Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats What action would you pick for a classy build?

For a high-grade custom job, I'd assume that cost was NOT a factor (since we ARE dreaming here). For me it would definitely be a 98 Mauser (preferably an FN). While I do appreciate the Model 70's, I can't see going with a "copy" of the Mauser when I can have the original!

Pal,
Fortunately it didn't cost that. Texas, why would you want to do that? Cost not being a factor, the original 98 is not the answer.
Butch

Well put. Seems that most of the guys who complain about money drive new pickups, new 4-wheelers, etc. as well.

I have too many custom rifles, and still want more. But about half of the ones I own are built on Mauser actions, five commercial and three military, which indicates some sort of prejudice.

On the other hand, two are built on Remington 700 actions, and one on a Savage. Then there's the .30-40 Krag double rifle built on a Ruger Red Label frame....

VZ-24 the Czech model 98.(It would look good and feel right at home next to my CZ-550)

Oohh! Nice!

Damn....I like that...

Amen.

Terry - I hear you, but if a fellow is out of work.....

and I do agree 10 700s = a few customs.

Right now I am down to 2 rifles in the safe, 1 my sons, another is just something to tide me over while my 2 Bordens get assembled, I am awaiting delivery of the stocks and off to the smith.

Wow, many of my past customs took a year, or over to get all the parts, then to the smith, 5 yrs must drive you nuts man! LOL.

I have owned a couple of fairly high-dollar customs and while it is great to daydream about what action, wood, gunsmith, etc. generally speaking customs are better in daydreams than reality. They are generally difficult to sell because they are your dream piece, not necessarily someone else�s so you are trying to sell to a very limited group of buyers and quite often at a fairly high asking price. If you are lucky you can recoup a portion of the money spent on a custom, perhaps 2/3 at most.

I have gravitated to buying Coopers instead of custom rigs. I like their action design, they will build just about anything a person could reasonably want, in about any price range from entry level to - the sky's the limit. They come with an accuracy guarantee that has never failed to meet the standard for me and any time I have decided to sell one it has taken less than a day. Another plus is that order to finish time is usually under 6 months even for a fully optioned rifle.

Every Cooper I have owned I has been sold for more than I paid for it, there aren't many customs that you can do that with.

But with that being said, everyone should have had a least one custom. Why? Just for the experience of having just what you think you want. And if you are unlucky the experience of attempting to get the problems resolved when the action is from one source, the barrel is from another source, and the build was done by someone else and they all say it is the other persons fault if there is a problem.

drover

To me a classy build is one of the old school classic actions popular before WWII. Those actions have already been described here.
Why would I choose one of those ? Because my rifle maker informed me that a classic 98 Mauser goes "bang" under conditions where other actions don't.
Now I suspect that you aren't really interested in that, but you did ask.
Seriously, search your heart and decide what says "classy" or "classic" to you. Do that. And like TC1 says, "where there is a will, there is a way." It might take a while, but it can be done as he describes. That and find a guy that specializes in working with what you want. Get references, etc.
I also realized that I can only hunt with one rifle at a time. Make at least one of them a classic, and make it one that will do all that I can ever ask of that rifle.
I have at least one such rifle. It was made with a Mauser 98 action. Suitably lightend like a G33/40 and modified to suit my tastes. E

Drover - I like Coopers and may get one in the future, they seem to have more consistency than Kimber, overall..as to being shooters.

I agree w/your comments. Hopefully the prices do not go up.

That said, I wish Cooper made a SS rifle....just b/c.

65BR - good news for you, they are beginning to offer stainless rifle. I do not know what the time line will be for the various models and configurations but I had an opportunity to fondle the first one made back in August.

I didn't care for the laminated stock but it is my understanding that they will be available in all of the sporter stock configurations. This particular one is chambered in 375 H&H.

drover

This statement alone lets me know you have never owned a truly nice custom rifle. With all due respect, Cooper makes a nice rifle but it's not a custom by any stretch of the imagination.

Terry

Drover - good news! I have had a hankering for an SS M54...I don't mind pretty walnut if sealed, floated, bedded, but will take a quality Synthetic....for a hunting tool.

