Rifle Conundrum

Boomershoot

So having taken care of my carry gun problem, I turn now to the Boomershoot 2023 ULD situation.  Unfortunately, this leads me to another fork in the road.

But first, let me take care of the easy stuff.

Rifle type (bench vs. hunting):  Almost everyone said they had the “hunting” thing taken care of.  What they wanted was a bench-type rifle.  Check.

Caliber:  a vast majority of ticket holders wanted the thing in .308 Win, and almost nobody wanted .30-06 or 6.5 Creedmoor.  Also check.

Readers who recall my experiences with the Howa HCR 1500 from last year may recall that I loved the rifle.  (Cliff Notes:  more accurate than anyone (let alone I) could shoot it, outstanding trigger — just about the perfect rifle at that price point, or indeed at almost any price point.)

So just for the hell of it, I looked at doing the Howa again, and found this situation:

And here’s where the problem comes in.  The two rifles pictures have the same silky bolt action, the same astounding trigger, and the same hammer-forged heavy barrel — in other words, mechanically they are identical.

Where they differ, of course, is in the stock setup — the Hogue is free-floated but not “chassis” based, whereas the Oryx is a true bench rifle.  (As pictured, the Hogue weighs in at about 8lbs, whereas the Oryx weighs just over 10lbs — the latter being irrelevant as it’s being fired from a bench, and heavier weight is actually a positive attribute.)

That $270 price difference, however, sticks in my craw.  (Oh, and the Hogue is available immediately, but the Oryx is on backorder at five different outlets, where I’ve put myself on a notification list, just in case.)

What say you, O My Readers?

17 comments

  1. That question is easy to answer. The Oryx by a mile. Well worth waiting for. Finally, why do you think it is on back order everywhere? Many others see the value and want THAT rifle.

    1. I would buy the least expensive (very lightly used?) version and build it up from there, as I have done with several other guns over the past few years. I enjoy the activity and especially enjoy having a superior gun. In fact, I may go ahead and do just that. In .308. If you know which end of the screwdriver to stick in the bad guys eye socket you can do this.

    2. I forgot to add that the Hogue stock will very likely need a cheek rest of some kind. I have a couple of Bradley these cheek rests and highly recommend them–

      https://bradleycheekrest.com/Elite-Series-OLIVE-DRAB-ES-OLIVE-DRAB-BA.htm

      At least Kim got to fondle my Hogue/Bradley setup. Obviously a plus feature on the Oryx is that it already has an adjustable cheek rest. The barreled action I bought through Brownell’s is the 308 20-inch heavy fluted barrel. It is a bit of a compromise towards weight and portability. In May I turn 70 so…. I did consider 6.5 Creedmoor, but I am (and have been) fart level deep in 308 components, to include a 50 cal ammo can 2/3 full of once fired LC 77 Match brass.

  3. I’ll play the heretic … to me, “bench rifle” and “.308” don’t go together. For a true bench rifle you need something with a more flat trajectory and longer range.

    Like I said: heretic.

  5. Not really a hunter… So I look at the rifle on top and see a hunting rifle with a heavy barrel.

  6. The Oryx screams “shoot me, I’m a sniper.” The Hogue is more gray man.
    They both seem to have threaded barrels and, but it appears, the Hogue is NOT standard SR-25 magazine fed. That would be a deal breaker for me, although kits are available to use mags. Sad, with mag feed it might be my ideal rifle.
    On another note, some of the kids I play with are using .300 PRC for their long range work … shoot the elk across the valley. Bigger, as flat, and less nasty barrel wear than the 6.5 wonder cartridge. I can see why you wouldn’t want to do that for your contest, but it ought to be on people’s radar. It’s available on the Hogue and Oryx and Howa seems to be pushing it for those weapons.

  7. I would be inclined to wait for the Oryx. Of course, I’m also one of the 6.5 Creedmoor heretics, so I may be out of the mainstream.

    The other concerns are:
    1. Dollars coming in
    2. How *long* the Oryx is on backorder

    The Oryx wouldn’t do any good if it doesn’t land by Boomershoot.

  8. For your intended use, the Oryx if the funds permit. But if I was buying, I’d take the cheaper option and put more into the scope.

    1. Tony, both are good points. However, the Meopta Optika6 scope I’ll likely get is already pretty far up the quality curve, so to get a better scope would mean a LOT more money.

      We’re talking Steiner / Nightforce / Swaro territory…

  9. My apologies. Been meaning to mail my check but will tomorrow.

    I’m glad the mechanical (action barrel) is settled. And folks want the chassis. For intended purpose that’s correct. Caliber is showing some cognitive dissonance here. The .308 may be more versatile but would be more appropriate in the hunting rifle. For the same reason people like the chassis they SHOULD prefer the 6.5 Creedmoor, they just are not educated enough to know that.

    Lest I sound like an arrogant asshole I’m not a long range expert (although I have done a LR course taught by a former Marine sniper). But I have a buddy who builds his own competition rifles and regularly competes in F class matches and tactical (read sniper ) competition. If you get the chassis for your Boomershoot you’re just nuts if you don’t go with the 6.5 Creed. You’re as much of a ballistics geek as I am do your research. Then ignore your readers. If they favor the chassis then overrule their cartridge choice and go with the Creed. And no wait. There’s a reason there is a wait for the chassis in .308. No knowledgeable LR shooter wants it.

  11. And Meopta, certainly. For intended purpose, with budgetary constraints, Oryx in with 6.5 Creed with Meopta is it. There really is no other logical choice, IMO.

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