building a custom hog gun and need some help

[lamar25]

I am new to the forum and am probably starting a discussion that has been brought up before, but would greatly appreciate some help. I am looking to build a varmint rifle piece by piece and want input on all of the major components before I buy.
This will be a rifle that will be used for 100 to 1000 yard prone shooting. It will be my first custom rifle so I am not partial to any brand make or model of anything. Keeping the rifle without a scope around $3k is my goal.
I am considering a 6mm of some sort but even need help deciding what kind. I don’t want to spend all of my time reloading and fire forming but can if it’s worth the effort. So please provide your thoughts, starting with caliber suggestions.

 

[antitactical]

Look in the gunsmith section Or the 100 top gun section clay spencer. Give this guy a call he makes custom hog rifles for 2500 with a 1/4" accuracy promise. I just got one back from him in 6mmbr and it is an amazing rifle. He's very helpful and if you give him a call he can definately point you in the right direction. He has a couple of world records under his belt and has taken a hog at over 1800 yds (that's a looooooong ways)

 

[HillbillySniper]

I would start with an action either remington 700 or a savage action would be the two id choose from if your just looking for a long range hog gun id saay short action would be the way to go. Any of the barrel manufactures are good krieger brux broughton lilja douglas rock creek just to name a few will work. Jewell shilen timmney rifle basixs are some of the better triggers to go with the stock would be up to you and what you like and feels good to you. Optics is gonna be a hard choice I think so there's so many good scopes to go with its all what you wanna spend. As far as the caliber 6mm is a great round to wanna build 6mmbr will work so would a 6x47 lapua 243 243ai 6mmslr they all do the trick all depends on how deep into the reloading you wish to go.

Hillbilly

 

[TheBlueEyedBear]

This is an easy decision for me since I have built 2 6mm DASHERS. These guns really shoot. And, if you are planning to shoot out to 1K you should have the extra case capacity to accompolish that. FIRE-FORMING: This is not the big deal everybody makes it out to be. You only do it once per piece of brass, so go out and buy 2oo pieces of Lapua 6mmBR, load them with 30grs. of H4895, 105gr A-Max bullet seated to JAM, use WOLF SRM primer and go fire-form your brass. You'll probably be in the hall-of-fame before you have to fire-form again.
ACTION - DEFIANCE (this is my new favorite action) cheaper than my 2nd choice, BAT
BARREL - Bartlein, Kreiger, Brux (my favorites) 28" is a good length for the 6BR guns.
TRIGGER - Jewell BR
STOCK - so many to choose from (Manners is my favorite)
SCOPE - Nightforce 12-42x56 BR w/ NP-2 dd reticle

Here is one result from a 6DASHER http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_rod25bG_s

 

[Nodak7mm]

Lamar,

I suggest you mention you local area so maybe you can be steered towards a local smith or at least within a reasonable driving distance..

Personally I like face-to-face time with a smith so communications and expectations are clear.. Make the build an enjoyable experience..

I dont do the blind trust thing well (eg: drop it in the mail and wait 6-12 months to get something different than what you expected)...... If the smith rebuffs your communications, time to move on... There are a great amount of smiths out there that can do the work. The "GOOD" ones will take the time to meet with you and discuss the build... The "GREAT" ones will do it to your satisfaction while being honest with you about your ideas and expectations!!!

If he wont take the time to discuss/listen to me, I dont flippin care how good he is, he wont get my money....

Its your money, your build, have it done your way....

My 0.02$

Rod

 

[lamar25]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions! I will throughly look in to them all.
Nodak, im located in NE PA. RW Hart is my local smith. They have a great name locally just like to hear some other opinions before I put all of my faith on the sole opinion of bobby.
Speaking of RW Hart does anyone believe I should just let them build me a 6br on a 700 action (my first idea).

 

[357Mag]

Lamar -

Howdy !
Your $3,000 allowance sounds fairly generous; to me.

Some thoughts:
Action - You could make a dandy groundhog rifle, based on a Savage single shot aciton. Use of the Savage action would make the rifle a " switch barrel "; and you could swap barrels and headspace your own self. The accuracy capability of the Savage single shot bolt rifle is well proven, and your budget won't suffer.

Barrel - " Buy the best, and cry once ". If you have Fred Moreo of Ohio help w/ the rifle, you could go with one of those brands he has on-hand.
Kreiger, Broughton, Bartlein, Hart, Brux... all are great choices.

Trigger - If you go Savage, you'd have the Accu-trigger already as part of the package.

Stock - You pick.... Fred M. has a bunch of choices.

