If my house were on fire and I could only save one gun, it would be my Alamo Precision Rifles 6.5 Creedmoor. I have rifles and pistols that are worth more money than the APR, but none are worth more to me. In fact, I have a strong feeling that the guys at Alamo Precision are going to end up disrupting the high-end bolt action gun market.
Custom rifle builder Alamo Precision, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, already builds fantastic, butter smooth, tack drivers of guns on current high-end or trued actions. But the big, breaking news here is Alamo Precision’s own APR action, made with a Remington 700 short or long action footprint to Alamo’s unique specifications by Thompson Leh.
Cycle the APR action and you’ll do the same thing everyone else does: stare deep into the eyes of the person that handed the rifle to you, speechless. It won’t even be awkward. The two of you will share a brief moment of clarity as a result of that bolt throw that you will never forget. Now a reaction like that has to cost a fortune, right? Not so much.
The APR action rocks a Picatinny optics rail as standard, with a built-in 20 MOA cant. That extra elevation is mighty handy as you will almost definitely be shooting at extended ranges. For my custom build I requested a 6.5 Creedmoor chambering with a 20-inch barrel, and it has already proven itself to be accurate at 1,800 yards . . . but more on that later.
I don’t know if Alamo Precision’s “ratchet fluting” helps with cooling, and I don’t really care. It just looks amazing.
Take a gander at that clean machining. Did I mention the APR action runs just $799? That’s trued, finished, railed, spiral fluted, smooth as glass, and ready to kick some ass.
The APR action also comes standard with a mechanical ejector, left-side bolt release, threaded-on bolt knob, spiral fluted bolt, pinned recoil lug, tool-less fire control removal, and controlled round feeding. Bolt faces are available in .473” (.308) and .540″ (magnum).
For my custom rifle build I chose to use a TriggerTech Remington 700 Diamond trigger. Adjustable from 4 ounces to 32 ounces — that’s a quarter pound to two pounds! — and crisp as that proverbial glass rod we’re all seeking, this trigger is simply amazing and worthy of a stand-alone review.
My APR rifle sits in a Grayboe Ridgeback stock, bedded and custom painted by Alamo Precision, and features the Grayboe detachable box magazine system. The Ridgeback features a great pistol grip with palm swell, adjustable cheek rest and length of pull, and a mess of M-LOK slots on the flat-bottomed forend. It’s well made, stiff, and comfortable.
A full review of the Grayboe Ridgeback (by Ryan McMillan) stock will follow.
Okay, but can this custom rifle built on APR’s new, semi-custom action shoot straight? Sure it’s smooth and sexy, but it’s what’s downrange that counts.
This 5-shot group was shot at 100 yards with Barnes Precision Match 140 gr ammo. That’s under (if barely) a quarter minute — 0.249 MOA — with factory ammo, shot off a bipod and a makeshift rear bag. The APR will put this ammo through the same hole all day long if I do my part.
Winchester Expedition Big Game Long Range 142 gr hunting ammo — which is awesome stuff, incidentally — turned in 5-shot groups typically just over a half minute. A 0.601 MOA group is seen above.
The solid copper expanding BXS hunting ammo from Browning was very comfortably sub-MOA with this 0.712 minute group.
Federal Gold Medal Berger 130 gr turns in groups from just over half to about 1 MOA for me. I think I pulled that low left one, but the group above is still right on one MOA. This load and Federal’s Berger Juggernaut loads truly shine at extended long ranges, though . . .
So I brought the APR, the really nice SIG TANGO6 scope seen in all the photos here, a ZRODelta bipod, and a willingness to learn to Jay Monych for some long range shooting instruction at Triple C Range outside of Ft. Worth, Texas. Jay walked me through some learnin’, we verified zero, and we started applying long range shooting maths and wind reads on Triple C’s steel. Guess what? On my first day shooting past 450 yards I went three for three at 1,800. That’s a mile plus 40 bonus yards!
With factory ammo. In fairly windy conditions. Off a bipod. Shooting not .338 Lapua Magnum or 28 Nosler or some other fancy ELR job, but good ol’ 6.5 Creedmoor [Jeremy edit: .308 could NOT have done this].
Back to those targets: 0.86 MOA with Hornady Black 140 gr.
Hornady’s 120 grain ELD Match will turn in sub-half-minute groups from the APR when I do my job. Like that Barnes load, it’s fully capable of putting bullet after bullet through the same ragged hole. Even with the sneeze shot above, that’s a 0.593 MOA group.
At 400 yards on a gusty day with that Winchester Big Game Long Range 142 gr, Jeremy shot a half-minute group. Again, this is factory hunting ammo. The APR will shoot sub-quarter-minute, five-round groups with ammo it really likes, including fresh-from-the-box factory loads, all day long.
