GAP Rifles
- Thread starter kel226
- Start date
Steve David
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Oshawa, Ontario
Give Questar a call. But personally I would contact one of the great builders we have up here.
I'm just pricing out parts and I've come up with around $3200 and that's just parts lying around and not put together. Considering the price on the dollar, GAP looks pretty good. As far as the smiths up here, I think they are great, in fact a local smith up here I think is worldclass in his experience and custom work. Top Notch. He's great to talk to as well. I've got a US optics SSDS scope waiting to be mounted on I don't know what.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
If you arrange your stuff with your smith properly, the time it takes to get your DFAIT paperwork done, your CDN smithed rifle will be finished.
There is nothing on a precision rifle that can't be/isn't already being done at a world class level in Canada.
Jerry
There is nothing on a precision rifle that can't be/isn't already being done at a world class level in Canada.
Jerry
Parker-Hale Mike
CGN Regular
- Location
- Beautiful Victoria
I have a few friends that have GAP's and they build some nice stuff. You can import them just like any other firearm manufacturer. Use Leroy's Big Valley gunworks in Glasgow, Montana as the exporter and you can contact DFAIT in Ottawa yourself for the international import certificate paperwork.
I am also looking really hard at a GAP rifle. Have never heard a bad review not even a mediocre review. He is the go to guy in the US for tactical rifles if that is your thing but for benchrest and varminting there are great builders north of the border as well.
Im going to pile up some money and by the time its high enough i will have my decision made. I would love to support the northern builders but the GAP line is very tempting.
Im going to pile up some money and by the time its high enough i will have my decision made. I would love to support the northern builders but the GAP line is very tempting.
Steve David
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Oshawa, Ontario
Just my humble opinion, and I am sure many will agree, but there are builders here and that can build a rifle every bit as good as GAP, probably even better. GAP kind of surprises me as do the die hard GAP fans. On a certain sniper site in the US, GAP is god, I mean they live and breath GAP on this site, many of you know the site I speak of, yet, for such a popular rifle, there is quite a large turn around of used GAP rifles on that site. Now I am not putting down GAP, I have shot a few and their quality is great, but how much more can they do with a 700 then say HWSNBN, V-Bull or PGW or a few of the other good Canadian builders?
The turn over factor of those rifles is high as you mentioned but I would venture to guess it has very little to do with regards to the quality of the work performed.
I'm willing to bet that it's a situation where people get so caught up in the moment that they actually spend money they don't really have for such a rifle. Once the excitment novelty wears off the new purchase then some of these people have buyer's remorse and want to liquidate the asset fast to get back most of the invenstment they made.
You really have to question people's buying (and selling) motivations when they do this kind of thing. Perhaps, just a standard 700P or another factory type rifle would have suited their needs best.
I would speculate that the re-sale value of a GAP far exceeds that of a R*** T****** built custom by a wide margin.
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I agree with 2bad4u.
The turn around is most likely for regret. How many people that buy a GAP rifle will ever use it to its potential and fire a 800-1200 yards. How many will enter tactical sniper competitions like norcal or hide. They will just be at their home range plinking and once their buddies see their new rifle and the oooh's and awww's subside regret sets in and they figure they can do the same plinking they are doing with a 1000$ rifle so if they sell their GAP they can get another rifle and extras or a little cash back.
The turn around is most likely for regret. How many people that buy a GAP rifle will ever use it to its potential and fire a 800-1200 yards. How many will enter tactical sniper competitions like norcal or hide. They will just be at their home range plinking and once their buddies see their new rifle and the oooh's and awww's subside regret sets in and they figure they can do the same plinking they are doing with a 1000$ rifle so if they sell their GAP they can get another rifle and extras or a little cash back.
Yes Cunningham can put together a fine 700 based rifle in Canada.
The legal issues of importing are fairly simple but the other thing to check into is what it is going to cost to get a rifle into Canada. There is shipping to Leroys and then be sure what it will cost for the rest of the trip! Don't assume 50 bucks for UPS or the like because that does not work. Call Leroys and and ask!!! I have the T shirt.
Some may be able to bring it in fairly cheaply but there can be big time factors waiting for someone to make a trip. I hear about this stuff all the time.
The legal issues of importing are fairly simple but the other thing to check into is what it is going to cost to get a rifle into Canada. There is shipping to Leroys and then be sure what it will cost for the rest of the trip! Don't assume 50 bucks for UPS or the like because that does not work. Call Leroys and and ask!!! I have the T shirt.
