looking for a good gunsmith for some work

I will say that in some instances you can be quicker with a pre-fit, which would be upon the intial build where you are assembling the rifle yourself as you gather components, such as what you are doing.

Currently got a rifle build in progress for the wife. Think we have waited about 4 months so far, with a few more months to go yet. If we did a pre-fit route with a chassis, I could of slapped it together myself. Though it wouldn't be chambered in 6BRA, nor would the trigger be timed. But I also wasn't limited to parts for the build - Lone Peak Fuzion action, Brux barrel chambered in 6BRA, Bix 'n Andy 2 stage Tacsport trigger, KRG bravo chassis with custom paint job by Custom Gun Coatings. Ultimately by going this route I believe that I am getting a superior end result using top of the line components. The wait for the initial build does suck though - the wife keeps bugging me about when it will be done.

Pros and cons to both. But with the exception of the initial build, there is no time advantage to pre-fits. And you are not limited to certain components.
 
I will give you this, i am heavily limited in component brands.
For this 100% canadian build, going MDT chassis, IBI barrel, Ultimatum receiver, and Trigger tech diamond, it was both well themed for the build and convenient to build up.

For me it also meant i was keeping my build under 4000$ (excluding scope and mount),
The full customs you are speaking of can easily climb in the 8K territory, something i could not afford at the moment.

As i am at 8K with scope and mount included, and could not of afforded more.
 
kthomas said:
I will say that in some instances you can be quicker with a pre-fit, which would be upon the intial build where you are assembling the rifle yourself as you gather components, such as what you are doing.

Currently got a rifle build in progress for the wife. Think we have waited about 4 months so far, with a few more months to go yet. If we did a pre-fit route with a chassis, I could of slapped it together myself. Though it wouldn't be chambered in 6BRA, nor would the trigger be timed. But I also wasn't limited to parts for the build - Lone Peak Fuzion action, Brux barrel chambered in 6BRA, Bix 'n Andy 2 stage Tacsport trigger, KRG bravo chassis with custom paint job by Custom Gun Coatings. Ultimately by going this route I believe that I am getting a superior end result using top of the line components. The wait for the initial build does suck though - the wife keeps bugging me about when it will be done.

Pros and cons to both. But with the exception of the initial build, there is no time advantage to pre-fits. And you are not limited to certain components.
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Who's timing the action for you?
 
thechineseguy said:
i recently bought a bartlein barrel (6.5mm, 5R, medium palma) from the chou brothers but they are too busy to take any new work. i also contacted tactical ordnance and they said the same thing. im looking to have the barrel chambered for 6.5 creedmoor, muzzle threaded and bedding done (tikka t3x ctr in bell&carlson stock). are there any gunsmiths that you guys would recommend?
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Another vote for Terry at BARC... does excellent work.

Dennis Lair, Ralph Colgan, Bob Galloway, Henry Remple, Casey at TacOrd, Ian Robertson, KMS, Dave Harry.. these guys build superb shooting rigs.

Canada has a ton of top tier talent... and I mean competing on the World Stage.

Jerry
 
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Tony1320 said:
Oh ok, I thought you lived in Canada your profile says Calgary. I know there's guys in the US that do it but not sure who does it in Canada
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I need to change the location in my profile as I live in the US.

I would talk to Insite Arms. I've had custom gun work done by GAP, TacOps, RPR, TS Customs (all top US gunsmiths) as well as Insite Arms. Insite Arms does just as good work as any of the top US gunsmiths. Based off of what I have seen, heard and have had my Canadian resident shooting pals experience, you are taking a gamble going with any other Canadian gunsmith.
 
MartyK2500 said:
I am not sure how a prefit with a floating bolt head would be an inferior product?
Still a novice reloader/shooter by all means, my prefit can sub 1/2 moa 25 rounds in a row @200M(split in 5 groups)
I’m sure with more experience i could squeeze more
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Because it isn't... if you look at F class, you will find alot of Savage target actions in use. Hitting 5" circles at 900m/1000yds demands the best performance in gear.

