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PRS designated Rifle Build ......HELP!!!!

protoolsnerd

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 11, 2011
112
0
44
South Florida
Hi Everyone
I'm not new to precision rifle shooting and reloading but i'm taking my first step towards shooting in PRS type matches by having my rifle built. Currently i'm a USPSA shooter and sometimes 3 gunner, but precision rifle has always been my original and most favorite shooting sport. So i'm back to get this rifle built and start working up a load and of course i'm in the 6mm family , so i'm going to list a few options and questions and feel free to sound off on what you think would be great or not so great :

Objective : Have a very light and accurate rifle built chambered in the 6.5 creedmore cartridge
( is the 6.5 creed still the bee's knees ? i would like the ability to get off the shelf ammo and get .5 moa if need be )

Stock : Manners T2, T4, or T6 with mini chassis ( not sure which yet ) i'm not super into chassis or the aics . Tried em, i prefer the feel and angle of the more traditional stocks

Trigger : Timney Flat approx 2#

action : This is where i'm a total newb. I've only really had rifles built on existing 700 actions . I've seen so many dif actions , some with built in rails , some without , some with built in 40 moa rails . Really i want an action that is FAST , sturdy , but doesn't weigh a ton. Separate rail . I have an old remington 700 in 243 that i could use for the action if need be , but i'd really like something with a 60 degree bolt throw or something more gear towards speed.

Barrel : I was thinking 22"-24" fluted either bartelein or rock creek, brux, or krieger depending on availability .

Comp : I'm partial to the seekins atac brake , but i know that more in the 3 gun world. They use a combination of linear compensation and horizontal as well.

As for all the other things , that's all just gravy , But right now i'll prob go with egw for my rail assuming the action is 700 compatible , vortex or spuhr for my rings/mount. and a vortex or a night force. Stock pack , and harris bi pod.

Thanks for all your input , i think i'm on the right track , but i gotta come to the hide and see what's what. Oh if you have any shops you like too i'm all ears. As much as i'd like a GAP or Surgeon build a year plus to get the rifle .....meh . Plenty of great shops out there
 
I'll try to be short and to the point. These are just my suggestions based on my experience.

Caliber: Most shooters, myself included are shooting 6mm's right now. The 6.5cm is still a great round, but poor brass quality has kinda turned some people away. Most shooters want more than 4-5 firings from their brass. The pockets tend to give up very quickly on the 6.5cm brass. Some will disagree, but overall this is the general consensus. Take your pick of any of the multiple 6.5mm or 6mm offerings and go with it. If you have to have off the shelf ammo, then 6.5cm is about your only option. If it were me, I'd pick a 6x47L or a 6XC. Just my preference.

Stock: Id get a T2A or a T6A. I would not get a mini chassis. Just my opinion. Get a decent DBM setup like a Surgeon and have the stock bedded to your action. This setup will be lighter than the mini chassis. Also, on the DBM, I mentioned Surgeon because it offers a lip that hangs down past the bottom of the stock. This lets you rest/push the rifle into a barricade without putting direct pressure on the front of the mag itself. The Badger and some others (the mini chassis too) are flush. When you push the rifle into a barricade or obstacle, it puts direct pressure on the mag and can cause feeding issues.....just my experience.

Chassis: If you wanted a light weight chassis great for PRS, the XLR Elememt is about the best you can get. It has everything you need and nothing that you don't.

Trigger: 100% your choice. I've ran them all and still run several different brands.

Barrels: I shoot Bartlien barrels. That's all I will shoot. Im not saying they are the best, but it's what I like. I've shot many of them and I've never had a bad one. The other brands are good too. I'll let other guys shoot those other brands. Pick what you like. As fluting your barrel, on a match rifle I think it's a waste. If you plan to practice the way you need to and also shoot atleast 4-6 matches a year, your going to burn the barrel out in a year....two years max. Fluting cost $$$ and is pointless on a barrel you will replace in 12-24 months. I shoot MTU and M24 profiles. I pick what's available when I need it. Length is up to you, but a 22" barrel can push a 105 Hybrid at 3000+ fps pretty easy in either of the calibers I mentioned above. There is no need for a longer barrel if you don't need it, especially if you ever plan to run a suppressor.

Brake: Take your pick. I shoot Impact brakes. They work wonderfully. My shooting partner makes them. That's why I shoot them. They work. If they didn't, I'd shoot something else. For a low cost/very effective brake, Ross Shuler takes top spot. Otherwise pick your preference based on what you want to spend.

Actions: I'm not gonna say much here as everyone seems to have their own idea of what they feel is superior. You mentioned you wanted a "fast" action. Well, I've never ran a faster action that a Surgeon. By fast, I mean quick and effortless operation. There are a lot of Deviant fans right now. They are good actions, but everyone that I've used/handled had a much heavier bolt lift than a Surgeon. Much heavier. When shooting prone this does not matter much. However when shooting positional, it makes a huge difference. If you are stuck on a actual 700 action, I'd have it fitted with a PTG one piece bolt. Swept or straight handle is your choice.

