Custom build questions

[Jburke]

I am interested in building a custom or at least semi custom hunting rifle.  Is it easiest to buy a cheap donor rifle just for the action?  What action would you all recommend?  I have heard a lot of people using Rem 700 or Mauser actions.  Opinions?

[Biggerhammer]

Yes, buy a donor rifle. If you're wanting to build on a Remington 700 you can pick up a new Rem700 SPS synthetic at Walmart or Bi-Mart for 389.00 to 425.00, you can find them at other places in the same price range or even cheaper if you catch a sale.

[snowpack]

I think it is cheaper to buy the donor vs a custom action--even with the follow on shop time.  Plus you get parts left over to sell and trade.  I would think even easier to get the donor these days due to the long wait times for the custom actions.  But some custom actions require very little, if any, machining whereas a donor action could require the works.

[Yondering]

Mauser actions were great for building custom rifles back when they were cheap, but not so much any more. You'll spend a good bit more just on parts to build a good Mauser sporter than you would to just go buy a new rifle.

These days, I think the Savage 110-series actions are the best for a custom build. Lots of parts available, the actions are somewhat modular and lend themselves to caliber changes easily, and there are lots of them out there. They also don't require the machine work that a Remington 700 action does when swapping barrels.

[mountainman]

I would find a used Remington or a new savage. Any new made 700's on dealer shelves should have been sent back for the trigger recall

[Jburke]

I would find a used Remington or a new savage. Any new made 700's on dealer shelves should have been sent back for the trigger recall

I kind of figured it would be easiest to find a used gun at a pawn shop or something similar.  I'm in no hurry whatsoever just thought it would be a fun thing to do.  Figure I can shop around and wait for the right deal on a donor rifle and take my time buying the rest and spend a little here and there to spread out the cost over time.

[salmonchaser]

I've done this a couple of times, it's fun and rewarding to build something to your specifications. Before you buy a donor action, decide what caliber you're going to build. Will you need a short, standard or long action.
Odd ball or standard chamber.  I like odd ball (wild cats) getting brass to work with is a nightmare right now.
Which brand of bullets do you like to shoot, heavy for caliber, haven't decided yet.
Below .260 you really want to consider twist rates and your intended applications, above 30 caliber you have less to worry about.
If you like Barnes bullets, make certain the Smith cuts the chamber so you can reach .05 off the lands.
With Noslers, my preference, you want enough room in the magazine to reach the lands or be .1 off the lands without intruding on powder capacity.
All that being said consider having a Wyatts magazine box installed, allows for longer overall length if needed. Have a good conversation with your Smith on this.
A good trigger.
The more specific you are in advance the happier you'll be.

[DRobnsn]

When I talked with Rbros about doing some work to a gun I had, the first thing he asked me is how does it shoot now? He said depending on how it currently shoots will be a good indicator on whether or not its worth doing all the machine work to a factory gun vs just going with a quality custom in the first place. I know this isn't exactly what you asked but I figured it would be good food for thought.

I'd be curious just to see the actual cost breakdown of a full on rebuild on a factory action vs just buying the custom in the first place.

[b23]

I have both semi customs built on Rem M700's and full custom rifles built on after market actions.  Both will easily shoot better than me any day of the week.  One being more accurate than the other is far more dependent on personal skill than whether it was built with a factory or custom action.  Now, if you're a benchrest shooter where the difference between winning and losing can be measured in thousandths, well, you'll likely want to go with the full custom build.

Something that a lot of people either overlook or simply aren't aware of is retained value in whatever it is you have built.  By the time you have all the work done to a factory receiver you'll be within $300ish of what a custom receiver cost and a rifle built on a custom action will retain its value considerably better then a semi custom build.  Now, do you have to have a factory action blue printed, nope, you sure do not but I wouldn't think of NOT having it done either.  You will also find that most of your good gunsmiths WILL NOT do a semi custom build without blue printing the receiver.  I'm sure you will find many that will tell you having a action blue printed is a bunch of hog wash and nothing but a way for gunsmiths to builk a few hundred dollars out of you and if you only plan on shooting this rifle a few hundred yards and if you're idea of a "good shooter" is 5-8in. at 300-400 yards, I'd say they very well could be correct.  In fact I'd suggest saving your money and just buying something off the rack at the local sporting guns store.  BUT, if you are going to spend the money and invest the time to have a custom or semi custom rifle built, why wouldn't you want to make sure everything was done right.

Soooo, the short answer would be, built properly a semi custom rifle with a Rem M700 will shoot right with a full custom built rifle.  The biggest difference is going to be retained value.  If both rifles were taken care of the same, the custom build will return you very close to what you spent having it built whereas the semi custom will not.

