To build or buy, this is my question.

3of30

3of30

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Ill start by saying I am new here, and that this site is really great. Awesome people all around, although it is quickly consuming all of my spare time... None the less, to the point:

I am wanting to build or buy my first precision rig. I am an absolute sucker for the thumb hole AI chassis. So that is the base of my build. Which limits me to rem 700 action or clone. .308 is the caliber I will be using. My thoughts are to buy a rem 700 rifle like the varmint or sps tactical, AI chassis and upgrade as I go. I want the rifle to be tough and durable/accurate. Not just a bench rifle. So in the end I'm looking at truing the action, match barrel and all the other goodies to go with. Now that is going to not be cheap overall, would I be better off buying the AI rifle and not having to mod it at all? I would assume they are quite durable and well, accurate of course. What are your guys thoughts on my ideas? Any input would be great. Thanks.
 
thumb hole stocks and bolt actions don't work well together, getting your thumb in and out of the hole while cycling the bolt is a real pain for some people, great for semis but just not cut out for the task in the world of bolt action repeaters.........I would try holding and using one before committing to buying one
 
I have held one and really like the ergonomics of them. Also if I decide I am not fond of it anymore they make pistol grip stock sides which are easy to change
 
that would depend on the intended use, if hunting , target, around round have fun gun then Yes by all means go 700 but if you are doing competitive shooting then a custom. I am having my second custom done on Rem 700 LA Magnum in stainless and know for the most part that any 700 trued with a match grade barrel and all the rest can easily out shoot most people. so if money is know issue and its your tool then go for it. Its all good enjoy!!
 
Like yodave said, try before you buy and see if it's for you. I have no problem with the thumb hole stock and on a real AI with a super slick 60 degree bolt it works great.

As for the rifle, buy the AI. An AT costs 5 grand and by the time your build is done it will cost the same but it will never be an AI.
I own the older AW model and I can tell you honestly that I would not trade it for any other rifle out there period.

If you have AI on the brain, just buy the real deal. You get double stack 10 round mags you can port load, 60 deg bolt, bonded (glued and bolted for life) chassis and on the new AT the quick change barrel system. It is also bomb proof as hell.

 
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If you plan to carry it much the chassis will make a varmint barrelled Remington a heavy rig. That being said if you are even remotely considering buying the AI, do it and don't look back. You can do it gradually but you'll end up spending a bunch of money that you won't recover and it will add up quick.....And you still have a Remington.
AI rifles aren't always available either, but there are some here now at Wolverine.
 
Colquhoun said:
If you plan to carry it much the chassis will make a varmint barrelled Remington a heavy rig. That being said if you are even remotely considering buying the AI, do it and don't look back. You can do it gradually but you'll end up spending a bunch of money that you won't recover and it will add up quick.....And you still have a Remington.
AI rifles aren't always available either, but there are some here now at Wolverine.
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That seems to be the popular response.. Darn you guys are going to cost me a lot of pennies
 
Worst come to worst, if you buy the thumb hole stock and finally decide that you don't like it anymore, you have the Viper Skins option to turn it into an AT.

I wanted an AIAT but was too expensive for me so I went with the Tikka T3 action stainless, Broughton barrel, Roedale RCS II chassis, Sterk swept ball bolt handle.

2000$ in parts found in the EE over a 7-8 months period. Add 700$ in gunsmithing. Can't wait to have it back.

If you have the $$$ buy the real thing AI. GL
 
J996 said:
Like yodave said, try before you buy and see if it's for you. I have no problem with the thumb hole stock and on a real AI with a super slick 60 degree bolt it works great.

As for the rifle, buy the AI. An AT costs 5 grand and by the time your build is done it will cost the same but it will never be an AI.
I own the older AW model and I can tell you honestly that I would not trade it for any other rifle out there period.

If you have AI on the brain, just buy the real deal. You get double stack 10 round mags you can port load, 60 deg bolt, bonded (glued and bolted for life) chassis and on the new AT the quick change barrel system. It is also bomb proof as hell.
Click to expand...

Pretty much sums it up. Dont waste money on an AI clone if an AI is what you want. The AT's are very reasonably priced for what you get. Price out a full custom on an AI chassis from some of the sponsors here. The AT begins to look like a bargain and its a genuine AI not a bucket of parts that resembles one.

D2F1A282-2B64-4851-BD3B-F158ABAD9907_zpsowtxjrp3.jpg
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5-shot group:

56449893-87FF-4EB9-8761-CA38765725CE_zpsy1d0onpd.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
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marcoman said:
Pretty much sums it up. Dont waste money on an AI clone if an AI is what you want. The AT's are very reasonably priced for what you get. Price out a full custom on an AI chassis from some of the sponsors here. The AT begins to look like a bargain and its a genuine AI not a bucket of parts that resembles one.

D2F1A282-2B64-4851-BD3B-F158ABAD9907_zpsowtxjrp3.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

5-shot group:

56449893-87FF-4EB9-8761-CA38765725CE_zpsy1d0onpd.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
Click to expand...

