People of the interwebz and M4Carbine.net,

I live approximately 10 minutes from a good range with steel hung at 300, 500, and 800 yards. I can get over 800 from non designated firing points if there is no one else around. I've played around with a 6.5X284 a friend owns at about 840 yards on the steel. It was fun, I want to do more of that. With any luck and more funding the plan is to expand the range to at least 1K, there's plenty of room. I want to be able to play out there too.

With that in mind I'm going to solicit advice from people that already play this game to point me in the right direction, I promise to actually listen and consider the given advice.

About my current experience level: Former Marine infantry, KD course was never an issue multiple award expert rifleman (not that hard). Some experience shooting NRA Service Rifle but not enough to get a rating. Fair amount of small bore precision position match style shooting. Competitive bullseye pistol (college) made collegiate nationals in 2003. Last good training class was Pat McNamara in fall of 2016 (I need to get back into a class).

Extensive reloading experience, plenty of quality equipment and experience landing for pistols, and rifles both gas guns and bolt guns. I'm not afraid of making my own ammo, but do prefer to stick with calibers I can get quality factory brass, I'm no fond of all the labor in fire forming or other case forming and trimming.

To begin with I need to determine a projectile and caliber, and then a rifle to launch it out of. Operating on internet reviews, and marketing propaganda I'm kind of under the impression that a rifle in the $1500-$2000 range is about where you get into guns that are actually ready to go that will give a guy room to grow and maybe enter a match here and there and not get crushed solely due to equipment deficiencies.

For starters wishing the realm of readily available cartridges what is my best bet? The short list is 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5mm Creedmoor, and 6.5mm PRC. Electing to go with the 6mm or the PRC limits my choice of factory rifles, but that is OK as long as the factory rifles don't suck. Any advice here is appreciated, I've not shot the 6mm Creed, or the 6.5 PRC, I have some time on the 6.5 Creed and liked it quite a bit. Not sure if the trajectory and wind drift improvements of the faster options are worth the shorter barrel life, but that would require me to shoot so much I actually burn one out and if I get to shoot that much either way I'm gonna be stoked to do it.

Factory rifle options I've considered are listed in the thread title, and are rifles I've laid my filthy hands on in person and didn't find to be objectionable and they seemed like they would fit the bill. The Seekins offers a lot more options in calibers than the other two, and the KRG stock is easily accessorized and I prefer it over the other two. The DD has a removable bolt head and pre-head spaced barrels with extensions, this could make a multi caliber rig possible if they ever release a different bolt face size and barrels. I prefer the two stage trigger offered in the Tikka, and they are known to be good shooters. The Seekins will easily feed AICS or AW mags due to the lugs being 90 degrees off from a Rem 700, and the DD will also run AI mags, the Tikka of course uses proprietary mags that cost over $100 each. Of those three what would you guys choose? I understand they are pretty different in some ways, but any first hand experience that can be related is appreciated.

Last question, since I don't know what I don't know, are there options out there that I am missing or over looking? So many options out there it's tough to sort through them all on the rifle front.

I already have a Nightforce NXS 3.5-15X50 that I've had for over a decade now that will initially be mounted on whatever I pick, I realize this is no longer state of the art glass or even ideal, but it's paid for and in my safe. Glass upgrades will come later.

As always thoughts, advice, tips, hints or any other help are appreciated.