Christensen Mesa

[Handi204]

My youngest son bought a Christensen Mesa rifle ye at Cabelas yesterday in 6:5 Creedmoor $750.00 with his Military discount, haven’t seen it in person but the pictures looks like a fine deer gun for the money, anyone have any experience with them, he will probably use factory ammunition.

 

[6.5 forever]

143 ELDX is one of the best factory deer loads.

 

[Bill K]

No experience with the Christensen rifle, but in my couple of others, the Barnes 120 Gn TTSX BT drops deer almost in their tracks, when hit in chest/lung area.

 

[pdog06]

For $750 he got a heck of a deal!

I have a CA Mesa in 6.5cm as well. Very smooth action and a joy to carry with being so light. Trigger it comes with is a triggertech “field”, which is very nice.

I’m using Berger 130gr Hunting VLD’s with decent results. Shot a bear with it last year just after I got it. Hope to shoot another in the next couple weeks.
One thing I will say is that Load work and/or barrel break in will be a pain in the ***! Those super thin barrels heat up FAST. After you get some heat in the barrel Plan on shooting 3 rounds then waiting 5 minutes, then 3 more and wait 5 minutes,etc. Anything much faster than that it will start spraying bullets and you’ll have 1.5-2” groups…Seriously. I was so frustrated doing load work I almost quit. I was shooting more than 3 every 5 and the barrel didn’t feel too hot, but when I really slowed down the pace of fire it grouped much better.

I’m gonna shoot it some this coming week so I gotta deal with it again. Might take another gun to shoot in between cooling rests.

 

[Handi204]

Thank you, Cabelas in Charleston WV have them for $799 different calibers, I think his receipt said he saved $500.

 

[pdog06]

Yeah they are regularly 1250 I think. Looks like all cabelas have them for the 799 price for the matte finish. The tungsten silver finish is still full price. Nice deal for what you’re getting IMO.
I did try some factory 143eldx ammo in it when I first got it. It didn’t group well but that was also when I was getting the barrel to hot. I need to revisit them cause those are the bullets I had planned to use.
There’s a lot of hate for Christensen on various sites, but I’m sure your son will be pleased.

 

[JB10]

I have one in 6.5 prc. To begin with gun is solid. The accuracy was not good till i hit about 110 rounds. At that point the groups shrunk drastically. Most of what i was testing was hand loads. The factory 143 and 147 loads shot ok but not tight. Was a pain to find a load. A friend had one and told me keep shooting till over 100 rounds and sure enough. I was going to sell it but keeping it now. I have talked to 5 other guys that have experienced same issues. Have him put some rounds down it and it should be a shooter.

 

[ronsatspokane]

I just paid 1200 for one in 6.5 PRC. Nice rifle with a lot of the bells and whistles. I won't be testing it against my F Class rifles but I'm sure it will be fine. my plan is to tune it for cold bore shots which is how it will be used.

 

[ronsatspokane]

p.s. my understanding is that the hate is for the high end carbon fiber barrels. those are found on the more expensive models.

 

[Handi204]

Like most everything else you have lovers and haters, just try to average it out.

 

[Dave M.]

My youngest son bought a Christensen Mesa rifle ye at Cabelas yesterday in 6:5 Creedmoor $750.00 with his Military discount, haven’t seen it in person but the pictures looks like a fine deer gun for the money, anyone have any experience with them, he will probably use factory ammunition.

I handloaded some Hornady 129gr SST for my buddy’s Mesa and he is getting consistent 5 shot groups at 100 yards under 1 MOA. Very accurate setup. The trigger sucks in the Mesa. I suggest upgrading it to the Trigger Tech Diamond single stage if it will be a target gun, or a Trigger Tech Special 2 stage if it will be a hunting setup.
He did previously shoot the 143 ELD-X and was only about the get 1.25-1.5” five shot groups at 100 yards (still respectable).
Dave

 

[Dave M.]

For $750 he got a heck of a deal!

