Building a Custom Hunting Rifle

It would seem to me that people who want a custom rifle built do it because...they want to have a custom rifle built. Not because they need to have one for a specific game animal or a specific type of hunting.

So if that is the case then the action, barrel, stock, trigger and colour of the sling are mostly just your own personal choice and why would you want to ask others for their opinion when in the end you are going to build the rifle you want to build.

There are so many different choices of factory rifles on the market today and lots of little options if one feels they really need to change something on a gun. I don't see any real advantage of having a custom rifle built. Maybe I am just not nutty enough of a gun nut.
 
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I'm simple when it come to hunting guns. I want a reliable dependable accurate rifle. With that the rifle I'm saving for will be 338/06

Savage 110 action. They've never let me down. I'm used to them
Shilen barrel semi heavy. 24" I like forward weight. Deeply crowned for protection of muzzle
Standard accutrigger
Choate adjustable stock. Synthetic
Leupold or ziess scope

338/06 fits nicely between my favorites 25/06 and 45/70. This would be for moose elk and bear for close to medium range. I'm not a long range hunter but it would allow a 300 yard shot
I don't need a Magnum for these species. More often my shots are close. I like to be different and the variety of 338 target bullets will keep me shooting at 300+ yards year round. I wanted the 35 Whelen but the 338 has more options and better sectional density and 308-338 is more consistent then 308-358 for necks. It will hit hard enough without the recoil and muzzle blast of my 300 win mag. Recoil and rifle weight don't bother me. I'm not climbing mountains
That is my choice and why. My dream rifle Holland and Holland royal sxs in 25/20 scaled down to sizet
 
I would have to say a 7x57 or 6.5x55 ideally with the section of birdseye maple I have drying as the stock and a good set of iron sights and a 2-7x33 leupold. Of course I'm more likely going to rebarrel a savage to .250 savage or buy a Remington model 7 in 7mm-08 possibly the CDL version.
 
I did a 6.5x55AI. Wanted .264 and not a 'standard' cartridge.
CZ550 action with set trigger. Holds 5 in magazine.
MPI f/glass stock in weatherby style.
Kreiger #4 stainless barrel finished at 26".
Zeiss 4.5-14x44 Z800 reticle.

Next build will be on a 550 again. Probably 338-06AI. I have 30-06's and .375. 210 grain @ 2800FPS would fit nicely in the mix.
 
I think I'd need to know more. The rifle is for deer, but what type of deer hunting? Wide open spaces, close bush shots?

I have a few deer rifles, a 7mm RUM for the prairies and a 35 Whelen for in the bush. Both very different rifles.
 
Just built one 6.5 x 55 long range

rem 700 LA donor action
kreiger medium varmit .730 at the end of 24 inches
mcmillian ultra light sporter stock
rem 700 removable box mag
Timmy's trigger
muzzle break 2 inches
swfa low profile rings
weaver tactical rail
sightron 8x32x56
weight 9 lbs

$3000 without glass
 
Ps shoots bug holes at 300 and 100 your hole in hole .
anything that is not, is me ...

shooting custom loads
2950 fps 140 sst
 
hoytcanon said:
Having built a dozen plus custom rifles (mostly on 700 actions), I can confidently say, that if your goal is "deer hunting"... Don't waste your time and money... There are dozens of "bone stock" rifles that will effectively perform all hunting tasks asked of them... One shot kills at all reasonable ranges. Any of the medium calibers from quarter bores to thirties will get it done efficiently... Can't much go wrong with the 6.5's and 7's... Ruger M77 or Win 70, a good, solid, bright scope in the 1.5-6X, 2-7X, 3-9 range... And enough ammo to get very familiar with your rifle and what "it and you" can do... Your "off to the races," and "cooking with gas."

Personally, I got tired of the grind... I now mess around with the very simple and effective Handi platform, and my battery of stocked M77's and #1's... Its a simpler approach that has restored much of the joy in shooting for me... But I respect that everyone is at a different place on their journey... And if you just gotta, then have fun with it...
Click to expand...

I agree,...building "customs" is not necessary but it's not about need.

I got bored with the flavour of the week 700 a while back. I have customs I put together two or three years ago that I've never hunted with. One follows a common theme that has uber internet cool all thru it...a trued late 70's 700 action, Shilen stainless #2 barrel in a 9 twist .284" bore chambered in the current internet darling, the 280 Ackley, and it's in an MR pattern McMillan Edge....I've never left camp with it.............my factory 700 in 7 Mag does the same thing, and it pushes 160's faster.

