Help me pick my next rifle

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So lately for no good reason I’ve decided I need another 6.5x55 rifle (I have an 1894 carbine currently). I’m having trouble picking which rifle, so figured I’d throw it out to the forum to get others’ opinions, maybe someone will say something to help me make up my mind. Use case would mainly be hunting, but not my primary hunting rifle. Also potentially a hunting loaner, for shooters that are a bit more recoil adverse.

Main options I’m currently considering:
Rem 700 Classic (1994 limited edition model)
Winchester model 70 featherweight (90s vintage seems to be the most common)
Tikka T3x Hunter

Budget is not fixed, i have a small temptation to do something silly like a blaser r8, so suggestions not on the list are totally worth throwing out there.

Thanks in advance!

[jarhead714]

Pre-‘64 Model 70. Duh!😉 Fixed 10x glass. Nice!

[RAMCLAP]

A Blaser would be insane. The wood is mind blowing. I've always been a Walnut and Blue guy. I do not like Polymer on my hunting guns. I literally just picked up a BNIB Model 70 Featherweight in .30-06. Got a Leupold VX3HD to go with it. It's my dream hunting rifle. Good luck whatever you choose.

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Pre-‘64 Model 70. Duh!😉 Fixed 10x glass. Nice!

Unfortunately 6.5 Swede is not a cataloged chambering for a pre-64 win 70, or I’d definitely go that route. They did make some in the 90s, I haven’t seen any older or newer.

A Blaser would be insane. The wood is mind blowing. I've always been a Walnut and Blue guy. I do not like Polymer on my hunting guns. I literally just picked up a BNIB Model 70 Featherweight in .30-06. Got a Leupold VX3HD to go with it. It's my dream hunting rifle. Good luck whatever you choose.

I prefer wood for sure, although my main hunting gun is in a synthetic stock. This would be a pure luxury, so wood is 100% the way I will go. The really crazy nice wood on blasers is out of my price range, a baronesse grade starts at like 20k. Even a jaeger, their lowest priced wood offering, is still really expensive by my standards. It would be a stretch for sure. Basically a bucket list gun.

[splithoof]

R8 is a very good choice. Much better quality than nearly every off the shelf, domestically produced rifle you will find. Yes they are a bit pricey for many, but once you go quality, it’s hard to go back. I’m pretty much done buying American made rifles, unless they are from smaller makers or properly done upgrades to common models that the big makers simply can’t handle during the manufacturing process.
Someone needs to revive Evil Knevil so he can jump the huge wood-to-metal gaps and fitment ledges found on far too many domestically produced firearms today.

[BOBGBA]

I saw a very nice Tikka T3 in 6.5x55 at Fort Courage in Simi.
Pretty sure it's a consignment gun there for $750.

Tikka T3 6.5x55 Fort Courage.jpg

[ar15barrels]

Unfortunately 6.5 Swede is not a cataloged chambering for a pre-64 win 70, or I’d definitely go that route.
They did make some in the 90s, I haven’t seen any older or newer.

I prefer wood for sure, although my main hunting gun is in a synthetic stock.
This would be a pure luxury, so wood is 100% the way I will go.
The really crazy nice wood on blasers is out of my price range, a baronesse grade starts at like 20k.
Even a jaeger, their lowest priced wood offering, is still really expensive by my standards. It would be a stretch for sure.
Basically a bucket list gun.

A rebarrel can solve all these problems.
It's no problem to chamber almost any common 30-06 action for 6.5x55.
Pick a long action standard boltface rifle that you like the stock on and then order a 6.5mm barrel blank that will match the contour of the barrel that's already on the rifle and have the rifle rebarrelled.

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I saw a very nice Tikka T3 in 6.5x55 at Fort Courage in Simi.
Pretty sure it's a consignment gun there for $750.

Tikka T3 6.5x55 Fort Courage.jpg

Good to know, may be heading down that way later in the month for work.

[Imageview]

A rebarrel can solve all these problems.
It's no problem to chamber almost any common 30-06 action for 6.5x55.
Pick a long action standard boltface rifle that you like the stock on and then order a 6.5mm barrel blank that will match the contour of the barrel that's already on the rifle and have the rifle rebarrelled.

I considered that pretty strongly, specifically in the context of a pre-64 Winchester. On one hand I think guns are tools, and you should modify your tools so that they work best for you. There is limited intrinsic value to me in something just because it hasn't been modified and is in its "original" state. I'll be swapping the front sights on my swedish Mauser to something that allows me to use the sights for my purposes at under 300M for example. Heresy to most, but what's the use of a rifle that shoots more than a foot off of poa with modern ammo at 100 yards.

But on the other hand, I'm paying for that unmodified state. And I'm taking away an opportunity for someone else to have it in that state. And while I don't lost too much sleep on that, it does percolate around in my brain. Similarly when my kids liquidate my collection because it's all weird stuff like rifles in 6.5 Swede, how much value will they get?

Mostly though it's that finding a gunsmith is a giant pain. There is a guy I previously liked locally (when I would finally get my work done) but he's had one of my rifles for over a year and dodges my calls. Then when I finally do get him to pick up he assures me it will be done this weekend... But that's been a while now.

There are people I have mailed guns out to and been happy with their work. The good ones are booked solid and are picky about the work they accept. I had a guy last year whose work I liked turn down more work because he has plenty and didn't feel like doing what I wanted done; I can't blame him, if I could only do jobs I find interesting I'd use that power too.

I've been happy with your services in the past, but for something like this it's a drop in situation if you agreed to do it and that's a drive from the bay area. Not impossible, but not ideal.

So custom is sorta just not something I think about too often. I do have a guy doing some work to a Marlin (turning into a takedown model), but that's more the exception rather than the rule. Mostly because takedown rifles are super neat and I don't like Winchester actions. Instead I learn how to do the easier stuff myself, and try to buy off the shelf for the rest when I can.

[ar15barrels]

If you looked long/hard enough, you could possibly find an original Winchester pre-64 6.5x55 barrel and put it on a more readily available 30-06 pre-64 rifle.
Little known fact is that you can usually swap an original pre-64 model 70 barrel into a different receiver and it will both time and headspace correctly.
I have done a couple dozen of them and I think only one of them failed to headspace correctly after the swap.

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Interesting idea, I’d never considered swapping the barrel myself. I’ve learned a bit about headspacing from tinkering with break barrels, I just assumed it wouldn’t time/headspace properly. Something to investigate the work involved anyways.