I have competed using both styles of barrels installs and neither proved superior. on target, the groups were the same... on target the scores were similar within the limits of the drivers wind reading.

There are pros and cons to both styles and I have explored them as far as the tech allows.... down to the 1/4 MOA AVERAGE accuracy at LR, I wouldn't hesitate to use either style.

I am sure you will find that with your IBI prefit, the accuracy you see will be identical between the Savage and Deadline... in fact, that accuracy will be the same in any savage SA you want to spin that barrel on.

if you want to use prefit barrels, use an action with a floating bolt head that locks up straight... Savage, Rem 783, Deadline are the ones I have most experience with. We can swap barrels between all the actions and the end result will be the same.

The biggest advantage to using a floating bolt head action... reliable function under very dusty/dirty conditions.

Custom action makers are cluing into this and more and more actions are offering barrel nut installs. As long as the bolt face, bolt lugs, chamber and bore are aligned when the bolt is closed, it really doesn't matter how the barrel is headspaced.

A gunsmith that can create a shouldered headspace set up, can set up a barrel nut set up... reamers are easily sourced and many prefit barrel manfs are growing their list of options as fast (if not faster), then gunsmiths... boils down to popularity.

With the barrel makers I use that offer prefits, the options are extensive and really no different then what a creative gunsmith can do. They make the barrel blanks that gunsmiths use so why would the barrel spec options be any different if the chambering/threading is done in house on a CNC as a secondary step?

If you prefer a shouldered headspaced rifle, go for it... I use this method as well as the biggest benefit is being able to run heavier profiles.

Jerry
 
Pre-fit or shouldered, any advantage one way or the other is so miniscule that it will sound overstated to even point it out. My point is that there is no real time savings of a pre-fit over a shouldered barrel, and a shouldered barrel is just as easy to swap out as a pre-fit barrel.

You will not see any reliability difference in the field between a pre-fit or shouldered barrel, all things equal. There will be a much bigger difference in reliability in your component selection than floating bolt head vs non. Savage rifles have floating bolt heads, but some of the worst track records for reliability.

My comments were not to start a pissing match between pre-fit vs shouldered. At the end of the day, it ultimately comes down to quality in the barrel and the quality in the chambering. Whether a pre-fit or shouldered barrel checks all the boxes for you, the most important factors will be barrel and gunsmithing.
 
Why a competitor would run gear with a function or reliability issue has been a head scratcher for me. SH!T happens but if a rig, any rig, doesn't prove 100% reliable in practise and testing, fix it.

Whether it is weak ejection, sticky feeding, hard to chamber ammo, all of this should have been proved and fixed long before the call to start a stage.

YMMV....

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
Why a competitor would run gear with a function or reliability issue has been a head scratcher for me. SH!T happens but if a rig, any rig, doesn't prove 100% reliable in practise and testing, fix it.

Whether it is weak ejection, sticky feeding, hard to chamber ammo, all of this should have been proved and fixed long before the call to start a stage.

YMMV....

Jerry
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Agreed, but...

If you start with good quality components and have it put together by a top level gunsmith, there should be no field reliability issues - barring any issues that are created by the end user (such as improper reloading techniques).

One of the many reasons why top level field shooters use top tier components and gunsmiths. More budget friendly options open you up to potentially more problems that need to get flushed out before you hit the firing line.
 
That is very true, however, I think the real take away from this is for Marty. There are two different ways to do it and both have pluses and minuses, and your reasoning for the pre-fit route is a solid one being self sufficient is huge! So keep on shooting and keep working out the bugs with your build and enjoy. A shouldered barrel maybe slightly more accurate at the end of the day but depending on your goals with the rifle you may never see a difference. So don't worry if your barrel is shoulderd or if your bolt head floats, get out there and pull the trigger!
 
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