Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Why Do People....

Bob,

At one time or another, I have probably been guilty of most of the reasons mentioned above for flipping a rifle. I enjoy "building" things. And love to tinker. However, over the past two years, I have consciously chosen to spend more time shooting and less time tinkering. As a result, have given away or sold most of my firearms.

Finally settled on a LH Rem 700 KS in .270Win as primary centerfire rifle. Still flipping a coin between a custom .30-06 and a custom .300H&H as the "back up".

But, even as I am still working to thin the herd, the "tinker" in me is having thoughts of building a custom LH version of Whitebird's Pre-64 .257 Roberts SG that is listed in the classifieds... What ever it is... I've got it bad...

Plenty of rifles only one custom. 250AI

I think one thing that happens but never gets talked about is rifles that are bought/ built then fail to function. . For me It's mostly been I loose interest and off to the next greatest thing. Now that I'm older I have found most of the carts I want and need. And I have found the reciever that I will always use so now its just put the little tweaks on things like barrel length , cartridge and scopes. Stocks too . The 338/375 Ruger wildcat will make a great all around Alaska rifle round with a few rifles set up for different primary jobs but all cut with the same reamer so a round from one will at least fully function in the others. . Plus, I'm frugal and have limited brain space for different drops ect.
I can do everything I will do with 4 different cartridges and about 8 rifles. Several of them will work to at least 600 yards on the species they are best suited for.

Orion I understand the affliction!

I've never spent that kind of money on a custom. 500ish for a stock, 500ish for a barrel, some for smith work, thatsa bout all you can do beyond a scope. And the action of course, but at 299 on sale at times... still under 2000 fairly easily.

As to building and selling, I don't. I think I sold a bulky heavy Ruger 44 in 2003 to fund a light 44 that was actually useful.

Beyond that I can't recall selling a gun. Actually ever, other than a 270 given for payment of a debt and since I hate 270s....

Of course no one ever said I was normal.

And I build after a few years of thinking. To fit a scenario. Each one has its niche. Some get used more than others. But then the ones not used as much, well there really isn't anything else in the safe that would do what they do when they do get used.

Of course that means I don't have that many guns though.

And frankly, just shooting to shoot is boring to me these days. Too many years of competition I guess.

But I do enjoy tinkering on the next build now and then. Or trying to finish the last.

How many have a gun retubed and then it sits in the safe, not bedded, not loaded or fired or scoped, for years... I've one thats got to be close to 5 years since its back... but then again the mountain hunts its built for have not seen a tag drawn yet either...

Id bet part of it is guys (me included) spend $3000 and expect 1/2" groups in a range trip or two.

Casey, that it don't always work that way, is part of the learning curve..

Think it was Ross Seyfried who said that after awhile, you start to view the next miracle rifle like a three toed coyote eye balling a free piece of meat....

Easily done with most any $600 Tikka. lol.

But I still like to buy customs in caliber choices that are not available in the Tikka.

Eric

Actually, it is my Tikka that ruined any patience I have for custom rifles. For 5x the cost of a tikka, it better out shoot a tikka!haven't found one yet that would.

Hot rodder's are the same. I just bought a '73 Ford Mach 1 at 70% of the sum of the receipts that came with it. These excluding the cost of the car... An urge, a reaction and a sell I guess. I did the same once many years ago, never again.

Bob, I still have to wonder why do people willing hand off large sums of property/income taxes to states that continually take away their rights.

I also don't understand the HUGE sums of money people pay in property taxes.

No, it floats around in the ocean.

To the OP, I'd bet it's because of the "let down" that occurs when you build up in your head what a 5k rifle will be like, and when it actually arrives and you realize that all those trick moves didn't give you much more than what a 1k rifle does.

Calvin: That feeling does pop up with some customs!

So, I have this 30-06 thing going...

I'm not supposed to rebarrel my 30-06 every two years?

I'd say this is correct -

Pass me the faux Ti...

Who said that?