Patrick’s first experience with Best of the West’s ALTOPO system rifle was during the SHOT Show Industry Day at the the Range. He used the rifle in 6.5 and 7mm PRC to make 1,000-yard hits on man-sized plates in 20-25 mph winds.
It seems all serious riflemen want to talk about today is long-range shooting, more accurately, addressing targets at what once would have been considered unfathomable ranges. This rage has also seeped into the hunting world, with refined rifles, cutting-edge optics, ever more efficient cartridges and more aerodynamic bullets feeding the craze. Extreme yardage means different things to different shooters, obviously – especially in a hunting context. But Wyoming-based Best of the West (BOTW) – which also owns Huskemaw Optics – has been instrumental in demonstrating to modern hunters what is possible with the right gear and a little knowledge and training, by showcasing the results on its popular outdoor television show “Best of the West.” BOTW and Huskemaw Optics is a confluence of hard-core, big-game hunters who understand what it takes to succeed in the field and skilled engineers who have a firm grasp on precision manufacturing.
Best of the West’s ALTOPO rifle is built on a Bighorn Arms Origin action, a Remington Model 700 footprint design milled from pre-hardened chromoly steel. It holds an integral 20-MOA Picatinny rail and runs slick as ice.
For $12,000 to $15,000, BOTW will build you a tack-driving rifle system that will dot the I’s off a bench and allow precision hits on long-range targets. Or you can invest in a BOTW ALTOPO rifle package that gets you into the long-range game faster and easier for “only” $6,995.
The BOTW ALTOPO package is an all-inclusive system that includes a custom-grade rifle, renowned Huskemaw 5-20x 50mm Blue Diamond long-range scope, Talley Manufacturing four-hole rings, Huskemaw Wind Meter and two boxes of premium-grade factory ammunition – all delivered in an indestructible Boyt lockable hardcase. BOTW assembles the rifle and zeros the optic at 200 yards at the factory. The scope also holds one of the company’s Rapid Field Ballistic Compensator (RFBC) elevation turrets, created with TrueBC Technology, properly etched and ready to dial for shots out to 1,000 yards. The rifle arrives ready to hunt, without tedious load development, sighting-in or tweaking for reliable impact at various ranges.
The Cartridge
Factory ammunition shot from the Best of the West ALTOPO included: (1) Hornady Outfitter 130-Grain CX, (2) Federal Premium Custom Shop 130-grain Terminal Ascent, (3) Nosler Trophy Grade 140-grain Ballistic Tip, (4) Hornady Precision Hunter 143-grain ELD-X and (5) Hornady Match 147-grain ELD Match.
ALTOPO rifles are chambered in 6.5, 7mm and 300 PRC, all purpose-built long-range cartridges. The rifle I received for testing was chambered in 6.5 PRC, a round I have come to respect a great deal. I predict it will eventually supplant the 6.5 Creedmoor as a long-range favorite. The 6.5 PRC is an extremely talented cartridge, though it includes a powder capacity sitting somewhere between the defunct 6.5 Remington Magnum and 264 Winchester Magnum, it easily outperforms both through the ability to handle heavier, sleeker bullets via standard 1:8 rifling twist, as opposed to the older American 6.5s slower 1:9 twist rates. I’ve also found the recoil of the 6.5 PRC less objectional than those previously mentioned rounds.
Bullets used to assemble handloads included: (1) Nosler 120-grain Expansion Tip, (2) Hammer Bullets 124-grain Hammer Hunter, (3) Federal Premium 130-grain Terminal Ascent, (4) Berger 135-grain Classic Hunter, (5) Nosler 140-grain AccuBond and (6) Hornady 143-grain ELD-X.
The brainchild of George Gardner of G.A. Precision, the 6.5 PRC was formed from the 375 Ruger (shortened to 2.03 inches and given a 30-degree shoulder) with PRS competition in mind. It provides good barrel life while using moderate charges of modern powders. The maximum overall cartridge length of 2.955 inches allows seating long-for-caliber bullets without intruding into powder space. It does all this while giving a 200 to 300 feet per second (fps) advantage over the 6.5 Creedmoor.
The Rifle
The Best of the West ALTOPO rifle is bedded in a lightweight McMillan carbon-fiber stock including a raised comb, near-vertical grip with pronounced palm swells and thumb ledge and decorated with unique topographical map graphics.
