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I noticed Cabela's has the Ruger Precision now at $1,149 (less than the $1,200 I paid for my 6.5 last summer). Seems to me that now Ruger, Savage, Mossberg, Tikka, Howa, etc are now all in board in producing these hybrid AR/bolt rifles. So it makes sense the prices are coming down. But here's the question- is there any one of these that's truly standing out as the premium platform? (I'm a big Tikka fan, so their TAC is drawing my attention!) *I hate those, "What's the best _______ ?" And here I am asking that.....but my use is for long range varminting/deer/plinking. (My Leupold Mk IV 6.5-20x should be here any day, so want to make sure it's on a rifle it might stay on)

What do you want it for?

The Ruger precision is a heavy SOB. Great for the range, heavy for hunting or anything else.

But, it also allows very easy barrel swaps. That's really nice on a long range rifle.

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My 0.0000000002c goes for tikka. RPR is the best bang for the money for $1k online now, but Tikka tac a1 is the best rifle among these brand you listed if you can spend another $600.For the tikka you don't have to replace the stock as the RPR and the action is way much more smooth than the RPR, plus now you can get three mags free. In additional, tikka has a slightly better QC than the other brands. I personally don't think 6.5 CM is a great round for deer but a lot of people use it, some people even use 223 for deer. If you are hunting on your own land, carry the rifle from car directly to your tree stand, you should be fine with all these rifles; However, if you need to carry it on your back all day, the weight might bother you. Another option is buy a tikka CTR, you can use it for hunting or drop it on a chassis for long range shooting.

My vote is for the Tikka or the Howa HCR if your considering a "chassis" type rifle. I ended up building my Remington 700 into a chassis, but wish I would have went with a better rifle to begin with. Might also want to consider Bergara.

bouki7788 wrote:My 0.0000000002c goes for tikka. RPR is the best bang for the money for $1k online now, but Tikka tac a1 is the best rifle among these brand you listed if you can spend another $600.For the tikka you don't have to replace the stock as the RPR and the action is way much more smooth than the RPR, plus now you can get three mags free. In additional, tikka has a slightly better QC than the other brands. I personally don't think 6.5 CM is a great round for deer but a lot of people use it, some people even use 223 for deer. If you are hunting on your own land, carry the rifle from car directly to your tree stand, you should be fine with all these rifles; However, if you need to carry it on your back all day, the weight might bother you. Another option is buy a tikka CTR, you can use it for hunting or drop it on a chassis for long range shooting.

Wtf?

If you can't kill a deer with a 6.5 creedmore, you just can't kill a deer period.

For under $2k, I think that Tikka and Ruger offer the best packages for rifles. They are very accurate and built well. Having had my hands on several of these, I can assert that the Tikka is by far the best rifle out of this group. Their quality control is exceptional. Tikka rifles are Sakos for all intents and purposes. The difference in quality is so minor that you really question why you would spend the money on a Sako. The action is glass-smooth, the bolt throw is shorter, and it has an excellent factory trigger. Ruger offers a great package, and they’re better than what other companies are offering. I would take a Ruger RPR over anything Remington is putting out right now without hesitation. That said, the Tikka is superior in build quality and that means a lot to me.

.264/6.5mm bullets are the best for 1000yd shooting. High BC .243/6mm bullets are also hitting solid at 1,000. Both are winning all of the PRS and precision rifle competitions nationwide.

Something about the Tikka not being a true short-action in the short action calibers annoys the hell outta me, but then I shoot it and I forget that it annoys me because it shoots as well as a few customs I've owned.

For what you describe, I have a 6.5CM Savage Long Range Hunter. I'm going to have the integral brake cut off and have it threaded, but it's fine as-is.

https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore ... /ID/184551

It has the Accu-stock, and isn't as heavy as some. Granted, I got it on-sale for 600 bucks with a $100 rebate last Fall, so it was almost a no-brainer. Despite the length, it's a lot more usable for hunting than something like the Ruger just because it isn't a freaking boat anchor, and, like the Ruger, barrel swap isn't difficult.

I’m going to throw another name into a mix, although not as well known. I’ve been hearing AMAZING things about Bergera rifles (their HMR in particular). They aren’t that expensive compared to tier 1 rifles, yet accuracy and build quality are on par. I haven’t fired one....yet, but I’ve seen/read many reviews, especially from people I trust, who swear by them. Sure, there are easier paths to travel, but this is a brand that deserves some investigation, IMO.

