Ar10 6.5 creedmore vs bolt gun

What's best?

  • Tikka ctr

    Votes: 20 31.7%
  • Ar10

    Votes: 14 22.2%
  • Other

    Votes: 29 46.0%

  • Total voters
    63

ellison3dpro

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2018
Messages
780
Location
Colorado Springs
Looking for advise and opinions. I am looking for a rifle for antelope hunts and to eventually get into shooting 1000yds. But it will primarily be for hunting. As of now I do not reload so I have decided on 6.5 creedmore. I want a relatively light rifle but still capable for long range and bench shooting. I had fully decided on the tikka ctr until I read about the H.R. 7115 (house bill designed to ban building ars and lower parts kits). Kind of want to build one while I can. I know the ar10 will be heavier and it will cost more to build the way I want. Do you think I should go with the tikka or the ar10.
 
You didn't leave an option for "Other"... I wouldn't suggest either of those. Especially not an AR10 for precision accuracy. I love my AR's, but they're never going to be precision rifles like my bolt guns.

Here's my recommendation if you want something in 6.5CM...

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...+Gen+2+Bolt+6.5+Creedmoor+24+4+1+Synthetic+HS

Also, they're never going to pass that H.R. 7115 bill. It's too draconian, and to infringing.
 
You didn't leave an option for "Other"... I wouldn't suggest either of those. Especially not an AR10 for precision accuracy. I love my AR's, but they're never going to be precision rifles like my bolt guns.

Here's my recommendation if you want something in 6.5CM...

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/price_match_open/1/products_id/42441/Remington+Firearms+85198+700+5-R+Gen+2+Bolt+6.5+Creedmoor+24+4+1+Synthetic+HS

Also, they're never going to pass that H.R. 7115 bill. It's too draconian, and to infringing.

I was looking at the 5r, and the begara hmr but they are just heavier than what I want, also why the ctr was my choice for Bolt. My 6.8spc ar shoots under .5moa, I would be more than happy with that kind of accuracy. If I could get it out of an ar10.
 
"ar10/LR308" chassis have more reciprocating weight in the BCG--also short barrels in light weight chassis have quite a bit of muzzle flip--you can get 1/2 moa from an AR large frame chassis but it takes more work to achieve and you do loose a little bit of MV over a bolt action due to the "gas loss" in an AR chassis

I have a lightweight prototype 16" fully scoped LR308 that weighs in at 6.88pounds with the 3-9 scope on it (right about 6 pounds bare) , shoots 3/4 moa with hand loads but it took quite a bit of tinkering with the load and learning how to shoot a lightweight gas gun before I could do that--taming the recoil is do-able, taming the muzzle flip is challenging --plus the short barrel really limits the cartridge potential

guy on another forum has an lr308 down to just under 4 pounds, so you can make them light ( but that light is extremely expensive)
 
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Looking for advise and opinions. I am looking for a rifle for antelope hunts and to eventually get into shooting 1000yds. But it will primarily be for hunting. As of now I do not reload so I have decided on 6.5 creedmore. I want a relatively light rifle but still capable for long range and bench shooting. I had fully decided on the tikka ctr until I read about the H.R. 7115 (house bill designed to ban building ars and lower parts kits). Kind of want to build one while I can. I know the ar10 will be heavier and it will cost more to build the way I want. Do you think I should go with the tikka or the ar10.

Go with the bolt gun, it will be much lighter and shorter with equal barrel lengths.

My .260 AR's a lot of fun and hell on a herd of pigs or pack of coyotes in the open but it's not something you'd want to lug around rolling plains or Mesa country hunting antelope and mulies out west. With only a 24" barrel it was unwieldy as hell as a truck gun and even cut down to 20" it's still a pain in the butt.

I can't speak to the Tikkas, but I know they have a following. If it were me though I'd probably be looking at the Gen 2 Milspec in either 6.5CM or .260 Rem for the same application. In fact, that's what I went with.
 
I have a Tikka T3x lite 6.5cm and Stag AR-10 6.5cm. The short answer is if you are hunting and long range shooting get the Tikka!

The long answer: Both of my guns are very accurate. The problem arises with how AR-10s shoot. Maybe its me, but I have to work a lot harder to shoot them as accurately. I don't know if it is the grip/trigger relationship, or the different recoil pulse of the buffer system. I can shoot it accurate, but it is much easier to grab my Tikka and shoot a nice tight group, thus I personally have more confidence in a bolt gun.

