Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Which Custom/Semi-Custon rifle to buy?

Guys--I've accumulated a whole bunch of nice rifles and I have a bunch that I never use, some are still NIB. I was thinking of selling them and buying one nice rifle and putting some Alpha glass on it and calling it good. This rifle would be used for hunting elk and mule deer out west with the max shot at 600 yards with the average about 250-300 yards. I've looked at Nosler, Cooper and Best of the West. I can't find any McWhorter, MOA Evolution, Gunwerks or LAW rifles to look at around here. Any suggestions and why? Thanks.

It is truly hard to beat LAW for the price they are asking, not sure where you are at but I think Sportsman's carries them at some locations and I heard Cabela's is picking them up as well. My other recommendation would be Fierce, a little heavier gun than the LAW but from what I have seen their accuracy has been truly impressive. Early delivery issues turned some people off but they are up and running now. I believe, again, Cabelas and Sportsman's have them on the shelf at certain locations.

For a semi custom I've had great luck with a Hill Country Rifles Harvester built around a Rem 700 action. For an all out custom I'm in love with my McWhorter Custom 7mm-08.

If I were in the market you are I'd probably start with New Ultra Light Arms. Plan be would be to build off of either a Kimber Montana or Montana Rifle Co action, depending.

I'd call Echols, Simillion or Penrod,and have any of them build a rifle in your chosen cartridge.

Sako76,

About 30 years ago, I bought a Sako AV. It'll shoot very tiny groups all day long. I once showed a 3-shot group that could be covered by a dime to a friend who owned many custom built rifles. He said he didn't have one that shot as accurately as my Sako.

I own two Sako AV's: a .270 Win & a 7MM Rem Mag

I had thought about buying a used Sako AV and installing a .280 Rem Bartlein barrel on it. But when lucidity returned, I had decided to use my .270 Win instead. As it is, I have center rifles I don't use and probably won't use. But were I to buy another rifle, it'd be a Sako.

The point is if you own a Sako, you might already own the rifle of your dreams.

Before you buy anything evaluate why you don't like any of the rifles you own so you will know how this new rifle needs to be different. Then you will have your answer as to who needs to build your new rifle and how it needs to be built.

Some good advice here. It seems like you have a little flexibility on time as you have other rifles to sell and hunt with. So, I would pick the action you like the most and identify a stock pattern for it by McMillan, Bansner, or Brown that you know fits you well and call a recommended smith and talk through barrel choices and weight goals and you're on your way to a rifle that fits you on an action you like.

I recently did a similar purge and build and had a 7mm RM built on a Model 70 Classic SS action in a Bansner stock and have a S&B Summit on top and love it.

Good luck!

I'll throw GAP into the mix.

1. GAP if I had the money
2. Cooper

Shiloh Sharps, but get in line.

Go custom. Talk to several smiths and find one you can work with. Get the action you want that the smith also likes and get the stock fitted to you. Depending on your use, stock fitting may not seem all that critical but unless you have had a stock fitted to you, you don't know how sweet handling a rifle can be.

If I were in your shoes I would be talking to the little man named Echols or Mr.Kenny Jarrett. The guys here don't like Jarrett and think his rifles are too high but I challenge you to find a used one for sale. powdr

I had a Cooper 52 in .30/06 made to my specs. It took a long time to be made and to arrive. When the box was opened, I saw a truly beautiful rifle with great wood and excellent craftsmanship. The test target had a bug hole group. I sold the rifle six (6) months later because:

1. It was way to heavy for a .30/06 hunting rifle.

2. The safety did not lock the bolt.

3. The magazine could not be topped up without removing it from the rifle.

4. The bug hole test target, I learned, was shot at 50 yards (instead of 100 yards) with carefully crafted handloads. At 100 yards, with factory loads, an FN made Model 70 featherweight shot groups half the size of the Cooper (.5") with factory loads.

6. Beautiful does not equal accurate or useful. So I sold it for what I paid for it and never regretted that decision.

My recommendation would be to buy a late 40's or early 50's beater Winchester Model 70 and send it to Kenny Jarrett so he can turn it into one of his famous Beanfield rifles. This will set you back $6K plus your action. Or contact Stuart Satterlee in South Dakota and have him make you up one of his North American rifles built on a VZ 24 Mauser action that he will supply as part of the deal. These are superb rifles in the $4K range.

Evolution Gun Works builds some fine rifles based on the pre '64 Model 70 action as well.

