I agree on the "making your own" prospect. As much as I like John and Jim Lazzeroni and have enjoyed emailing and talking on the phone too John over the years since I have had my Warbird, I just can't seem to justify a flat finish, synthetic gun being worth ANYWHERE near $6k! Don't get me wrong, you get a "ready to go gun" if you by a package gun from him that is already sighted in, has a pet load developed for it (based on your intended use) and the service I have experienced with the Lazzeroni's is spot on. BUT again, $6k is ALOT to spend on a "huntin rifle" [:'(]IMHO for that kind of cheese I want something with wood and metal finishes that looks like it came off the Queen Mary!

Have you looked on various sites like Gunbroker.com or Auctionarms.com? Every once in a while you can catch a Sako TRG-S M995 in the Warbird or the Firebird and if NIB they usually are bringing in the $1200-$1500 range. Used (85% or better) I have seen them bring $1k-$1200. Likeiwise I see a few Savages in the Patriot (Lazz's shortmag that is a ballistic equivalent of a 300Wby Mag) but I haven't seen enough to give you a price estimate. They too are great rifles my main huntin buddy has one and it is really a neat package. Realistically, I doubt you would findan "abused" Lazzeroni simply because when it costs you $5 to pull the trigger you aren't going to use it for a "yote/pickup/ranch rifle" and beat it around very often. (Or at least the typical Lazz customer isn't going to anyway, I suspect if someones grandmother won the lottery and spoiled them then maybe it "could" happen! )

I bought a Sako/Lazz Warbird from the first run he built in 99 and it is still my favored big game rifle. Besides here in TN it has been with me too MO, KS and WY and it simply performs AWESOMELY. You get over the $100 a box ammo aspect after you see how awesome the performance is and just what you get for that extra "bang for your dollar". Another thing IMHO is "so what" say I shoot an entire box in a season. What's $100 over a season when you factor in the rest of what I spend on hunting in a season? That $100 is a pittance to the rest of my multi-state endeavors.

Is the Warbird that much better than the 300Rum or 30/378? I doubt ANY game killed with either will have known the difference, I have buddies who have those other calibers and they perform greatly as well. I simply don't have the time or desire to reload anymore (tho I still have all my brass and probably have a couple hundred pieces of brass for the 'bird) so I stick with Lazz's own stuff. His ammo is SUPERB quality and it is all match grade. I recommend the 150Lazerheads and used to shoot the 130Xs before that. I hope he adopts the 130TSXs soon, I simply liked the thought of having a 4Kfps 30cal in the stand with me when I used to shot the 130s!

If you like to reload or have buddies you can trust then realistically you should just get a 300RUM in anything with a 26" barrel and have them stoke you up some 130TSXs for deerhunting (tho realistically if you are going to shoot over 600yds you would be better off sticking with 180-200grain bullets for their better wind drift performance!) and enjoy a supermag "on the cheap". If you are going to build a rifle in ANY of the calibers we have mentioned then I would suggest a 28"-30" barrel to maximize these behemoths. Why run cheap gas in your Ferarri?

Oh and another recommendation, when shooting the gun take several others with you. THE worst thing you can do is shoot them more than once every 10-15 minutes in temps above 60degrees. The extra guns will give you something to do while you are letting the supermags cool off. A 30cal that does 3500-4000fps creates a TREMENDOUS amount of heat, many times that of even normal mags. If you keep them clean and cool you will get a lifetime out of the gun! If you want something to shoot over and over and shoot prarie dogs or 1k yd competitions every weekend then either have your gunsmiths number handy (for rebarrels)or look at other calibers!

Hope this helps,
RA