I have two customs on Pre'64 Model 70s' and I haven't hunted with them either, granted the last one arrived in the middle of the season without time to get it set up. In the limited hunting I did this year I carried two different factory rifles.

Customs don't really do anything you can't do with a factory rifle but they are more personal,...you can have it the way you want it. Will it help you put more game on the ground?...I doubt it, that comes more from the hunting than the shooting.
 
SS M70 action
SS Krieger, Broughton or Rock Creek in Douglas #3, 24" 1:10 twist, 5R
.300 H&H - Williams bottom metal
all metal coated - haven't decided which product yet
Echols pattern McMillan - haven't decided colour yet
Not sure of mounts yet - scope would be Victory HT 2.5-10x50 with ASV and illumination

Put together by Bill Leeper or Dennis Sorensen

....wait a minute, what was the budget again?
 
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The thing about getting a gun set-up just for you is more about personal staisfaction and using a barrel built around the bullet you want to use. If you want to shoot a specific bullet, usually the high BC bullets, many rifles aern't going to stabilize them. Since your gonna change the barrel, you may as well get the action square, since your doing that, you may as well tune/replace the trigger. While it in the shop, you may as well get the gunsmith to bed it into a new stock. Now your thinking your old scope might be a little weak or beat up and may as well upgrade.... budget goes up. Good times though! Aftermarket barrels set-up properly tend to clean up so much better and shoot a wider variety of loads well too.
 
I just got my first one back, (Thanks to Jerry at Mystic Precision and Terry at Black Art Rifle.) I intend to hunt deer, moose, and paper with it;

SS 700 SA w/ oversize handle
#3 Shilen match 23" chambered in .270 Redding
Boyds Prairie Hunter Jacaranda
Have not decided on a scope yet, but I installed a Nikon Monarch 2.5-10 that I had sitting here.

I agree with the others, it is not about need. I just wanted something that was my own, and a little different!
 
Enjoy your rifle and we both would love to hear on that chambering. What a great looking case.

I am sure it will shoot very nicely for you.

For custom rifles, we build to ANY spec and a huge range of parts. It is all about what YOU want. What you feel is good, important. Not about what I, or the neighbour wants.

The key is to have your end use goals well defined. the parts are the last thing we worry about cause they become very clear once goals are defined.

A realistic budget and the wiliness to wait for parts as needed. We do not do cookie cutter rifles.

But the rifle the customer receives fits exactly what they ordered and they shoot and run.

Enjoy...

Jerry
 
I have had a number of "Custom" rifles built over the years, and as noted, they are more a personal expression than a specific need.

I had my last one built 2 years ago, 700 LA, McGowan C-M 1-10" twist .308 to finish at 26"

Had Bill Leeper do it all up in a Custom Shop Curly Maple stock, and chamber it in 308 Norma Mag.

Deep blue, satin finish on the lumber, Original trigger reworked to 2¾ lbs, crisp as breaking glass.

It's been hunting twice with me, and has accounted for a Moose and an Elk. [180 TTSX @ 3120 fps is plenty decisive.]

I Have the goodies together for a Varminter as we speak. 700 SA, Benchmark C-M 1-8" twist @ 26", Heavy Laminate stock, Target crown.
It will be chambered in 6mm Remington, and have a Jewell trigger installed.

I, personally, prefer wood and blued CM over synthetics and stainless, but appreciate the practicality of the latter, and have a couple of factory rifles in that style.

In the stable are others....a 260AI, a 6.5x55AI, a 303 Epps, etc.

In the end, you yourself must decide what you want, and then justify the cost.

Regards, Dave.
 
For me, my ultimate/custom hunting rifle wood be fairly simple. Mod 70, ruger 77 or some type of crf action, mated to a med/heavy barrel. Chambered in 300wm or 7mm, low powered scope. Light stock be it hs precision, or McMillan. All stainless, with nitron blackened,Teflon,armacoat etc. finish. And detach mag. But that's jut what I like. And as you can see its not too specific, I can flex on all things, except the controlled round feed.
 
The responses to this thread have been extremely helpful. Eagleye I think summed it up nicely when he said, "they are more a personal expression than a specific need." I think that is exactly right.

As many of you expressed there are many "off the shelf" rifles that offer up all of the necessary bells and whistles that one requires to get the job done at a price point and quality level that is more than satisfactory.

Everyone's needs and desires are different.
I know most rifles are more accurate than I will ever be able to match.
Hunting for me has always been a personal expression. Why shouldn't my rifle be in keeping with that sentiment.

Our camp is in Northern Ontario. Once in camp I walk everywhere, and I walk a lot. I like to hunt far back in the bush. Sometimes from a tree stand I have previously set or from a rock.

