I've had 12 custom rifles built, two are still in the process. Every custom rifle I owned had shot 1/2" groups and smaller, sometimes I got lucky and shot in the .100's, three (3) shots only. Equally, and just as important, they preformed flawlessly. I've only experienced great custom made rifles from various makers in Alberta and British Columbia. Quality control reloading (best of components and reloading practices) accompanied with good marksmanship will achieve high marks for accuracy.
Custom rifle accuracy and value?
- Thread starter hawk-i
- Start date
I belive he is refering to actions (such as a bighorn TL3) whose tolerances are kept tight enough that you can buy a prefit chambered barrel that you can just instal using a barrel vice and action wrench.
No, you can put together amazing shooting rifles at home. People will say it's best to have a gunsmith "build" you a gun. But with the quality components available today and the cheap cost of tools to put it all together, there can be alot of money saved on labor
- Location
- Western Manitoba
No experience with "custom" made actions. But I do know on many late 1890 military rifles was done exactly like that. I have swapped barrels on several M96 Swede actions - pretty much inevitable to torque barrel so its aligning mark lines up with the aligning mark on the receiver, and the headspace will be good with gauges. And the iron sights will be top-dead centre. Had read that was pretty much common in many militaries throughout 20th century - replacement barrels often had sights already installed - crank off old one, crank on replacement, check with gauge and back in action... Was apparently part of the "genius" of the Mauser system - that internal bulkhead within front ring - gave reference point for bolt face to be back from, and the reference point in chamber to be forward from - screw together and usually it fit.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
"cheap cost of tools" - want to watch that. Reference material, unless you believe everything you see on U-tube. Action wrench for that action, barrel vice with insert for that barrel, headspace GO and NOGO gauges for that cartridge, parallel ground screw drivers, torque wrenches, sandpaper and scrapers for bedding, epoxy and release agents - going to get close to cost of many "new" store bought rifles, or a new barrel blank, I think. Some of us just do prefer to do it ourselves. And, sometimes, get to do it two or three times before done correctly. And, can get out of hand - bought a lathe, still learning to use it; bought a MIG welder for Mauser bolt handles - learning to use that thing - then bolt body heat sinks, action mandrels - either make them or buy them; then action holding fixtures, then drill and tap jigs - just does not quit!!!
Might want to recognize your limits. We live in a house we finished building about 6 years ago -"we built" as in wife and I sawed all boards and pounded all nails. I installed shingles, windows, insulation and siding. Had home owner permits for wiring and plumbing - some weeks seemed as if daily inspections to review our progress. Had Canada and Manitoba Plumbing and Electrical Codes here. But had never had any success finishing concrete, so floors in basement and garage placed and finished by contractors. Same with the drywall board - just no longer have the arm and upper body strength that those young guys had - what they did in a couple days would have taken me months - and then that many months to recover. Same with the mudding and taping - that crew made it look easy - although I did do all the wall and basement floor painting - two coats everywhere, on purpose. Like most things - do it yourself or pay someone else to do it - part of "growing up", I think, to recognize when to do which.
Wiring your house - if you could read this post, you could probably wire your own house. Except I went to Tech for 32 weeks, all in, and apprenticed for 4 work years to get my Journeyman ticket as an Electrician. I kinda know / knew what to do to meet code; also to "make it work" without meeting code, in many cases, and why that was usually a bad idea. Not likely that I will solve your house wiring problems for a beer, though - unless you can get something in there of equal value for me?? Likely similar to a home put-together rifle - if it does not work to expectations, then what?
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Nothing high end custom holds its value well unless you find a person that wanted exactly what you did and even then why buy yours when they could do it themselves. Whether cars, trucks, houses or guns you rarely get full value out of custom work.
When you talk guarantees don’t forget they come at a steep cost. The only guarantee in life you get for free is death. Then someone else pays. Lol
SCG
Blastattack
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg MB
As far as I'm concerned the value of your custom build starts about 20% less than the cost of the parts. The labour cost is instantly flushed. If you spent $6000 on your custom rifle, but it's a $500 barrel, on a $1500 action in a $1000 stock, your rifle is worth, at most, $2400. I feel that's even generous.
It makes no sense to put a custom rifle together to sell after a couple hundred rounds. Unless you don’t like money.
Also, there’s no excuse for not sourcing the parts on your own to put a custom rifle together. Whether you buy a blank or a prefit barrel. Assuming the action you buy accepts pre fits.
The labour to chamber an action really isn’t that bad if it’s generic and the gunsmith uses his reamer and gauges. If you plan on keeping the rifle in the same chambering for a while, buying your own reamer and gauges makes sense to maintain the same chamber.
If you have a good gunsmith nearby, I’d say having a blank chambered is the way to go.
If you’re on your own, pre fits are the next best thing. Unless you’re mechanically inept. I do get the draw to do it yourself, but cost wise, it’s not really all that different.