I have a CA Mesa in 6.5cm as well. Very smooth action and a joy to carry with being so light. Trigger it comes with is a triggertech “field”, which is very nice.

I’m using Berger 130gr Hunting VLD’s with decent results. Shot a bear with it last year just after I got it. Hope to shoot another in the next couple weeks.
One thing I will say is that Load work and/or barrel break in will be a pain in the ***! Those super thin barrels heat up FAST. After you get some heat in the barrel Plan on shooting 3 rounds then waiting 5 minutes, then 3 more and wait 5 minutes,etc. Anything much faster than that it will start spraying bullets and you’ll have 1.5-2” groups…Seriously. I was so frustrated doing load work I almost quit. I was shooting more than 3 every 5 and the barrel didn’t feel too hot, but when I really slowed down the pace of fire it grouped much better.

I’m gonna shoot it some this coming week so I gotta deal with it again. Might take another gun to shoot in between cooling rests.

View attachment 1490473

The Trigger Tech field trigger that comes standard is crap compared to any of the slightly better $200-250 TT Special triggers.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Maybe you folks should adjust and lube your stock triggers. Maybe even lube bolt/trigger interface components. My pull weight is much higher than my comp triggers (3 lbs versus 4-12 ounces) but there is no creep and almost zero backlash. Nice hunting trigger. Especially if you wear gloves for winter hunting.

 

[Pyscodog]

I have a friend with one but with the CF barrel. It shoots very well. Also very light weight.

 

[Dave M.]

Maybe you folks should adjust and lube your stock triggers. Maybe even lube bolt/trigger interface components. My pull weight is much higher than my comp triggers (3 lbs versus 4-12 ounces) but there is no creep and almost zero backlash. Nice hunting trigger. Especially if you wear gloves for winter hunting.

I’m a big believer in NEVER putting any grease or lube on ANY part of a rifle trigger. In my mind a bolt action trigger should always be clean and dry. Lube and grease will just attract dust and dirt into the trigger which is a nightmare.
Dave

 

[ronsatspokane]

I’m a big believer in NEVER putting any grease or lube on ANY part of a rifle trigger. In my mind a bolt action trigger should always be clean and dry. Lube and grease will just attract dust and dirt into the trigger which is a nightmare.
Dave

I've heard others say that but a dry trigger is a rough trigger in my experience. These trigger tech triggers are better than other factory offings in my experience as well. if you are concerned about dirt, you can try one shot lube and cleaner.

 

[6.5 forever]

I’m a big believer in NEVER putting any grease or lube on ANY part of a rifle trigger. In my mind a bolt action trigger should always be clean and dry. Lube and grease will just attract dust and dirt into the trigger which is a nightmare.
Dave

Agreed. Just ask Trigger Tech.

 

[Riesel]

I'm a fan of sparsely applied dry graphite. Depending on conditions, flush with cleaner, let dry and reapplied.
Also, a good flush on occasion with Ronson lighter fluid. It has some slick up properties.

 

[FNSafari]

I’m a big believer in NEVER putting any grease or lube on ANY part of a rifle trigger. In my mind a bolt action trigger should always be clean and dry. Lube and grease will just attract dust and dirt into the trigger which is a nightmare.
Dave

Yes, ask any Bix 'n Andy trigger owner. Happens to Jewells also from time to time. At my last IBS shoot this year I watched a competitor place a piece of masking tape over the trigger opening once he removed the bolt. My first thought was overkill, but I'm not so sure now.

 

[ronsatspokane]

So I've been watching this "never clean your triggers" philosophy play out over the years. I call BS. If you understand the design of triggers it is impossible to prevent crap from getting into them. how you clean them is the issue. I use oil and compressed air or one shot cleaner and lube. Done it with every gun I've ever owned (which is a lot) and have never had a problem. For those who disagree, enjoy your crusty trigger and know that the trigger condition is on you. Perhaps you should stop cleaning your barrels as well. Jay won a national title having never cleaned his barrel during the entire match. Can't wait for folks to start copying him.