Or, you could simply buy a current production Winchester Model 70 featherweight, put a very good scope on it and have a rifle that will likely shoot as well as most customs for a fraction of the cost.

another option....
buy an action from borden rifles and and have Jim barrel it for you then send have him send it off to have it bedded in a mcmillan stock by Tom Meredith

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$6000 for a "Beanfield Rifle"!!

Show us picture of one!

Assuming you don't share my predjudice in favor of various CRFs, I'd suggest a Nula. Never owned one, but saw a guy shooting one at the range and even twenty feet away, the quality was obvious. He was a very happy camper.

While I need another rifle like I need another winky, someday I might just order up a couple (I've got two sons in line for my stuff).

Go to Kenny's website for a pic. A very plain looking rifle that will drive tacks. Sometimes, you get what you pay for. This is one of those times.

For a lot less, you can, as I advised, buy an FN Model 70 featherweight. A 30/06 of that persuasion that I recently sighted in for a friend consistently shot .5" @ 100 yards with Barnes TTSX factory ammunition and had a very good trigger for a hunting rifle. But the OP said he wanted a custom or semi-custom rifle and they don't come cheap....

Not much to disagree with here.

Minor variation on the same theme. Gene Simillion.

Guys, thanks for all the advice, keep it coming.

How about a DIY custom?

Shilen DGR action. Made by Stiller for Shilen. Has a 700 footprint and uses any trigger that will work on a 700. Will work in any stock inletted for a 700. Has a floating bolt head like a savage ensuring full lug contact. Has small firing pin and ejector plunger holes so handles pressures well. Comes with a double pinned PT&G recoil lug and can be had with a matching 20 MOA pinned rail. Uses a barrel nut like a Savage so you can easily install and headspace your barrel (or barrels) yourself.

One of several pre chambered and threaded barrels in the cartridge of your choice. Criterion and Shilen are the most readily available but if those don't flip your switch, there are plenty of others. I have a Criterion in 6.5x47 Lapua on mine and it put six shots with two different charges in about 2" at five hundred yards during load development.

Any stock of your choice inletted for a 700. In keeping with the DIY concept, I would consider a Manners with the DBM mini chassis or one of the many other chassis. I picked up a used HS Precision that had been inletted for PT&G DBM bottom metal as an interm until I get something a little nicer for it. It works well as is though.

Beauty of this route is that in an hour in your garage you can put together a custom rifle with a precision custom action and other components of your choice that will shoot with most custom rifles out there for hundreds of $ less than a full custom and you will have the satisfaction of having done it yourself. When you get the itch for another clambering, simply order another pre chambered and threaded barrel for $300, install it yourself and start sending rounds down range.

John

This. Seriously.

Buds SS SA 308 bolt face, ~$400 delivered, Rick's Edges $569, barrel of your choice $350, Diablo's action true, barrel install, ~$350. Rock on in 6.5, 7mm, 308, 338........or there are several sako actions for sale in the classified.

Or

Tikka SS lite Wittakers or euro.....~$550 delivered 6.5-55 or 708 or? And , Rick's Edge special......

Quoting myself...this.

Agree on Jarrett rifles. I have 4 of them.

300 Jarrett
300 Winchester
280AI
264 Winchester


They are boring rifles as all of the ones I have shoot bug holes all day long. True there are other smiths that will give you the same performance for more or less money but this is the choice of the buyer and should not driven by the opinions of others who may have not shot a Jarrett.

I have custom rifles from most of the other well know custom builders also. McWorther, Gradous, Kampfeld, Surgeon Hill Country, Penrod, Borden, Banser, Kelby, KIDD etc.. They are all great builders and their rifles are lasers.

When and if you get ready to buy a custom talk or ask questions to the ones that have shot the ones that you are questioning about.

Good luck and drop me a message if there are any questions I can help you with. I may be able to help you along with saving you some money from the lesson I have learned from buying so many custom rifles over the last 20 years.

Hill Country Rifles.

Another vote for NULA. You get to choose caliber, etc. so it is right for you. My third NULA is on order, each of them significantly different from the others. If you have to have pretty wood in a heavy, shiny rifle, you will have to choose another builder.

I would figure out what you are looking for in terms of action features, chambering, stock design and material. What LOP do you want? what kind of weight? barrel length, balance etc.

Once you know those things you can see if one of the off the shelf rifles fits your desires, if not you will have the specs thought out for a custom builder.

Is Dakota off the table? I don't see them mentioned much, if ever. Any reasons?

I have a Dakota 76 African in .416 Rigby. It came with a Douglas SS barrel and consistently shoots under an inch with factory ammo. XXX Englsh walnut, Swaro scope, Recknagel QD scope mounts, all metal surfaces coated in Roguard with bolt and internals done in NP3. It has taken dozens and dozens of African game animals, including cape buff and lion. If I could only keep one of my rifles, this would be it.

