WeekendWarrior
Well-Known Member
I am a new member and I am very excited to interact with this community.
After two years of trying, I convinced my wife it's time for a new rifle. She signed my permission slip on Monday, and I'm ready to go! As a disclaimer, I'm set on a 300wm - I have everything I need to reload 300wm, I'm familiar and comfortable with the cartridge. No need to limit the discussion to this cartridge specifically though, as this thread could be of use to other members in a more general sense.
A little about the new rifle's intended purpose: I hunt elk, mule deer, bear, and I'm building points for a moose tag. "Long range" in the context of my personal long range hunting is 600-1100yards, or about 500-1000m. I like to backpack hunt and I'd like this rifle to be comfortable to carry when I finally feel old. Kids are on the horizon, so this will likely be the last rifle until I am both old in age and feeling.
So all of you know what I'm coming from, my current rifle is a savage stealth 110 300wm. With a vortex viper 5-25x50, rings, bipod, sling, a scope cover, and five rounds in the mag it weighs in at 16.21lbs - not kidding. I did swap out the buttstock for a magpul gen3 prs stock, which is why the weight is up a bit more than expected, but it should come back down to about 15.3lbs after the magpul prs lite stock I ordered arrives (gotta get under 16lbs to be legal in Idaho, spring bear trip coming up). This was the most affordable left handed, out-of-the-box, 1000 yard rifle I could find three years ago. Yes, I do take this rifle hunting - its been on several backpack elk hunts, several backpack mule deer hunts, and a backpack black bear hunt. All in Colorado wilderness areas. I strap it to my pack so I don't have to carry it on my shoulder or in my hand, which makes the weight tolerable but also creates the inconvenience of needing longer setup times before I can get a shot off. Laugh, gawk, gaze in dis-belief - if I can carry 200 pounds of elk meat out, I can carry 16lbs of rifle in.
On to the main event: lets discuss chassis rifle builds vs high end production rifles.
More and more companies are producing incredibly light weight chassis designs that make it possible to bring PRS accuracy and comfort on a hunt. Specifically, I'm thinking about the XLR element magnesium chassis which weighs 28oz with a carbon fiber grip and buttstock; or the MPA ultra lite hunter CF rifle, which says it will weigh in around 7.5lbs for long actions. I priced out what it would cost to build up a XLR element with a carbon six barrel in 300wm (26" barrel), a titanium action, and trigger, and the total cost comes to about $3475 in parts and an estimated weight of 6.12lbs. Add said and done this puts these two chassis systems on par with both the price and the weight of higher end long-action production rifles such as the Wetherby backcountry ti (long action is 5.9lbs, price is $3450), Cooper backcountry (5.75lbs, price is $3300) and open country LR lightweight (7lbs, price is $4000), and Christensen Arms ridgeline Ti (5.8lbs, price is $2500).
The evolution of chassis systems makes them worth considering, and certainly worth comparing to some of their traditional counter parts. For example, Cooper firearms offers a 1/2 MOA guarente with their traditional rifles, which is something both of the chassis systems can also offer in terms of their performance based on the barrels alone, while the Wetherby and CA ridgeline Ti advertise a 1MOA guarente. It seems the chassis systems have lost weight over time while the traditional rifles are becoming more and more accurate. With a properly developed load and a good shooter, all of these rifles will likely perform very similarly. In contrast, both chassis systems are available with a folding stock, which makes them ideal for carrying on a pack in the backcountry - a feature I wish I had on my current rifle. The chassis systems are also more comfortable for taking longer range shots given the rifle's customization - something that becomes clear to me looking at my current rifle compared to my very first rem 700. However, the chassis systems are still running a bit heavier and more expensive than the traditional rifles, which are both down sides.
To make the compare and contrast fully come to light, lets add in the 5oz weight of a spartan bipod system, the 22 oz weight of a vortex viper hs lr, assume we can find good rings for about 5oz, and add the weight of five 300wm bullets which is about 6oz. That brings us to a grand total of 2.375 lbs of additional carry weight per rifle. The final weight of the MPA ultra lite hunter would be ~9.875lbs, the XLR element build I priced would be ~8.475lbs, the Wetherby backcountry ti becomes ~8.275lbs, the cooper backcountry becomes ~8.128lbs, the cooper open country lr lightweight becomes ~9.375lbs, and the CA ridgeline becomes ~8.275lbs. The final carry weight for all the rifles falls between 8-10lbs. Im sure the weight could come down to below 7.5lbs with 22" barrels and short actions, or a lesser scope; however, I am trying to preserve the "long-range" aspect of this discussion in realtion to the size of the game I hunt, hence the rifles and specs I've highlighted.
Unfortunately, I have yet to come to a definitive conclusion on the topic. My PRS background and bias keeps me eyeing the chassis systems, as well as how much I like the idea of a folding stock. However, I know the lightest of the above options is a traditional stock rifle, and the thought of going from a 16lb rifle to a 8lb rifle makes me giggle with excitement. At this point I am leaning towards the XLR build due to it having the features I like about PRS and chassis rifles, as well as the theoretical final weight being below 8.5lbs with all the accessories included. Additionally, the 26" carbon six barrel I priced on the XLR build should result in comparable accuracy to the same barrel that is on the MPA, as well as the 26" featherweight proof barrel on the Cooper open country. I imagine in terms of accuracy, these three barrels will out shoot the Wetherby backcountry Ti, the Copper backcountry, and the CA ridgeline ti. Once I pay a gun smith to put it all together, the XLR build will likely be the most expensive of all the options too, and having never done such a build it is never the less nerve racking.
I would appreciate your thoughts on the topic. If you can think of anything I'm missing, please chime in. God bless.
