24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 2 of 2 1 2
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,705
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,705
Good luck.

Hey notwithstanding the above useful info from 260RG, don't discount the Howa / Vanguard for a build. They are a great starting point too and I would option one above the Marlin and not far off the 700.

A secondhand Zastava for a long action wouldn't suck either.

BP-B2

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 477
S
Campfire Member
Offline
Campfire Member
S
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 477
Keep your eye out for a custom that someone has already sunk the money into, but now no longer needs (or needs cash more than a rifle).

I've done the "let's just customize the rifle a little" route. Seems like a good idea, but here's what happens.

Remington 700 action - $350
Bolt Flute - $100
New bolt knob - $80
Cerakote bolt - $60
Cerakote barreled action - $200
New Stock - $600
New Firing Pin - $110
New Trigger -$120
New Trigger Guard - $30
Other Misc. Stuff - $100
Stuff I paid for and blocked from my mind - $????

And that is how you spend way too much on an action you could never sell for what you put into it.

If you can find an action that someone has already done the work on, you can typically pick it up for pennies on the dollar. If you are not in a rush and have some flexibility on caliber, you can get some great deals. Just know what your looking for and check gunbroker, gunsinternational, classifieds here, etc.


If you died tomorrow, what would you have done today ...
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,526
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,526
Good post. Ought to cool a few jets.


What fresh Hell is this?
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 3,241
CJC73 Offline OP
Campfire Tracker
OP Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 3,241
good post... agreed.

Good forum to toss ideas and get feedback from others who have been there/done that. Learn from mistakes and mistakes of others crazy

I know I'm a novice when it comes to stuff like this, all my rifles are factory rifles and some shoot VERY well. But would like to get into a custom in a custom caliber. I recently purchased one from the fire in the form you explained, someone did the work already (trigger, barrel, stock, off a Savage action in a wildcat caliber). But would like to do my own at some point. And by no means in a hurry. So, keep my eyes open for 'deals'.

Thanks again all!

Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,590
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,590
Originally Posted by CJC73
Thanks...guess I'll pass.

Was thinking I could get it done for around a grand give or take plus the smith work. $250 for rifle, $300 for new stock, $150 for a trigger, $300 for a barrel and whatever for the smith work. Unless my numbers are way off. Which they very well could be.

Keep my eyes open for a cheap 700.

What's a good round off that 30-06? Just want something slightly different, maybe not for you all in this forum but for me and guys I shoot with. And not necessarily off a 30-06.




I'd start with the following:

What do I intend to do with the rifle - quarry I'll be chasing etc.?
How much do I plan on shooting it?
Lastly, you should probably land on whether you're going to use a 30.06 based action or not - it'll help narrow chambering options. smile

Twer it me dipping a toe into my first custom foray, I'd not do it in "something different", I'd do it in a chambering that's something I like already and one I'm familiar.


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

WWP53D
IC B2

Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,691
J
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
J
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,691
I have had and hunted with .338-06 for five or six years. Not going for really big stuff, I found the 200 Speer and the 210 Nosler most useful. A 6.5-06 might also be very useful. Either might cure your itch. The .338 can easily be accomplished with a rebore job. The 6.5 will require a new barrel, unless you find a long shanked smaller caliber that could be set back.

Good luck,

Jack


"Do not blame Caesar, blame the people...who have...rejoiced in their loss of freedom....Blame the people who hail him when he speaks of the 'new, wonderful, good, society'...to mean ,..living fatly at the expense of the industrious." Cicero
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,027
C
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
C
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,027
You know, there are LOTS of very, very nice rifles in the $1,000 range that would keep their value when you decide you want something else later on - think Sako, Kimber, Winchester (FN) Featherweight...