That said, I have friends who have bought Dakotas and complain about the lack of accuracy. My local Dakota dealer discontinued carrying them because of too many complaints about inaccuracy from customers. This is contrary to my personal experience, however. Just saying....

BTW, I have never owned an HS Precision rifle, but have several friends who do and enjoy them a great deal. HS guarantees .5" 3 shot groups. They are push feed and have detachable magazines, two features I could never abide with on a DG rifle, but am considering one in 7-08.

This may sound a bit out of left field but, why not get a BRAND NEW double square bridge Mauser from SARCO for $349?

Dumoulin Mauser Action

Sunny Hill makes high quality scope rings for it(only domestic source that I am aware of)

Send it out to the smith or barrel maker of your choice and get it done right with a premium barrel.

Then off to McMillan or maybe Macon Gunstocks, either one will put on a nice stock for under $700.

That's what I would do anyway.

I tried this same thing 2 years ago. Sold 12 custom rifles and decided on a semi custom 270 for shooting and hunting the lower 48. Now two years later I have 17 rifles in the safe and can't break the addiction. My advice? Keep your current favorite. One the the most satisfying experiences for me was having a pre 64 300 h&h refinished by a well known Seattle gunsmith. The bore was excellent, got a new crown machined, tuned the trigger, glass bedded the stock, new matte bluing, oil finished stock, and recut the factory checkering. Loved that gun, gave it to my son

With a rifle like that 300 H&H, you wouldn't really need anything else.

Use the rifles you have now. More than one rifle is a back up for the current favorite.

The 'special' best rifle may never come!

Kinda depends on what you want, Lightweight, vs pretty wood, vs heavy semi-target rifle etc etc etc.

I would say that IMHO the best current action available is the Mausingfield. It combines the best features of other actions and is very precisely made. It fits in 700 pattern stocks so you could have a wood stock made for it or use a McMillan or other Rem pattern stock. With a reasonable barrel contour you could probably make a 8.5lb or so rifle but not an ultralight. Still the feeding, ejection, strength etc are worth it. :-)

If I had to pick one current factory rifle it would be one of the Sako 85 Carbonlites..............dj

I’m pretty impressed with a newly acquired Christensen Arms Ridgeline. Showing promise within its first 40 rounds. Might be worth a looksie.

NULAS are no where at all visually appealing to me which is part of what you are paying for with a custom rifle. If not go buy a Tikka. I would rather have my McWhorter or my MG Arms ultrallight which take a fraction of the time to build than a NULA.

Who said there is no resurrection!!!

This custom 30-06 with an octagon barrel came by chance. The shop was about to put it in the rack and I said "Let me see that rifle."

It's a fabulous custom that we only hope we will ever get by 'ordering' it!

Remington 700 KS Custom shop rifles are outstanding in ergo's, quality & accuracy, especially the ones made from about 1985 to about 2010.

MM

270 Win

+1 Dakota

I've had a 76 classic 280

I have a

Dakota 76 Varmint single shot in 220 swift

Dakota 76 Classic 338 Winchester Magnum

Dakota 97 in 243 Winchester.

all are accurate but the 338 which I haven't figured out how to shoot off a bench quite yet.

I ordered a custom rifle to my written specifications from the best smith I knew of. I supplied the action and .375 H&H barrel. When the rifle was finished the smith showed me the rifle and said all the work is free! He had made the stock from a blank which alone is a lot of work.

He said "the fore end is too thin."

The rifle was beautiful.

About to receive a nula model 24 in 30/06... take a look at them you won’t be sorry...

I am considering a Bergara Premier Mountain rifle in .300 Win.....One of these in your choice of caliber might meet your criteria.....Good luck...Hb

This thread is almost 2 years old and the OP never did say what he decided on. I think I would have read ol Bobin's post and went with that. Maybe that's what he did...

Those Dakota's are beautiful pieces of work. I'd say, my semi custom 338wm is not even in the same league as a Dakota, but it sure shoots well...


If I were looking for a semi custom, I'd probably just build one from a good pre 64 model 70 action:


Throw it in a brown poundR, slap a good quality scope on it and call it good...

Love everything about that rifle

Thanks oldelkhunter. I like it too. My elk hunting partner cant believe how light it is. For a pre 64, It's not bad at 7 pounds without scope. The poundR stock is rock solid for its weight and the ergos help to soak up the recoil.

You ever decide to sell that rifle PM me .

I love these old threads.