schoolcraft

So when tax return money comes in spring of next year, I finally got it cleared with the wife to have a custom rifle built or have one customized.
I'm mainly a deer and hog hunter, so caliber choice will be something fitting for that. I've always thought it would be cool to own a .280.....Maybe a 7mm. Rem. Mag. Not sure on that one yet. Even still considering the old .30-06.
I keep getting told it's hard to beat a Remington 700 action as far as accuracy. I've had them in the past and they've been good. I've also always like how the CRF of my Ruger rifles shucks those cartriges in and out, but gunsmiths tell me a Ruger action is harder to pillar bed thus it's harder for them to crank out all the accuracy available.
My local gunsmith likes to use Shillen barrels, but I hear good things about most all other custom barrel makers. (Hart, Kreiger, ect.)
Then comes the stock. I want a high quality synthetic or laminate. McMillan EDGE or something similar.

Any opinions on caliber, action, barrel, and stock would be greatly appreciated.

jd3006

I think many smiths use the Rem. action is because it is easy to bed, true up, and make accurate therefore it may be cheaper to use the Rem. (less work/time to do the job). Any quality action can be used provided the smith agrees. I would go with a stainless Rem. action in a standard caliber(3006, 280, 270, 308,7mm08, etc) because I don't like odd stuff and ammo is more readily available and cheaper assuming you use factory stuff. Then I'd have a good barrel from any one of the top makers put on and properly bedded in a quality stock. I'd then mount a high quality low power scope and be ready for action. By low power scope I mean no more than a 3.5x10x40 and that's big in my book. There is simply no need for high mag. and huge lenses in a hunting scope. They are heavy,large and overkill for deer hunting. Just my .02

schoolcraft

Keep em' comin'!!!!

BTW JD3006, I've got a Leupold 3.5 X 10 X 40mm just waiting to be put on this rifle!

Cant wait!

jd3006

Good start. Now the hard part. I'd love to build a custom myself. I tend to favor good walnut myself but a custom stock is just too high even though it would be beautiful. My dream rifle would be a stainless Rem. with a heavier contour 20 inch barrel and a gorgeous swirly grained walnut stock in 7mm08 with a Leupold 6x36 heavy duplex scope.Short and handy but with enough weight so it isn't whippy.Then I'd start my next one, same specs but a long action in 3006 or 280 with 24 inch barrel.

schoolcraft

Now that you mention it.......

The high end synthetic is the practical part of me thinking...

Once I get things all together and broken in a bit, I might splurge for a nice piece of walnut with lots of fiddle one day.

Hard to beat the look of nice wood and satin stainless IMO

jeepkid

Borden action, .280 AI, Broughton 5c barrel (contour of your choice), Mcmillan or Manners stock...

JOE PA

It's been a while, but I used to do stock work for a shop and on many guns I had to buy, work on, play with, and sell. While there are a lot of things I like about a Ruger action, the Remington is easier to bed, IME. The angled bedding bolt (guard screw) on the Ruger is trickier than the round action, straight bedding bolt and washer type recoil lug on the Remington. Every Remington 700, 600, or 660 I've owned would shoot 1" or less at 100 yards from a bench. Most experts like the conrolled feed of the Ruger, but with a .280 or something like that, you probably are not looking to hunt bears or other dangerous stuff. I've never had a Remington that had feed, extraction, or ejection issues. I have a custom gun with a late '70s era Brown stock, though I'm sure there are better ones available today. Most custom barrels will shoot very well, but so will factory barrels if you can find the length and contour you want. Never owned a .280, but I have a friend who shoots most of his deer with a .270, and another that does very well with a 7mm Remington mag.

Like I said, it has been a while, but I understand what you are after. I have a custom Husqvarna M-8000 30-06 with that Brown stock. Weighs 7# fully loaded and with a 2-7 Leupold scope. It shoots MOA, and, without pressure signs, shoots a 180 gr. bullet at 2850 and a 165 Barnes at 3000. All the gun I'll ever need, for sure. Good luck with the project.

Markinsd

I personnally do not like Remington 700 actions. Call me old school, I like CRF. I have shot a custom 25-06 in Ruger that was wickedly accurate, wish it was mine. I currently want Remington 798 Mauser action, chambered in .308win with a 24" stainless barrel and a nice utility synthetic stock. I know this is pretty much a 798 SPS, with a stainless barrel. If you like the Ruger action, go with a Ruger. They might not be as easy to get bedded, but I also think they are more forgiving in the bedding area because of the angled action screw, it seems to pull things tighter and hold better so pillar bedding is not needed. Maybe I am against the 700 because everyone thinks they are the best out there. I would dissagree, There are more custom 700 rifles because from the factory they do not shoot so turning it into a custom rifle is the only way to save face.

Mark

Pawildman

This may not be what you want to hear, but to be brutally honest, unless you can do a LOT of the work yourself, it is going to probably be a good bit cheaper to buy a high-quality accuracy guaranteed rifle new from a reputable manufacturer than to piece one together from scratch. Unless you have a donor action sitting around the house now, that is where you need to start. Custom barrels, gunsmith work, custom stocks, bedding, floating, etc., etc. really start to add up.

My intention here is not to discourage you from your dream, but to help make you aware of the serious costs involved in a project such as this. I love a beautiful piece of figured wood on a quality rifle, but the fitting up involved is a lot more comlicated and tedious than most people realize, but it just looks sooooo much better than synthetic. At least to me........ Just my $.02.......

skeeter 7MM

JMHO but ammo availability should mean squat to the custom gun user as I see no benefit in forking out the cake required for a custom rifle to be limited to factory ammo. Reloading equipment should come before the rifle does! Again JMO.