I shoot/hunt suppressed. It is pretty rare occasion hunting big game to need a quick second shot that can not be accomplished with a bolt gun. This is why i have a cabinet full of custom AR's I sunk a lot of money into making accurate, and now I rarely use. Unless you need a 30 round mag to eliminate a herd of antelope, the AR-10 has no benefit.

AR's are inherently not as reliable. There are a lot more moving parts which can fail. I have seen people miss animals cause their slide wasn't all the way forward, or something jammed because AR's are very dirty guns especially when shot suppressed.

AR's also need more work to fine tune to operate perfect, as i'm particular. Thus playing with buffer weights, springs, bcg weights etc.. is needed for a very accurate gun.

On last note, is when shooting long range I like lightweight single stage triggers. You will not find this in AR's, reason being it is too easy to double tap the trigger, trust me I know. I had to install a heavier trigger because of this problem.

I like AR's and they are fun to build and there are a million ways to build them. But for hunting I always rely on my bolt guns.

One last note, building an AR-15 is fun and there are a lot of parts that can be interchangeable. Since "AR-10's" are not a mil spec item it is a nightmare mixing and matching parts. You are better off buying one complete then trying to "build" an AR10.

I was never a Tikka fan till i used one. It is hard to describe but they are refined better then any other bolt gun in its class, and can rival custom actions. If you buy the Tikka you won't regret it. My $.02
 
I know the best bet is a bolt gun, I guess I was just hoping there was someone that would persuade me into building an ar10. I just love to build them the options are endless. I don't really need either one, and eventually I will probably end up with both. Another con I have about hunting with an ar is how loud they are handling and brushing up on crap. Has anyone found a way to coat them that helps with noise?
 
Buy a lower and build it later.

I have a tikka ctr and love it. I also have a 5R in 308 that shoots very well. But, from the factory the tikka takes the cake. It has a smoother bolt, MUCH better trigger, and a box mag. The barrel contour is slightly smaller compared to the 5r. The gun might be a little lighter, I haven't checked. If you buy the remmy plan on spending some money on the trigger immediately. I would count on both the 5r and the tikka to shoot pretty dang good from factory. Only edge the 5r has is the stock.
 
Buy a lower and build it later.

I have a tikka ctr and love it. I also have a 5R in 308 that shoots very well. But, from the factory the tikka takes the cake. It has a smoother bolt, MUCH better trigger, and a box mag. The barrel contour is slightly smaller compared to the 5r. The gun might be a little lighter, I haven't checked. If you buy the remmy plan on spending some money on the trigger immediately. I would count on both the 5r and the tikka to shoot pretty dang good from factory. Only edge the 5r has is the stock.

I have a tikka t3 300wm and a rem 700 long range 300wm and they are both great. Shooting under 1 inch easy. I probably will just go with the tikka ctr and just start accumulating the ar10 parts.
 
I have mentioned this twice in other recent threads: buddy of mine got a CTR 6.5 a few months back and since I do all his rifle prep and loading got to put it through the paces. Easiest rifle I've ever messed with to get data for, and I don't think his rifle is an anomaly. This was with factory ammo to boot. Wish I had a lefty version. My advice would be do as a couple others have mentioned, get the Tikka and start collecting parts for the AR.
 
I have a Tikka T3X with the 24" barrel and it shoots .2's consistently with my handloads. Weighs a little over 8 pounds with scope.
I also have a Savage MSR-10 Long Range with a 22" barrel and it shoots .3 to .4 with my handloads. I did change out the two stage trigger to a single stage match trigger. Weighs a little over 12 pounds with scope.
For everyday hunting, I will take the Tikka because of the weight. If I'm shooting off a tripod or at the bench, I'll use the Savage, once again because of the weight.
 
I know the best bet is a bolt gun, I guess I was just hoping there was someone that would persuade me into building an ar10. I just love to build them the options are endless. I don't really need either one, and eventually I will probably end up with both. Another con I have about hunting with an ar is how loud they are handling and brushing up on crap. Has anyone found a way to coat them that helps with noise?
If you are concerned with noise, run a carbon fiber handguard and buttstock, no aluminum sound if a tree limb hits the handguard, no spring twang on firing and the bonus of not being as cold as a witches t*t when you have single digit temps outside (also lighter)
 
Big fan of the Tikkas, t3's, t3x, varmint & ctrs they just plain shoot right out of the box, have a SAC 7-08 with a bartlein bbl on a tikka action and it drives nails, my 6.5 is the ss 24" & it'll shoot in the 3's, I do however usually go with another stock, spend a lot of time looking at and carrying them rifles hunting and the factory issues don't do it for me, so wether your a out of the box guy or a custom shooter, they haven't let me down solid sub moa rifles
 
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