Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Plan to build my own custom compact hunter..........MISTAKE???

just buy an outta the box Tikka......

splurge on glass/rings......

(if married) take the wife out to dinner with the rest...

Have excellent German glass and rings already and Tikka does not make a stainless version I like. No one does, all the production rifles available today are geared toward "Chris Kyle" wanna bees. No offense what so ever towards Kyle intended, he is a true American hero. With that said I refuse to buy another "one size fits all" rifle. I purchased a REM SA single shot action, Criterion .308 REMAGE light varmint barrel 20", Nss barrel nut and lug and tools. When I get it together wil mic out the action and barrel for a McMillan Hunter stock inlet with 13 1/4" pull.

Thought about goin the Montana route (a fine rifle if you get a shooter) but there we go again.......paying a gunsmith to remove, shorten, crown and install a barrel to get what I want when the configuration should have been offered by the manufacturer. Any barrel length over 18"- 20" on a 308 is wasted metal and diminished ergonomics in mine and many others opinion.

It is offered by the manufacturer.

Kimber Adirondak - 18 inch barrel, lighter than a Montana and available in .308

No building needed.

Gitsum,

Single shots can be reloaded very quickly. In my opinion there really is no drawback. Sounds like a nice build. Good luck






Shod

Terrible reviews on accuracy, some shoot and some don't.............production rifle blues.........$1500 Blues.

Just saying - I know of people buying up all the Kimbers they can that "don't shoot" and getting them to shoot - no gunsmith required.

Mine shoots excellently.

Good luck with your build.

I am not bashing anybodies rifles, not what I do. I have had some downright hole in hole production rifles, recommended em to friends and the one they buy don't shoot worth a flip. Relieve the stock, cleanup the crown hand load some taylored ammo and they shoot. I understand all that. I bought a Cooper few years back. Beautiful rifle, would not shoot high quality match factory ammo inside an inch. Was able to load up some rounds it would shoot. A $2000 rifle should shoot sub moa with high quality factory match ammo in my opinion, my $400 Ruger Predator will, in fact most of em will. That suggests me that Cooper, Kimber etc. is ridin on name if they can build a "custom" production rifle, charge $1500 plus and get away with "if you work at it, it will shoot rifles".
Just frustrates me that's all. I just thought I would see if I can build one exactly like I want and it shoot 1/2" or better moa.
Hell I may find out I am all wet on this, we'll see.
I will post some honest group pics with Hornady Amax factory ammo when I get her built. If I can't build one that will shoot 1/2 moa or better with factory match ammo I will gladly eat crow sandwiches! LMAO

I am having action trued but leaving threads alone, you are right REMAGE barrels have Remington thread unless you have a barrel made and threaded from a blank. As far as I know you would then have to have nut built for larger thread diameter........and I am tryin to keep gunsmiths outta the equation as much as possible. Wasn't gonna even true the action but got weak on that one. Lol

Greatest fun on Earth you can do while vertical is to build one like you mention. I use Remington 700, 40X, and 783 actions, along with the Savage single Shot Precision Target Actions.

My favorite barrels are the Pac-Nor Super Match Stainless Steel, with the Rem Nut for the Remington. I usually order Pac-Nor's polygonal rifling as I have found it extremely accurate in every caliber, and easy to clean. I use a twist calculator to match the twist rate to the particular bullets being used.

I rebarreled a 783 to .25-06 using one of the Criterion barrels from Northland Shooters Supply, and found it to be an accurate and well finished barrel. However, the Pac-Nor is superior, but more expensive with a longer wait time. Shilen barrels are another good choice, I have them on several rifles.

The last Remington 700 I did on a new Brownell's action. Like you I had it modified, except for the barrel threads. The best things I had done was to have the bolt raceway reamed, and the bolt double sleeved, to keep the top locking lug in contact with the receiver during the firing cycle. The lugs were fitted and the firing pin hole bushed, and a double pinned precision recoil lug installed, facilitating swapping barrels. I had the Jewel trigger I had installed timed. This was overkill, but it's a hobby.

The barrel nut does not detract from accuracy when carefully installed. I use headspace gauges to ensure that each barrel is within specs, and can be reinstalled exactly the same. I also use a Teflon anti-seize on the barrel, receiver and nut threads, to protect the steel and allow for consistent torquing of the nut.

Here's a couple of photos of what they look like:



Above: Remington 700, Pac-Nor 24" Super Match .308 Winchester polygonal rifled 1:10" twist, Sendaro contour barrel, with 12 degree muzzle crown, Vais Muzzle Brake, Rem-Nut. Bell & Carlson Medalist M-4 Stock with Wyatt Outdoor detachable magazine bottom metal. OEM internal magazine and bottom metal is interchangeable. This rifle also has a Pac-Nor barrel in .22-250 Ackley that interchanges and uses the same magazines.




Above: Remington 783 with Rem/Age Criterion barrel in .25-06, with .250" precision recoil lug, Boyds laminated stock. I still have to finish developing loads for this rifle. The Factory .30-06 barrel is shown on the table.

It's not a mistake to build your own, especially given that the .308 Winchester configuration shoots well under .5" at 100 yards for 10 shots.

You may not know it,but you have about the same chance of having the same blues with a custom gun costing twice as much.

Not likely Lol. But if and that's a big if I do I can do everything I need to do to tweak it myself WITHOUT paying a gunsmith to do it. Even if I had to buy another barrel I would still be in the black by avoiding the smith. You must own a Kimber, if you do I sincerely am happy you are happy with it. Like I said I will not be baited into some sorta pis sin match with anybody about their choice of rifles.........like I said I own a Ruger Predator 18" barrels 308 that is the cheapest made, roughest milled receiver, watch it rust finished rifle I have ever owned but it shoots fantastic. to each his own, I am to busy enjoying building this rifle to worry about wether someone else's rifle is better than mine. I like all rifles I am a rifleman I own one old shotgun and one nice handgun but have 2 safes of some very nice and a few extremely accurate rifles all production rifles. But this one will be my design built by me. A first for me.

Hey bud those are some nice lookin rifles, did you pillar and bed the Boyd stock?.....my plan is to put a McMillan under mine but thought about the Boyd

Gotta go with Ted here.

Just for the record,I wasn't trying to bait you. I try very hard not to match piss with anyone. Neither was I promoting any particular rifle.I was simply stating that things don't always work out as you planned,but I see you have this well in hand,so I wonder why you ever posted the question to start with.

I attempted to clarify the reason I posted thread earlier. With the exception of a couple of responses I have not heard any real cons to the REMAGE setup. I realize I could improve things by having a Kreiger, Bartlein barrel etc. turned down and threaded for the REMAGE setup but I am not tryin to create a bench rifle here. Just an assembled by me consistantly true sub moa factory ammo shooting huntin rifle built the way I need it. So far what I have heard about the Criterion REMAGE setup has been upheld in the thread. The reason I started the thread was so I could confirm what I had heard elsewhere. I just joined this forum but have referred to it for a long time because there a lot of well informed and well intentioned members that are knowledgable and respectful. Most of the responders were able to get what I was after and I appreciate the pros and cons that were offered.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your knowledge and time.

I can appreciate your thinking. Some time ago I gave up a few hobbies and usually bring my lunch to work to save every penny I can to have my rifles custom built. Sounds like you want to have a rifle that is truly your own, and I tip my hat to you. It no doubt adds to pride of ownership to have your own sweat in it. I should also add that I am too chicken to build my own.

You already have a lot of good input so I'll leave it with giving a +1 to those who said starting with a trued action is a good idea.