteed to be lighter than my 9.5 lb custom rig with CF everything and likely to shoot every bit as well. If Seekins would make me a 12.5" or 12.75" LOP stock they'd already have my money...I think about the Havak Element every day anyhow, heh.
Alternatively, you can do what I did and buy a Tikka T3x project rifle in 7mm RM. I got one here on the Hide for $600 or so - all I really wanted was the action, but it shoots well enough that I've kept the factory tube for now. PROOF makes Tikka factory contours and CF prefits. You could be on the range with about $2k into the rifle (assuming you spend about what I did on a custom stock) if you shop around a bit.
Right now, I'm about (math...$1350 base, $1000 for barrel, chambering, cerkote, $250 trigger, $660 on stock w/ .mil discount) $3250 and some change. I easily could have had a custom action for less than the base rifle price - lesson learned on that. Speaking of, that's not much less than my KRG SOTIC ran me with intro pricing. If I wanted a custom action on a budget, the Mack Bros over a worked Remy would be the easiest non-decision I'd ever make.
If I just wanted a hunting rig and a 13.125" LOP was G2G - Seekins all day. Guaranteed to be lighter than my 9.5 lb custom rig with CF everything and likely to shoot every bit as well. If Seekins would make me a 12.5" or 12.75" LOP stock they'd already have my money...I think about the Havak Element every day anyhow, heh.
Alternatively, you can do what I did and buy a Tikka T3x project rifle in 7mm RM. I got one here on the Hide for $600 or so - all I really wanted was the action, but it shoots well enough that I've kept the factory tube for now. PROOF makes Tikka factory contours and CF prefits. You could be on the range with about $2k into the rifle (assuming you spend about what I did on a custom stock) if you shop around a bit.
Defiance an-ti, proof pre-fit.
Pick trigger and stock of your choice.
I've not yet seen a CA that didn't need to go back. One that needed a new barrel after 3 trips back for the same issue. I wouldn't waste my time with them.
Pick trigger and stock of your choice.
I've not yet seen a CA that didn't need to go back. One that needed a new barrel after 3 trips back for the same issue. I wouldn't waste my time with them.
Seen first hand? Or read about on forums? How many have your seen first hand?
What would your thoughts be on using a Christensen action and trigger as a donor for a LA 6.5 PRC with the thought of adding a 30 cal mag at some point and having multiple rifles on the same action? Just thinking I would likely never need multiple rifles at one time, and would have several different options. I don't have an endless budget at this point in life.
LGS ordered 10. I know who bought 9 of them. All 9 have had issues. LGS won't special order or accept a transfer of one now, as they're not happy with the way they've been treated. Absolutely will not have one in the store.
I don't doubt that some of them shoot, but they are obviously lacking something in their build to get it right consistently.
I'd think if your looking for a switch barrel setup I would go for something that can take prefits. I think the CA are a decent hunting rifle.
I like the way you think. Both are Proof Win70's with McMillan Edge stocks. Both built by LRI and both are hammers with factory hunting ammo. The 24" is a 300wsm the 20" is a 6.5CM.
@jbuck88 - they look good! I went with a Game Scout - really like the design of that stock and it feels most excellent in hand. I'm still playing around a bit with load development. I am burning some 178 ELD-X that I've got in the safe. This was a 300 yd group from last weekend, shots 4-9 for the day. The low shot was me (as in I slapped the trigger like an ape), but the group still comes out a shade under 3". Yes, I pasted two 3x5 index cards onto a USPSA standard target...don't judge me!
If they were fine, they wouldn't fail at the rate they do.
Your post makes zero logical sense.
Ah yes, their failure rate. What is their failure rate? 20%? 50%? 90%? Have any first-hand experience with them? I have first-hand experience with 8 of them, all new within the past 2 years. I have helped work up loads for all but 2 (but i've been out with my buddy who owns them and have seen them perform) and none of them have had issues. None of them have had to go back.
Based on my first-hand experience, not what i read on the internet, I say they're fine.
If you are looking for budget carbon wrapped I wouldn't rule out the new Springfield waypoint or the savage 110 ultralight. I’m a custom guy personally, but these are pretty slick for the money.
Picked up a CA Mesa the other day to use as a donor action. Going to go with an OMR carbon wrapped barrel and probably an AG composite stock.
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