Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Custom Actions?

If the benchrest crowd can use the xtra accuracy a custom action offers than a hunting rifle to can benefit, my custom actions are way more consistant accuracy wise than my 700's...

savages seem to shoot very well but are uglier than a mud fence...YMMV

If the remington is blueprinted theyre is not a nickels worth of diff! Save you money and buy good scopes.

Rick,
I agree, but it cost much more to bring a Remington to the same as a custom and the resale is much worse.

I dont sell-em! 400 bucks for a r700 plus 200 for blueprint. You cant buy a custom 600.00.

I have both and I'm not buying it, and $200 will get you a basic bluprint, but still won't have more resale value...custom actions offer tighter and straighter tolerences,some come with 1 pc bolts, better fire control systems including guided fireing pins which are sized perfectly for the hole in the bolt face, scope mounting holes that are aligned with the center line of the bore, and some offer 8-40 screw holes for added strength, try and have all the bells and whistles added to a 700 and see how close they are to a custom ....you get what you pay for!

This why theyre are different colored woman. We all like something diff. I have had or have all that have been spoke about and will spend the extra on a scope or stock. After looking back i have not had a bighorn or even saw one. I have not had a new DGA

Your right..people need to use what makes them happy, it's all fun and games any way!

Using a 700 nowadays makes about as much since as building off a military mauser

pierce is another

That's a bit harsh.....

200 clams is a bit cheap for a blueprint. I spent that much to have the bolt double sleeved and the raceway reamed. Add a pinned recoil lug, firing pin bushing, lugs and bolt face finished, cost $422. A complete blueprint which includes single point machining the action threads and other niceties runs $560. At least from the smith I use.

Resale value is a non-argument. One doesn't buy a tool based on resale value, at least I don't. Most custom rifles won't return the investment down the road, they are just too specialized with a correspondingly smaller market. For example, I always laugh when someone mentions resale or trade-in value of a used truck as a buying recommendation. My previous two trucks lasted 35 years (I still own and use it) and 24 years before it burned up on the freeway. I won't mention the 32 year old Honda CIVIC in the garage - it still runs like a top. My first Remington 700 blueprint was done on my oldest action that was early 1970's vintage on its third barrel. It shoots .247" -.260" groups.

All my Remington and Savage action based rifles are capable of sub-.5" groups, most running .25". To go beyond this performance level consistently would require an escalating cost per .1" of increased accuracy potential, something not necessary for varmint hunting. I shoot beside an old benchrest competitor with a custom built Remington XR100 action rifle in .222 Remington that shoots consistently in the .1's. Not bad for a discontinued rifle action that was once the basis of the XP100 pistol.

So, it all depends on what you want, and how you want to get there. I still might pick up one of those Shilen actions though.

Any of these 3:

BAT
Surgeon
Defiance Machine

MOST custom mfg make good actions.

Had Stiller that did fine, have Bordens that I really like...and yes, had many 700s and 7 in custom as well as a Ruger #1 that shot in the 1s.....

I agree w/Ackley, I like Clones over Clowns..

There are more reasons than purely accuracy when I choose one...

Wow someone mentioned spending up to $560 on action work to a 700? What could one do to a 700 action to run up a bill like that.

If you bring up a 700 to custom specs you can spend that kind of money.

Guess I'm a simple kind of guy cause if I were building a hunting rifle I'd most likely go the 700 route. I remember many years ago having a conversation with one of the guys up at Hart Barrels and long story short, I asked why they preferred to use 700's so much and the response was "cause they're so easy to make 1/2 inch guns outta"....He was a funny guy too cause of course I asked about an accuracy "guaranty" ? He paused for a second and said "well how do I know if you can shoot a 1/2 inch group..." We both laughed and I've been using them ever since.

I think a 700 will do 95% of the people just fine. I have never had a hunting rifle shoot .25 consistenly. I due have some that will shoot half inch. I have also never saw any of the customs above on a bench rest line except some sleeved 700's. Money and the sky is the limit on custom guns. If your buying and building one to make money or even get your money back your pissing in the wind! I have never bushed any bolt faces or had the rails played with so i am sure its more money. Theyre is a reason why most new customs are built around a 700. You get what you pay for it just how much do you want to spend. Why shoot nightforce when you can have s&b its only another 1500.00. I never thought i was handi-capped because of my actions.

When my bolt handle broke off on one, I forever lost 100% confidence in a Remington, and will not use them for a serious use hunting rifle. Just me.

However rare something is, when it is You that is affected, then you are 100% of a statistic.

Confidence in reliability and re-sale value are both important to me.

I understand what you are saying and seeing how it actually happened to you I'd most likely feel the same way. The flip side is if anyone spends enough time here at the Campfire, you'd be hard pressed to find a brand that's gone unscathed. I've heard stories of Winchester's crappy quality control, MIM extractors that need (or should be) replaced by one of about only 5 gunsmith's on the planet, heat treat issues...Kimber's accuracy woes....Sako/Tikka exploding barrels, Remington bolt handles and triggers....that's just a snap shot off the top of my head

Many years ago I got tired of the typical Accuracy I was getting with Varmint Rifles . Talked to many Gunsmiths and got a lot of advice . Bought a used Rem 700 cheap ( I was told the original PSS Rifles had BDL wood ) . Accuracy was lousy . Bought a Hart Bbl. and had a great Gunsmith ( Mr. Berger in Ohio now retired ) do his magic . Everything cost me about $600 ( I know them days are gone ) . Anyway , I wanted a 223 which would Group 4 shots / 100 Yards / no wind under 0.5 inches , and the Gunsmith said no problem . The Rifle did considerably better... mostly in the 2s and 3s , and still does less than 0.5 surprisingly after more than 10,000 rounds in the Prairie Dog Fields . I am happy ! However , somewhere down the line is a BAT with my name on it . I'm even getting used to synthetic Stocks ! You pays your money , and takes your pick that's why they have vanilla and chocolate .