I have bought a few customs and big name guns and a lot of factory guns. Interestingly enough, my customs, envisioned for some specific purpose, have generally let me down. You get them and there are always problems, most often requiring my own work and in most instances a second or third gunsmith because the builder never screws up. In my experience, I would say average accuracy and function of customs are below the level of factory guns, though I have never had an an Echols or something in that price range. Also, some smiths seem to build accurate and some build functional but I have not found the one that builds both. Problems I have experienced include feeding, multiple broken bolt stops on a builder designed action, poor accuracy, badly cut chambers, bedding problems, special recoil reducing stocks that make everybody that fires the rifle exclaim "Wow, that kicks hard!", etc. I have not commissioned a custom that did not have some combination of these issues and required work and in most cases $$$$ to correct.
With that said I have found two or three factory rifles that are darn close to perfection without much work and are as follows:
-Tikka T3-Plusses: accurate, balance well, light weight, reliable, feed great, reliable, slick feeding, great value and wonderful factory trigger. Needs: a good recoil pad, which can be bought for $30 or so and installed DIY. Cons: loading port that makes single-loading and checking chamber difficult. I have had four, but now only own my daughter's 7-08.
-Blaser R8: most consistently accurate platform I have fired and generally shoot the same hot or cold or clean or dirty, reliable, feed great, travel well, can switch cartridges, great detachable mounts, excellent trigger, good balance and great open sights. Needs: a normal sling swivel that allows bipod use. Needs: install a cheap Harris swivel adaptor on a really expensive stock/receiver. Cons: guns and accessories overpriced, though Eurooptics $2,200 special on the preferable S version is a reasonable value compared to customs, hammer forged barrels a little rough compared to lapped, cut barrels.
-Honorable mentions--Kimber: most of the qualities of above but just not quite as consistent. Cooper: may be close but I don't have enough experience to know.
Are you happy with your customs? If so, who built them and what specs? Do you have multiple factory rifles from a brand that out perform customs? If so, what brand and why?