[salmonchaser]

B23 is absolutely correct IMHO.

[rbros]

Depending on what you can get a donor 700 for will determine if it's cheaper.  If you end up wanting to flute the bolt, add bolt knob, etc. you will be close to a custom and still not as strong or precise as the custom.  Either will shoot if the smith does their part.

[Biggerhammer]

Either will shoot if the smith does their part.

 

[BKMFR]

Take your time and really make sure it is what you want. If you don't know, do the research. A lot of it will be personal preference. Writing down what you "think" you want as a end result will be a good starting point(it will probably change a time or to). Find a really good gunsmith that will work with you and not do what they want, but what you want. Use there expertise, but remember you're the one paying the bill and it's your custom rifle. Writing down your goals such as the type of extraction....Winchester has their style, Remington has theirs, Sako has theirs.... Or you can have a Sako Extractor put on a Remington, for that fact you can have a 3 position wing style(Winchester) put on a Remington also..... Lots of variables and it takes time. I'm in the process of building another right now, and don't have a clue when it will be done, but it will be done right when completed. Remember you get what you pay for! so take your time, ask lots of questions and be careful it's a bad bug to get bitten by, once you go there factory rifles kinda lose their appeal.....

[yorketransport]

I'd seriously consider a custom action. Like others said, if you need to buy the donor rifle and then have it modified to fit what you want, you're within  the price of a custom. You can find custom actions (Stiller) in stock, for under $1000. By the time you're done blue printing, opening the bolt face, changing bolt handles, and fluting bolt bodies, you're right in the $1000 range.

I buddy of mine is going through this right now while having a 338 Edge built. He only saved $100 to build off of his Remington compared to selling his Rem and buying a custom action. And the Rem will never be quite as smooth or as strong as a custom. I love my Savage's because I can do the work myself. If I were to pay somebody else to build a rifle for me though it would be on a custom action.

Andrew

[mountainman]

Can beat Defiance/Phoenix for the custom route!

[huntandjeep]

I'd seriously consider a custom action. Like others said, if you need to buy the donor rifle and then have it modified to fit what you want, you're within  the price of a custom. You can find custom actions (Stiller) in stock, for under $1000. By the time you're done blue printing, opening the bolt face, changing bolt handles, and fluting bolt bodies, you're right in the $1000 range.

I buddy of mine is going through this right now while having a 338 Edge built. He only saved $100 to build off of his Remington compared to selling his Rem and buying a custom action. And the Rem will never be quite as smooth or as strong as a custom. I love my Savage's because I can do the work myself. If I were to pay somebody else to build a rifle for me though it would be on a custom action.

Andrew

.   This. After adding up all the extras for a tricked out Remington action I was within $100 of a Stiller predator action.  I went the Stiller route.

[257 Wby Mag]

Dunno what folks are paying nowadays , just bought a 700 adl 2 weeks ago for 3 bills, sold the stock for $110 and the trigger for $95....  That's a perty cheap donar... Bolt fluting and knob are kinda like putting a lift under a truck..  You get my drift...

[mountainman]

I'd seriously consider a custom action. Like others said, if you need to buy the donor rifle and then have it modified to fit what you want, you're within  the price of a custom. You can find custom actions (Stiller) in stock, for under $1000. By the time you're done blue printing, opening the bolt face, changing bolt handles, and fluting bolt bodies, you're right in the $1000 range.

I buddy of mine is going through this right now while having a 338 Edge built. He only saved $100 to build off of his Remington compared to selling his Rem and buying a custom action. And the Rem will never be quite as smooth or as strong as a custom. I love my Savage's because I can do the work myself. If I were to pay somebody else to build a rifle for me though it would be on a custom action.

Andrew

.   This. After adding up all the extras for a tricked out Remington action I was within $100 of a Stiller predator action.  I went the Stiller route.

[Jburke]

I'm gonna keep my eyes open at pawn shops and see if I can't find one for a good enough price here soon.   

[huntandjeep]

.. Bolt fluting and knob are kinda like putting a lift under a truck..  You get my drift...

.    If your going to have something custom why not do it   

[mountainman]

.. Bolt fluting and knob are kinda like putting a lift under a truck..  You get my drift...

.    If your going to have something custom why not do it   

:tup:they both serve very good purposes, other then just cosmetic..