You mentioned an EGW rail. Just my opinion, but I would not build a $2500-$3500 match rifle and then stick a low cost low quality EGW rail on top of it. Id look to Seekins if you want quality light weight or a Badger/NF if you want quality heavy steel. Rings are just the same. Spuhr is awesome. ARC M10's are awesome rings. Seekins are awesome rings.

Good luck and see you on the line some day.
 
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Thanks so much for that info! Def a few points in there that i'm going to go do some research on.

I'm going to stay away from the adjustable manners just because i like running a stock pack and pad , plus i don't seem to usually require that much elevation on my comb for good cheek weld.

I'm all about whatever will work , and not weigh me down if i have to hoof it with the rifle. I love the lightness of a chassis , but after trying a few , including the XLR, i just can't get comfortable behind them the way i can a Manners, McMillain or B&C traditional stock. But getting it bedded is fine by me, just figured the added rigidity of the mini chassis would make a difference . But if it's negligible i'd like to go for less weight.

As for the EGW rail ....are their HD rails not decent anymore ? I thought their higher end rails were still competitive . But any excuse to buy seekins is a good one with me, i use their products often.

thanks very much for the input . I'm going to really enjoy this build
 
Also , any suggestions on builders ? I had a rifle accurized by Greg at Southern Precision rifles not long ago, but I want to shop around a bit as well .
 
OTM tactical for your barrel !! BARTLEIN anyway... 332$ to ur door


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Also check the rifles for sale. A guy had one built this year for PRS matches and is selling it. Has 15 rounds down it. Good price


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Also , any suggestions on builders ? I had a rifle accurized by Greg at Southern Precision rifles not long ago, but I want to shop around a bit as well .

I was in pretty much the same boat as you. I went with Marc at Spartan Precision Rifles, and couldn't be happier. Awesome workmanship and great communications.

I went with a R700 action and had Marc do the full workup on it, sporting a 24" Bartlein tube in .260 Rem in a McMillan A5. Vortex Razor Gen II in Spuhr ISMS setting on a Seekins 20MOA rail.

 
Currently having my "Tactical" match rifle built by Jon Beanland. If you want a little more information on it here is my thread: http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...fles/272919-6-5x47-lapua-who-shoots-them.html

Seems like there are quite a few guys local to me running 6 and 6.5 Lapua cartridges. I have yet to run a match, but am building my rifle for nothing but running in matches. Hope you can find all the information you need to make an educated guess. Also it will help you to call up a good smith and talk to them. Several of them are heavy into the sport and can give good insight into what others are doing. Jon Beanland was a huge help in determining my build, as well as Matt Perry. The internet is a great place to start, but I really like talking to people who have first hand experience. The internet is a tough place to gauge what kind of information you are given.

Trevor300WSM from his previous posts seems as if he competes and may know a thing or two. But seriously, make some phone calls. Talk with some well respected people, and also go read all the information over on TacticalMatches.com
 
I'll try to be short and to the point. These are just my suggestions based on my experience.

Caliber: Most shooters, myself included are shooting 6mm's right now. The 6.5cm is still a great round, but poor brass quality has kinda turned some people away. Most shooters want more than 4-5 firings from their brass. The pockets tend to give up very quickly on the 6.5cm brass. Some will disagree, but overall this is the general consensus. Take your pick of any of the multiple 6.5mm or 6mm offerings and go with it. If you have to have off the shelf ammo, then 6.5cm is about your only option. If it were me, I'd pick a 6x47L or a 6XC. Just my preference.

Stock: Id get a T2A or a T6A. I would not get a mini chassis. Just my opinion. Get a decent DBM setup like a Surgeon and have the stock bedded to your action. This setup will be lighter than the mini chassis. Also, on the DBM, I mentioned Surgeon because it offers a lip that hangs down past the bottom of the stock. This lets you rest/push the rifle into a barricade without putting direct pressure on the front of the mag itself. The Badger and some others (the mini chassis too) are flush. When you push the rifle into a barricade or obstacle, it puts direct pressure on the mag and can cause feeding issues.....just my experience.

Chassis: If you wanted a light weight chassis great for PRS, the XLR Elememt is about the best you can get. It has everything you need and nothing that you don't.

Trigger: 100% your choice. I've ran them all and still run several different brands.

Barrels: I shoot Bartlien barrels. That's all I will shoot. Im not saying they are the best, but it's what I like. I've shot many of them and I've never had a bad one. The other brands are good too. I'll let other guys shoot those other brands. Pick what you like. As fluting your barrel, on a match rifle I think it's a waste. If you plan to practice the way you need to and also shoot atleast 4-6 matches a year, your going to burn the barrel out in a year....two years max. Fluting cost $$$ and is pointless on a barrel you will replace in 12-24 months. I shoot MTU and M24 profiles. I pick what's available when I need it. Length is up to you, but a 22" barrel can push a 105 Hybrid at 3000+ fps pretty easy in either of the calibers I mentioned above. There is no need for a longer barrel if you don't need it, especially if you ever plan to run a suppressor.