Some may be able to bring it in fairly cheaply but there can be big time factors waiting for someone to make a trip. I hear about this stuff all the time.
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6mm Shooter
CGN Regular
- Location
- White City, SK
I have a friend that has 2 GAP rifles. One is a 308 and the other a 338 Lapua. I have shot both of them and they are good rifles but both of us have come to the same conclusion. They aren't good enough to warant the price. His 308had the coating come off the bolt so bad that it actually was binding the bolt and the Lapua had the brake timed wrong so we had to fix it. He called george and he said send it back like that is easy to do. The bolt from the lapua has to go back to get the bolt handle welded on because they are having problems with the way lawton put them on. There is nothing that GAP does that is special. They use Lawton actions, high end barrels, stocks and cerakote to finish them. My suggestion is buy the parts and get it built by someone else closer to you.
Also from my experience don't buy a Lawton action.
Also from my experience don't buy a Lawton action.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
Glad to see someone is getting a good hourly wage for making guns. Nice stuff but certainly nothing over the top. All very basic run of the mill stuff. Used $3000 Cdn to cover costs above purchase price like mail, taxes, courier, etc. Not sure what the upcharge of export would be so you would have add that too.
What I didn't like was the emphasis on a 'true min spec chamber'. On a working rifle, someone is going to get nipped. VERY BAD IDEA.
There are so many excellent accurate 'match quality' chambers that will also feed when things get mucky. Seems like they are also victims of trying to make BR rifles into working rifles. Or at least thinking that some of the BR stuff matters in a working rig.
Wouldn't want to take a min spec chamber into battle though. For a range/competition/bar stool rifle, sure why not.
They are using very good quality barrels so there is little issue they will meet and exceed their accuracy mins with handloads and a few factory ammo.
But can easily be matched with pipes made in Canada. We have great barrel makers here!
The following pricing is just estimates from my other projects. You can save even more by buying carefully. The first three options should shoot in the 2's and 3's with handloads.
Get a generic Rem700 SPS or whatever - $450 or less once factory parts not needed are sold off (used $450). Gaillard, McPhee, Smith pipe $350. Installation and all that fancy work to resolve poor manf - $200 to 400 (used $250). McM/HS/Robertson/Choate stocks are readily available $200 to 600 (used $450). Quick shot of duracoat - $100 or better yet, bumper/roll bar epoxy paint/camo - $12
You end up with $1600 but could be less. Quaility of work is pretty darn good. Savings $1400. Add a Vbull mag system for $450. Turnaround - easily discussed with your smith.
Or you can go Stevens 200, sss trigger group, pac nor/shilen/gaillard/smith/mcphee barrel, similar stock options- $1000 to 1200. Savings $1800/2000. Assembly - a leisurely weekend once barrel arrives.
Or Savage with center feed mag system that works - $1250 to 1450. Savings $1550/1750. Assembly - a leisurely weekend once barrel arrives.
Or you can buy a HS/McM Savage LE model w/ new center feed D mag for $1000 IF they ever come back to Canada. Bed and you are good to go. Accuracy more like 1/2 to 3/4MOA so you will give up a few tenths to the big dollar rigs.
So you have many other options that will leave enough money left over for such niceties as a Bushnell ($600)/Nikon ($800)/Leupold ($1200)/Nighforce ($1500) tactical scope and cash for chatting it up at the bar.
YMMV
Jerry
What I didn't like was the emphasis on a 'true min spec chamber'. On a working rifle, someone is going to get nipped. VERY BAD IDEA.
There are so many excellent accurate 'match quality' chambers that will also feed when things get mucky. Seems like they are also victims of trying to make BR rifles into working rifles. Or at least thinking that some of the BR stuff matters in a working rig.
Wouldn't want to take a min spec chamber into battle though. For a range/competition/bar stool rifle, sure why not.
They are using very good quality barrels so there is little issue they will meet and exceed their accuracy mins with handloads and a few factory ammo.
But can easily be matched with pipes made in Canada. We have great barrel makers here!
The following pricing is just estimates from my other projects. You can save even more by buying carefully. The first three options should shoot in the 2's and 3's with handloads.
Get a generic Rem700 SPS or whatever - $450 or less once factory parts not needed are sold off (used $450). Gaillard, McPhee, Smith pipe $350. Installation and all that fancy work to resolve poor manf - $200 to 400 (used $250). McM/HS/Robertson/Choate stocks are readily available $200 to 600 (used $450). Quick shot of duracoat - $100 or better yet, bumper/roll bar epoxy paint/camo - $12
You end up with $1600 but could be less. Quaility of work is pretty darn good. Savings $1400. Add a Vbull mag system for $450. Turnaround - easily discussed with your smith.
