Thread: $5k plus rigs, what do you have? Favour?

I buy most of my gear secondhand but I do like better quality equipment.

It’s not hard d to acquire 5-6 k outfit’s at good discount, particularly during tough times if you have bit spare. Ie gfc, now and into future.

Merkel k4, kahles,
Blaser R8 with multi barrels, mounts and euro scopes etc


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A thread I wish I could contribute to! I know exactly what I'd like to get for a PR or LR setup, but sadly it is likely to stay a theoretical exercise for the foreseeable future.

Originally Posted by Jhon

So the thread was not intended to be about what you do or don't need to shoot this distance or that. Nor about what is best or worst. Rather it was an invitation to those who have spent large $$$ on rigs to share what they bought, maybe a bit how they have found it etc. As @whanahuia kindly did

Fair enough, Shanks gave you a very nice run-down. However as a regular range officer I see a fairly common "situation" that makes me kinda upset. Joe Bloggs has gone off and spent 5-10K on a rig, often its been set up by "the shop" with a load etc. Usually fairly powerful rifles. They try and verify their zero at 100M as per our range rules, and WHAT, groups are nothing like "special" and the guy with the Howa on the next frame is making them look a bit silly.

Next thing I see it for sale somewhere.

Point is (that as an artist of some note you may have an inkling of) is that you need to know a lot before you commission such a "project" and the for sale column here tells me many people simply don't make enough effort to learn about themselves and "the game" before they lay down their $$. Sorry if that butt hurts some people but I guess I can get banned to the naughty corner with MD.

@Tentman You make fair points in both of your posts, Worthwhile discussion points that should not get anyone butt hurt. I mean its the same through any outdoors recreation. How many top quality tents do you see come up on TM that have been used once? Someone bought them thinking they were going to do a whole heap of tramping and camping, and then didnt.
I think there are two ways to learn. Do an apprenticeship and take advice from someone with experience. Or buy from a shop and learn from your mistakes. Probably a good percentage do the later. I well remember being in Sportways in auckland and listening too the sales man tell a young guy that " This will snot anything in the country." by way of sales advice, and thinking I should be a prick and walk over there and help the young guy out.
When I was doing some guiding for meat hunting, 70% of animals shot were not shot where the shooter said they had aimed, and most of those guys were new too the sport and had a gun city tikka with the label still on the barrel or stock.
No one should see a thread like this and think in any way that this is what you need to be successful.
Maybe with your experience, a complimentary thread with what you actually do need would be a good idea? Because I kind of agree with you that people new too the sport are getting lead down an often expensive path.

5k is very easy to spend, he'll some of the European rifles guys wn are more than that without 3k worth of glass on top.

IMO a Tikka is the best starting point regardless of your budget, they just offer the best bang for the buck and really don't leave anything to be desired for the most part.

A Tikka with your choice of suppressor will leave you with about 3k to spare.
I'd probably spend all of that on an optic but you could go for a VX5 for around 2k and then have 1k left for a carbon stock if that's your thing.
For a do everything rifle a Tikka CTR + a 2k scope would be hard to beat, leaves you a bit of money left over for suppressor or whatever other accessories you want/need.

The much harder thing to justify IMO is spending 3k+ on decent binos.
I know top tier RF binos are fantastic and you won't regret buying them but shit that's a decent chunk of someone's budget spent just finding the damn animals.

No different to going on any other forum tho.
There are the shoestring budget guys and the best of everything guys.
You can go 4wdriving in a 1500 dollar terranno or you can spend 20 on a nice 80 series and then another 50-100k on it if you like....both of them will drive up the leitham or 95% of places.

I've got a couple of "expensive" rifles now after coming from a 303 and 308 neither of which were good for more than 100y.

One of the expensive rifles was born of wanting a lightweight tops and open country rifle with lower recoil than what I had so that I could take my then puny Son hunting and only carry one rifle that could do it all from 0-700ish and recoil soft enough that the Son could take a shot when appropriate.
He shot his first public land deer with it at around 220y from memory....that made it worth at least what it cost because it filled that niche.

He could have shot it with his Howa mini 223 but then I would have had to carry that too.

I’ve had most things now, been on the forum since I was 18 on a shoestring student budget, now not so budget inclined and like nice things

I’ve settled on a blaser r93 for numerous years now, have had many barrels.

Current configuration is in carbon stock, 7prc barrel, nx8 scope and dpt. Spartan bipod, mountain gear sling. It’s pretty nice for what I want.

Have another barrel 6.5prc with a March scope which is equally as handy.

Will get a k95 at some stage.

Also have a desert tech with a few barrels and another nx8 on top. That’s getting into kinda expensive territory.

Don’t get me started on shotguns if you think rifles are expensive

Alexander Henry falling block 450 no2 Musket
Makes the 5k and no scope !
Made 1873 so 150 years old a few months ago

Big money but I thought it will be the only one I will ever own.
It's so bloody good I'm actively looking for another now in a different caliber.
Quality of build is extraordinary and despite its age 100% perfect condition

5k, Tikka and a Nightforce. Probably closer to 6-7k if buying new, certainly don't regret spending that coin on mine.

I've got a Tikka T3 7mm Rem Mag and a VX6. Nothing too fancy but works for me. Regularly shoot 5-600 yards and sometimes further. All up would cost about $5k I guess.

@Philipo. You have traded up recently?

Have rolls royce taste on morris minor budget sadly. Especially from this Friday for a bit.
Registration has been helpful as means it has curbed my desire to buy anything new.
For hunting I make do with a Tikka in........................308 / Leupold scope and a Montanna 300WSM also Leupold scope.
For the amount of deer I shoot both work fine as its the closer the better. Need to practice more.

Originally Posted by MB

Hey Micky! I don't think anyone is saying you have to spend $5K, but clearly there are those that can afford it and like nice toys. Where's the harm? As per my previous post, I think the $10K question would be more revealing.

Bro I'm all good with it. Each to their own

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Currently I have a 4k thermal sitting on an $800 rifle. It's a learning curve but I'm getting there. Does that count.

5k will get you a great set up nowadays even brand new ( go forum 2nd hand deals & you get awesome shit ) $2000 factory rifles shoot friggen amazing compared to 25 years ago, slap on some rings n glass & ya good to go.

But 5k is nothing in the current environment, Leupy VX6's used to be sub $1500 etc as MB said 10k would be far more interesting question.


I always find it entertaining when the old "how much money did you spend on that" comes up, people all have different lives, incomes & priorities ( some are just proper cunts ) but I work farken long hours, am self employed & like nice things, two scenario's came to mind when I read the title of this thread


One from a few years back, on a fly in roar trip with the friend "of a friend" ( my mate pulled out at the last minute ) this guy loved hunting, was his thing, had a great job on great money but had the shittest gear n equipment, his Ridgeline raincoat n putties were absolutely fucked used an old Ruger n scope combo, moral of that story is he came to the tops under powered, shit gears & binos = he missed a great Stag & I had to finish off two of his fucked up shots that were very gringy

Second, from yesterday funny enough. I went to get my pre Xmas hair cut from a lady who works from home & I've supported of over 10 years, I turned up in my RAM as I'd been getting a new set of rubber fitted, her husband arrived home & I got to listen to him giving me arseholes while I got my hair cut about what a flash truck I'm driving, then how he'd cooked his bosses truck doing in the vicinity of 30k plus of damage was not an issue. I responded with that, I worked all weekend attempting to get a job finished before Christmas & haven't had a day off for the last two weeks, must be great working your whole life for wages n smoko breaks aye, funny how people think, we are definitely all different