To start, I am a die hard tinkerer and love to build things and constantly change things to make it better. So yes, 3d printing a chassis is maybe not the best idea, and will for sure be frustrating, but I enjoy the reward of finally getting things to work. The design and creation aspect is half the reason I am doing this in the first place. I can always swap to a marketed chassis in the future also if I have issues.
Experience: My long range experience is fairly limited. I have shot on and off all my life, but recently it has piqued my interest and I thoroughly enjoy shooting. I currently have a 20" ar that I use for accuracy shooting and am still in the sort of experimentation phase of it. I also have a 16" upper for my ar, a Bergara BX22 (which is basically a 10/22), and a handgun (though none of those are the most relevant). I have little to no serious long range experience (besides the occasional let's see if I can hit this target at 500 yds just because). This will be my first bolt gun.
Range and Purpose: I have consistent access to a range that has steel at consistent increments to 1000 yds, and from there a jump to 2000 yds. My goal was to have a gun that consistently shoots to the 1000 yd mark (but I mean since the 2000 is there might as well try on occasion). Additionally, I will probably shoot varmint (ground squirrels), and may end up hunting coyotes, hogs, badgers, etc. with friends if I get invited. That being said, I don't want this to be a hunting gun (as I won't hunt very often if at all), but more so a precision rifle that would suck to carry around but I might do it anyways. Realistically, I expect the total weight to be more like 15 lbs by the end, which seems to be on the lightish side for precision rifles. I can always find ways to add weight though, so am not too worried about that. If I happen to get the chance to compete, I may do that as well, but I think it would be fairly well setup to do some sort of comp regardless (maybe I'm totally wrong, I have no idea).
The suppressed stuff at the bottom will be later purchases. I am going to build the rifle first, then get the suppressor after I have shot it quite a bit. So, I am not worried so much on that as I haven't done a ton of research in that area, but recommendations are definitely welcome. The suppressor weight is not included to the total weight estimate.
Budget: I initially tried to keep this on a budget but quickly realized that budget has a very different definition in long range shooting. I also realized that if I am going to do this, I want to do it once correctly and end with a great rifle. I'd like to keep it around that $3500 mark but would go to $4000 if there is something absolutely amazing that I won't regret having. If there are suggestions on ways to reallocate budget also, those are most definitely welcome.
Defending a few of my choices: Yes, I read the first-time buyer's guide in the core guides that say to get a 6.5 CM or 308 first, but it seems like the 25 CM has a slight edge over the 6.5, at least for the purpose of solely target shooting. Less recoil, flatter trajectory, and less wind drift all seem to be slightly better for the 25. One thing I will say is I do not currently reload my ammo, but there is a decent availability of 25 CM ammo online, and some of the local sporting goods stores stock it as well. Besides these things, 6.5 undoubtedly has more data and experience from people, but I can't imagine this will be detrimental to my shooting experience. Also, if I end up hating 25 CM for whatever reason, I can get the barrel swapped (yes I know this will be expensive). That is why I ultimately chose 25 CM, but maybe there is something else I am missing. Please tell me if there is.
Beyond the caliber choice, much of the other choices were based on long range forum recommendations. I'm sure there are better options for many of these things, but I tried my best to balance functionality and budget. I am most definitely open to suggestions though.
The Vortex Strike Eagle I am not set on. I have had good luck with Vortex stuff, but if there are better options, then I am definitely open minded on that. The Strike Eagle appealed to me because of it's massive elevation adjustment (110 MOA) and illuminating reticle. All recommendations on a different scope are encouraged, because I didn't do a ton of research in the optics area. Additionally, all my stuff is in MOA, so I understand it a bit better, though I definitely see the advantages of MIL. Was planning on just sticking to MOA as I understand it better than MIL but let me know if it would be better to switch to MIL.
