Stonewall, no problem here as I am not the sort of guy who posts here or on the other two forums I participate in to harass or insult anyone and I am not upset with your honest opinions. I will be 59 in about two weeks and am long past the time of life when I "need" to denigrate others, even indirectly, in order to bolster my own self esteem. So, keep up your posts, bud, we ALL have something to learn from each other.
I admit to being a bit too blunt, at times, but I am refering to the gunsmiths mentioned from the perspective of being "top" rather than just competent smiths. Bill Leeper ( dare I drop his name?) has impressed me very much, however, he would be the very first to publicly refute any suggestion that he is a "top" smith; he is a highly intelligent, witty, knowledgable gunsmith/shooter whose skill at his craft is far greater than his humility will allow him to mention. He is not a worldclass gunmaker, but, he can build a serious hunting rifle that does what you need it to do and his wry humour just cracks me up.
I have currently got 33 centerfire rifles, just sold one and many of them are custom or customized. I strongly prefer very plain rifles to the fancy customs that I lusted after when younger as I backpack hunt and hate beating the crap out of a gorgeous wood stock, BUT, I must have absolute perfection in function and therein lies the rub, as we all know.
Overall, I agree with .280 on the way to get a rifle together, I have met Tim and Rod of Corlane and like them, but, I can do my own bedding and just get them to paint for me...or use spray paint. There are a couple of other guys who are good, competent smiths, but, the actual market for "top" gunsmithing here in Canada is tiny and it is very difficult to make a decent wage at gunbuilding.
I have quite a few friends and acquaintances who frequently call me about rifles and we all bemoan the fact that the type of gunsmith quite common in the USA just doesn't exist here in Canada....and, in view of contemporary social trends, that is not likely to change. If, I were younger and more of a gung-ho trophy hunter like .280 or my good friend Chuck or RickF, whom I hope to meet in person, I would damned well take out a loan and buy an Echol's Legend in .338 Win. As it is, I can find the people here at home to do what I cannot do and can fit my stocks myself, well enough to usually shoot m.o.a.; this is about all you can expect from we old farts.
Much of our opinion(s) on this topic also stems from our personal requirements for a rifle and that is going to make our individual desires differ markedly. I want a light, crf, medium bore rifle with flawless function and reasonable accuracy that will take hard use without problem. Someone else may need much greater accuracy, gorgeous wood, engraving or perhaps just a rifle that they can brag about. It's all part of the game, whether your thunderstick is a full house Paul Dressel fullstocked carbine that costs more than many new cars, or, a light mountain rifle built by a number of individual craftsmen that you coordinate yourself. Me, I used to want them all !!!!!
