I picked this little rifle up for a fair deal, but I don’t know much about Gentry Custom. It weighs an ounce shy of 4 pounds, it is built on a Sako A2 action, and is chambered in 7-08. I’m not very sure about the maker of the stock, it appears to be Kevlar and has a Schnabel tip. I plan on giving them a call and getting a build sheet to show what all they did. I would appreciate any input from anyone that has had dealings with Gentry, definitely not my first “custom” gun it’s just someone I’m not familiar with. Thanks guys
Looks like a nice rifle! You might want to double check that weight though. 3 pounds 15 oz doesn’t seem attainable with an action that’s over 2 pounds to start, unless it’s been milled down more than can be seen in the pic.
Looks like a nice rifle! You might want to double check that weight though. 3 pounds 15 oz doesn’t seem attainable with an action that’s over 2 pounds to start, unless it’s been milled down more than can be seen in the pic.
It is a nice rifle. I weighed it twice on two different scales, because that weight almost seems unattainable on a standard looking rifle. The two certified scales I used both came up with the same weight. That sako action is almost a miniature action lol. This gun is lighter than any model 7 or mountain rifle ever thought about being.
Dave Gentry was in the great American tradition of the "homegrown genius." He really knew his way around Mausers, and I spent many hours in his shop shooting the chit with Dave. He's missed.
“Perfection is Achieved Not When There Is Nothing More to Add, But When There Is Nothing Left to Take Away” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Looks like a nice rifle! You might want to double check that weight though. 3 pounds 15 oz doesn’t seem attainable with an action that’s over 2 pounds to start, unless it’s been milled down more than can be seen in the pic.
It is a nice rifle. I weighed it twice on two different scales, because that weight almost seems unattainable on a standard looking rifle. The two certified scales I used both came up with the same weight. That sako action is almost a miniature action lol. This gun is lighter than any model 7 or mountain rifle ever thought about being.
That's a beautiful little rifle. Great caliber too. There was a fiberglass stock maker from Fort Collins or Colorado Springs who made several different models of fiberglass stocks with a Schnable fore-end. He went out of business more than 20 years ago. His name will come to me. The lightest stock I've seen is the Manners Classic at 17 oz., but I think MPI can make one for 13 oz. I have a Barrett Fieldcraft action which also weighs 17 ounces without the trigger, trigger guard and screws---which add about 5 oz. Hypothetically, if a guy went with a no. 1 contour bbl, 20" long, that would weigh about 1 lb, 14 oz, which would give a total weight of about 4 lbs 4 oz, using the components I just mentioned. In other words, it's very difficult to get under 4 lbs. Keep that little Gentry rifle!
Anybody who seriously concerns themselves with the adequacy of a Big 7mm for anything we hunt here short of brown bear, is a dufus. They are mostly making shidt up. Crunch! Nite-nite!
I have a Garrett that I bought in the mid 80's. It was my first synthetic and still fits me better than any I have tried. It has had five different actions calibers in it ranging from 260 rem. to 280 improved. I have converted it from long action to shot and back to long. I believe that the molds were Gentry's and they got them back after Garrett went out of the business. Years ago I contacted Gentry and offered to buy ten for Rem 700 action if they would make them. They were not interested in doing it. If you go way back with Mule Deer you will remember he had a 280 in one of the stocks and tipped a bunch of stuff over with it.
That is just crazy light. I have a full pierce titanium action waiting for a build and I don’t think even with that I’m going to come in under 4 pounds. If you ever have the time and inclination, I would love to see some pictures of what he did to get that action that light - and the other components as well if you can. Congratulations on what sounds like a superb lightweight.
That is just crazy light. I have a full pierce titanium action waiting for a build and I don’t think even with that I’m going to come in under 4 pounds. If you ever have the time and inclination, I would love to see some pictures of what he did to get that action that light - and the other components as well if you can. Congratulations on what sounds like a superb lightweight.
I second what AKwolverine said. What's it gonna take to get you to disassemble that puppy and take some photos and weigh some components? Very interested to see what the barreled action and stock weigh. It'd be nice to know the bbl diameter too. TIA.
I just spoke with Mrs. Beverley, who is the wife to the late Dave Gentry, about the rifle. First off she is a very nice lady and a pleasure to deal with, she verified the weight of the rifle as 4 pounds, my scale is apparently off an ounce, saying they built several of them in the 80’s. They built the stock themselves, it is an exact replica of the old model 70 featherweight stocks. As far as tearing it down and weighing it separately, that’ll be some time, I’m in the middle of a shutdown in a plastics plant and working 12 and 14 hour days to keep up with engineers that aren’t really engineers lol.
As far as the molds for the stock, she told me they were lent to someone in order for them to make stocks for them. As we all know when you lend something to someone you know how it ends up going. To her knowledge the molds might as well be lost in space.
Thank you for the update. I think you hit a bases-loaded home run with that little jewel of a rifle. Congratulations. The caliber is perfect too. When you get time, photos and component weights and specs would be welcome by all here, I am sure. TIA.
Over some years I have ordered stainless sling mount bands and a few other items from Gentry custom. I always dealt with Mrs Beverly and I have to agree that she was always very friendly, a pleasure to talk to.and always got my orders correct and sent promptly. RJ
