Eric.

I'm running a Bartlein 5r, M40 profile, 25" cut. Shoots well and has almost no cold bore shift, currently. My preferred profiles are M40 or Heavy Palma. Going back to 26" on the next rebarrel.

You're kinda sick with the bolt guns, lately, lol.

Do you reload? If not, then its gotta be 6.5c.

IMO, for long range, the Bushnell DMR 3.5-21 with G2 reticle should be plenty good. I feel it is just a tiny bit below the top glass and unless you are competing in PRS, you'll never miss the minor differences. Good bang for your buck.

Obviously, the glass has to match the limits of the round as part of a system. As far as magnification, a variable power scope that goes from, say, 5-20 or 25x is what you want. Anything higher and you'll wind up dialing up back due to mirage, etc. If you want very high quality glass that is priced well, look into a Bushnell HDMR or Vortex Razor, gen I. I run the Gen I Razor and IMO, its about as good as the Gen II (short of the extreme situations I.e. Low light) but about $1000 cheaper. The Gen I is noticibly better than a Vortex PST. Its all about light transmission and clarity, you just can't skimp here. I prefer a FFP reticle too, for the reasons stated. I shoot a 6.5 Creedmoor and it out performs a 308 by leaps and bounds past a few hundred yards. Its not even close. The factory ammo is ahout the same price as match 308 and very good. Sub half Moa, in some guns. Barrel life for a Creedmoor is around 2500-3000 in my experience, compared to about 4000-5000 in 308. Keep in mind, I'm referring to when groups start opening up and you get more frequent flyers, not "service life".

Chris, I believe the threads aren't recut. Instead, they chase them, which is just running the tap and making sure there are no high spots or tight/bent threads. If you recut threads, you are removing much more material and would have to make the opening larger, which needs a larger diameter threaded barrel end. If not, the barrel would be too loose when screwing it on. Hopefully, Mike/Tier One or another gunsmithing expert can confirm this?

Good point, lol. Im still waiting for the day that i see someone with a 100 round drum hanging below his bolt gun. Tacticool.

Just to echo what Ty said- I'm not a fan of Horus reticles either. I suggest you try a scope w/a Horus first. for me, they are too busy. Too distracting. If you are using the reticle for holdovers, at a higher magnification, I feel like I am viewing the target through a window screen...

From the practical side, do you really want or need a bolt gun mag that holds more than 10 (or 15) rounds??

10x, I have a battery operated CE ProChrono. Also, i have an LED, battery operated spotlight for add'l lighting. If you're interested, I need to do some rifle load development too and can meet on Tues nights at 8p. I'm also fairly close to SCFGPA...

Yep, can't go wrong with a Manfrotto. I have an older 3021 with a pan/tilt fluid head. Its rock solid, infinitely adjustable and smooth. I use it as my shooting tripod, using a saddle to hold a 17lb rifle. Mine is a lil on the heavy side. I'm sure the modern materials like carbon fiber can cut weight, on the newer models.

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Nice. I hope you found a deal, tho....

Since we're teamed up, you know im there, lol.

Just two things- Dont rule out a chassis if you want something "portable". Some chassis, like a KRG X ray, are lighter than most tactical stocks. I highly recommend T1 Defense. Mike is greatvto work with, does great work and is a knowledgible guy.

Everything is an opinion. Some are good, some are bad, some are educated, some are...

Agreed, that while some opinions are legit, some opinions might be crap, on the Interwebz. More importantly, what i was saying, is that above a range toy, ive never seen or heard of Barska being considered.

I hear your opinion but with all due respect, its contrary to most other opinions on scopes. There is a big difference between good glass and cheap glass. There is a smaller gap between good glass and top of the line glass. There is a HUGE gap between the top of the line stuff and bottom end glass, like a Barska. I'm not gonna write a tome on this, there is plenty of info on the Net from actual experiences. Long story, short- quality glass makes a bigger difference, the longer the distance or the worse the lighting is. Quality scopes are more durable and reliable. For me, the biggest issue is how reliable of a zero it holds, especially after dialing the turrets and if the gun gets banged around a little. Also, how accurately the turrets track is big. With Barskas, its fine if it sits on a range toy that rarely gets dialed up/down, only goes out on clear, non rainy daytimes and is never used past a couple hundred yards. For those that have needs above that, no one with experience recommends a Barska. Nobody.

In that case, all you need are some Raufoss rounds and you should be all set

For me, the decisions start with what i want to do with it. If you want a range toy, then $700 is very reasonable. If you want a precision rifle or wanna compete with it, then its gonna cost more. Like the car guys say; speed is money. How fast ya wanna go? Either way, i would definitely build your own. Its not hard, potentially better quality for the same money and you learn about the AR platform.

I'm at 24.2 gr of Varget and Hornady 75gr .223 pills.

I forget the exact weight but iirc, the G5 folder was around 5.5lbs. This is compared with a Manners mini chassis stock that is around 4.25 lbs and the KRG X Ray, which is abut 3.3 lbs. Also, McRee seems to have a new model G10 folder, which is around 4lbs.

I can understand that. Im gonna do my own ladder, either way. Maybe you wouldnt mind answering if the powder load you ended up with is similar to using Varget? (If not, again, I understand)

Ty, Would you mind sharing your load data? I'm tired of beating the bushes for Varget and am thinking about switching.