$2000 to spend...Most accurate rifle

[Nathan]

Pretty simple question. I want the most accurate rifle that meets certain “requirements.”

You have these requirements:
$2000 to spend, but ideally under $1500
Not including optics, rests, ammo, reloading, etc
Not a gunsmith in any way. Mounting a scope will be hard enough.
10-12 lbs max
Not a bench only rifle. Might need to hunt varmints/deer with it some
Good 100 yd groups
Deer effectiveness to 500 yds
Varmints to 800 yds
Ring steel or shoot targets to 1000 yds
Probably needs a muzzle brake for recoil control.

Thinking 300 WM or maybe 6.5 Creedmoor.

 

[GeauxTide]

Savage 10 Stealth Evolution in Creed.

Factory blueprinted Savage 10/110 action
Monolithic aluminum chassis, machined from billet
Full-length top-rail bronze Cerakote® finish
Magpul PRS® Gen 3 adjustable buttstock
User-Adjustable AccuTrigger™
Heavy fluted barrel with muzzle brake
Detachable box magazine
5R rifiling
My Savage 16 in 260 is a tack driver.

 

[jmr40]

This. I'd probably have gone 6.5 if buying new, but ran across a used one in 308 at a good price.

https://www.tikka.fi/en-us/rifles/tikka-t3/t3-compact-tactical-rifle

 

[fourbore]

Tikka offers some heavy target grade rifles for a little more money and weight, but; within the OP given parameters. If it was me I would be choosing between 308 and 6.5cm.

 

[Saltydog235]

Finally got to shoot my Cooper Open Country .300wm that my wife got me for my next 10 birthdays and CHRISTmas’s. A little more than your budget but wow this thing is awesome. Stacks dimes and recoil is less than my boy’s RAP in 6.5cm.

For a nice all around rifle, I’d look at various Sako offerings that fit your budget.

 

[TXAZ]

Another solid rifle to consider is the Ruger Precision Rifle in .308 or 6.5 CM, about a $grand, and it will shoot sub 1” groups at 100 yards (assuming the shooter can).

 

[FrankenMauser]

Factory blueprinted Savage 10/110 action

One would hope that the factory would be making ALL of their actions to "blueprint specs", since that's what "blueprinting" does: Insure that the action meets factory specification.

 

[HiBC]

Frankenmauser:

On "blueprinting". All the parts used in assembly (theoretically) will conform to the specs on the print. Those that don't are called "escapes". Believe it or not,at one place I worked via lot number those would be traceable back to the shift and machinist.

There is a design geometry,then there are tolerances. Flatness,squareness,roundness,concentricity all can...and will,be given tolerances of FORM. Then there are also tolerances of dimension.

What is acceptable for sale may benefit from being squared or trued,etc.

And most everything warps in heat treat. That's why a Nesika Bay Receiver is wire EDM'd out of prehardened steel.

I think another twist on "blueprinting" comes from hot rodding. Rules may require stock parts,subject to teardown inspection. But lightening valve train components to "Least material condition",fudging rocker pivots to the edge of position tolerance to gain just a little more valve lift,etc...actually spltting hairs to come as close to cheating as you can get away with is where the 1/10th second per lap that wins races is gained.


I was taught that on aircraft parts,drilling the largest bolt clearance holes permited by the drawing offered advantages.

One,the crew chief trying to rebuild the aircraft for a morning mission would be more likely to have all the bolts go in the holes with bigger holes. You can gain positional "bonus tolerance"

And on aircraft,every gram saved is fuel,payload,or performance. Each of those larger holes weigs a little less.

Holding everything to less than .001 from a dimension callout is one way to go broke.

Real world,time is money,and if it meets print,it meets print. That might be "Square to Axis "A" within .010 , Axis "A" might be the bolt race through the receiver and the tolerance might be on the receiver face. We can make that less than .001 pretty easy.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Indeed. And well aware, on all counts, actually.
Blueprinting actions - Check.
Blueprinting engines - Check. (Though, there, it's even more of a laughable term, as it means you're talking about a "hot rod" engine that was taken back to factory specs.)
Aircraft - Check.
Lightening structures - Check. (Currently working a project where I need to drop about 30% of the weight from an 800 lb trailer design.)
Tolerances and production - Check.


If you have to specifically "blueprint" your rifle action in order to sell it as meeting specs, then your quality control is crap.

 

[Longshot4]

One of the Rem. 700 models with heavy or Varmint barrels. The Remington 700 is well made and you will have a lot of choices for accessories. The previous people have the rounds down. For low recoil 6mm Creedmoor is my choice 500 Yrd. for Deer and varmint farther, 1000Yrd. target. I have never and never will have a shot at 1000 Yards. The 6.5 creed is used for same with one more Lb. kick. The 308 is accurate and has been my favorite for deer hunting but the kick is reaching my limit. No mater what I use the first thing for me is hit the target in the bulls eye. That is what is needed to get a varmint or a clean kill on a Deer...

 

[FrankenMauser]

One of the Rem. 700 models with heavy or Varmint barrels. The Remington 700 is well made and you will have a lot of choices for accessories.

Used, maybe.
New, not a chance.
Remington barrel quality has gone down hill over the last 10 years. They aren't what they used to be.

One would have a better expectation of accuracy and precision by buying a Tikka or Howa.

