Do you like CRF or pushfeed?
A Shilen DGR (700 footprint) build using your choice of stock, trigger, barrel, magazine etc would be pretty easy to have dandy hunting rifles..
Buying more Tikkas is simpler.
Boomer,
As you know I love the tikkas but they don't seem optimal for shooting suppressed. The t3x lite would require an adapter to direct thread to my 5/8x24 suppressor. The CTR is heavy when attached to my suppressor with a decent scope. Probably could chop barrel, install lighter scope, or change out stock on the CTR. Just wanted to see what other guys are doing that primarily hunt suppressed. I will check out the shilen. Thx
You could chop your CTR to 17-18” and drop it into a lite stock, or a manners EHT, and run the plastic lite DBM. I doubt that setup would weigh much more than a proof barreled custom
I have a few tikkas right now, including a CTR at 18”. I also picked up a T3x SS lite in 6.5, but haven’t decided whether to chop and thread it or just run the CTR. My other two lites are 223 and a 243, at 16.5 and 18” threaded 1/2”-28. I run an adapter on them with a 6” long titanium can and that makes for a handy, light suppressed hunting rifle. I’ve had no problems with using the adapter, though like you I’d prefer to just have barrels that are threaded 5/8”
Guys running kimber montanas suppressed must be using adapters, to my knowledge the only ultralight rifle with 5/8” threads from the factory is the Barrett fieldcraft
If I was going custom I think I’d do something with a Bighorn Origin, a manners elite hunter stock, and a barrel in a Bartlein 3b or similar contour at 18” or so