Or you can go Stevens 200, sss trigger group, pac nor/shilen/gaillard/smith/mcphee barrel, similar stock options- $1000 to 1200. Savings $1800/2000. Assembly - a leisurely weekend once barrel arrives.
Or Savage with center feed mag system that works - $1250 to 1450. Savings $1550/1750. Assembly - a leisurely weekend once barrel arrives.
Or you can buy a HS/McM Savage LE model w/ new center feed D mag for $1000 IF they ever come back to Canada. Bed and you are good to go. Accuracy more like 1/2 to 3/4MOA so you will give up a few tenths to the big dollar rigs.
So you have many other options that will leave enough money left over for such niceties as a Bushnell ($600)/Nikon ($800)/Leupold ($1200)/Nighforce ($1500) tactical scope and cash for chatting it up at the bar.
YMMV
Jerry
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I guess I'm far too result-oriented to see the value in spending the sort of dollars asked on these pre-fab jobs, but hey... whatever spackles your cracks. It's your money and you have to be 100% happy with it.
The most important thing to me is having a gun that has the most possible accuracy. The veneer is secondary, but then the kind of matches I shoot in are not fashion shows. We tend to revere the shooter's skill more than his/her gun.
The most important thing to me is having a gun that has the most possible accuracy. The veneer is secondary, but then the kind of matches I shoot in are not fashion shows. We tend to revere the shooter's skill more than his/her gun.
Parker-Hale Mike
CGN Regular
- Location
- Beautiful Victoria
6mm Shooter,
You are about the third or fourth person I have met that has been unhappy with a GAP in the fifteen years George has been building rifles. In regards to what you are unhappy with, my Gun-Kote job by my smith in Saskatoon came off my bolt and barrel in under three months, it happens here too.
In regards to some of the other posts.
When you look at the resale of custom rigs like these, the heavy hitters in this market that produce actual volume, not 20 or 30 a year will have a higher resale value because of their notoriety. This also works both ways, it can lead to them becoming infamous if they produce crap. I am all for supporting the local guys and I am a very proud Canadian, but I will not put the blinders on and ignore a company at the top of their game because they don't fly the maple leaf. On other thing to confirm this is, GAP very frequently comes out on top in regards to where his gear finishes in the big competitions down south.
To each their own, I run a Gaillard on a Jim Dugan smithed rifle. I have for a longtime. Will it run with a GAP, somedays when my game is on. Can I get a decent return for my money out of it like a GAP, nope. I have my M40a1 return stock and 6 digit 700 sitting here that I keep toying with the idea of it making the trip to Oklahoma to get built by Eric Reed at GAP.
You have got to do what you feel is right for you.
You are about the third or fourth person I have met that has been unhappy with a GAP in the fifteen years George has been building rifles. In regards to what you are unhappy with, my Gun-Kote job by my smith in Saskatoon came off my bolt and barrel in under three months, it happens here too.
In regards to some of the other posts.
When you look at the resale of custom rigs like these, the heavy hitters in this market that produce actual volume, not 20 or 30 a year will have a higher resale value because of their notoriety. This also works both ways, it can lead to them becoming infamous if they produce crap. I am all for supporting the local guys and I am a very proud Canadian, but I will not put the blinders on and ignore a company at the top of their game because they don't fly the maple leaf. On other thing to confirm this is, GAP very frequently comes out on top in regards to where his gear finishes in the big competitions down south.
To each their own, I run a Gaillard on a Jim Dugan smithed rifle. I have for a longtime. Will it run with a GAP, somedays when my game is on. Can I get a decent return for my money out of it like a GAP, nope. I have my M40a1 return stock and 6 digit 700 sitting here that I keep toying with the idea of it making the trip to Oklahoma to get built by Eric Reed at GAP.
You have got to do what you feel is right for you.
Tell it like it is Mike.
I have a friend who bought a GAP rifle, I guess two years ago, and it took forever to get up due to paperwork/permits hassles.it was bought right from GAP and the "man" himself.
Nice stuff...........yes it is very nice.
Worth the monet they want for one.............not in my books.
I can have a rifle built to what I want up here for less money and hassle.
I run a McPhee Match barrel on a tuned Rem 700 Police Action in an AICS stock built and blueprinted by the late Ron March. For the money I spent (and saved!!!!) my rifle will shoot with those "big dollar/Big Name" rifles.
There are Smiths here in Canada that can hold their own against their U.S. Counterparts...........
SKBY.