 

[mellow_c]

If I were in your shoes I’d look no further than this . . .

https://grabagun.com/thompson-center-llr-pc-6-5cr-fde-24-10-1-tb.html

Thompson Center Performance Center LRR Flat Dark Earth 6.5 Creedmoor 24-inch 10Rds

These were selling for $900ish last time I looked.

All the reviews I’ve read where anyone mentions accuracy has put these all at under a half inch at 100 yards with no one stating that they got groups any larger than that... from what I’ve read.

Apparently cleaning is a bit of a hassle because a screw has to be undone to remove part of the stock (?) to remove the bolt, but other than that and maybe some personal preference issues, I haven’t read a single bad thing about them. Oh and, everyone says the bipod it comes with is not a good one.

You could probably spend more but I don’t know what for.

I’ve also heard great things about this rifle . . .

https://grabagun.com/bergara-b14s352-6-5cr-hmr-molded-chas.html

Bergara B-14 HMR 6.5 Creedmoor 22" Barrel Brown Stock 5rd

People reporting similar half inch group accuracy. With no complaints. This one is a bit cheaper and the grab a quote price might make it substantially cheaper. Try the quote and see. I actually know a guy with this same rifle and he placed 4th recently in a 1000 yard shooting competition that had a lot of participants. It was his first time out with that rifle and he’s a good shot but not a pro.

I think I would be really happy with either of these rifles.

I think I would choose both of them over a rem 700 just because they already come with everything you could possibly need and they are both very good rifles.

 

[Nathan]

Thanks...keep them coming.


Thoughts on Howa?

 

[T. O'Heir]

"...Deer effectiveness to 500 yds...Varmints to 800 yds..." It won't be the rifle that cannot do that. It'll be the cartridge and the skill to shoot at those distances. Accuracy is more about the ammo and the shooter than the rifle anyway. More money doesn't mean you get a better rifle either.
Most typical deer cartridges(that the .300 Win Mag is not.) don't have sufficient energy left at 500 and nearly all of 'em drop like bricks past 300 yards.
The 6.5 Creedmoor isn't bad though. A factory 140, sighted in at 200, drops 44.4" at 500 with 1308 ft-lbs. of remaining energy.
Ditto for varmints at 800. Said varmints being a great deal smaller than Bambi, the accuracy requirements and the shooter's skills are considerably higher.
You'll want to keep in mind that 10 to 12 pounds gets to be extremely heavy at the end of the day. Plus that much weight in a deer rifle requires more upper body tone to shoot well off hand. Even when hunting from a blind, you may see a record book deer while walking in or out.
"...needs a muzzle brake..." You're not going into combat. And a brake will significantly increase the muzzle blast and noise for the shooter and everybody anywhere near you on a range. And you will not want to be shooting a .300 Mag all day at varmints even with a brake.
"...Thoughts on Howa?..." Good kit. They make the Vanguard for Weatherby. The Howa M1500 is a Vanguard.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Howas are good. I'd buy one before many of the other options on the market.

 

[m&p45acp10+1]

I have 2 Ruger RPR rifles. Both came with the factory supplied brake. One is the Magnum .300 Win Mag. The accuracy is stellar off of the bench. Quarter MOA is not hard to do with a decent hand load. Price is about$ 1600 give or take a bit. Though it doubles your weight limit. 20 pounds with the scope, and a bipod with enough beef to support such a heavy rifle.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is a tack driver. It is a ton of fun to shoot. Hunting with it is possible if you are using a blind or stand with something to rest tbe rifle on. If carrying it and making an offhand standing shot are needed then a lighter rifle would be advised.


My pick if it were me would be a Browning Hells Canyon if I had the Coin to drop.

 

[F. Guffey]

If I live long enough I have 6 rifles I need to finish. Barrels and receivers should be the be the big investment' I have $70.00 invested in the receivers each and $20.00 invested in the barrels with the last 2 costing me $50.00 each.

I have no ideal why but if these rifles will not shoot one hole groups I am going to be disappointed. In the beginning I will be the reloaders for the ammo. In the beginning I will load 12 different loads with 12 different case heads and as many powders and different bullets I have.

All of this will be in an effort to determine what the rifles like.

F. Guffey

 

[precision_shooter]

Tikka T3X CTR in 6.5 Creed. Burris Veracity 4-20 or 5-25 scope, Harris bi-pod, done.

 

[DockRock]

Another vote for Bergara, the B-14. They are still good value for money and will only get pricier.

 

[RC20]

Not a bench only rifle. Might need to hunt varmints/deer with it some
Good 100 yd groups
Deer effectiveness to 500 yds
Varmints to 800 yds
Ring steel or shoot targets to 1000 yds
Probably needs a muzzle brake for recoil control.

Thinking 300 WM or maybe 6.5 Creedmoor.

I hate to break the news but part of what you just laid out IS a bench rest rifle.

I think you need to do a lot of refining as the grand canyon lies between a 6.5 and a 300 WM.

300 WM is a large same rifle (Elek and up) and its not noted as a varmint gun (top put it mildly)

A 6.5 can do all you want and does not need a muzzle break as its not a 300 WM popper.

A Savage 12 FV in 6.5 would suit the desired goal at a very reasonable price. I think those are 9-9 lbs. It has a semi bull barrel (heavy varmint per Savage) - damned nice trigger.

Hunting deer with a 11-12 lb rifle would be a real challenge.