educated opinions on a potential rifle build

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stangordy

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so im wondering a few things and i hope that their are some people who are willing to help me out by providing facts and not opinions or slander :p

so what i want is a multi purpose rifle, i want it primarily as a coyote gun, but also find my self wanting a rifle to hunt deer once moose season has closed or i fill my tag, i have no problem taking a deer if a solid opportunity presents it self with my 338 but it would be nice to be able to have a gun i could carry once the moose gun isn't needed. and finally i have always wanted a bolt gun that is at home on a range banging steel out to 500 yards. i also want to shoot small groups and show off but too my paper gets boring after the first 3 rounds

so what im thinking for a rifle is savage, or if i can find one a Stevens, action action re barrel it with 20 inch medium to heavy varmint contour barrel chambered in 243.
in addition to a new barrel id add a after market trigger and recoil lug and probably a oversized bolt handle
and bed it all in a quality stock, nothing too tacticool in fact im leaning more towards a wood sporter or something like the stock that comes on the savage 25 that has a little bit more of a prone pistol grip angel then a standard sporter would i could take or leave the wider for end but something wider then the skinny savage stock would be nice
then ill top it with a more hunting oriented optic something in the 3-12 or 5-15 range with a mill dot or other ranging retical to help on those longer youte shots

definitely want suggestions for the stock
and any additional parts i should consider for this rifle

and of coerce the big question to the guys who have built rifles or are smiths who do this work what am i going to expect to spend on it
i was thinking in the neighbourhood of:
300 bucks for a donor action
500 for the barrel shortened and installed
100 for a triger (rifle basix only sell for 95 right?)
50 for recoil lug
50 for a bolt handle
around 300 for a stock
400 bucks for everything im forgetting shipping taxes me being cheap and underestimating cost :D

is this even close to what i can expect to spend, and would a rifle like this even out preform something off the shelf

sorry for the long read i have lots of pre planning going on in my head and i decided i had to start forming it into a goal, and since i have never done this its up to you to help me out gunnutz !!!
 
Looking at your budget, I would start with checking Savages web site and getting something from the target line or law enforcment line in a 308 would be your best bet, to do a decent custom build youll be in the 3000 dollar mark with no glass.
 
Well your close to your estimate costs but to get a gun to be the best for everything is a for me doesn't work so well. I just can,t seem to get consitant good groupings shooting the mule kicking big calibers. Watched a young strong shooter with his 378/338 shooting 300 gr Sierras at 3000 fps over crony groups where good but he only fired 3 shots.and t6he flinching started
I would suggest you build your long range target rifle and look around for a used .270 win,284 win ,280 Rem work a load that's accurate at 2900 to 3000 fps for a hunting rifle

300 bucks for a donor action okay

500 for the barrel shortened and installed Get a good smith !! more like $ 750
100 for a trigger (rifle basix only sell for 95 right?) trigger is $ 159 + Ship & taxes closer to $200
50 for recoil lug Okay
50 for a bolt handle Okay
around 300 for a stock more like $500 ++
400 bucks for everything im forgetting shipping taxes

Good luck with your build let us know how it worked out for you
 
Your budget is a bit low - it's possible to get there but more challenging with the budgetary restrictions. Stevens action will keep costs down ( say 300 ), barrel ( 500 ) trigger ( 150 ) gunsmithing ( 500 ) and stock (750 ) recoil lug and bolt handle (150 ), rail (100) are the numbers that went through my head for a total of $2450 which is somewhere around $2700 after tax. Add $600-$1000 for glass.
 
All the prices below I've seen pretty common with numerous vendors

Shilen select match prechamber 460$ (installed)
stevens action 300$
b and C medalist stock 320$
rb trigger 100$
lug 40$
tac handle 75$
bedding 100$
rail 100$
 
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/10PREDATORBRUSH

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/10PREDATORHUNTERMAX1

Everything you have just described and likely around $800/900. Sales all over the place since this is hunting off season so maybe a great deal out there. Barrels can always be made shorter if desired.

Bed it, bolt timing, load up some ammo and enjoy. Sub MOA is definitely possible and you may even get down to 1/2 min.

You can always add a quality prefit in the future but you have covered all the major parts at a reduced upfront costs.

If you do want to put something together, send me a PM or email and we can discuss a parts list and get things ordered up.
Jerry
 
well thanks all, i definitely have lots to think about, i know i want to build this rifle, and the more i think the more i want a wood stock and parkerized or blue mettle. and the only things i want to have done is the installation of the barrel as i cant see it being cost efficient to buy the tools to do it my self.however the way i see it is the more of my time i work on it the more rewarding it will be to shoot.
 