Holland&Holland wrote:

bouki7788 wrote:My 0.0000000002c goes for tikka. RPR is the best bang for the money for $1k online now, but Tikka tac a1 is the best rifle among these brand you listed if you can spend another $600.For the tikka you don't have to replace the stock as the RPR and the action is way much more smooth than the RPR, plus now you can get three mags free. In additional, tikka has a slightly better QC than the other brands. I personally don't think 6.5 CM is a great round for deer but a lot of people use it, some people even use 223 for deer. If you are hunting on your own land, carry the rifle from car directly to your tree stand, you should be fine with all these rifles; However, if you need to carry it on your back all day, the weight might bother you. Another option is buy a tikka CTR, you can use it for hunting or drop it on a chassis for long range shooting.

Wtf?

If you can't kill a deer with a 6.5 creedmore, you just can't kill a deer period.

I wrote "I personally", it's too fast may over penetration, I'd like to be responsible and see deer drop where it stood, is there a problem?

When you're tired of 1000 yards, think of rifles that will shoot accurately out to 3000 or 4000 yards.

Check out "King of 2-Mile" group on FaceBook.

Many different rifles and all are custom in some or all ways.

338, 375, 408, 416, 458, 510 (50BMG) with the 375-416 being most chosen calibers.

And the "King of 2-Mile" is also being shown on some TV channels with episodes broken down to 4 shooters trying to qualify for advancement to 3500 yards and beyond.

(A friend here in Wisconsin took 5th place in his first year of competition shooting an AR-50 with 900+ grain brass solids he designed and machined.

Do some research on the new 224 Valkyrie coming out. Still early but from watching and reading on the net, 90 gr bullet still supersonic at 1300 yards. For varmint should be awesome but don’t think I would use it for deer. I have Savage rifles in 308 and 338LM for my long distance needs for now. Both bang steel at 1000 yards fairly well. I think savage rifles are a good rifle to consider. Their GRS stocks are nice too. Figure your caliber your comfortable with then compare what’s out there with what your budget is. Good luck.

The new top of the hill in PRS production class next year will likely be the John Hancock. Custom action with a custom hand lapped match barrel in a high quality stock. It's going to be a tough combo to beat for the price/class http://patriotvalleyarms.com/john-hancock-bolt-action/

For hunting where lighter weight is preferred Christensen has the "modern precision rifle" with a weight right around 7lb https://christensenarms.com/modern-precision-rifle/

If you already have an RPR though... why wouldn't you just run that? The newest/latest/greatest will always be right around the corner, but your current rifle is plenty capable of 1,000yds and beyond.

KO2M is a whole different game... and discussion?

Holland&Holland wrote:

bouki7788 wrote:...I personally don't think 6.5 CM is a great round for deer but a lot of people use it...

Wtf?

If you can't kill a deer with a 6.5 creedmore, you just can't kill a deer period.

WTF?

He said he doesn't think it's a great caliber. Not that it won't kill a deer.

Why are you trying to pick a fight curmudgeon? Haven't had your afternoon nap?

goosed wrote:

Holland&Holland wrote:

bouki7788 wrote:...I personally don't think 6.5 CM is a great round for deer but a lot of people use it...

Wtf?

If you can't kill a deer with a 6.5 creedmore, you just can't kill a deer period.

WTF?

He said he doesn't think it's a great caliber. Not that it won't kill a deer.

Why are you trying to pick a fight curmudgeon? Haven't had your afternoon nap?

Just got up from it.

bouki7788 wrote:

Holland&Holland wrote:

bouki7788 wrote:My 0.0000000002c goes for tikka. RPR is the best bang for the money for $1k online now, but Tikka tac a1 is the best rifle among these brand you listed if you can spend another $600.For the tikka you don't have to replace the stock as the RPR and the action is way much more smooth than the RPR, plus now you can get three mags free. In additional, tikka has a slightly better QC than the other brands. I personally don't think 6.5 CM is a great round for deer but a lot of people use it, some people even use 223 for deer. If you are hunting on your own land, carry the rifle from car directly to your tree stand, you should be fine with all these rifles; However, if you need to carry it on your back all day, the weight might bother you. Another option is buy a tikka CTR, you can use it for hunting or drop it on a chassis for long range shooting.

Wtf?

If you can't kill a deer with a 6.5 creedmore, you just can't kill a deer period.

I wrote "I personally", it's too fast may over penetration, I'd like to be responsible and see deer drop where it stood, is there a problem?

Yup, there is. See 140 grains moving at about 2700 is about as perfect of a deer round as you can get. So I do not understand your comment about it not dropping it where it stood. I have taken many deer with 140 and 150 grain bullets out of .308s, and 7mm-08s that dropped in their tracks. Now is appropriate bullet selection important, yes, is shot placement important, YES. But that goes with what ever you are using.