New build: advice needed

[Primus Pilum]

Rumor is the T3 will be coming out in 6.5CM next year. Sort of a game changer.

Tikka CTR with a Premo Barrel (Hawk hill, Barty, K&P) should be able to sneak around $2k. Sell the stock/dbm/mag and replace with a KRG Xray.

Howa also makes a decent barrelec action that would be leaps and bounds better than savage or Rem.

Were it me, I would buy one of the McM T3 with Fn TBM systems from MGW. Then source you a good barrel, a Win 70 short action and a 20MOA rail.

$400 for stock/dm (which is a steal) + $350 for barrel + $450 ish for pawn shop/GB model70 donor + $50 for OPS 2 Titanium 20MOA rail from MGW + $5-700 Gunsmithing/finish fees =

A killer rifle on the best factory action, trued up, in a very good stock you can do a KMW/LRI loggerhead down the road, a VERY good DBM system with a top of the line barrel finished to a good length (22" for 6.5CM hunting gun). Less than $2K for a legit custom that will run with ANYTHING out there. Can even use the stock Winny trigger as they clean up very nice.

[Tikkatac]

I would say the most important thing is trigger time. I think Equipment comes second.

[ReRun]

Which caliber did you end up buying? How do you like the rifle so far?

I ended up getting the .308 because I was already set up to reload for it and once I shoot the barrel out I can rebarrel into a 6.5. I dropped it into an X-ray chassis, topped it with a Burris xtrii and I'm very pleased so far.

It ended up being a little heavy so I'm ordering a manners eh1 which will bring the weight to right at 9.4lbs. Great mix of hunting/precision imho.