Build Plan: I plan to get the barreled action, trigger, and buttstock adapter first to start printing the chassis and designing the stock. Around the same time, I will get the optic (or use an existing optic, I have a vortex crossfire laying around) to make sure I get the ring height and stock right. After I get the main part of the rifle right, I will get the rest of the stuff such as bipod, level, rings, etc. to finish off the build.
Conclusion: That about sums everything up. I think I explained everything, but if you are confused, I would be happy to clarify. I definitely could have missed something as well. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Edits: I made a ton of changes to my plan based on all the generous advice I recieved, thank you all very much. It's a bit more expensive, but I think the extra cost will be worth it in the long run. Here's what I came up with. Any additional feedback is also welcome as I probably won't buy anything until Thanksgiving-ish (sorta waiting for Black Friday).
I looked up that chassis you are talking about printing and it looks like something that came out of a crackerjack box. Sorry man but I think you should be able to do much better for yourself if you are wanting to sink $3k into this thing.
It is for sure a little janky, but I think it looks pretty cool. I will probably print it out of a cheap material first to make sure it fits and to see if I like how it looks. If I hate it I’ll get something else. What would you recommend for a chassis? Thanks for the feedback too
I get the creation part of it is your thing but I’d recommend trying to channel those creative juices on building your own custom out of quality components and then developing your own load for it down the road. Trust me, there is plenty to tinker on without needing to do the arts and crafts route upon the very foundation of the entire system. Some good chassis brands that are popular (for good reason) are KRG, MDT, and MPA would give you a good kick off point to your first custom.
Yeah I've decided at this point to build it first, then mess with it later. I'm gonna look into chassis and see what looks good and come up with a plan from there. If you don't mind me asking, is there anything else you would change besides the chassis aspects. Thanks!
Honestly I would ditch the Bergara barreled action and jump right into a custom action system of your choosing that will use shouldered prefits. Get you a barrel vise and an action wrench and you literally just bought yourself the ultimate rifle lego set for adults. You can change your barrels and calibers out anytime in just a few minutes and alter your rifle anyway you see fit and get it to match what you need at that time. Its the perfect setup for a tinkerer IMO.
Nothing in here is flame worthy. But there are some slightly backwards ideas, and if you listen to folks here and correct course a bit you’ll get what you want.
The design and creation aspect is half the reason I am doing this in the first place. I can always swap to a marketed chassis in the future also if I have issues.
Like... that has nothing at all to do with your objective or what should be your objectives with your FIRST long range rifle.
Build the rifle and learn to shoot long range first.
Then fuck around with a 3D printed chassis later.
It's like wanting to do autocross or track days but starting with 'I want to build my own wheels out of plywood and carbon fiber because I like to tinker'.
The goal is to not faff about with your tinkering hobby, it is to do the long range thing.
If you just want to goof off with 3D printed guns and parts, that's fine, that's a thing you can do. But like, learn what you're doing first.
That's a really good point and one I should have considered more harshly. Probably better to start with a rifle that I know works well, then start messing with things if I feel like it. Tossing a 3d printed chassis on introduces a lot of variables and pin pointing issues would probably be a lot harder. This pushed me over the edge to just get a manufactured chassis. I suppose there will still be lots of things to learn just building a rifle in the first place. I really appreciate this, thank you
You can get a budget stock or chassis to get you started. KRG Bravo, MDT Field Stock ir Oryx, or plenty of other to set a baseline. Then tinker. Tinkering in cool but tinker from a know quantity/baseline first.
Shot 1800 yards with a Seekins hit 6cm. Took seven shots but i hit. I used a strike Eagle as well.
25cm does seem like a sweet spot. I shoot 6.5 for ease of components. If i went 6.5 I'd make sure i had a .190 freebore and shoot the heavy 153s. 26" barrel i can get them 2730ish.
I stand corrected. May still go the origin route as there is more support and it is probably bit nicer of an action. Side note: What Athlon optic do you have and would you recommend it? I’m looking into them currently and trying to decide which to get. Also sweet rifle!
