It would be highly advised to make educated decisions about your equipment while speaking of this great big world of precision rifles. Getting started with a gasser, and in many cases, a big-format AR in .308, 6.5CM, etc., leaves a great deal desired. A lot of others find these rifles to be finicky next to bolt guns, though they can show an amazing amount of accuracy. Another shooter related what switching from a DMR-variant AR to a .223 bolt gun did for their work with a 6.5CM: “again, bedded and free-floated, and utilizing better ammunition”.
Another important part is Scopes. Ideally, a more expensive scope will be more repeatable and more durable. For a shooter who doesn’t shoot a lot or compete, a scope of $400-800 dollars might be right. But more seriously, one is recommended to start at $1000. This the author has discovered from sad experience, having progressed from cheap scopes to mid-range ones, and then bought another pretty good one, and still craved an upgrade to the $2500 range.
I put it together with a bunch of parts that a shooter helped me source, and to contradict some opinions, another shooter got some luck with an LR308 clone this one made it out with. Other than being a rough fit with some minor parts compatibility issues during the build, the rifle shot 1,000 yards with every round and about the only finicky thing was adjusting the gas block with changes in ammo.
Price is not always a tell of a good scope within the optic world. Many of the very best values in scopes come out of Asia, and the best mass-produced scopes come out of Japan. Japan’s Light Optics Works (LOW) produces scopes for the Vortex Razor, Athlon Chronus, and Nightforce brands. LOW has had a reputation for very reliable mechanicals within the industry and good glass quality.
A shooter recently picked up three scopes from LOW: two Bushnell LRHSi 4.5-18×44 and a Tract Toric HD 4-20×50. While these are, respectively, 40-60% less in cost than the same scope features in a 34mm tube, these optics are high-end and suitable for entry shooters or higher budget builds.
For those who believe they need the best mass-produced long-range rifle under $1000, the debate rolls on. Some like the idea of taming the 300 Win Mag down with a brake, while others swear by the performance jump to calibers such as the 260. One shooter stated that it takes a lot of financial commitment to get into competing as seriously as a lot of these energy/caliber recommendations indicate, and that just wasn’t worth it to them. They wanted a rifle to have fun with, that could do a little hunting to boot, and the extra energy in those larger calibers was impossible to ignore.
Within this price bracket, the Tikka T3x and Bergara B14 HMR appear to take away the cake. One of the shooters pointed out that a Bergara B14 HMR is extremely cost-effective—it’s not at the same level as the custom actions, but good value for money. Another shooter elaborated on his great, then poor, experience with the B-14 line, claiming that their guns were inconsistent in accuracy. He advised buying a semi-custom action and a pre-fit barrel for a better long-term solution.
In the end, a person should select the rifle and scope they are most comfortable using for what they intend to do. Knowing the little things with either a new or experienced shooter makes all the difference in the world as one walks the path of precision shooting.