Terry, no doubt, Cooper - you get a semi-custom, semi-production, not a true custom, but perhaps an affordable option for some and one that has a shorter time line to completion.

You have a VERY nice collection of fine rifles that I'd gladly hunt ANY of them! Or all. Just let me know when you need my address

+ 1,000

Couldn't have said it any better than that. While I have a few Mausers my prize customs are built around the good "ole 1903".

TC1 and jim62,

Those are pretty broad statements by both of you since neither of you know me personally, nor do you know what rifles I have owned.

While my experience with high-dollar customs has been limited to two customs both were $5000 builds 15 to 20 years ago,at least to me that was some fairly serious money at the time. They were built by different smiths both of whom were nationally known and whose work is still highly regarded today. One build was a bed of roses, the other was a bed of thorns.

Since I do not know either of you, have no idea what your tastes in rifles are or what your idea of a truly nice custom is I will not state an opinion on what you own or have owned and I would expect the same consideration from you. I will say though that a custom rifle, or any other custom object, is nothing more than an expression of an individuals idea and what may be a truly nice custom to one person may be an eyesore to another.

The point of my post was that if you build a custom and decide to sell it then be prepared to take a fairly significant loss unless you are extremely lucky and find someone whose tastes are the same as yours.

As far as Coopers I never compared them to a full custom, I stated that I have come to prefer them because they are accurate, you can upgrade them to any level you wish, the build time even for a very high-grade one is relatively short, the shoot well, maintain their value, and are easy to sell.

But most of all I buy them because I like them

drover

Well Drover, in your first post here pimping Coopers, you made some pretty broad statements yourself. Most of which are simply false.

First of all- you WERE comparing Coopers to a custom rifles. Otherwise ,WHY are you even discussing them on this thread? On the "Custom rifles" forum no less? WHERE is YOUR "consideration" for us?

Coopers are NOT custom rifles, they are a factory made rifle to which special order options can be added..

As to making money on a Cooper, UNLESS you are laying in the weeds buying USED rifles for 75% of current retail ,you WILL get hosed when you resell a Cooper rifle. The only people who make money buying new Coopers are COOPER DEALERS.

As to delivery times, most Coopers that have a high number of custom features DO take longer than 6 months.. The average is about 1 year from what Cooper dealers have told me. And the rifles are STILL not up to true custom quality- in either styling ,quality or overall artistry.

If a guy is too impoverished, impatient or ignorant to have a truly FINE custom rifle built, than a Cooper is a good factory gun for them..

Well I read through this whole thred some guys have good thoughts on builds, and actions to work off of. Like many I'm just blue collar too, mason sore back rough hands. My action pick is an older 700 Rem. I'm into a build now maybe not as custom as some but it floats my boat. I searched till I found a very clean 700 ADL REM. Might sound funny to some but I like the classic look. The rifle was a .308 Win. 99.9% clean. I'm havein a 26" Hart barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor SS recessed crown and fluted. The stock will be channeled out to take contour of barrel and bedded action. R.W. Hart is a top notch smith and Hart barrels are N.Y's finest. I'm from Pennsylvania and this is my 2nd. build my first was on a mouser action in 25.06, that I ended up sellin. This 700 action is a 1981 vintage and in perfect condition for a 30 yr. old gun it looks like it was made yesterday. I like the 721,722's actions too. I guess what I'm sayin a 700, 721,22, older pre.64 Win. and older Ruger 77's is what I'ed build off of. When I get gun back I'll post some pictures.....Later

Nothing wrong at all with a m700 for a "classy" build. Th action desgin is about 60 years old now going back to the m721 rifles. It's as "Classic" as anything else.

Besides the lower cost and generally higher accuracy potential and faster lock time, and lighter action weight- the Remington DO have very lean action lines. They also have smoother and tighter bolt travel than most any m98 Mausers even ones that have been reworked extensiveness.

Many very fine Classic stocked guild level customs rifles have been built on m700 actions or clones(aesthetically the same thing).