Chambering - For a clean 1,000yd kill on a 12lb "Soybeanus Diestus "; you'll want
at least 450ft lbs on-tap @ that distance. Your bullet will likely be a 105-107 VLD, even if not designed as a varmint bullet.
The 450ft lb threshold and velocity necessary to obtain that level of KE will dictate
your minimum chamber size ( case capacity ), given the bullet cal/wt.
It will also help you choose barrel length, probably 28" minimum.

Some possible chamber choices:
6mm Rem, 6mm Rem AI, 6mmm BG ( Bob Greenleaf ); new-wave 6X47.

Scope - With a Leupold or a Weaver K-series, you could boost magnificaiton of even a stock 36X scope, by adding a Gene Davis " optical booster ".
These can be had for around $100, and work great for many shooters.
You'd have to try one for yourself, to be sure. That is, unless your project otherwise comes in well under-budget; and you decide on a Nightforce.

Rings - 20MOA Ken Farrell scope base, and rings. A 1" tube will work fine for 1,000, and you'd have plenty of verticle adjust with the chamberings mentioed; above.

With regards,
357Mag

A traditional designed varmint rifle w/ a 28" barrel and 14.5" length-of-pull....
will still fit a Plano "AirGlide" rifle case.

 

[itchyTF]

Another smith option for PA. Farther than Hart but not too bad. Bruce Baer, Willow Hill, PA. About an hour west of Harrisburg and a stone's throw from the turnpike. Good guy to deal with.

 

[lamar25]

Another smith option for PA. Farther than Hart but not too bad. Bruce Baer, Willow Hill, PA. About an hour west of Harrisburg and a stone's throw from the turnpike. Good guy to deal with.

The Baer 1000 Yard Light Rifle looks a lot like what i have in mind as my end result. I do not see any pricing info on their site but would imagine this complete rifle is a little over my budget. I will defiantely contact them for info when its time to start the build.

 

[lamar25]

I'm really starting to like the Dasher after doing some more research thanks to TheBlueEyedBear's suggestions. Will I have trouble finding somebody to build me a rig that chambers that round?

 

[HillbillySniper]

If your in NE PA id give Dave Bruno a call as well he's put together some really great shooting rifles for myself as well as some of my buddies!

Hillbilly

 

[expiper]

welll you askes.....and 6 BR is the best for everything....varmints-targets-small game.....etc......and contrary to what lots of people say....you can change a bbl quiker on a conventional action than on a Savage...and with less tools ...and without removing the scope or action from the stock.....and the headspace is built in.!!!....Get a Panda Fclass action with the 20 moa rail and a krieger bbll.....Kelblys will do the work quikly ( if I was using a smith in your area...go with Dave Bruno!!!!)....I would get a point blank BR stock...it can be used for BR --long range--varmints --etc ....Roger

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Not sure where Tamaqua PA is but there is gunsmith there by the name of Mike Burns. I have looked at his website and he has put together some really nice rifles! He goes by therifler on this forum and he has a Website by the same name. I have asked him questions and has always been helpful to me. Really nice guy!

Mike

 

[lamar25]

I have been drooling over the Russo exotic wood stocks for some time now. The one on their home page is incredible. Does anybody have pics of their own exotic wood stock, or have a ball park guess at what one of these costs?

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Its been a while since I looked so I'm not sure but, I think Shehane was getting somewhere between 300-400 just for their laminate blanks. Thats no inletting or shaping. Their African Obeche wood laminates were more yet! They are nice stocks though. Hope I'm not mistaken on the prices that I threw out here.

Mike

 

[lamar25]

Does anybody here shoot at Williamsport? I'm less than an hour from there and would like to go to a shoot and check out some of the rigs. I have never been there and I hear it's pretty serious. I would just like to go and observe and maybe talk to a few people. Please fill me in if you can

 

[357Mag]

Lamar -

Howdy, again....

Riflesmtih = James Peightal of Ernest, PA


His work is often mentined in " Precision SHooting " magazine.

Regards,
357Mag

 

[hawghunter]

Lamar,
Sid Goodling would be another good choice he is in Spring Grove PA near York.
His web site is Goodlingrifles.com give him a call dose Great work.
Mark

 

[snert]

Or slide a bit north and let the other Harts build it in Apulia NY. They make the barrels, and they are very polite, very earnest and not a hint of pride or arrogance. just great folks up here. I've done both, and have been very pleased overall in Apulia.

 

[lamar25]

Is anyone using Stiller D' Back reciever for 6BR or 6mm Dasher. I would like to hear how you like it?