who here has built their own custom rifle(s)? what action did you use? barrel? stock? wildcat or factory caliber?

I've built around 15 of them. I like the Mauser actions and build most in the 6.5X55 AI, 7mm Mauser AI., 6.5X'06 AI., 257 AI and am working on a 35 Whelen AI. They sure are fun to build and generally, they shoot like crazy!!!! The real expensive barrels are a waste IMHO. The A&B barrels have never let me down......these are for hunting and not for plinking! I find old stocks on the internet and refinish them. It's a great hobby! I have never sold a rifle that wouldn't shoot one inch groups or better. The Mauser actions are getting very expensive and harder to find. I would like to get my hands on some ZCZ (yugo) actions but they are getting scarce and I understand they will no longer be imported. That's about it....it's a great hobby! Regards, Rick.

BEWARE ADDITIVE as heck. Lets see mauser actions I do most or all on the mausers and have built 7 x 57, 308, 7mm08, 30-06, 8 x 57 (new ER Shaw stainless barrel) Charles Daly actions 280, 30-06 and sending off a HOWA shortly to make into a 7 x 57. Stocks Bell and Carlson and Boyd laminates. Triggers mostly Bold on the mauser, timney on the howa they shoot really decent.

For a custom hunting rifle I like a Howa action. They are everything that a Remington is, such as the "three rings of steel", but come standard with little things like a m-16 style excractor so you don't have to install a Sako extractor. Vented bolt body. One piece bolt. Flat bottom receiver with integrated recoil lug. Bolt release on the top of the receiver rather than inside the trigger guard.

Barrels depend on how much you want to spend and what kind of accuracy you want to get out of one. Shillen, Douglas, Adams and Bennet, ER Shaw, Lija are all good berrels and will provide you with much better than acceptable accuracy for hunting.

In all honesty a truely custom rifle gets a stock made to fit you from a blank. This is where a rifle becomes yours and no one elses IMHO. You can drop a rifle into a semi inleted laminated or wood stock or synthetic stock like HS or Mc Millan but what's custom about that? Nothing really. A custom rifle deserves a custom stock either from a wood blank of your choosing or a laminated blank is you desire.

I have built a couple. Both of course on the 700 action and Douglas Barrels. Timney triggers . I cut corners though and used Ramline Stocks. They worked out great even though they are cheaper than dirt. One was a 280 and the other a 25-06. These both before I could get a factory gun in those calibers that was a Left hand bolt which I needed.

You mean actually chamber it themselves, cut the threads, bed, the whole bit? I have had a few built. Kinda came to the conclution, that its not worth it, and doesn't guarantee you a sub.5MOA gun. There are so many quality factory guns under 1200 dollars out there, that holds resale, that its not worth it for me to do it any longer. I mean its nice picking out your own conponents. But rather pricey.

I am currently in the process of having 2 made. Both of them are based on remington 700 actions. One will be a short action chambered in .223 with a #5 krieger barrel and the other will be a long action switch barrel chambered in 25-06 with a #5 krieger barrel. I still haven't decided on a second barrel for the switch barrel but I am sure I'll come up with something. I am fairly sure that they will both end up in McMillan stocks and topped off with either zeiss or nikon gold scopes. I also have a long length of pull so pretty much any rifle I buy off the shelf doesn't fit me anyway.......


-lee-

I've owned a custom Remington 700 7mm mag in the past, but sold it several years ago. I just don't like the 700 action. Right now I'm toying with the idea of having one of my Sakos semi-customized. It's a .300 Weatherby and I'm thinking about sending it to Hill Country Rifles for a new Lilja or Krieger barrel chambered in .300 Winchesterand some action truing to boot. I think the factory trigger is okay and it's already bedded into the factory stock, so those are items that won't have to be addressed.

However, I keep wondering to myself why should I bother with this. Why should I spend another $700 on a perfectly fine rifle.In fact, all of my rifles are more than accurate enough already. What ishaving a match grade barrel installed going to accomplish? And the answer I keep comingback to is "probably nothing". So, I guess I'll just have to think about it a while and come to a decision.

I used a Remington 700 long action, Bell & Carlson stock, Douglas barrel, had the trigger worked down to a 3 lbs. The chambering is 280 Remington. With my handloads the rifle will consistenly group 3/4" with 140 gr loads and under 1/2" with 120 B-Tips.

has anyone used a barrel and/or action from these folks?
http://www.montanarifleman.com/