After two years of trying, I convinced my wife it's time for a new rifle. She signed my permission slip on Monday, and I'm ready to go! As a disclaimer, I'm set on a 300wm - I have everything I need to reload 300wm, I'm familiar and comfortable with the cartridge. No need to limit the discussion to this cartridge specifically though, as this thread could be of use to other members in a more general sense.
A little about the new rifle's intended purpose: I hunt elk, mule deer, bear, and I'm building points for a moose tag. "Long range" in the context of my personal long range hunting is 600-1100yards, or about 500-1000m. I like to backpack hunt and I'd like this rifle to be comfortable to carry when I finally feel old. Kids are on the horizon, so this will likely be the last rifle until I am both old in age and feeling.
So all of you know what I'm coming from, my current rifle is a savage stealth 110 300wm. With a vortex viper 5-25x50, rings, bipod, sling, a scope cover, and five rounds in the mag it weighs in at 16.21lbs - not kidding. I did swap out the buttstock for a magpul gen3 prs stock, which is why the weight is up a bit more than expected, but it should come back down to about 15.3lbs after the magpul prs lite stock I ordered arrives (gotta get under 16lbs to be legal in Idaho, spring bear trip coming up). This was the most affordable left handed, out-of-the-box, 1000 yard rifle I could find three years ago. Yes, I do take this rifle hunting - its been on several backpack elk hunts, several backpack mule deer hunts, and a backpack black bear hunt. All in Colorado wilderness areas. I strap it to my pack so I don't have to carry it on my shoulder or in my hand, which makes the weight tolerable but also creates the inconvenience of needing longer setup times before I can get a shot off. Laugh, gawk, gaze in dis-belief - if I can carry 200 pounds of elk meat out, I can carry 16lbs of rifle in.
On to the main event: lets discuss chassis rifle builds vs high end production rifles.
More and more companies are producing incredibly light weight chassis designs that make it possible to bring PRS accuracy and comfort on a hunt. Specifically, I'm thinking about the XLR element magnesium chassis which weighs 28oz with a carbon fiber grip and buttstock; or the MPA ultra lite hunter CF rifle, which says it will weigh in around 7.5lbs for long actions. I priced out what it would cost to build up a XLR element with a carbon six barrel in 300wm (26" barrel), a titanium action, and trigger, and the total cost comes to about $3475 in parts and an estimated weight of 6.12lbs. Add said and done this puts these two chassis systems on par with both the price and the weight of higher end long-action production rifles such as the Wetherby backcountry ti (long action is 5.9lbs, price is $3450), Cooper backcountry (5.75lbs, price is $3300) and open country LR lightweight (7lbs, price is $4000), and Christensen Arms ridgeline Ti (5.8lbs, price is $2500).
The evolution of chassis systems makes them worth considering, and certainly worth comparing to some of their traditional counter parts. For example, Cooper firearms offers a 1/2 MOA guarente with their traditional rifles, which is something both of the chassis systems can also offer in terms of their performance based on the barrels alone, while the Wetherby and CA ridgeline Ti advertise a 1MOA guarente. It seems the chassis systems have lost weight over time while the traditional rifles are becoming more and more accurate. With a properly developed load and a good shooter, all of these rifles will likely perform very similarly. In contrast, both chassis systems are available with a folding stock, which makes them ideal for carrying on a pack in the backcountry - a feature I wish I had on my current rifle. The chassis systems are also more comfortable for taking longer range shots given the rifle's customization - something that becomes clear to me looking at my current rifle compared to my very first rem 700. However, the chassis systems are still running a bit heavier and more expensive than the traditional rifles, which are both down sides.
To make the compare and contrast fully come to light, lets add in the 5oz weight of a spartan bipod system, the 22 oz weight of a vortex viper hs lr, assume we can find good rings for about 5oz, and add the weight of five 300wm bullets which is about 6oz. That brings us to a grand total of 2.375 lbs of additional carry weight per rifle. The final weight of the MPA ultra lite hunter would be ~9.875lbs, the XLR element build I priced would be ~8.475lbs, the Wetherby backcountry ti becomes ~8.275lbs, the cooper backcountry becomes ~8.128lbs, the cooper open country lr lightweight becomes ~9.375lbs, and the CA ridgeline becomes ~8.275lbs. The final carry weight for all the rifles falls between 8-10lbs. Im sure the weight could come down to below 7.5lbs with 22" barrels and short actions, or a lesser scope; however, I am trying to preserve the "long-range" aspect of this discussion in realtion to the size of the game I hunt, hence the rifles and specs I've highlighted.
Unfortunately, I have yet to come to a definitive conclusion on the topic. My PRS background and bias keeps me eyeing the chassis systems, as well as how much I like the idea of a folding stock. However, I know the lightest of the above options is a traditional stock rifle, and the thought of going from a 16lb rifle to a 8lb rifle makes me giggle with excitement. At this point I am leaning towards the XLR build due to it having the features I like about PRS and chassis rifles, as well as the theoretical final weight being below 8.5lbs with all the accessories included. Additionally, the 26" carbon six barrel I priced on the XLR build should result in comparable accuracy to the same barrel that is on the MPA, as well as the 26" featherweight proof barrel on the Cooper open country. I imagine in terms of accuracy, these three barrels will out shoot the Wetherby backcountry Ti, the Copper backcountry, and the CA ridgeline ti. Once I pay a gun smith to put it all together, the XLR build will likely be the most expensive of all the options too, and having never done such a build it is never the less nerve racking.
I would appreciate your thoughts on the topic. If you can think of anything I'm missing, please chime in. God bless.
