Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What cartridge was your first custom rifle?

30-06 here too. A long-range toy.

280AI built by Bobby Hart on a Rem 700 action with a 24 inch Hart barrel, and a Mcmillan Mcswirley. Of course inpired by this site.

All but one - mine - appear to be bolt actions. BORING.

35 Whelen Ackley, Shilen #4 contour at 24", Brown Precision stock. Had a 2-7x Leupold at first, then a 1.5-5x Leupold, and now have a 4x Pentax on it.

Then came an '06 on a Ruger 77 w tang safety, Shilen # 4 contour again at 25" (call it my "long Tom") just to see what 26" would do (may cut to 24", but suspect I'll leave it as is since I've never found 2" to make much difference in my experience), and a Boyd's JRS gray laminate stock. Has a Bushnell 3-9x50 scope right now, in spite of the fact I'm not fond of those large objectives. Got it for $150 and I'm a sucker for a great deal, though. Fella ordered it and then relented, so got it for wholesale + shpg. less the deposit he'd left. It balances and feels better with a 3-9x Leupold, but I suspect I'll leave that giant scope on it because it's the only gun I've got that's heavy enough to work worth spit with that big a scope.

Have a nice blued & walnut .270 in the works on a Mauser, done right with nice wood. Was told I'd have it by opening day, but that's looking kinda' iffy right now. It has a #3 Shilen CM barrel cut to M-70 Lwt. contour cut to 22-24" (wherever it looks best with the forend length), but a little extra beef after the initial taper near the front receiver ring. It'll wear either the 4x Pentax or a 4x Leupold mounted low. Nice and light and lively in the hands.

Then it'll be a 7x57 on another Mauser with a syn. stock, 22" #2 or 3 CM barrel and whatever scope looks and balances best on it.

Then hope to build a couple of '03's more or less patterned after the rifles of the 30's, one being a sporter and the other a HB blued with Marksman style walnut stock. May leave the sporter dedicated to irons only, and maybe even to cast bullets only, but the eyes may MAKE me use a scope. Hope not, but it's likely, I fear.

Somewhere in here I also really, really, really want a custom KY Long Rifle, too. Have wood for a 1-pc. stock and @ a 40" barrel. Now THOSE are REAL rifles!!! Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Flinter, of course. No need to make things easy, right? A man whose blood isn't stirred by a real Long Rifle just has a dead or sleeping soul! Besides, there's not much use in being "practical" ALL the time, is there???

Mauser M98, Douglas #3 barrel 24" in .25/06, [bleep]
classic stock, Buehler safety, Canjar single set trigger,
3x9 Leupold in redfield mounts.

Kept in the truck during employment.

100 gr. Hornadys or Corelokts & 55 gr IMR 4831 for pigs & deer.

75 gr Sierra or Hornady HP and 45 gr. 4895 for ranch pests.

This rifle fit me perfectly and was easy to shoot offhand.

Stolen in 1985. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Vigillinus:
Where did the Lufts have their shop? There is a question about
their chamberings on another section of the campfire.
Thanks.
Bob

6.5x257 Roberts!!!
Made up for me by a great old gunsmith in Hawaii named Darrell Davenport. Made from a beautiful Jap rifle my uncle brought back from the Pacific Campaign. He said it was a Emperors Guard rifle as it had all sorts of gold braid things and such attached to it. It made a great shooting rifle. Killed a lot of pigs and goats with it.

Aloha, Mark

First true custom is a .338 Win Mag on an '03-A3 action and Wenig stock.

I wanted a 7mm-08 with a mannlicher stock. Settled
on a mauser in 280 with a full-length stock. Built the
stock myself from a nice piece of english walnut. Interarms
mark 10 action with custom barrel at 20". Sold because of an offer I couldn't refuse.

Second rifle a 7X57 on an HVA action with a featherweight contour barrel at 22 5/8". Half stock in english walnut by
myself. Also sold due to an offer I couldn't refuse.

Next rifle a 280 n a DWM 1909 with a 22" pac-nor barrel,
and an english walnut stock. Gave it to my son.

Present rifle a 30-06 on an DWM 1908 with a Douglas barrel
and a rimrock fiberglass stock. Darn...fiberglass is easier to
do! Metalwork has gunkote. All black job. I like. I like!

