Thread: ATA Turqua - Reviewing and Impulse Purchase

For a while now I've been trying to be a "one-rifle does all" kind of hunter, using the 7mm rem mag for everything from hunting the Fiordland tops to the thick bush of the Hokonui Hills. Sporting a 26inch barrel (which may be a little unnecessary), it's definitely found its fair share of tangles and hang-ups trying to squeeze and crawl through gaps in the vegetation.

With my birthday coming up my dear wife half-jokingly suggested I have a look at Bergara B14 Take Down that was sitting on the second-hand shelf of the local Hunting and Fishing NZ for around $700. This story is not about that rifle.

With the price point of $700 in my mind I walked into Custom Guns to check out Greg's secondhand rack. Just as I was having thoughts about a slightly bruised Rem 700 sitting slightly overbudget, I spotted a price tag sporting the magical number $699.

To my surprise, sitting right at the edge of the rack was a black synthetic stocked rifle sporting blued metal work and a threaded barrel. What intrigued me even further was the fact the label stated "New"! Having a closer look I realised this was an ATA Turqua - a Turkish bolt action rifle.

Getting hands on the gun I was pleasantly surprised by a solid grippy stock with an adjustable comb, a surprisingly smooth bolt, 2-stage trigger, and integrated picatinny rail for optics. And it apparently comes with a sub-moa 3 shot guarantee (with a premium factory ammunition disclaimer of course) and a 5 year warranty. This rifle was chambered in 308, which Greg very quickly suggested could be cut down to 16-18 inches and moderated to save weight, length and my hearing! Plus, if I wanted a different chambering, he could order a 243, or 6.5creed in within 2 days.

Now usually I agonise over every purchase, spending hours online making sure I'm buying the correct equipment which is going to last. The old adage "buy once cry once" comes to mind. But for this once, I figured why not, let's take a chance. Worst that could happen is I buy a $799 lemon which comes with a warranty, and I know Greg would be able to put me on the right track if I had issues.

So on order is a 6.5creed ATA Turqua in black synthetic. Let's see how this goes!