I'm in the market for a long range rifle and I'm undecided as to which way to go. I've got some good, accurate bolt actions but nothing that is my go to rifle for long range. It's use would be deer hunting, occasional coyote hunting and target shooting. Based on the broad use I don't want a heavy barrel as I cover a lot of ground when I hunt. I also enjoy shooting itty bitty groups as well as long range shooting (perhaps out to 600 yards on targets). The easy route would be to buy the Sako L691 .270 Winchester I've been eyeing up lately. My other consideration is to buy a high quality custom barrel and either build a standard weight sporter on a commercial Mauser action in .270 or 30-06 (if it's a Mauser I'm going to be traditional) or to do up a heavy sporter on a trued Remington 700 action, likely in 6.5 Creedmoor. No matter what it will be a blued steel and walnut sort of rifle simply because that is my taste.
Looking at pricing, either semi-custom option will run 50% more cost than the Sako I was looking at. Given that I enjoy shooting small groups and I like to shoot targets at long range how much do you think I stand to gain in terms of accuracy with a high quality custom barrel on a Mauser or a trued Remington over a factory Sako rifle? I used to own a semi-custom 6mm BR and I miss its accuracy potential. I'm no longer interested in competitive shooting and I want a versatile, highly accurate rifle that can be the best compromise of accuracy, power and portability.