Three current projects. A tang actioned M-77 in 7mm-08 to be fitted in a rimrock stock. Cerakote this time? And something other than black for the stock. A Kimber M-89
in 270 Winchester in either an english walnut or maybe a
D'arcy Echols synthetic stock. Highly worked over commercial
FN mauser....unbarreled now....but probably a .338-06 A.I.
Stock, either a laminated wood or this very heavy, very dense
piece of eastern black walnut I have.

Mine was a .243 ack imp..........
sucks 700 kreiger 24" ss spout 1:9 twisty with a holland lug and a mcmillan rickbin special....

My first custom rifle was a 6.5x55 swedish.............it was built when I could afford it...............in 2034. By my widow, for her new husband.

22PPC in a 40X action for a lightweight carry around ground hog gun.Many years ago.Possibly another this winter in a Stolle action chambered in 6MM/250 Savage Imp.

1. 280rem 700action 24" hart, ss six ent stock
2. 30.06 ,700 26" Hart 1i12 twist man this gun could shoot 165gr
over 3000ftps on chrony and would one hole and a bit 5 shots
3.308win 700,action 251/2" hart stainless, had it blued $65.00 in 70s, canjar trigger, T6 weaver 1/4 dot for hunter class under 1/2, 5 shot groups, My brother shot a five shot group at 100yards with Palma Redfield peep sights 5/8in. The RCMP police watch him do it and later they dumped all there Rugar HV 308 and got Rem700 with hart barrels In all fairness to Ruger one of problems was there reloading habbits
4. and last Rem 700 24" hart, Mcmiian stock, Jewell trigger,
tubbs pin, in 7mmwsm just starting to load for it knowing hart
I don,t think I will be unhappy.

Decided on the .338-06 AI. Don't have the rifle yet. I'm still aquiring the parts.
Chuck Daly Mauser LH action.
Wenig laminated stock.
Douglas barrel.
Haven't decided on the trigger or iron sights yet.

Mine (bottom rifle) is a 300Winnie, built on a SUCKS CM action, Pacnor 25" SS, Micky Mtn rifle stock/Ricasso paint, Timney trigger, Zeiss Conquest 2.5x10x44mm

Top rifle is semi-custom, SUCKS ss barreled action in 7 SHAMU, Bansner stock w/Ricasso paint, Talley LW, now wearing a Zeiss Conquest 2.5x10x44mm, matte.

Have several other semi-custom, but the 300Winnie is one of my full custom. My other full custom is a 338Winnie, built on a SUCKS action, Douglas barrel, Micky stock.




Tony

I hunt for hobby/food. I can buy food cheaper than I kill it. What possible reason would I have for a CUSTOM rifle???????????????

Mauser,

Because you want one ?

In this game, needs rarely justify anything. Wants rule.

Tony

.264 Win Mag and .223AI, both in 700s.

SC................

.270 Winchester. Built on a 700 action, Mcmillan Mt. Rifle stock, and Douglas barrel. Primary purpose was a do anything, general purpose hunting rifle. I have always been a big .270 fan, so the choice was easy.

-Lou

It was a .284 Winchester in a Remington 660. In 1975 I picked up a 660 in .308 at the Fort Worth show for $95.00 and after a close inspection I noticed a few specks of rust about 4 inches from the end of the barrel. I had a local gunsmith rebarrel it with what I think was an E R Shaw in .284 Win, as I remember it cost in the neighborhood of $75.00. I reworked the stock and made it look like a Weatherby stock. I scoped it with a new offering from Leupold in 1980, a 3 X 9 33mm Compact AO. It shoots like a dream, but what I know now I can't belive how good it shoots. At the time I did not know anything about truing up the action or bolt, the part time gunsmith did not even cut the barrel off the length I wanted. I wanted 21.5", I ended up with a 20". As disappointed as I was with my first rebarreling job, I loaded about 100 rounds to break in the barrel. After I spent a day at the range with my first "Poor Boy Custom" I was hooked! Since then I have had many custom rifles built, but the 660 in .284 holds a special place in my heart to this date. It may not be the carbon fiber stainless steel guns that I play with now, but it sure has taken it share of game and pest.
Good hunting!
Marcus