All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing -- Edmund Burke
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 262
T
Campfire Member
Offline
Campfire Member
T
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 262
I've built around 50 custom Remington 700's in the last three years and they have several inherent shortcomings. I've spent hours machining remedies for these problems. A few of these shortcomings are done away with by the simple design of the RAR action. I have been wanting to build a custom off of a RAR for a while now and the trigger/ tang safety is the only thing that has stopped me. The Rap receiver is bored and turned on a lathe therefore making it necessarily concentric. This is a big plus over the broached, cast, or EDM cut bolt ways of the typical factory two lug actions. The bolt of the RAR is almost completely made on the lathe of a single piece of steel. This makes it almost fool proof to produce a bolt with perpendicular bolt lugs and bolt face. Most factory bolts have several pieces, a cylindrical body, a soldered or pinned bolt head with the lugs in it. This is not the best way to make something straight and true. That's why these bolts need turning and actions need truing. Now it would be nice if Ruger would grind the bolt body or at least decrease the feed rate of the lathe to improve the finish so it doesn't look like a piece of threaded rod. However the three lug bolt and action makes for a much more stable, inherently accurate platform than a two lug action. The nature of the triangle will naturally reduce alignment errors and more evenly distribute forces from expanding gases. The slotted bolt handle is nice too, removing the need to solder or weld on the bolt handle makes It easier to chanage and stronger than the Remington that fails due to hard use or an unfortunately weak solder joint. The RAR also has a nice side bolt release like almost all custom actions. I don't know why Remington doesn't update that terrible bolt release! The twin recoil lug recesses seem innovative albeit frustrating to the stock maker. I am not sure how I feel about these, I think I would just leave out the ruger recoil lugs and add a flat ground Remington style recoil lug and bed the stock like usual. I like how the top of the action is continuous making for a good solid platform for scope mounting. Why in the world is Remington still milling the top off of the rear of the action? It would be so much easier to leave it round like savage has done in recent years. I understand they do it so they will not have to update the scope mount stuff since there are 100million Remington scope bases out there, but they could make a 21st Centry new model 700 and sell another million... Anyway that's just my 2 cents on the subject. I don't care about name brands and I don't think that just because something costs more means it's better, and I also have the ability to make whatever I want it only costs me my free time, which I enjoy this stuff anyway so it's no sacrifice there. So my opinion is go for it if you have the money and imagination. If not, buy someone's lightly used custom and save yourself the depreciation and hassle.

Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,612
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,612
If you do go ahead with a 338-06 a rebore of a 30-06 would be a good way to go and much cheaper than a new custom barrel, just a thought. I'm not sure that you can do a 6.5-06 from a 25-06 if you rebore, you might need to talk to a guy who does it to find out for sure.


Gerry.
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,705
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,705
Good post Timnterra. Always nice to hear someone unafraid to speak the alternate point of view.

I'm NO gunsmith but quite a few of them I speak to ventilate the same frustrations regarding working on the 700. Many declare it as a relatively poor starting point for a build, and that the only real thing it has going for it is all the off the shelf parts compatibility.

Anyway I enjoyed your post.

IC B3

Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 3,241
CJC73 Offline OP
Campfire Tracker
OP Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 3,241
Yes thank you for that post Timnterra....

Maybe I'll revisit the build just to do something different. I have no plans to sell it, but one never knows what the future holds so never say never.

I like the idea of a 338-06. So just rebore the 30-06 barrel to 338.

We shall see....

Thanks again

Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 4,755
Y
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Y
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 4,755
Originally Posted by bobnob17
Good post Timnterra. Always nice to hear someone unafraid to speak the alternate point of view.


Funny, I said the same things in the 3rd post above, but most guys still claim the 700 is a better way to go, because it's all they know. As Timnterra points out too, for a number of reasons the RAR action is a better basis to build on than the 700, or the Marlin and Howa actions also mentioned in this thread.

Don't let people talk you out of building on the RAR just because they are inexpensive.

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,118
T
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
T
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,118
IMO the RAR is as easy to build on as a Savage, it uses a similar barrel nut set up. The biggest issue will be getting the barrel nut off since it's smooth, which might require some heat to loosen or be cut off. Guys who use Savage rifles with the smooth barrel nut have limited success getting them off without cutting them, even with the proper smooth nut wrench. After that it would be as simple as ordering a barrel from your favorite barrel maker chambered in .338-06, and find a new grooved barrel nut that would use the slotted barrel nut wrench.

The biggest issue for me is the lack of stocks available for the RAR in using one for a build. Right now as far as I know there is only the Boyd's option for an 06 RAR, there is an MDT Chassis and Magpul stock but they're short action only. I think there was someone on the hunting rifle page that had a MPI or B&C modified to accept the RAR barreled action, but they were very cost prohibitive.

For your budget build I'd just go to Walmart and purchase a M700 ADL in .270 or .30-06 for around $400 out the door, you can probably sell the stock and scope and get $50 back. If you have access to an action wrench and barrel vise or purchase them, you can pull the barrel yourself. If you don't have or want to buy those two tools, take the rifle to a gunsmith and pay for the barrel to be pulled.

You can order a barrel set up with the Savage barrel nut and install/headspace the barrel yourself for around $350-400, plus you'll need a simple tool to center the recoil lug for about $45. Pick up a Timney, Trigger Tech or similar trigger for $150 or less, or have your factory trigger tuned. Then you have a lot of stock options for the M700 you can't get with most other of the DIY actions you can change barrels on with simple tools.

Page 2 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
189 members (257 roberts, 12344mag, 257robertsimp, 160user, 257 mag, 10Glocks, 19 invisible), 1,860 guests, and 866 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,728
Posts18,400,787
Members73,822
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.065s Queries: 15 (0.003s) Memory: 0.8652 MB (Peak: 0.9850 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-29 10:20:32 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS