Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Help me build an affordable custom rifle please....

If I were to decide to build a couple custom rifles at an affordable price, which components would you recommend? I live near a VERY good gunsmith that will do the work at an affordable price. He said he would put together any components I choose, so I thought I would get the thoughts of you guys that have done many build before.
I was thinking maybe
Remington stainless action
Bartlein or Brux barrel
Bell and Carlson medalist stock???

what components would you choose, and where would you get them at the best price?
Thanks for your help

What do you want to do with said rifles?

The most affordable custom rifle is the one that is built exactly the way you want it without the concern of cost.

If you build several affordable rifles you'll end up with something you won't be quite happy with and then you'll sell them at a loss.

You want affordable, get a factory rifle, want a custom, get exactly what you want.

Lots of moves with a 700 build.

I'd grab a SS take off bbl from the classifieds and spend a bit more money on a McM Edge something or other. The .243, 7-08 and some .260's are twisted good if you want to shoot heavies although the throats can be way out there. You could always have him set it back and throat it properly.

If it's savings you're after buy other people's customs when they get the itch for something else. Much more money can be saved like that than labor or components.

Yup.

Most all "affordable" custom rifles are "parts" guns; not "custom rifles. The term is used loosely today.

Some smith screwing an after market tube onto a Rem 700 or M70, then bedding in a synthetic stock isn't "custom". The affordable part means you cut corners somewhere and thats where the custom goes out the window,within reason.

Yep I've gone this route and found it true. A rather expensive lesson I might add.

That having been said you should ask yourself what it is you want (what you're looking to accomplish that can't come from a factory) and then build with those questions in mind.

A Remington 700 build like you describe can't be bad but if you're looking to do a lightweight .280 Rem maybe a mountain rifle with a McMillan added can get you there for less money? Just an example but you see what I mean.

Higbean raises a good point too. If you want a really accurate rifle built to your specs that can be a good way to go.

Good luck! This is an expensive but rewarding addiction...

You could save a few bucks by going with an ER Shaw barrel I'm using a couple of their #1 contour barrels right now and they are very nice. For example, if you were building a Mauser in Brownells sells them("Brownells" barrels are made by "Small Arms Manufacturing" aka ER Shaw) for around $85(selection is limited to 25/06, 6.5 Swede, .308 & 30/06).
Numrich has a few others for around $120(bought a couple .270 barrels from them and they look fantastic).

I had a custom done a year ago with a NOS Yugo milsurp barrel in 8x57($40!!!) and have been very well pleased with it. A LOT depends on what YOU want...if you hadn't guessed I prefer Mauser actions(Good donor Mauser's can be found for about the same price as 700's).

I guess for me the most important thing is to know what you want. If you can be a bit flexible you can find products to get you there for a bit less cash, but look for parts that fit your plans, don't change the plans to fit the parts.

Yep.

For me, I like finding a used donor rifle, generally a 700, buy the barrel blank I want, and sent to a smith for installation. I find the stock, trigger, and bottom metal I want and take care of the bedding upon receiving the barreled action. The parts you choose are dependent on your budget. A build with factory bottom metal, a Medalist stock, tuned factory trigger, and a bead-blasted SS tube is going to be a lot cheaper than the same rifle with aftermarket bottom metal, a bedded McMillan stock, aftermarket trigger, fluted barrel, and Cerakote. Just those differences listed there can easily exceed $850 in cost difference, even though the rifles may shoot just the same. It boils down to where you want to spend your money and how much of it you have to spend.

That being said, a very good-quality "parts gun" doesn't have to be crazy expensive. I saw ADL 700 package rifles at Wal-Mart the other day with rebates. They were hard to walk away from at $300 effective cost for the actions. A person could have a good custom stainless tube installed to their specs, with basic lug-lapping and action refacing, and bead-blasting at $550-$600. A used H-S or new Medalist can be found for $250-$275. A tuned 700 trigger is $50. That's about $1,150-$1,250 for a rifle that will likely shoot well, provided you had a good smith. And you get the chambering and barrel twist/contour/length you want.

As you can see from the previous posts a little more thought needs to go into this. Decide what you want the rifle to do. Look pretty? Shoot dime size groups off a bench? Weigh 5 lbs all up? All of the above?
Once you decide what you want the rifle to be, talk to your smith. If it was me I would talk to several smiths and get their ideas on which way to accomplish your goal.
And don't forget about getting the stock fit to you. The best components in the world won't make an ill fitting stock feel natural to you.

Do you have a budget for rifle build?

google Will Fairbanks @ Fairbanks and Fairbanks rifles, see what Will can do for you.

He built this 6.5 Creed for me and you wouldn't believe what I paid for it,

Deviant Action
Bartlien Barrel
Jewel Trigger
DBM
McMillan A-5

Dollar to a donut one of them will be a 280AI...

A lot of truth in that.

You build what you want to build.

Don't let anybody tell you what you should or shouldn't do.

If you want to build something affordable than do it.

Who cares if you build it then want something else down the road. Nothing wrong with upgrading as you go.

Have fun doing it!

The key to an affordable custom, is to not get in a big hurry, and find deals as you come across them. It also doesn't hurt to be a wheeler and dealer.

I've got a 280 AI build at the smith right now, and from wheeling and dealing, it's a very affordable rifle.

It consists of:

Rem 700 Action w/PTG 1 piece bolt
Brux fluted Barrel
Jewell Trigger
McMillan Stock
PTG Bottom Metal
Seekins Base and Rings
Leupold VX-6 3-18x44
and a few other parts

My total investment, including the scope is just over $650. Proof that a quality rifle like you want can be had with a bit of time and effort.

I have started down the ACR (affordable custom rifle) path a few times and always found I could buy someone else's ACR that had lost it's shine to them much cheaper. Have a 700 in 6.5-06 in a Brown Precision with Shilen barrel that somebody decided wasn't custom enough for them.

That said I still find my self buying parts for the my next ACR run. But as SlickyBB said, I just buy them slowly over time as deals present themselves.

I say go for it. You might want to look at starting with a stainless Howa. Whole rifles were going for less than $400, sell the Hogue and barrel and you'd only have about $250 in the action. Plenty of aftermarket choices for stock, trigger, etc.

Good luck.

Not a snowballs chance in hell you bought all of that for $650........i dont care how long you waited around for the deals!

Well, believe what you want, I have no reason to lie. However, I have tracked my costs on this gun, down to the penny, and if you want to know the actual figure, it adds everything posted above plus a Holland Competition Recoil Lug, Callahan Speedlock, Tac Bolt Knob, PTG Bottom Metal, and new SS action bolts. Down to the penny total investment in parts is $653.08.

The only part that isn't new or custom ordered, is the 60s model 700 action. It's all about finding deals, and wheeling and dealing.

Would you at least care to share some how's? That scope alone for $650 is an absolute steal when they msrp for around 1200.