Building a Precision Rifle, looking for input

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saitek11

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I am looking at building a new rifle, hoping it can fill a number of precision rifle roles. I am hoping to keep the rifle around the $2000 range without optics, and I will be using it for hunting (moose), long range bench and in competition as a tactical rifle. I have precision rifle experience shooting, but have never built anything before. I own a Winchester model 70 coyote lite in .300WSM, which could be used as my action and caliber, but also have no worries about selling it either, if something else would work better. I would like the rifle to 15 pounds or less if possible. I also already own and love my Mark 4 3.5-10, which will be the optics I put on the finished product.

Caliber: I have narrowed it down to 4 calibers, 7mm rem mag, .300 WM and .300WSM, or .338LM. I will be reloading, so ammo cost isn't a huge concern. thoughts?

Action: I have a model 70 action, but I would also use a rem 700 or savage LA, neither of which I have experience with, i also open to any other ideas?

Stock: I would require it to be fully adjustable. I would also like to have a detachable mag. I would get a folder (i.e XLR)if it works for the gun and me, but don't have my heart set on it. Suggestions?

Barrel: I would like to keep it 26 inches or less. suggestions on brands, rifling and muzzle brake?

Misc: I will also need a trigger and scope mounts, which I would like detachable but solid. Anything other thoughts on things I missed that would be useful?

Thanks for the input, always a good idea to ask people with more experience then me
 
Based on my meager knowledge, you will probably need a Remington action (or similar) to accomodate your stock choice. I don't know of many that have a folding option. Or you could just buy a Savage and be done with it.

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the rem 700 action would give lots of options. The savage is nice but that way you do Not get to have it YOUR way. My suggestion would be to do some research and browse the net to see what YOU like. There some very good stocks out there that will fit your needs as well as some great trigger and barrel manufactures.

The research can be part of the fun. Part of a custom gun appeal would to have something that is unique and accurate

By starting with the Rem 700 action you should have a LOT of options to build your gun they way YOU want it
 
OK, this is just my personal opinion, after building a couple of precision rifles.If I wasn't a lefty I'd spend the $4000 and get a PGW Timberwolf or Coyote depending on what calibers you want?
These guns shoot very well consistently, the quality is top shelf etc.
By the time you source all the parts, your going to be close to the same price.
 
custom guns

after you figure out what you want then you need to research who is going to build it for you, make sure you talk to people that have had work done by the smith, beleive me you can spend alot of money on a custom gun built by supposedly reputable smiths and be shocked with what you get in the end. Also it can become a slippery slope once you start its pretty easy to keep adding. just my opinion thanks
 
Because a fully adjustable stock can crowd $1K, by the time you have selected a barrel and action your budget is blown without addressing: a trigger, chambering the barrel, assembly, or the cost of any additional tweaking that might be necessary to make this thing work. Look for a good factory rifle that is within your price range.
 
I should have added buy a REM LTR, I have heard good reports from folks here about them, I have a Savage 10FLP, excellent rifle but I have added a new stock $1000, botton metal $350,smith work (re-cut barrel, paint etc) $1000. Like it was stated before
it can add up.After seeing a new or used PGW go for about $4000, and the accuracy they produce, save your money and buy once,IMO.
 
You should decide what your primary use will be. A rifle built for target shooting is a great deal different than a hunting rifle. Lugging a heavy barrelled target rifle(there's no such thing as a 'tactical' rifle. The term is a marketing term only.) around when hunting isn't a lot of fun. Not a big deal if you hunt from a blind though.
"...would like detachable..." No you don't.
You'll want to re-think those cartridges if you're planning on a lot of bench shooting. I'd skip the .338 Lapua altogether. Just because of the availability and cost of the brass. The 7mm Rem Mag isn't a target cartridge. Too much felt recoil and muzzle blast. Finding 7mm/.284 match bullets might be an issue too. Not a lot of 'em made and 7mm isn't a common target shooting cartridge. Neither is a WSM.
The .300 Win Mag is a target cartridge. Know a guy who built a DCRA long range(1,000 yards) target rifle on a Win 70 action. Won a lot of matches with it too. Used 190 grain match bullets(Hornady's at the time). His rifle wasn't a hunting rifle in any way, shape or form. With the heavy Douglas Premium SS barrel and the stock, etc. he used, the rifle weighed 17.5 pounds.
 
There is tons of bullets available for everything 6mm , 6.5m, 6.8mm(becoming more popular), 7mm, 7.62mm.

There are guys building and winning with all those bore sizes.

If you do things right you won't break the bank, be patient and let the experienced guys here help ya out.And don't have to buy $1,000 stocks that look cool. One of my rifles has a Boyd's laminated and it shoots to beat all heck.It is the bedding/floating/tuning that makes the stock.

You can buy a .338 LM Remington for just over 1200.00 rebarrel it AND get the action done for for under 2K.Using a smaller chambering can be a bit less expensive yet.

Smart shopping that is all.

Oh and when Jerry at Mystic speaks, make sure you listen. ;)
 
Does anyone have any experience with .300WSM, which I already have in a model 70 coyote lite, I am not sure if this is a good starting point as I have limited experience with this cartridge. It might be easier to drop in a timney trigger and replace the stock on it. Any idea where I can get a good after market stock for this that is adjustable?
 
As others have said, you're not going to enjoy lugging a heavy, awkward, and expensive target rifle through the woods to go hunting with. That sh!t gets old real fast. I think your needs would be much better served by keeping the Winchester you already own for hunting and building/buying a target rifle that will be better suited for range duty and the occasional competetion. The .300WSM is more than adequate for moose.

I've heard good things about the XLR stock but I would be inclined to look at more conventional stock offerings first.

Your cartridge selection should be based on the criteria of the shoting sport you will be participating in. Standardized "safe bet" choices would include both the .223 Remington & .308 Winchester. Without knowing more about your intended use in competition, it is tough to give more accurate advice based on the limited information provided.
 
I would strongly consider purchasing a used custom rifle that another person is willing to sell at a loss. It may even come with many extras such as brass, expensive dies, bullets, and powder.

I know of such a rifle..............................................
 
Building a custom rifle is great fun, and really rewarding because you get something unique, and something that is exactly what you want. The downside is that they always cost more than you budgeted, no matter how carefully you shop, or how ethical and honest the gunsmith is. The gunsmith's aren't trying to hose you, it is just the nature of custom pieces that they usually don't just fall together perfectly, and to be fair, you have to pay a good smith for their time.

I just finished a custom build, and it will likely be my last one. It turned out beautiful, and is perfectly what I had imagined and hoped for. It was also about $800 more than I planned on, but at toward the end, I sure wasn't going to give up and say "never mind".

The recommendation for a Savage, or used rifle are good ideas. However, even setting up a used rifle to your specs will probably end up costing more than you expected. Perhaps one of the custom smiths has an action that they have trued up with a nice barrel, so all you need to do is find a good stock for it.

I bought a Manners stock that usually requires a 3-6 month wait. I got it for about $100 under the list price, and without the wait because I found it on a gun board just like this one.
 
One idea as well is to buy the parts over time because $2000 wont get you much. Just an Action and stock alone can cost you over $2000.

If you know what you want you should not need to ask for advice on a web board.
 
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