Thanks to a Lyman reloading bench shopping spree, we’ll be working up a custom load for this rifle beginning in the new year. Stay tuned for those results! Though, if I’m honest, a quarter minute is as still as I can physically keep a rifle on a bipod anyway, and Jeremy can’t even pass the driver’s license requirements with his blurry right eye. We’ll have to lock this thing in a rest to see if we can produce a five-round group that looks like a single hole.
Okay. Now the price. Are you sitting down for this?
A custom-made Alamo Precision Rifles rifle starts at just over $2,000. Replicating my setup will run you about $2,750. Click here to start building out your own.
Texas-based Alamo is delivering a full-on custom, sub-quarter-minute, smooth-as-silk rifle for a bit over two grand. That’s some serious accuracy at an incredible price. You choose whatever caliber your heart desires, whatever barrel length and muzzle treatment, twist rate, barrel fluting pattern, stock, stock finish, trigger, bottom metal, and so much more. Or visit the website and choose from dozens of factory-configured rifles like their Maverick and Ranger models.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCvjTCi_sww
Unfortunately, this review doesn’t end on a happy note. I lent my APR to Jeremy so he could make the video above, and he insists he lost it in a tragic sail boating accident.
Specifications: Alamo Precision Rifles Custom 6.5 Creedmoor
Barrel: 20″ Sendero Profile
Stock: Grayboe Ridgeback
Magazine Assembly: Grayboe DBM
Trigger: TriggerTech Diamond
Weight: 9.8 Pounds
Floats: No
MSRP: $2,049 on up, depending on options. This build clocks in around $2,750.
Ratings (out of five stars):
Reliability: * * * * *
It’s a bolt action and has been 100% reliable. This thing feeds just oh-so-dang-smooth.
Accuracy: * * * * *
Better than quarter-minute five-shot groups with factory ammo. What more could one want?
Overall: * * * * *
If this rifle cost twice what it did I would still give it five stars. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Can I get one in .260?
/sarc?
Pretty much anything you can think of that fits in a short or long action!
‘/sarc?’
Yes and no. Yes because I don’t have $3000 (plus optics) to blow on a rifle right now even if it did come in .260. And no because there’s nothing the Creedmoor can do that the .260 can’t as well or better without making you look like a fad-boy. The only advantage the Creedmoor has is the availability of high SD, high BC factory match loads, but the same bullets work just as well in .260 if you hand load and have very little value in either since neither has the case capacity to make good use of them. Unless you’re trying to shoot at 1000 yards in gusty 35mph crosswinds the 130gr match loads work just fine.
Yes, you can get an Alamo Precision Rifles rifle in .260 Rem starting at $2,049.
What 6.5 CM does better is move the neck in and add a sharper angle, which allows for cartridges with those long, high BC bullets to fit in an AR10 mag. Probably not a concern in the case of this gun as there should be space in the magazine regardless (and you could single feed if need be), but that’s the biggest advantage. Otherwise, for me, as a guy who doesn’t reload rifle cartridges, the larger availability of commercial 6.5 CM loads is a big plus. Market adoption matters, and due to the popularity of 6.5 there are more commercial options.
And 1k yards ain’t no thang! Chris was crushing steel at 1,800 with this rifle with wind to deal with! Factory Federal Gold Medal Berger ammo. And…dang…Federal doesn’t offer that fantastic projectile in .260 Remington at all. Their .260 SMK load would not have been up to this task.
True, I can’t argue that the Creedmoor fad has led to a wider variety of factory am mo available particularly when it comes to long range match am mo. But there is no inherent advantage in the Creedmoor case. Yes the shoulder is about 1/16th inch shorter and the overall length is about 1/8″ shorter, but they both have the same overall cartridge length and the .260 has a greater case capacity to start with. You can fit just as much if not more powder in the .260 case with those long bullets (while still fitting in an AR magazine). If anything the .260 case has two advantages over the Creedmoor in that it has more taper which should make extraction easier in semi-autos and the case is thicker at the neck which should yield longer case life for the reloader.
Personally I’m of the opinion that Hornady only invented the Creedmoor to save face over the epic flop that it’s parent case, the .30TC was. But it’s true, the fact that everyone else is buying into the hype does have tangible benefits. Anyway, it’s about a 750 mile drive to the nearest 1000 yard range for me, so like the vast, vast majority of Creedmoor buyers, any advantage at shooting those (or longer) distances is just bragging rights that I (we) will probably never come close to putting to the test. And if I were serious enough to spend several thousand dollars on a precision rifle and make frequent long distance trips to a range long enough to put it to use, I’d rather have a platform that launches those big pills at another 300-500fps, although that means replacing barrels more frequently, but if you’re spending that kind of money, what’s a new barrel or two?