Those are gorgeous! Thanks for the advice!
 
Remmington 700 AAC-SD Magpul Hunter using S&B 168 Match (5 shots 100yrd)for the first time at the range....

 
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I sometimes get asked what is so special about Accuracy International rifles when there are other guns around that shoot nice groups as well. My answer is always reliability and durability.

The best example of this I've ever read was from an American PRS shooter who posted on SH regarding his AT. Here is that post:



"For me, I have 5 barrels for my AT in 3 different calibers and i swap them around and shoot different calibers for the different matches, takes 45 seconds or so to swap...6mm for the big PRS, 6.5creed/308 for smaller local matches.

..also ive done some things with my AT i wouldnt feel comfortable doing to most others...used it as a pull up bar to get to an upper level in a shoot house once (weigh 225 lbs), last weekend at Rifles Only 308/223 Bash, i had a case that wasnt fully sized stick in the chamber on round 9 of a 10 round stage...wouldnt close, wouldnt open, STUCK...i beat on the bolt handle with my hand, i mortared (slammed) it about 10 times, kicked the bolt, had a buddy beat on the bolt handle with the butt stock of his AT...no luck.

..finally someone got a hammer, 5 good solid whacks on the bolt handle and it was free and i was right back in the match, managed a 4th place finish and my rifle continued to hammer all weekend...zero stayed right where it was.

Last year at the hide cup, mud, rain, etc...ran smooth thru it all, never a hiccup...i look at it this way, an accurate gun is an accurate gun...an equally accurate savage/fn/rem/tikka/custom/AI/etc wont get you more hits than any of the others...what i like about my AT is if im spending hours and $$ shooting, it feels as bomb proof as i can get, i trust it.

im goin to buy the best (IMO) i can afford...ive seen all types of failures from factory and custom actions...the only AI failure ive seen was a trigger than got stuck on a rifle that had 1000s of rounds in the field on it, and was never cleaned once...tigger flush and it was good to go...in the end you have to weigh the cost/benefits and see what its worth to you."
 
J996 said:
I sometimes get asked what is so special about Accuracy International rifles when there are other guns around that shoot nice groups as well. My answer is always reliability and durability.

The best example of this I've ever read was from an American PRS shooter who posted on SH regarding his AT. Here is that post:


"For me, I have 5 barrels for my AT in 3 different calibers and i swap them around and shoot different calibers for the different matches, takes 45 seconds or so to swap...6mm for the big PRS, 6.5creed/308 for smaller local matches.

..also ive done some things with my AT i wouldnt feel comfortable doing to most others...used it as a pull up bar to get to an upper level in a shoot house once (weigh 225 lbs), last weekend at Rifles Only 308/223 Bash, i had a case that wasnt fully sized stick in the chamber on round 9 of a 10 round stage...wouldnt close, wouldnt open, STUCK...i beat on the bolt handle with my hand, i mortared (slammed) it about 10 times, kicked the bolt, had a buddy beat on the bolt handle with the butt stock of his AT...no luck.

..finally someone got a hammer, 5 good solid whacks on the bolt handle and it was free and i was right back in the match, managed a 4th place finish and my rifle continued to hammer all weekend...zero stayed right where it was.

Last year at the hide cup, mud, rain, etc...ran smooth thru it all, never a hiccup...i look at it this way, an accurate gun is an accurate gun...an equally accurate savage/fn/rem/tikka/custom/AI/etc wont get you more hits than any of the others...what i like about my AT is if im spending hours and $$ shooting, it feels as bomb proof as i can get, i trust it.

im goin to buy the best (IMO) i can afford...ive seen all types of failures from factory and custom actions...the only AI failure ive seen was a trigger than got stuck on a rifle that had 1000s of rounds in the field on it, and was never cleaned once...tigger flush and it was good to go...in the end you have to weigh the cost/benefits and see what its worth to you."
Click to expand...

This seems to be everything I am looking for !
 
There is some good advice going around here. I will have to agree with J996 and Marcoman and say just get the real deal. I have a fully built custom on a M700 built by the Chou Brothers. They are world class gunsmiths and it shoots amazing. I ended up spending just as much on it as an AI. I will never sell my custom but I still want an AI. If you have that itch I would just scratch it.

There is an AI AE in the EE right now, they are pretty cool as they are not made anymore.
 
With a custom build you get what you want with the parts you specify built to your specs. This gets rather expensive and can be harder to sell down the road. A Surgeon action is around $1800.00 and a McMillan stock around $1200.00, so you are at $3K already without a barrel/trigger/magazine system/scope mounts/optics, and the labour for the gunsmith to assemble.

On the other side of the coin rifles like a AI AT or PGWDTI Coyote, will run you at least $5K or more plus optics..........and are basically production rifles and not true customs.You won't have the wait you would have for a full custom build and the resale value/ease of resale will be better.
 
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