Like many of us older guys I too have had my surgeries that are a result of a well worn life, primarily 2 hip replacements. So I am not the kid I used to be while roaming through the November bush. As a result weight is an issue.

Six years ago I started using a Remington Model 7 in 308. It was refitted and assembled by a local gun wizard, and on my first hunting trip after my last hip replacement, I took the biggest deer of my life. This deer was the first, and likely only one I will ever have mounted.

So it is easy to understand why I fell in love with it. Nothing breeds brand loyalty like success.

It was easy to carry, packed enough of a punch for my purposes, and had a 20 inch barrel to make it quick and fast ( faster than me anyway) for dense bush conditions and didn't get hung up on trees and bush.

It had only one short coming; it was right handed.

After deciding that what I wanted was a left-handed Model 7 my research showed that a left handed version of the rifle had never been made.

So it put me on the path of a custom rifle.

So for those curious here is what the components will be for this rifle which will be used primarily for deer hunting rifle in the dense bush conditions of Northern Ontario.

Calibre: 308 ( Variety of bullets and availability of components)
Action: Remington 700 Action - Left Handed. Blue-printed(Tried and true/best of breed or what ever the current terminology happens to be to describe a proven technology)
Barrel: MacLennan barrel - Stainless tapered profile - Glass bedded and free floated. 20 inches ( may cut further to 18.5)
Stock: High Tech Specialties - Looked at the McMillan Edge, but the HTS was 1/3 of the price and was readily available in left hand (high-tech specialties is the name of the company)
Optic: Trijicon 1x4x24 Accupoint - Looked at the Leupold 1.25x4x20 but most of my hunting is in dark bush so light is an issue, and I don't like to rely on batteries.
Trigger: Remington stock trigger with a trigger job.
Polished bolt and rails.
Entire gun will be painted and Teflon coated to deal with the elements.

So that is what I have come up with for this rifle.

I thought about a detachable mag for the rifle, but having had one on one of my other 700's while it is very convenient, I would rather put the money into the optic.

I have a wizard that will build the rifle for me and who has a great deal of experience building police sniper rifles and other custom rigs.

As this will likely be the last rifle for me I want the best I can afford. It is likely I will go over budget, but after all, when was the last time you saw a safe following a hearse?

Comments are always welcome!
 
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I had 5 custom rifles built by two different gunmakers and never had them built for any specific need, well maybe one need, velocity; one rifle had a 28 inch barrel and the other a 27.5 inch barrel. All of my custom rifles only expressed what I appreciated in certain parts and personal taste.
 
Rembo said:
I agree,...building "customs" is not necessary but it's not about need.

I got bored with the flavour of the week 700 a while back. I have customs I put together two or three years ago that I've never hunted with. One follows a common theme that has uber internet cool all thru it...a trued late 70's 700 action, Shilen stainless #2 barrel in a 9 twist .284" bore chambered in the current internet darling, the 280 Ackley, and it's in an MR pattern McMillan Edge....I've never left camp with it.............my factory 700 in 7 Mag does the same thing, and it pushes 160's faster.

I have two customs on Pre'64 Model 70s' and I haven't hunted with them either, granted the last one arrived in the middle of the season without time to get it set up. In the limited hunting I did this year I carried two different factory rifles.

Customs don't really do anything you can't do with a factory rifle but they are more personal,...you can have it the way you want it. Will it help you put more game on the ground?...I doubt it, that comes more from the hunting than the shooting.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't waste my money on custom, I would wait patiently for Rembo to list a rifle in a cartridge I deem appropriate for my purposes, pay a reasonable price(slightly more than from most guys) knowing he had made sure it was bedded properly and had adjusted the trigger to perfection and go hunting.

In case you are wondering, I have done that 4-5 times with rifles Rick was selling.
 
martinbns said:
I wouldn't waste my money on custom, I would wait patiently for Rembo to list a rifle in a cartridge I deem appropriate for my purposes, pay a reasonable price(slightly more than from most guys) knowing he had made sure it was bedded properly and had adjusted the trigger to perfection and go hunting.

In case you are wondering, I have done that 4-5 times with rifles Rick was selling.
Click to expand...

Want some more of them?...:)
 
Some interesting choices, though none of them are true "customs", it's just choosing a gunsmith to assemble mass produced parts coming from various manufacturers. Those are best purchased on the EE for 50% or less of initial cost. :D

There are some truly fine customs out there, but I don't have the coin for those. A Westley Richards takedown, Hagn falling block, H&H double, etc.
 
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