The $1,500 Mountain Hunting Rifle Setup - The Perfect/Economical Elk, Sheep, Goat, Mulie Gun

Cliff goes over the rifle build he commonly uses to setup lightweight and accurate hunting rifles for less than a total cost of $1,500. He has utilized variations of this setup on dozens of mountain hunts for bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer and mountain goats.

In Part 1, Cliff goes over rifle selection, installing a muzzlebrake, installing a forearm picatinny rail, and properly mounting and leveling a scope.

Gear discussed:
Tikka T3 Lite Stainless and Ruger American Predator Rifles
Muzzlebrakes
Hatch Bipods
Forearm Picatinny Rails
Leupold VX-3i Optic (Link Below)

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Below you will find Amazon Affiliate links to products discussed or used in the video. I make a commission from your use of these links, but using the link will not affect the price you pay for any items.

Leupold Scope VX-3HD 4.5-14x40 (30 mm) Side Focus CDS-ZL Wind-Plex

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PLEASE NOTE:
*Cliff no longer takes on new guided hunt or expedition clients. He sold all operating outfitting/guiding businesses prior to 2021.

[genericyoutubeuser]

Thank you for giving helpful instructions on scope mounting that consist of more than “this is easy, don’t think about it too much” or “spend $300 more on gear you’ll only use twice.” It’s clear the hunting industry has a captive audience willing to part with much of its money, but I don’t want to give them every dime I own.

[mfluder]

Low and behold, I bought this Ruger Predator like 5 years ago because of how lite and portable it was. To know the Cliff had the same conclusion make me feel pretty confident in my instinct. Awesome video.

[principalhumancapital]

This is an outstanding video Cliff. Thank you for posting. I have the Tikka t3x and have recently started hunting in BC. So many little tips and tricks you've mentioned here have helped me fine tune my setup. Using the magpul bipod on a sling stud, and a Swarovski 2.4-12 by 50 scope. Looking forward to part 2 : )

[DaveIvey]

Great video and channel! I have a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 CM for my 13 yo daughter. It puts shots through the same hole if you do your part. FYI you don’t need to pull the bolt back to reset the trigger, just lift it up then back down.

[ronws]

36:34 That is exactly what I do. Top stays with the bottom and in the same orientation. No mix and match or topsy turvy. And I buy matched precision rings, so, yeah, 150 ish but no problems later. You can have a fine car with a great motor and if you have the wrong tires, performance will suffer.

[disposable_hero]

I’ve bought my first hunting rifle a few weeks ago. It feels like I’ve binge watched all your hunting videos in anticipation for my first hunt. 😮 I’m running 10mi/wk average supplemented with cross fit style training in preparation too. It’s given me a goal to work towards! Never felt better.

I ended up buying a Remington 700 in 7mm, striker eagle scope. Just ordered a picatinny rail adapter and looking for a the right bipod.
I’ve shot it at 100yards but will hopefully get an outdoor range membership that allows for long distance shooting soon. Thanks for all the info man! keep the vids coming 🤘🏾

[GSoap-hunt]

Great video. Did this build in a 6mm creed swapped the scope for a cheaper Burris for antelope and blacktails.
1250$ all said in done I got some stuff on sale. Hitting steel at 700 yards.
Then did a 300 win mag from bergara very similar for 1600$ 300 wm for 500-600yard shots on elk.

[desperado]

Another trick for leveling the reticle is a stack of playing cards. First time I've seen someone do it with the light where I could actually see it done

[joelmeeter]

Great video, I have a Tikka T3x and a Ruger American and I would agree the Tikka is a much nicer action. I'm going to try adding a pic attachment for a removable bipod. I usually don't hunt with bipods but I can see the value of that set up with the removable bipod for for sure. I prefer a 3x9 scope, the 9x seems good enough for long shots and some of my elk taken in the timber have been very close, even for 3X. Looking forward to part 2.

[trevorgomez]

* Browning X-Bolt Stalker Long Range 30-06. (Used)
* Nikon Prostaff 4-12×40mm with a 4" screw on sunshade.
* Bergara Omni .750 muzzle brake.
*Butler Creek scope caps/ Limb saver Kodiak sling.
Total $ 1, 192.73

[paulcox]

Have a tikka t3 stainless in 243 for my first one.. I did buy second hand and it came with a Swarovski 4×12 scope all for under $1000. Very happy with my first rifle

[jamesmooney]

Great video! Enjoyed it very much.

I love Ruger American Rifles. I have a few and want to get a few more. Had a 300 blk out that was shot out. Put a 25" light varmint barrel in 223 Wyild on it myself. Got the go and no gauges from Manson reamers. Fixed 6x by swfa (moa). Shoots 3/8" groups at 100 yrds in either 77 gainers or 53 grain varmint rounds. Well pleased with. Now I gotta get my Boyd's stock installed.

[richardkramer]

If I may offer a few other points having built a few hundred rifles. 1) Length of Pull (LOP) is something overlooked, off the shelf rifles have a pretty much standard LOP of 13 1/2 inches. That fine if you are between 5’8” and 5’9”. I am 5’11” and take a 14 1/4” LOP rifle to get the most out of my rifles. Rifle fit is essential to marksmanship. An experienced gunsmith cad simply replace your existing butt pad to adjust for your LOP for about $50 and you will see your accuracy improve with a proper LOP. 2) Leopold scopes are great and made here in the US. I only have 3 or 4 on my rifles. I prefer Sightron scopes, the S-TAC 3-16x42 FFP with a MOA reticle is my preferred riflescope. Why a FFP? Simply because when adjusting magnification the reticle shrinks or grows with the adjustment. This means the hash marks will always remain adjusted to the same distance at any magnification. In a SFP scope your hash marks are only good at the distance and magnification for which they were set which means you must dial your scope at that same magnification. If you need to take a quick shot you may not have time to dial a SFP scope but with a FFP scope your reticle is always set. FFP=set it and forget it, no dialing necessary. 3) It has been my experience that S&K Cone-trol rings and bases are some of the best there are for hunting. You can pre adjust your scopes windage by centering your reticle and adjusting the Cone-trol rings at the bases aligning your scope to your bore. Just a few tidbits of information.

[JohnLee-sqch]

Great video. One of the best build video’s I’ve seen.

[AZMarine]

I have a Ruger American Predator in 6.5CM. That little gun was very inexpensive and shoots fantastic. Arizona is legal for hunting with suppressors. Once you hunt with one. You never want to go without one.

[BC-nzgi]

Gaining confidence through this build, thank you, I cannot find part 2

[americansafarico]

Thanks so much for this video! Now I know how to tweak my Ruger American!

[carypeaden]

Very good video. One thing you might should have mentioned is the scope magnification setting when adjusting scope placement. What zoom (min, max, middle) should the zoom be on?

[abowhand]

Never knew what the Ruger American zipper was until watching this video!😊

[Bladeunion]

I'm really liking the proof research mtr it's a little pricey though but lightweight and very accurate.