Also, there’s no excuse for not sourcing the parts on your own to put a custom rifle together. Whether you buy a blank or a prefit barrel. Assuming the action you buy accepts pre fits.
The labour to chamber an action really isn’t that bad if it’s generic and the gunsmith uses his reamer and gauges. If you plan on keeping the rifle in the same chambering for a while, buying your own reamer and gauges makes sense to maintain the same chamber.
If you have a good gunsmith nearby, I’d say having a blank chambered is the way to go.
If you’re on your own, pre fits are the next best thing. Unless you’re mechanically inept. I do get the draw to do it yourself, but cost wise, it’s not really all that different.
LoL, wow, just wow. I've assembled my own precision rifles. It's not hard. I didn't need to spend thousands on tools. Not even sure what you were referencing.
Also, I can wire my own house...cause I'm an electrician.
Just about anyone can screw together a Savage kit and get good results. Even electricians.
So basically an 8” crescent wrench and half a roll of black tape? Won’t even get your hands dirty…
To the OP.
I just went through this, $5000+ Into my custom (defiance/benchmark/AGC). It’s absolutely no better, nor accurate of a rifle then my tikka’s. If I seen it in the e&e, I’d pay about half of what I have into it for it. No regrets!, but a very big bill for not a lot of gain other then looks imo.
I just went through this, $5000+ Into my custom (defiance/benchmark/AGC). It’s absolutely no better, nor accurate of a rifle then my tikka’s. If I seen it in the e&e, I’d pay about half of what I have into it for it. No regrets!, but a very big bill for not a lot of gain other then looks imo.
A friend who builds custom rifles tests each and every one of them. They don't get delivered unless they perform.
Selling a custom rifle and recovering your investment can be tricky. Something built for you might not appeal to others.
You would also be selling a used rifle.
The 'smith's name could make a difference. My name on a fine shooting rifle isn't going to boost value; that of an established custom maker very well might.
I’m 1 and 1 getting timely service from a custom shop. The schedule, or lack of one, is a big driver for many people’s decisions. Precise reloading with quality (ie not cheap) tools and components along with sound shooting skills are more often the cause of sub par performance, rather rather than the rifle’s fault. I like nice guns, but it costs $$ to be one a good enough shooter to be able to fully utilize them.
Best thing you ever said. Makes me laugh.
I wasn't dissing you or Potashminer.
Potashminer is actually quite well set up to make up decent rifles from blank components or prefabbed components and has the skillset to do the job properly, on his personal lathe.
The nice thing about the Savage and even some Remington kits is that most of the tedious work, requiring a lathe is eliminated by the Barrel Nut.
I watched a young fellow assemble one a few weeks ago.
He wanted a ''switch barrel'' made up on a Remington 700 short action chassis. 22-250Rem, 260Rem and 308Winchester.
He purchased all three barrels, pre chambered, with nuts from the same manufacturer. The manufacturer included a nut wrench.
When the components arrived, he brought them all over because I have headspace guages for those cartridges and wanted to check the headspaces on each of them, after using "his'' method of turning the barrels into the receiver.
We also pinned his recoil lug to his receiver.
His method was dead easy.
He used the factory cartridges he planned on shooting as headspace guages to position the barrel, where he would tighten the barrel nut.
I had previously pulled a couple of bullets and removed the primers from cartridges from each box.
When he did the first one, 22-250, the cartridges fed flawlessly and the bolt closed easily. Then extracted easily.
We checked the set up against the GO-NO Go guages and all was well. Then he did something that surprised me.
He used a punch to mark top dead center at the top of the receiver. With the barrel nut still in place/tight, he drilled a hole through it until the bit got down into the threads of the barrel. His thinking is to use the TDC punch mark and the holes in the nut/barrel to be able to quickly change out the barrels under field conditions.
I cautioned him against this, pointing out that he likely wouldn't have a vice along, to hold the barrel while loosening the nut and then tightening it.
Didn't bother him one bit.
He went ahead and did all three barrels/nuts the same way.
He phoned me a couple of days later to say that his system worked well, as long as he had a means to hold the barrel tight enough to remove/tighten the nut.
He was happy with the accuracy of all three barrels, with his preferred choice of ammo.
For some reason, he refuses to hand load.
His rig certainly doesn't appeal to me, for my purposes, but I can see it being a useful rig for the person that only wants to go to the expense of setting up one receiver with an aftermarket stock, trigger, barrel.
Haha, I was never taking offense. Just found it amusing.
I am a tradesman, not a machinist. While I could learn the skills and acquire the tools to do the job whats the point at my age? I learned a long time ago paying professionals was cheaper than doing it yourself. You can apply that all over life.
Enjoy.
SCG
Oh boy, obviously you and others do not know what a custom rifle entails. Accuracy/cosmetics are the only items on your list, to compare to a manufactured rifle? I believe that you and others have a rigorous, in-depth research into a custom rifle, to expand your knowledge.
