Well I did an Origin with a Proof pre-fit last year and heads spacing was right on according to my go no go gauges. This was my first custom rifle build, had built many AR's just like you. Just what I found your milage may very. By the way it shoots lights out.
@McJerkins - I’m not nearly as experienced as some of the folks giving you suggestions but that might make my experiences to date be more relevant to you.
First, my suggestion is to build what you really know you want in your heart of hearts. I finally did so. Prior rifle was good, new one is made of the exact components/brand that I always kinda wanted. Especially the barrel and who spun it.
If the gun far exceeds your current shooting ability you can remove it (mostly) as a factor when eval your results. That is, you will know it’s the Indian and not the arrow.
Just some thoughts.
First, my suggestion is to build what you really know you want in your heart of hearts. I finally did so. Prior rifle was good, new one is made of the exact components/brand that I always kinda wanted. Especially the barrel and who spun it.
If the gun far exceeds your current shooting ability you can remove it (mostly) as a factor when eval your results. That is, you will know it’s the Indian and not the arrow.
Just some thoughts.
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Thanks. That bottom metal is something I was curious about regarding the KRG. That's another $150-230 then, if it's needed.
Those actions with the tilting bolt handle or whatever seem like a gimmick. Am I wrong?
Nucleus Gen2 Rifle
www.americanrifle.com
This is good advice. Thank you! I'll be watching classifieds to piece this thing together over a month or 2, incase I change my mind about any components along the way. I just know that looking at a beautiful rifle will make me want to get out more.
I was in your shoes last year and went the MPA PMR Pro route. Zero regrets thus far with 900 rounds on a 6CM and the 60 degree bolt throw is really nice.
I’d ditch the Bravo idea b/c getting enough weight on them is an issue.
I’d think twice about a 308 also unless u love recoil and poor ballistics
Here’s the 100 yard 3-shot group I fired last week with the MPA after swapping scopes.
Mine came with the EC tuner but it consistently shoots between 0.25 and 0.50 MOA
I’d ditch the Bravo idea b/c getting enough weight on them is an issue.
I’d think twice about a 308 also unless u love recoil and poor ballistics
Here’s the 100 yard 3-shot group I fired last week with the MPA after swapping scopes.
Mine came with the EC tuner but it consistently shoots between 0.25 and 0.50 MOA
Attachments
Bottom metal isn’t needed for the Bravo, but it would be for most (all?) offerings from Manners, Foundation, etc.
I've been doing this about 4 years now, and you can maybe learn from my mistakes. I started with a 308 (the Lord's caliber-right??) based on friends recommendations, even went with a Savage! A year later, I had a Hawk Hill barrel made in 6 Creedmoor, put it in a XLR chassis. I enjoy shooting it now. If I were doing this over, and committed to the game, I would either build the Origin as suggested, or buy one of the rifles made to fit the Production class in PRS. A lot of bang for the buck in those rifles. I feel like people should 'graduate' to the 308. It's ok, but there's much better choices
thats the archimedes
and yes, youre wrong
talking zermatt
i went origin to tl3 back to origins
idc about the lug. the bolt lift is the same on both with a properly timed trigger. and i prefer a swept bolt handle by a long shot
Nice to see a positive review of the MPA PMR Pro. I was looking at the regular PMR and I might still pick it up if it comes back in stock because it seems like a steal at $1850 shipped. The individual parts priced out at over $3k plus tax/shipping when I added them up. Somebody mentioned a sheared bolt face on a Curtis action, but I'm gonna do more research into that. If it was at the start of their production (and they have since fixed the problem), I don't feel it's fair to judge them on that. But if changes have not been made to prevent this from happening I will steer clear for sure.I was in your shoes last year and went the MPA PMR Pro route. Zero regrets thus far with 900 rounds on a 6CM and the 60 degree bolt throw is really nice.
I’d think twice about a 308 also unless u love recoil and poor ballistics
Mine came with the EC tuner but it consistently shoots between 0.25 and 0.50 MOA
If you are cheap or tepid about new activities- go tikka, its not a bad choice.
If you are serious about hobbies you get into and dive headfirst- then get the origin build, once youre shooting you wont remember the cost.