That said, kudos to Alamo for helping to keep the original 6.5 Swede in an AR10 compatible cartridge alive, and although they only offer 2 loads, Hornady does have a couple of the better (and more affordable) .260 loads out there.
The geometry of the creedmoor offers better better accuracy potential than the .!260 just like the 6ppc or even the 6br, shoulder angle, neck length and powder column all contribute and the .260 is antiquated in those departments relatively speaking. I’m not knocking the .260 by any means, but in terms of wringing out as much possible performance as possible the creedmoor has it beat.
bk, that’s the hypothesis, but in reality any difference in the cases is insignificant compared to a hundred other variables. It’s still hard to beat the .308 for accuracy. The only problem is there’s too much wind drift at 1000+ yards. Bullet drop is easier to calculate than wind drift since gravity is constant and wind is not. So the .260/6.5CM is a better platform than .308 for long distance shooting but they’re still mediocre at best. For instance, just perusing through Hornady’s catalog, take their 147gr. ELD match load for the CM at 2695fps (24″ barrel). Sighted in at 200 you’ve got over 24 feet of drop and over 5 feet of drift with a 10mph crosswind at 1000 yards. Add 400fps and you’ve got 6-1/2 feet less drop and a foot less drift. A theoretical 1/10th MOA advantage due to the case shape (and I doubt there’s anywhere close to that) translates to an inch at 1000 yards, a 400fps advantage equals a foot.
The vast majority of Creedmoor buyers will never shoot them beyond 200 yards anyway.
Just checked out APR website, dont really see anything that Christensen arms and Montana Rifle co. isn’t doing including the price.
Not a fan of the camo pattern otherwise looks good.
They spent a lot of time talking Chris out of cockouflage and then Luis Vuitton print, so overall I think it was a huge win! Plus, it blends in really well in most of Texas country.
6.5 Creedmoor is pleased with thine offering. This good deed will be remembered on the day of judgement.
Your house wouldn’t dare burn down with a rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor inside.
Try the Hornady 143 ELD-X match.
Works fantastic in my rebarreled Ruger Precision Rifle.
Especially after my new 8 ounce Jard trigger.
Thanks again for everybodies good thoughts and prayers. This is a great group of people here.
I’ve got full use of my arm again. I’m a happy guy!
You do?!?!! That’s great!!! Thrilled to hear it, Tom.
Outstanding, Tom!
Best news I’ve heard all month!
Awesome. Take care of yourself.
That’s great news. For planning purposes time post discharge (depending on who you ask):
– One month: baseline of damage done.
– Six months to a year: this is what you’re going to have. Essentially the trauma healing is past.
– One to three years: this is that you’re going to get back. Function reassignment and (limited, it’s brain tissue) regrowth have done what they’re going to do.
– Forever: more prone to fatigue, preference for pattern and more disrupted by changes, slower orient and adapt time at all granularitites: in the moment, situation at hand, permanent skills and capabilities.
FWIW, I continue to show function improvements. I speculate it’s a retraining / neuroplasticity process vs. recovery from the TBI.
Mayo clinic publicly available materials on stroke are excellent baseline / intro references. Then, find a research hospital w/ medical library.
“I’ve got full use of my arm again. I’m a happy guy!”
Fantastic news, Tom!
muscle memory (trigger finger) wins again.
excellent.
Glad to hear that!
I took a tour of Alamo Precision once.
It was going great, until I asked when we were going to get to see the basement…
A Peewee Herman joke? Really? You could have been a little more subtle by alluding to the bespoke bike shop on the lower level that is not to missed.
Eh, my muse wasn’t with me last night. They can’t all be winners.
Still, it was funnier than your average Amy Schumer special. You gotta give me that!
Cue the Creedmoor “jokes”
Lord 6.5 Creedmoor is not amused by your sarcasm.
Goes with the territory of being the god of hype.
That is a solidly priced rifle for sure. I’m sure they all shoot well but if you have a 0.25 MOA rifle you have a gem. That is not an every rifle thing.
I’ve shot two other APRs over the past couple years and they were equally accurate as Chris’ example here. The first one I shot was a 6mm Creedmoor and when I went to sight it in I was going to do a 3-shot group then adjust my scope, but I put two through the same hole so I just clicked the couple inches up and right I had to move, then put the next round right through the X. Didn’t bother with more sighting in and took it straight to 1,500 yards with boring consistency haha
They take great care in their chambering process, aligning more points more precisely than the norm, and sub-quarter-minute is their expectation. At this point, having shot a few and knowing their process, I’d be surprised if one of their rifles wasn’t capable of this unless it was in a caliber that just isn’t consistent or something.