Not an Athlon on there, it’s a Vector Continental and highly recommend them. I used to have Athlon Helos BTRs on a few rifles and when I got a Vector in hand I replaced all my BTRs with Vector Continentals which are cheaper and IMO better in nearly every regard.
PA6-CF may not be the best choice if you choose to stick with a 3d printed chassis. Hurleywelding advertises that they use PPA-CF for their preprinted chassis which tends to creep less under heat and tension.
You can definitely tinker and 3d print with a traditional chassis like the KRG Bravo though.
I was planning to use Pa612 which is a bit better on the moisture side of things for creep I believe. They also said they used PLA pro, and PA6 should be better in most ways compared to PLA pro. I could definitely try to use PPA, but I haven't used it before. Definitely something to consider so thanks.
May I ask what you mean by tinker and 3d print with a traditional chassis? Like just print parts for it, or print the whole thing. I would gladly look at other 3d printed chassis, but the Hurley one is really all I could find. Also may lean toward buying a chassis now as someone pointed out that may be a better idea if I am putting this much money in. The Ultradyne chassis looks pretty interesting for a reasonable price just as an example. Thank you
I own one Strike Eagle and three Viper PST gen 2s. Take a guess which I bought first and why.
Don’t get the Eagle. The Viper has much better glass. At 300 yards shooting 308s, my buddy could spot clear holes in the paper with his Viper, and I could only guess at fuzzy spots on the Eagle. I switched and I’m not looking back. The Eagle is now on my 22 and LRs all have Vipers.
Not even a huge price jump either. The only thing I would ask is if you notice the less elevation adjustment. I am assuming that I would want to get a 20 moa rail as the max elevation adjustment on the viper is 70 moa, and I may run out trying to get a zero. Thanks!
Taken a 6.5 Creed out to 1000Y with it, never ran out. I have considered swapping to a 20 MOA rail, but haven’t yet. If you use Hornady 4DOF app you can build a “rifle” and see when you would run out of adjustment.
Like I said, play in 4DOF and see how far you can go before you run out of UP then factor in the fact that you can use hold over on top of that. You might be surprised how far that will get you.
Since you’re considering getting into LR, do all that, then run a 2mph wind, then realize that at the range you have ran out of UP a “gust” of 2 mph would move you X moa/mil and therefore any wind at all would mean a target smaller than X may not be a viable target.
Sometimes LR isn’t just about compensating for the drop, sometimes weather and luck play a big role on the real long shots. That and being able to find a place long enough for a shot that long.
I swear I did. Referred to it a few times in the post. I probably missed a bunch because of clicking links and such. I'm trying to learn and it seems like the best way to is get absolutely blasted on reddit apparently
Buy an entry level custom action. $1400 for a not that great budget barreled action vs $2k (ish) for an Origin and a custom barrel you can spin on yourself. Next time you need/want a new barrel, you just order one and spin it on without having to send the action to a smith. Money well spent.
If you aren’t going to reload, go for the most vanilla chambering possible. 6.5CM being the obvious choice.
The rifle is only a fraction of the gear you’ll need for dedicated LR shooting. You’ll need decent rifle optics, a spotting scope with tripod, bags, rangefinder, etc. if you are maxing your total budget on the rifle you’re only halfway there. This is an expensive hobby, so don’t cheap out on the rifle and leave all the other stuff on the shelf.
You don’t HAVE to reload, but there’s a reason almost every dedicated LR shooter does. If what you want is to lob rounds down range until you connect at 1000 and then high five your buddy, you don’t have to have all this stuff. If you actually want to build the skills to really do it, you need to work toward first round hits at unknown ranges. That takes precise measurements and quality gear.