Brake: Take your pick. I shoot Impact brakes. They work wonderfully. My shooting partner makes them. That's why I shoot them. They work. If they didn't, I'd shoot something else. For a low cost/very effective brake, Ross Shuler takes top spot. Otherwise pick your preference based on what you want to spend.

Actions: I'm not gonna say much here as everyone seems to have their own idea of what they feel is superior. You mentioned you wanted a "fast" action. Well, I've never ran a faster action that a Surgeon. By fast, I mean quick and effortless operation. There are a lot of Deviant fans right now. They are good actions, but everyone that I've used/handled had a much heavier bolt lift than a Surgeon. Much heavier. When shooting prone this does not matter much. However when shooting positional, it makes a huge difference. If you are stuck on a actual 700 action, I'd have it fitted with a PTG one piece bolt. Swept or straight handle is your choice.

You mentioned an EGW rail. Just my opinion, but I would not build a $2500-$3500 match rifle and then stick a low cost low quality EGW rail on top of it. Id look to Seekins if you want quality light weight or a Badger/NF if you want quality heavy steel. Rings are just the same. Spuhr is awesome. ARC M10's are awesome rings. Seekins are awesome rings.

Good luck and see you on the line some day.

Home run!
 
Wow what a great thread THANKS EVERYONE !!! i'm gonna have to get on the horn to a few of the builders an see what they say. I'm so happy to be back in the precision rifle community .
 
Why did you go .260 ? just curious what sold you on that caliber over 6mm, 6Xc , 6x47 etc etc . Awesome build BTW

I was in pretty much the same boat as you. I went with Marc at Spartan Precision Rifles, and couldn't be happier. Awesome workmanship and great communications.

I went with a R700 action and had Marc do the full workup on it, sporting a 24" Bartlein tube in .260 Rem in a McMillan A5. Vortex Razor Gen II in Spuhr ISMS setting on a Seekins 20MOA rail.




 
I'm gonna PM you tomorrow. I've got a perfect barreled action that's brand new I've been pondering selling. Would save you a lot of time, just pick out a stock and scope.
 
+3 on Aaron Roberts. But there are a bunch of good ones I've dealt with. Aaron Roberts, Jon Beanland, Stuteville Precision - they will build you a laser beam.
 
I am running a 21 and a 25 inch rem varmint in 6xc on Stiller Tac 30 AW actions, when its time for the 21" barrel to be replaced it will get a 24" and I will most likely stay with the same caliber. When new the 21" barrel was able to make 2970 with the 105 hybrid, now after 1000+ rounds I retuned the load, dropping back .2 of a grain and adjusted my seating depth forward to be again ~.010 off the lands for my last match and I am at 2900 now. The 25" new and is running the same load at, IIRC, right around 3060. With the XC brass I have may with 9+ firings and only the ones that were used to find top pressure (about 10 or so) that have primer pockets that are a little on the loose side of primer seating feel when compared to the rest.

The down side to the XC, is brass... or rather, finding it. If you choose to run this caliber put in a order NOW for a backorder. My last batch was a 4 month wait. And when I have seen it in stock it only lasted one or two days, hours in one case... Aside from that I love this caliber. Accurate nodes are wide... wider than any other caliber I have loaded for.

PT&G and Stiller also offer DBM's that offer more mag support below the stock. I run the Stiller as I am using AW mags and I figured for a DIY'er I'd have less issues tuning the AW mags to run using there paired AW action, DBM and pillars.
 
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Well guys , after a very long talk with Aaron Roberts . Super nice guy BTW. Thanks for the recommendation . We decided on a 22"-24" (bartlein, brux or krieger )
6.5 creedmoor . A deviant action, badger bottom metal . MacMillan A3 stock , jewel trigger spuhr mount and all the other good stuff.

thanks everyone for your information and i appreciate all the input.

i'm going to opt out of the 6x47 lapua for a few reasons. Number the first , availability of quality commercial ammo. ( not a deal breaker as i hand load , but you never know when you'll need some ammo ) . Second , brass cost .....yes i know you get fewer firings out of the creed but i'm not going to be pushing this super hot AND i believe norma brass is going to start or has already started making 6.5 creed brass. So basically because it's cheaper and easier to find pretty much everything for it , and being that i'm not a pro and not going to be shooting nearly as much as some people per year , the slight dif in barrel longevity isn't a big deal to me.


Now the question is ......GLASS!!! haha but we won't get into that here . Now i gotta plan my bipod and stock pack .




Oh oh oh , any comps i should check out ? I really only know comps for ARs and 2011s. I know Seekins for precision rifle and i have an R&D brake on my .308. Anything you think does a better job then your standard side port blaster ?
 
Norma 6.5 Creedmore brass was announced last year, but I think its one of the calibers thats on hold right now.

Hoping some new brass offerings are announced at Shot this year... especially from Winchester.