At the heart of the BOTW ALTOPO rifle is a Bighorn Arms Origin stainless steel action. This is a Zermatt Arms designed action incorporated features from the Bighorn TL3 and SR3 line and machined from pre-hardened chromoly steel. It holds a pinned recoil lug, Savage small shank thread tenon, floating and interchangeable bolt head, controlled-round feeding, spiral fluted bolt, mechanical ejector, and bayonet-style firing pin assembly. The Origin holds Remington-style feed lips compatible with all AICS pattern magazines with an overall length of 2.980 inches. The trim tang and swept bolt handle are also reminiscent of Remington 700 actions. The Origin action holds an integral/milled-in 20-MOA Picatinny rail. The bolt runs quite smoothly and can be cycled with the safety engaged for safe unloading. The safety is a standard right-side Remington 700-style two-position switch, and the bolt release is a left-side rocker tab. Pressure-relief ports are located to each side forward of the ejection port, angled toward the muzzle to direct escaping gasses away from the shooter in the event of a case rupture.
This action holds a 24-inch stainless steel, medium-contour barrel measuring .70 inch just behind the three-slot muzzle brake. The barrel is spiral fluted and included a 1:8 rifling twist. The factory brake is installed so no conspicuous seam is evident, but it can be removed to expose the ½x24 threads and accept a suppressor. The brake times perfectly without a crush washer.
A TriggerTech Diamond trigger is paired with this rifle, which broke at a crispy 1.76 pounds with no evident overtravel. The trigger guard and minimalist bottom metal are milled aluminum, and rounds feed from a three-round, all-steel detachable magazine including a base plate engraved with the BOTW elk-head logo and name. I was inclined to nitpick about the annoying rattling of this magazine, but then noticed this was alleviated by stuffing a full three rounds into the magazine before seating it home. A knurled button inside the trigger guard releases the magazine that pops out and into the hand when rounds are loaded, but must be plucked out when empty. The magazine provided just enough room for Hornady’s Match factory rounds loaded with 147-grain ELD Match bullets, with little room to spare.
A lightweight McMillan carbon-fiber stock provides good handling, a design with a comfortable raised comb set up for right-handed shooting. It also features a near-vertical grip with pronounced palm swells and thumb ledge. The dark-gray surface is decorated with black and light grey spackling and unique topographical map graphics. The forearm holds dual front sling studs and the butt is a soft Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad. I like this stock, and it set my eye perfectly behind the scope each time, whether shooting off a bench or prone over a bipod. The 13.5 length of pull is pretty average, though it proved a smidge short for me. This resulted in more perceived recoil than with the other three 6.5 PRCs I have shot to date, but I’m not exactly average at 6-foot, 5-inches tall. The forearm and grip areas are textured to offer a firm grip when wet or while wearing gloves. Action stability is enhanced through front and rear aluminum pillars and glass bedding in the lug and tang areas. The action is anchored by two beefy hex-head bolts.
The Optic
Included in the package is a Huskemaw 5-20x 50mm Blue Diamond, which I have some experience with and have really learned to like – mostly because it is made for hunting and not target shooting. This is a straight-forward second focal plane (SFP) scope (another plus in my book) that weighed 26.6 ounces and measured 13.6 inches long. The optic was designed specifically to simplify the long-range shooting experience, including a pre-etched blue Rapid Field Ballistic Compensator (RFBC) elevation turret created with TrueBC technology and HuntSmart Reticle that streamlines wind corrections. The reticle is simple and without the clutter so many long-range scopes include today which I also like. The Dual Stack Turret is capped against dust and moisture and includes outer ring/hash marks for 3,000 feet above sea level, and inner for 7,000 feet above sea level – making it compatible for elevations from 1,000 to 9,000 feet. The elevation turret on my test rifle was calibrated for Hornady’s 147-grain ELD Match rounds for shots of up to 1,000 yards. Each elevation turret revolution provides 20-MOA of correction, with 80-MOA of total movement in 1⁄3-MOA clicks available. The scope was set in sleek but sturdy four-screw Talley Manufacturing Modern Sporting Rings.
Multi-coated, high-density Blue Diamond lens treatments ensure excellent light transmission free of starbursts or graininess in poor light or at high magnification. The lens coatings are also highly scratch resistant. The Blue Diamond is engineered to withstand magnum recoil and hard knocks, the 30mm tube is milled from one piece of high-grade aluminum, and the SFP reticle is sandwiched between two layers of glass and anchored internally with proprietary cement. The turrets included titanium internal springs, which translated into exceptional reliability and precise tracking. The scope’s 4 inches of eye relief protects from scope cuts while wielding aggressive recoiling rifles.
The System
The ALTOPO is a long-range system, including a rifle, optic, wind meter and ammunition factory dialed to make 1,000-yard hits. It comes in a Boyt hard case and is completely assembled and sighted at the factory.
