Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Custom or semi-custom rifle purchase.

I have a lot of rifles that I don't use much or are still sitting NIB, some were impulse buys and some are magnums are are no longer fun to shoot (getting older). I'm thinking of selling a bunch or rifles and buying a nice rifle like a Cooper, Nosler Patriot/Liberty, LAW or some other high end rifle in a 308, 280 AI or 30-06 and be done with it. If it were you doing the buying, what rifle would you buy and why? Thanks.

Borden Timberline action (long action) or Alpine (short)
Lilja #2 barrel (or similar size, about 0.625-06.35 inch muzzle at 23 in finish), i.e. Hart #3, Rock #3, P-N #1, etc.
Timney or Shilen trigger
Echols Shrike stock, edge fill
I would probably put either a Nightforce or a Leupold 6x36 on it

You'll have to find someone to do the metal work. I know a short list of smiths I would choose from, but that list isn't complete.

You'll have to find someone to do the stock work. Echols stocks aren't drop in. I know the guy I would pick, but my lips are sealed. He's backed up enough as it is!

I know...not a rifle. But there isn't a 100% good factory rifle made today. The only way to get absolutely what you want is a semi-custom.

I'd get a pre 64 FW in 270 or 30/06, drop it in a McMillan or Brown Precision, and kill everything I aimed it at.

depending on how much $ you are raising with your sales, have a 6.5 saum built on a custom action and be done with it

Without a doubt, if it was to be a beautiful rifle a Sako deluxe, if a nice rifle, a standard Sako. Of course it would be pre-Garcia in either case and it would shoot with the best of them and still hold it's value.

Custom rifle, I would stay with the Sako action, again a Garcia or earlier, and put a Lilja barrel on it and a nice xxx American walnut stock, built by Dennis Olson.

Either way, no disappointment and not a long wait if you went custom...

Putting a new barrel on a Sako is one way to ALMOST make one shoot worth a hoot.

If you go the 270 Pre-64 Winchester FWT in a McMillan, it might end up looking like the one in the middle of this trio.






donsm70

Thanks guys, I have a BACO Featherweight in 7x57 which I plan on using on white-tails in New York and Pa., I was looking for an out west longer range rifle, sorry for not mentioning that.

My "western" rifle is a Kimber Montana in .300 WSM. Shoots 150 and 180 gr Barnes TTSX into little bitty groups and is a joy to carry.

donsm70

PS. The bottom rifle in the picture is a Colt/Nula hybrid in 7x57.

Why not a NULA? If you are looking at something that is no fuss, can shoot with the best of any rifle offerings and is more custom than not. Any of the chamberings you mention.

The NULA will cost nore!

donsm70

I bought my first Sako, a finnbear, a couple of weeks ago on a whim. Went into to buy model 70 they had advertised and saw the sako that just came in on consignment. Price was right and after reading shrapnel write about them on here I thought I would try it out.

Enjoying it almost to the point of wondering how I ever hunted with Brownings and Remington's before. Usually as soon as I get a rifle I dream up a million things to change on it. With this one the only change I'll make is to up a nicer piece of wood on it eventually

I have had better luck and more fun by finding a really fine custom that's for sale used.

The few I have ordered did not come out quite as good as I expected.

Perhaps my ordering specifications could have been more detailed?

Now I have two customs that are really shooting well. The latest is on a pre-64 M70 action.

Here is the latest. It's a 300 Win mag which is not my favorite cartridge but it's shooting well. It has a nice custom stock and no problems along with a low price. It has a 3-9 Conquest on it now.

I would have one put together, that's what I did. I used s Borden alpine, Bartlein #2 contour barrel, Jewell trigger, & McMillan hunters edge stock. I had a top gunsmith screw it together & the results were predictably great.

The problem with a lot of the suggestions made above is that they aren't stainless. Any more to me non-stainless firearms are toys that stay in the safe. Any serious hunting rifle is stainless. I don't need any more safe queens.

That's too easy Bob....

I know how to make it more complex....

I can to Bob. But it's actually pretty simple. The action, stock, barrel, smith of your choice and a 7mm Mashburn reamer.

LES: Nice! With the Chicken no less..easy scope to get behind.

Alas the Mashburn is only for those unafraid of a reloading press and making their own brass.

Ouch! If you looked in my safe, you would only find one stainless rifle and that would be a pre-64 Model 70 in 220 Swift. None are left in there and not shot or hunted...

Yeah the notion that a pre 64 M70 is not a "serious" hunting rifle is amusing. The rifle has BTDT on more continents, in the hands of more pros and PH's, on more dangerous animals than any amount of SS,screwed together,pimped out and cheesed up Campfire blueprints you could shake a stick at.

No offense intended to anyone.