I wouldnt worry about shouldered vs barrel nut, I use both interchangeably. In 1.5 months there will be some July 4th sales coming along. Think about it and what you are after for awhile, mulling it over wont hurt anything.
Just dont get a curtis unless you like unfinished work getting passed onto you
If you are serious about hobbies you get into and dive headfirst- then get the origin build, once youre shooting you wont remember the cost.
I wouldnt worry about shouldered vs barrel nut, I use both interchangeably. In 1.5 months there will be some July 4th sales coming along. Think about it and what you are after for awhile, mulling it over wont hurt anything.
Just dont get a curtis unless you like unfinished work getting passed onto you
I wouldn't call it a gimmick. It's a different way of approaching the same problem (primary extraction). In my opinion it's mostly a point of personal preference if you like/want it or not.
The link I posted was for their Nucleus rifle. The Nucleus action is the best bang for the buck as far as custom actions go for PRS style shooting IMO. The Mack Bro's SS Evo is up there, too. The "Rifle" package deal with the Xylo chassis (also lends itself very well to PRS style shooting) is a bargain.
I'll pay more attention to the ARC actions from now on. I dismissed them because I was suspicious of the weird bolt toggle-thing they have going on.
I hadn't heard of Mack Brother's actions until you brought them up. $575? What? Huh... We got any other opinions of Mack Brothers? I'm definitely curious now...
Mack Bro's is a superb manufacturing facility. Seen the place, knew the guys fairly well years back. Good people. They support & attend local matches up there in SD. They made the Badger 2013 actions, Badger rings, etc... do other contract work for the industry.
I have a Titanium EVO and really enjoy it. Wouldn't have any reservations with the SS action. It's a M700 'clone' with several design improvements and obviously better machining, fit & finish. They make solid cans, too.
I have a Titanium EVO and really enjoy it. Wouldn't have any reservations with the SS action. It's a M700 'clone' with several design improvements and obviously better machining, fit & finish. They make solid cans, too.
I would go with Tikka, Bravo and lots of ammo. Practices and shoot that barrel out, then either get a shoulder prefit or start your custom build. One rifle will never be enough. Tikka action are awesome. Till this day, I still love my Tikka.
I've wanted a 7mm for hunting purposes. I am thankful for the posts in this thread so far, and the plan as-of now is to build a custom target gun on Origin action (6.5creed or .308) and a Tikka with KRG for 7mm.
Great to know! They look nice. I usually prefer DLC/Nitride action and bolt with s/s barrel, but that s/s action and black bolt looks good.
I've only heard good things about the Mac Bro's actions. Here is a long thread on it: https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/mack-bro’s-ss-evo.6983055/
Great price. Though I'm not sure if there are prefits for them, which I know is a consideration for you.
Hard to go wrong with a Bighorn Origin or Kelbly Atlas.
Barrels and gunsmithing is getting more expensive. For a top quality barrel and top quality gunsmith work, expect to pay around ~$850. There are some deals around there, but be careful not to sacrifice barrel and gunsmithing quality - these two factors are the biggest contributing factors to a rifles precision. PVA has good deals on prefits, so you can save a bit there and still go with a known brand. But an Origin + PVA prefit is still going to run around ~$1600+.
KRG Bravo is a great chassis. Really punches above its weight class, and you can really dress it up with accessories to let the chassis evolve with you as a shooter. Member Cattleman99 here sells KRG Bravos for a good deal to SH members, to save you some $$$.
For triggers, my preference is a BnA Tacsport 2 stage. I prefer the control I get with a 2 stage over a single stage, and I think the BnA Tacsport is head and shoulders above the competition. It has features that other triggers don't, you can perfectly marry the trigger to the action through sear adjustment and sear heights, which has a drastic effect on how the action "feels".
I'm not sure what your plan for scope and rings are. ARC M10 are great rings, that's what I would get. Scopes are pretty subjective/personal. I wouldn't be afraid to go used with scopes, they generally don't hold value as well as other parts of the system. Leupold MK5 and Bushnell are good value propositions. Or talk to the vendors here and see what they have for any open box/demo deals - sometimes there's some really good deals there.
Good luck!
Great price. Though I'm not sure if there are prefits for them, which I know is a consideration for you.
Hard to go wrong with a Bighorn Origin or Kelbly Atlas.