You can also buy a bare Savage target action for a bit over $600, and it comes with lug and target accutrigger. The accutrigger has the advantage of being safe for hunting and can still be adjusted for a low weight (6 oz to 2.5 lbs)

This is the way I'm thinking of going for a build.



EDIT: You beat me to it by a minute. You can also get repeater target actions....

Ganderite said:
I would get a single shot Savage action. A lot more bedding area on the bottom, and you can add a third action screw in the middle.
Click to expand...
 
I just did what you are trying to do. This was what i payed
Steven 200 donor $329 after tax
McGowan barrel in .308 $306 tax in
rifle Basix triger $110 tax and shipping in
Boyds Stock $125 tax and shipping in
Sharp Shooter Supply Bolt handle, Recoil Lug, Fluted Bolt Body and stainless barrel nut $267 taxes in the shipping is the hard part as they dont ship direct to Canada.
Sold Factory Barrel -$100
EGW rings and Trigger guard $149 tax and shipping in
Bedding and misc $90
Glass Viper 6-18-44 $519 tax in
Grand total $1795
and yes it shoots great I used this rifle to win my class for 2012. If im up to the task it will hold 1" group at 200m with 155 palma match and 40.5grn varget.
And it was a bunch of fun building it.
 
Here's what I did: Bought a second hand Tikka T3 SS varmint in 6.5X55SE came with muzzle brake, for around $900.00 then did this...

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?870369-Built-a-laminate-rifle-stock.

With my handloads, the target posted should be typical results (0.500") if I don't botch any shots. The target I posted was the best of four load trials, but the other three were acceptable. Total cost for the build: $900.00 (will use the original barrel until worn) plus whatever consumables I used, wear on tools and my time. It is topped with a Zeiss scope, rings and 20moa rail: As you didn't mention those in your cost criteria, mentioning mine would fudge the comparison.
 
You have had great suggestions for hardware, may I suggest you look at a 284 Win Mag. Much less recoil than the 338's, with match bullets and handloads this is a very competive rifle out to 1000 yards. Uses only about 10gn more powder than a 308. This rifle will take yote's to Moose.

If you stick with a 308 boltface, you can always have another bbl chambered later and switch to a different caliber later, increasing the value of your invesment in basic hardware.

Have a look at this link...
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek095.html
 
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To use for both hunting and mid range shooting the most important thing is the scope.

If you get a scope with like a 6.5-20 zoom you will find its low magnification of 6.5 is too high for hunting in the woods. Try to pick a scope with a low - low end magnification like a 3-15 power or even a 2-12 that way it will work at close range on a fast moving animal and you can zoom in for longer shots.

It might be out of the budget but IOR has several 3-18 power which is perfect for both long and close range. Just look around and find a brand that fits your budget.
 
thanks again for everyone's input everything you guys add give me more to think about,
but im not looking for a rifle to that can hunt yotes to moose in fact i have a 338 w mag that kills everything i shoot just fine, but why i wanted the 243 is i know it can be used on coyotes and on deer without destroying 1/4 of the latter, the 338 cant. and as for a scope like i said in my first post something in the 4-12 range would be fine for me. what i want is a heavy yote light deer gun that can hold its own at the range so i can get in a lot of trigger time in on steel or milk jugs or whatever im not looking for a bench gun that can be taken hunting or another moose gun. the amount of walking i do during moose season doesn't lend its self well to a heavy gun.
 
i just went though the same process . i have been hunting with my 7 mm mag for 25 years and it seems to get heavier and heavier every year .
so i did my home work picked the lightest yet strongest caliber i could find --- the 6.5 x 55
the build
24.5 " kraiger with muzzel break 2.5 for 27 " total
rem 700 action
mcmillian sporter stock
took the kraiger varmit sporter had it turned down just enought to fit the stock
this will be my 600 yard and under go to gun for deer / elk
so i will carry this all season but if the shots are long and across the valley ill have to go back for the old tikka
total buld is going to be 3000.00
 
i just went though the same process . i have been hunting with my 7 mm mag for 25 years and it seems to get heavier and heavier every year .
so i did my home work picked the lightest yet strongest caliber i could find --- the 6.5 x 55
the build
24.5 " kraiger with muzzel break 2.5 for 27 " total
rem 700 action
mcmillian sporter stock
took the kraiger varmit sporter had it turned down just enought to fit the stock
this will be my 600 yard and under go to gun for deer / elk
so i will carry this all season but if the shots are long and across the valley ill have to go back for the old tikka
total buld is going to be 3000.00 weight should be 8 lbs loaded
 
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