I just got into a good deal on a Mohawk lower and a Rock river lower parts kit with a 2-stage trigger through a friend. So, I would like to put together a “fun gun” for varmint/predator hunting and target shooting. I would like it to be on the lighter side (not a bench rifle) because I intend to carry it while hunting and fairly accurate (but does not need to be a match rifle). It would be nice if I did not break the bank to put this together. Is this achieveable? I don’t need all the BLING, just a shooter…a workin’ gun. I would like to mount a standard telescopic scope rather than a red-dot optic, and an aluminum or carbon fiber free float tube, as I don’t need rails. If my finances were better, I would just get a Saber Defence Varmint Rifle and call it a day.
I am thinking about getting an upper with an 18 or 20" barrel…
Any other options I should consider, especially something lighter? I am a little concerned that the heavy barrels may be just that…too heavy. Any thoughts on what barrel twist I should be looking at?
I am also looking for a stock. The Magpul PRS looks great, but awful pricey. I was thinking possibly an ACE stock, or just sticking to a standard A2 stock which will do the job and save me a few bucks.
Maybe I am asking for one gun to do too much here, especially since I don’t want to spend a ton of money. I know there are quality components out there that don’t cost an arm and a leg. I am interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions.
What grain bullets are you going to be using? That should be a consideration in determining the twist. I have a 1x9 on my older varminter and it shoots good with 50 and 55 grain bullets and excellent with 60 grainers. 60 is a little on the heavy side for varmints but it makes up for it in the accuracy dept.
White Oak makes nice stuff and I would have no problem recommending them. I purchased one of their 18" SPR barrels recently and am starting to put an upper together. It is a lighter profile but I have not got it together to give you any feedback on the weight or accuracy
For a stock, I would just go with an A2 to start out with. That’s what I ran for many years and it worked as well as I could expect. The PRS stock is heavy!
One of the best upgrades I did was to change the grip with one that extended the trigger reach. The Magpul MOE is reasonable and can take of this for you.
Marshall, thanks for the response. I will start using bullets between 50 and 62 grains primarily, as I will use whatever is cheap and most commonly available from the factory. However, I anticipate some down time over the winter and would like to start reloading…maybe experiment with some heavier bullets. I was thinking 1x8 or 1x9 would do the trick.
I will check out the WOA barrel you are referring to…might be a lighter alternative.
I think I am going to save the PRS for a heavy bench rifle. Otherwise, I will probably go with the A2 stock for the money, with an outside chance of using an Ace stock.
As you suggest, I was also thinking of going with a tac-latch…maybe one from Badger.
For my varmint rig I carry a RRA 20 varmint upper with a timney 3# trigger and an ERGO grip. Lower is a Wilson Tactical. I have had very good luck shooting 55 grn hornady poly tip bullets w/ 26.5 grns of H335.
I carry everything into the field for prairie dogs and shoot off of bi-pods. The RRA is a heavy set up. I recently bought my old man a stag w/ a 24" barrel and it seems a little lighter with a medium contour barrel. The white oak set up is 1:7 and may not be that accurate with a varmint type bullet. They do offer a 1:12 that would be more ideal for the varmint bullet but would limit bullets wieghts.
I would just go with an A2 stock. For what you have talked about I would go with a stainless barrel and would consider the RRA NAtional match upper as opposed to the coyote or the heavy barrel option. The hand guards are free floated and you can get a flat top. This may be closer to what you are looking for for a heavy barrel rather than a bull barrel.
P-Dog,
The National Match barrel sounds like a good compromise, but I don’t really want that front sight. The Predator Pursuit upper says that it has a “heavy match” barrel. Is this the same profile as a National Match barrel, or is it like the “bull” barrel of the Varmint upper? I can’t find a good source for RR barrel contours.
Otherwise, a friend of mine has a RR NM rifle, and let’s just say he is deadly with it! He was not a fan of RR until he picked up the National Match.
In taking a better look at the RRA site I would change my mind. The predator pursuit is lighter than the national match. If you look at the rifle page and not the upper page they advertise that they use the same barrel on the predator pursuit as the national match. If you compare rifle weights the predator pursuit is lighter. I would call RRA for a few more details if needed.
I hope this is true. I really like RRA’s stuff. I have another friend with a a RRA middy carbine and it is also a tackdriver. So I guess I am starting to lean towards RRA for an upper.
I am strongly leaning toward getting the RRA Predator Pursuit upper. Any thoughts on what would make a good scope mount for this upper? Also, I need to put some glass on it. Any thoughts on a decent scope for around $300, or less if I can get away with it w/o putting junk on. I was thinking of at least a 3-9x40. Would like to go bigger (magnification), but I don’t want to make this rig a boat anchor.
I have used the warne extra high mounts and have good luck with those scope mounts. Burris is now making a nice mount, or you could go big and get a Larue. As for glass I would look to up your budget to $400 and look to get a nikon weaver grand slam. I have a 2.5x10 bushnell 4200 that has been great.
I have a Predator Pursuit upper and love it. It has the same barrel as the National Match and is very thick under the handguards. I tried to use Warne quick detach medium height rings and they were way too low. You will probably need rings that are 1" from top of dovetail to bottom of the ring. I ended up buying the RRA high-riser mount and am happy with the height of the rings. The one thig about the mount is that I dont think it looks as good as the quick detach rings. Right now I am just using a Leupold 3-9x40 on it, but plan on switching to a Burrris Fullfield II Tactical. I think the silver scope clashes a little to much with the mount. Oh well it functions.
I found a Nikon Buckmaster in 6-18x40 for $299 at Midway. Thinking this might be the way to go…was also looking at the 3200. The folks I know with Nikons rave about them. Anyone tried one of these Buckmasters?