Barrels and gunsmithing is getting more expensive. For a top quality barrel and top quality gunsmith work, expect to pay around ~$850. There are some deals around there, but be careful not to sacrifice barrel and gunsmithing quality - these two factors are the biggest contributing factors to a rifles precision. PVA has good deals on prefits, so you can save a bit there and still go with a known brand. But an Origin + PVA prefit is still going to run around ~$1600+.
KRG Bravo is a great chassis. Really punches above its weight class, and you can really dress it up with accessories to let the chassis evolve with you as a shooter. Member Cattleman99 here sells KRG Bravos for a good deal to SH members, to save you some $$$.
For triggers, my preference is a BnA Tacsport 2 stage. I prefer the control I get with a 2 stage over a single stage, and I think the BnA Tacsport is head and shoulders above the competition. It has features that other triggers don't, you can perfectly marry the trigger to the action through sear adjustment and sear heights, which has a drastic effect on how the action "feels".
I'm not sure what your plan for scope and rings are. ARC M10 are great rings, that's what I would get. Scopes are pretty subjective/personal. I wouldn't be afraid to go used with scopes, they generally don't hold value as well as other parts of the system. Leupold MK5 and Bushnell are good value propositions. Or talk to the vendors here and see what they have for any open box/demo deals - sometimes there's some really good deals there.
Good luck!
Thanks for the info @kthomas, especially that regarding a potential KRG discount! And regarding the scope, I'm thinking of buying a Tract Toric 4-20x50. I'm trying to forget about the BA we spoke about because it would've been a nice and easy entry for me into this sport. 
I've regretted jumping into things too quickly in the past and didn't want take the risk that it wouldn't have been exactly what I wanted, as good an opportunity as it was. Might just wait until July 4th like others have suggested and complete the custom build as I see it in my head. I've got some upgrades for my car to take care of in the meantime, so I can stay busy.
I've regretted jumping into things too quickly in the past and didn't want take the risk that it wouldn't have been exactly what I wanted, as good an opportunity as it was. Might just wait until July 4th like others have suggested and complete the custom build as I see it in my head. I've got some upgrades for my car to take care of in the meantime, so I can stay busy. Thanks for the info @kthomas, especially that regarding a potential KRG discount! And regarding the scope, I'm thinking of buying a Tract Toric 4-20x50. I'm trying to forget about the BA we spoke about because it would've been a nice and easy entry for me into this sport.
No worries!
I think it's best on big purchases to do your research to discover what you truly want, rather than impulse buying. So I don't blame you at all!
Best of luck with the build!
I've done a custom, and a Tikka semi custom. The trigger in the Tikka is fantastic, and a plethora of barrels are available from bugholes, NSS, preferred barrels, proof and many others. There are also plenty of chassis available. The nice thing about the Tikka is you have a rifle out of the box ready to roll, and you can upgrade it as you see fit. You buy a custom action for $300 more than an entire Tikka and you still have a long way to go before you can send some rounds. Either option would be great IMHO. Just depends on if you want to wait and how much money you want to spend at once. Good luck with it though. I tussled with this same idea for like 6 months
The criterion is going to need a barrel nut I believe? So add another $50 or so plus shipping. I know it sounds dumb, but shipping on all those items adds up.
The barrel but was included on mine when I bought it from James at Northland Shooters Supply.
Hmm I bought my barrel like a year ago. I honestly don't remember if mine was or not. I think it probably was though come to think of it. Maybe I'm thinking I put more money into it for the barrel nut wrench. Either way, NSS is is awesome. Good prices and better service
In fairness I might have paid for the barrel nut but I do know it was on the barrel when I got it from NSS.
Completely agree they are great to deal with.
I have a few websites that offer BAs (Origin plus random barrels) pulled up and I'll wait on the July 4th sales if I don't find what I want on the PX before then. A Tikka still really appeals to me, though. The S/S CTR is pretty sexy once it's in a KRG.
Same here. Still hunting for a barrel for my Tikka. It's a 7mm rem mag, that I want to turn into a 300 SAUM. Wish I went with a stainless steel. Found a blued action Tikka on sale at sportsman's warehouse plus I had a 10 percent off coupon so it ended up being like $580 bucks.
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