A vital part of the system, and allowing the best use of Huskemaw’s HuntSmart Reticle wind-correction reticle, is provided by the Huskemaw Wind Meter, made by JDC Electronic SA. This is a straightforward, Swiss-made unit that provides wind speed in mph, km/h, m/s and knots, and temperature in Celcius (C) or Fahrenheit (F). It measures wind velocity from 3 to 185 km/h and temperature from -30 to +70 C. It includes an auto shut-off feature to save battery life, comes with a rope lanyard and is waterproof.
All told, the ALTOPO rifle, scope and rings hit the scales at 9.5 pounds. The overall system allows laser-ranging yardage, dialing the elevation turret to correlate, deploying the wind meter and then choosing a corresponding HuntSmart Reticle squiggly/vertical hashmark. Hold steady, squeeze the trigger, follow through and the system takes care of the rest. BOTW and Huskemaw have done all the work for you – no long hours of sighting in and confirming impact at various ranges, consulting apps or ballistics calculators, and no tedious load development necessary.
Admittedly, this program isn’t for everyone, as some of us weirdos actually enjoy working out the perfect handloads, memorizing ballistics charts and spending the time to confirm real-world impacts at various ranges. The ALTOPO is for those who just enjoy shooting, without all the tinkering. Of course, I’d still encourage plenty of practice, as just because you purchase a rifle and optic package capable of executing 1,000-yard hits does not mean the shooter is up to speed at such ranges. This is especially pointed out when shooting live animals. Small mistakes loom large as ranges exceed 500 yards, and game deserves no less than your best efforts.
The Shooting
The best group shot with factory loads from the Best of the West ALTOPO was .31 inch, accomplished with Hornady Outfitter loads shooting 130-grain CX bullets.
To run the ALTOPO through the paces, I chose five factory loads spanning the spectrum from 130-grain mono-copper to 147-grain long-range match fodder. These included Hornady’s Outfitter loaded with 130-grain CX, Federal Custom Shop ammunition loaded with 130-grain Terminal Ascent, Nosler Trophy Grade with 140-grain Ballistic Hunting, Hornady’s Precision Hunter with 143-grain ELD-X and Hornady’s Match with 147-grain ELD Match bullets.
Hornady Match ammunition, firing 147-grain ELD Match bullets, was supplied with the ALTOPO test rifle. Those loads assembled this .51-inch group.
Several of the factory loads shot exceptionally well, setting the benchmark for handloads. Assembled handloads included streamlined, long-range hunting bullets as light as 120 and 124 grains (both monolithic copper numbers), with Hornady’s 143-grain ELD-X holding the heavyweight spot. Included were Nosler’s long-for-weight 120-grain Expansion Tip (.497 G1 ballistic coefficient (BC) and Hammer Bullet’s 124-grain Hammer Hunter (.245 G7 BC), Federal Premium’s 130-grain Terminal Ascent (.532 G1/.263 G7 BC), Berger’s 135-grain Classic Hunter (.584 G1 BC), Nosler’s 140-grain AccuBond (.509 G1 BC) and Hornady’s 143-grain ELD-X (.623 G1 BC). A few of these loads were proven in other 6.5 PRCs I have tested, while others were experiments involving the newest available powders.
The most successful handload fired from the BOTW ALTOPO rifle involved Nosler’s 120-grain Expansion Tip and 55.5 grains of Norma MRP powder. That group measured just .22 inch at 3,115 fps.
Hornady factory ammunition did best overall. Outfitter rounds loaded with 130-grain CX bullets printed into .31 inch at 2,960 fps with a low 21 fps extreme velocity spread, Precision Hunter rounds loaded with 143-grain ELD-X bullets printed into .53 inch at 2,965 fps with a 28 fps extreme velocity spread, and Match rounds loaded with 147-grain ELD Match bullets assembled a .51-inch group at 2,822 fps with an extreme velocity spread of 26 fps. These loads compared favorably with the best handloads.
Hammer Bullet’s 124-grain Hammer Hunter, combined with 55.5 grains of IMR-4831, produced this .52-inch group sent at 3,162 fps.
Nosler’s 120-grain lead-free Expansion Tip produced the best overall group from the ALTOPO when combined with 55.5 grains of Norma MRP. That three-shot, 100-yard group measured .22 inch center-to-center and with an impressive velocity of 3,115 fps. Other standout groups included 55.5 grains of IMR-4831 beneath Hammer Bullets’ 124-grain monolithic copper Hammer Hunter sent at 3,162 fps, resulting in a .52-inch group, and Berger’s 135-grain Classic Hunter seated over 56 grains of Alliant Reloder 26. That .54-inch group included an average velocity of 3,024 fps. Overall, all groups listed, factory and handloads, printed into less than an inch.
The Best of the West ALTOPO system, as advertised, is hunt ready out of the box.
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