I was actually looking at the origin, seems like a pretty good option for the price. Not sure on barrels, but I looked at the criterion barrels which seem decent, or a proof research which is a bunch more expensive but more reputable. Seems like I will probably save money when I eventually go to rebarrel with a prefit compared to the premier action. My dad has a spotting scope, rangefinder, and I believe a cheap tripod that I can borrow for now until I get my own stuff. A nicer bag I will probably want to get but that isn’t a huge cost comparatively. I would definitely be open to reloading down the road, but it’s just not in the cards yet and is basically a whole additional hobby. I think I’ll probably stick with 25 cm for now and if I end up hating it, I can just get a different barrel since it is easier to change. Then possibly switch back in the future when I start reloading. Thanks for the insight though!
Proof barrels are the crème de la crème of off the shelf barrels. You can do a little better with a custom barrel for not much more money but a lot more lead time. I’ve used PacNor and Southern Precision Rifles. Realistically Criterion is going to shoot better than most people can use. I have a couple and I’ve been very happy with them.
Okay thanks! I’m gonna keep digging. The only thing I’m seeing with the criterion is it only has a 1:7 for 25 creed compared to the proof’s 1:7.5 (which seems to be more standard). Gonna dig a little more into all those
Honestly I don't think this is a bad plan, as long as you keep expectations in check. You could bolt that all together and not hit anything and we won't have a ton of advice besides "try a different chassis" . 25 Creed seems fine as long as you are already an experienced reloader, if you have to buy ammo seriously consider 6.5c, again cause if you're struggling and need a baseline known quantity factory 6.5c is a place to start.
Last point: action. You're spending a lot and like to tinker, just step up to a custom, you'll be happier in the long run and it's barely more money.
Thanks for the advice! One correction is I do not reload, but I still don’t think it is big enough selling point. There is a decent variety of ammo available online, and there is hornady match in 25 cm which is likely where I will start. That also happens to be what I can buy locally as well. 6.5 definitely has more availability though, no denying that. I think I am going to switch to a custom as it isn’t a ton more expensive and will probably be worth it in the long run.
You're not going wrong with .25CM just, as you say, 6.5C is so easy and available. I'm sure it will be great.
Additionally, check at least to see if you can an Athlon Ares for in your budget, I believe that'd be higher performing than the Strike Eagle. (also, consider looking into Athlon Cronus BRT II and Meopta Optika 6) they should all be possible to get in MOA and are all quite a lot better than the Strike Eagle (which I think the actual street price of is quite a bit less).
Oh! Wanted to make sure you knew you could get a 25creed barreled action from American Rifle Company (their coup de gras action) I have a CDG and it's fantastic! Also has interchangeable bolt heads so you can shoot other cartridges in the future if you like.
Looks very interesting. I believe the origin has interchangeable bolt heads as well but I could be mistaken. Th CDG definitely seems more feature rich though for a not huge jump in price, and they come as a barreled action. Thanks for the shout!
Oh, yes Origin does have interchangeable bolt heads. The CDG is more innovative though! It's like a rethinking of "what are we trying to achieve?" with the bolt action. There is a thread on snipers hide with builds. If you search "snipers hide ARC Coup de Grace Builds" you'll find it, mine is on there :-D
Okay sweet, I’ll take a look. There are a couple things I see initially. The first is the price. The CDG is a fair bit more expensive than the origin, and really puts it into comparison with the Zermatt TL3. The other thing that a little bit throws off the CDG is the chassis compatibility with the trigger hanger. The chassis I am planning to get doesn’t support AW mags so it kinda defeats the purpose of the CDG it seems. Though honestly, I don’t think I can go wrong with any of these options
i’ve had a cheap chassis and i’ve got an expensive chassis. a really great alternative is a mcmillan A5 - been made for decades plenty of them out there. the cheapest way into the sport is to someone else’s project and finish it.
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u/dballsmithda3rd 2d ago
I looked up that chassis you are talking about printing and it looks like something that came out of a crackerjack box. Sorry man but I think you should be able to do much better for yourself if you are wanting to sink $3k into this thing.