[AWS]

If you really like the look of a Mauser action and the controlled round extractor there are plenty of commercial action floating around out there that can be had fairly cheap and most of the expensive work is already done, bolt handle, safety/trigger, polished and blued and D&T'd.  Herter's J-9, Santa Barber, CD, JC Higgins/Sears, Zestava etc.  I doubt that there isn't anything prettier than a Mannlicher stocked Mauser with a 20" barrel, banded front sight and a barrel/stock band sling swivel.

[arrowflinger]

Here is the start of my 280AI. I had the action already, just waiting for my Benchmark barrel and my stock.

[257 Wby Mag]

.. Bolt fluting and knob are kinda like putting a lift under a truck..  You get my drift...

.    If your going to have something custom why not do it 

Guess depends on your definition of "custom"? I'll gladly run 700's if I can snatch em for under 2 bills...

[bod]

Just get a tikka

[b23]

Dunno what folks are paying nowadays , just bought a 700 adl 2 weeks ago for 3 bills, sold the stock for $110 and the trigger for $95....  That's a perty cheap donar... Bolt fluting and knob are kinda like putting a lift under a truck..  You get my drift...

WOW!  Not only did you get a GREAT deal on the purchase price but you found someone/s that would pay crazy prices for your used take off parts.  You are one he11 of a salesman if you got someone to pay $110 for an ADL stock that came on a $300 Remmy 700.  Heck, I've got a brand new BDL take off stock I can't even get $75 for.  And you got someone to pay $95 for a used Rem. 700 take off trigger that you can buy all day long for $35-$50.  I want to shop for Rem 700's where you do and I want to sell to the people your selling to because I've got a shelf full of Remington take off parts I'd be thrilled to sell at the prices you get.  Heck, if you can get those prices for some old ADL stock and a factory trigger, I can only imagine what you sell the barrel for.  By the time it's all said and done you probably end up getting the action for free.  Send some of those folks my way because with the amount of used Rem 700 stuff I've got sitting around and those prices, I could buy a new custom action.

[mountainman]

Lol! :chuckle:Yep, must have some amazing contacts!

[257 Wby Mag]

Ok, ok you got me b23, I actually made a little more than $110......


Send me your contact info, I'll give ya the snout for free, just wouldn't feel right having less than $100 into a donar!!!

P.s., I'll take every 700 trigger you can muster for $35 a pop! I'll tune em  up and spin em. Pm me with your contact info. No x marks either....

[257 Wby Mag]

Looks like the "connection" was from Texas....


Couple views for ya, one is a pay pal pic, the other is, well the eBay pic of the sale... Did I get lucky b23? Geez I just passed on a mint bdl 7 mag with a 3-9 leupy for $350.. Prolly shoulda picked that one up, action woulda been free after it was all said and done ... Not fretting though, another will come along... Grin

[jay.sharkbait]

 

[257 Wby Mag]

He'd really be disgruntled to find out what I got into my 6.5/06 AI.... Bought a m-4 stag for 5 bills, traded it for a brand new a-5 rem/sendero inlet along with a sps 06 with a 4-12 leupold with rings and bases to boot... Came out aight o. That one too... Dig my "connections"....

[b23]

No Sir, I won't sell my triggers for $35.  Others do but I'll leave mine sitting collecting dust for that amount.  But, I'll gladly sell them untuned, as is, for $90. 

You didn't mention you were tuning them before you sold them and since most charge $50 to tune a Rem trigger, you're basically only getting $35-$40 for just the trigger, too.  As well as you're assuming a lot of liability selling a trigger you worked on.  I'm sure you do a fine job of tuning but that's more liability than I'd want to assume for that little money.

Selling things on Ebay is about the same as how ole Forrest's momma used to explain to him how life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what ya gonna get.   

[Biggerhammer]

 

Lots of ways to go about it if you know where to look and where to push it.👍

[257 Wby Mag]

10-4 Landon! I prefer to be patient, and part em out. Done right a guy can have around $100 into a remmy action leaving more $$ for a good stock, Jewell trigger , glass or even some outta state tags to try er out on.. If a $800-$1500 action horns ya up then by all means go ahead on er! I'm sure you'll be happy!

[Biggerhammer]

It was like taking candy from a baby when Bi-Mart was selling the Rem700 synthetic SPS's with the cheap scope package. 325.00 with a 50.00 factory rebate. Dump the scope, rings, stock and ADL box and follower and you were into a short or long action cheap and that was for a new action.

[slm9s]

I've handled quite a few custom builds on 700s that I wasn't impressed with the slickness of the action.  The only custom I've had that wasn't impressive was Stiller, twice.  If I'm spending my sheckels for a build, I don't want it to feel like its got sand in the action.

My advice, if you're knowledgeable enough, is to buy used.