Unfortunately, they do not float. I hope one day you find this rifle, Chris. In the mean time, please give me a heads up before coming over.
I have shot four or five Alamo rifles. They all shoot like this.
That’s quiet amazing. They are “affordable” compared to other offerings out there as well.
That’s an OK price for a 700-compatible quality action with a better extractor than Remington’s and a side bolt release. NB that price doesn’t appear to include a trigger, so you’ll have to add a couple hundred to that price to get a complete action with the bolt, receiver, trigger group, firing pin, etc.
Sail boat fuel, from Texas. Lol I like that……..Wow that’s a hell of a rifle for 3 grand. I know a gunsmith who can better those groups a bit with his rifles, but they start at $7.500.
Budget friendly hyper accurate rifles are what Alamo is all about.
Yea Creedmoor! The only round that regardless if shot from handgun or rifle can create a black hole in the universe, and warp time and space at the same time. Get em’ while they’re hot.
(Yes, just continuing the bad joke about Creedmoor).
They’re not going to upset anything as there are a ton of options for precision rifles that are similarly priced. Can you easily spin the barrel off at home with a wrench and vice? That’s an important consideration. The accuracy/precision is typical of a bolt action rifle from any manufacturer, at least with an after market barrel. For example, I have a savage for very cheap, threw an x caliber barrel on, and it can put 3 shots in one hole and 10 in less than 0.5″ at 100 yards consistently. If you want to try a really nice action, try Impact Precision.
There are very few bolt action rifles where you can take the barrel off with a wrench and a common vise. The Savage and Remington Savage clone (I think it is the model 783). I think McGowan barrels makes a barrel & nut that will allow someone to pull a Rem700 barrel off the way a Savage barrel comes off.
Most bolt guns need a barrel vise and an action wrench combo to pull them apart. Increasingly, one also needs a propane torch to loosen the glue they’ve put on the barrel threads before applying the torque to the action wrench.
Most of the high-end precision rifle actions will use conventional barrel mounting thread setups.
People who want to pull off their barrels on these rifles can, if they wish, buy a barrel vise and action wrench through several different outfits – Brownells is one. I made both my action wrench and barrel vise. The barrel vise is mounted on a platform at my waist level, and on a plate on the floor. The upright is a truck axle housing. The whole thing is bolted to the concrete floor with four 5/8″ expansion bolts that go into the floor by a bit more than 2″. This is strong enough that I can put a cheater on my action wrench and hang on it if I need to – some of the old war surplus Mausers have a bit of rust in their threads and need some “encouragement” to come apart.
I have a hard time believing the average person has much need for a barrel that is easily removed. Sure a fair bit of the market needs/wants that. The entry level Alamo rifles are higend rifles for the average guy. Sure $2,500 (cost of their base rifle) is a lot of money to a guy with a couple kids, house payment, insurance and all the other expenses that come with a family but it it’s a rifle that an average blue collar worker can save up for. Holding a rifle that was made just for you is a very special feeling. I think to a lot of middle American would treasure a rifle like this.
Be a good paper weight, I’ve seen what a 6.5 will do in any round and I didn’t like what I seen my $350 6 creedmoor out shot a $1300 6.5 creedmoor, but if u like a gun to shoots a crap croups of a 3/4 or a 1in croup at 100yards I guess it’s for u, my brother said it best a 6.5 is for people who cant shoot
Yes, yes. Uh huh. Tell me more.
BTW my rifle did have croup once and a course of antibiotics finally cleared that up.
Sounds like another guy who can shoot 1/4 MOA all day with cheap Chinese ammo!
I’ve shot probably upwards of 8 different Alamo Precision Rifles and own one similar to the one in this article. Ranging from light mountain guns to a .338 Lapua target rifle that weighs more than my 11 year old, all have been absolute nitpickers and really well put together First had mine barrelled in 6.5 CM and now have it barrelled in 6 CM and both have been 1/4 MOA shooters (mostly when shot by more capable hands than mine). I can vouch for their meticulous mfg standards and attention to minute details.
OK, serious question:
I have a tricked out 700 in .243 which, at about the same price point for your rig, is wearing a McMillan A5 stock. My only complaint with the rifle at all is the fact that when the cheekpiece is extended to the height where I use it the bolt can’t be taken out of the rifle. Said cheekpiece must be lowered to remove the bolt from the rifle.
It’s not a big deal. It’s just kinda annoying.
Is this a problem with the Ridgeback as well?
Yeah. I think you’ll find that with any stock like this unless it’s a side folder.
Thanks for the answer.
Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.
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