Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Debating my 1st custom build

Hello everyone,

I'm debating whether to build my 1st custom rifle. I'll put upfront that I'm left handed so that limits some of the custom action options.

I mostly shoot paper so it's more of range rifle but I also was want to keeping my options open if I wanted to use my first custom rig also as big game rifle. Is it possible to build a dual purpose custom without too much compromise?


Here's some of my rambling thoughts. Please let me know if I'm way off base here.

Action: Still Predator S/A 308Win (left handed)
Barrel: Krieger in Remington Varmint Contour, 26" 1:10 twist
Stock: McMillan Sako/Hunter ( monte carlo stock seem to fit me better)
Scope: Undetermined. Probably put a Leupold scope that I have on hand for now. (Leupold VXIII 3.5-10x40mm, FXIII 6x42)


My second thought (yes I'm jumping around) is that since I'm mostly just shooting paper and fun range gun, build a nice left handed 223rem for what I am doing right now.
Action: Stiller S/A 223rem (left handed)
Barrel: Krieger #2 or #3 contour with 1:8 twist
Stock: McMillan Sako/Hunter.

Appreciate your feedback. Please by candid. This is a lot of $$$ to me, so don't want to [bleep] this build up. Rather have you be brutally honest than go down the wrong rode and mess up a custom build.

For a dual purpose, shorten the barrel 4-5" on the .308 build and I like it a lot!

No flies on your .223 plan either.

Let the alternate chambering and AI comments commence.

As has been said a million times on here already...start with the bullet that you want to shoot and build around it.
I see no reason for a 26" barrel for a .308. Build for balance. Use the barrel contour and length to achieve balance. I like my rifles to balance on the front action screw.

Here is a lefty 223. Does okay with 6x milquad on it. I'd go light.

30338, nice lefty rifle and good shooting!


deerhunter5555, I haven't really thought about what bullet/weight for the 308win. For the 223rem, I was looking at the 75gr amax as target bullet, and the 62gr ttsx for hunting. Both recommend a 1:8 twist in 223rem.

Both will stabilize with a 1:8 twist - it's not optimal. If I'm buying a .224 barrel it's going to be 1:7.

David

Canazes, thank you for the tip regarding twist rate for .224barrel

Also send your Gunsmith a dummy round loaded with the bullet that you choose loaded to max magazine length. Have him throat the barrel to this dummy round.

No problem.

http://www.bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/

Bullets are getting longer, not shorter. 7" leaves a lot of doors open and closes none.

David

deerhunter5555, I did not think of that. Thank you for that tip.

Canzes, you make a good point!


To All, What's your opinion on detachable magazine vs floor plate? I was thinking of staying with either floor plate or possibly blind mag so as not to be constrained to COL due to detachable mag length. That seemed to be a big complaint with AR's not being able to use/load the 75gr amax.

I keep having rifles built and sending them down the road, each time they get lighter, think I am at peace now with #1 and lighter contour barrels.

I agree, pick the bullet, twist and have it throated correctly.

Yes...and they seem resemble a Kimber Montana more and more.

If Kimber made a lefty Montana, a lot of things would get obsolete. That lefty 223 has a pacnor 8 twist 3 groove and that target is with 75 amax. Don't hear many say they'd like a heavier rig.

Sometimes being a left is curse or blessing depending on how you look at it.

I'm in the same boat as you rifle will be for target and longer range hunting. I decided .260 rem varmint contour. Picked up a rem hunter edge from McMillan for 450. I am now wavering on cerakote color and barrel length. 18" or 20"? I am going to move some stuff in the next couple weeks to cover the .223:)

If it's really mostly a paper puncher and by big game hunting you mostly mean deer hunting, I'd go .223. You'll shoot it more since it's cheaper and a lot of fun to shoot.

If .308, it'd be a 22" barrel at most.

The barrel would be stainless steel either way.

Wrangler13--
For a .260, I would go longer and thinner on the barrel. Why spend extra $$ for edge construction and then add back way more weight in the barrel contour? The balance would be awful. But if you are a fixed position (i.e., benches, stands and blinds) hunter, that may not be a big deal.

To the OP--
As a budget constrained left handed shooter, I have been building low dollar customs since about 1982. I have gradually decided that you have to figure out clearly what you want the custom to do that you otherwise cannot get in factory gun; otherwise you have just duplicated an over-the-counter item for three times the money. Sometimes for me that just means I want a chambering different that is available to lefties (ever find a factory lefty in .257 Roberts, 338-06, or .416 Rem?). The most common performance profile I am building for is light weight, better (but not pseudo-BR) accuracy, and absolutely stable point of aim. So I tend to use factory actions, thin barrels (mostly stainless, but not always), and good synthetic stocks (mostly McMillan, but some Brown and Bansner thrown in for good measure.) I have therefore never sprung the money for one of the precision Remington clone actions, although I certainly see the appeal. I have also learned how to replace triggers and do passable bedding jobs, and have small number of gunsmiths I use who do a fine chambering job for not too much money or months of waiting. I scrounge for parts and donor actions, and figure that my guns cost 40% of what going to a well known gunsmith with an 18 month waiting list would charge for a turnkey build.

But my design preferences are also shaped by my hunting style and region. I just got back from a cow elk hunt that took 3 days and probably 15+ miles of hiking in steep country, about half of which was by headlamp after dark. A gun that doesn't have 400 yards of effective range or that weighs more than about 8 pounds all up tends to get left at home.

An 8" will handle anything 82 grs and under which is optimal, if 90's are on the menu than a 7" is the way to go, I don't see a lot of guys using the 90's, I know I don't have any use for them in a 223!

The stupidity you display in your inability to use a twist rate calculator when the link is supplied and your lack of reading comprehension is duly noted.

David

I'll take this marginal stability all day long.................