Building a hunting rifle

[Skattergun]

I am partial to defiance machine, they are local to me here in MT I used to work there 12-13 years ago. They have been around quite a while and build solid stuff. Just a Rem 700 clone. I’d do their classic or renegade action if your looking to save a little but still have something nice. I have some carbon 9.5 T barrels that I’ve done quite a few 7mm-08 barrels on.

 

[dryhumor]

Many of the aftermarket actions offer single shot as an option. Something to think about. They drop right into an ADL stock if the action screws are set up for it. The small front screw for the trigger guard might need a drill and tap. BDL stocks will work with just the bottom metal, and no magazine parts. Stiffer action. Within reason long action cartridges will work in them.

I might be biased a bit on them. I’ve got five. I don’t really see that it puts any more or any less pressure on making that first shot.

ETA. It will make you think about taking a marginal shot though.

 

[craigd]

After having several accurate rifles built on 700 actions with Bartlien barrels, Timney triggers and good stocks I'm in them quite a bit with the acurization. I'm thinking about another rifle and would probably go with a custom action cut for wyatt box. Today because of cnc, prefit companies have come out with shouldered offerings - you'll get a really accurate rifle. Not sure you can go wrong with one of these: https://www.batmachine.com/actions/igniter-2/

 

[Clancy]

The BAT and Defiance are extremely well made, as are the Terminus…. But I just can’t imagine building a hunting rifle and not having CRF.

 

[Edd]

Here is a question for those that have done it: If you were building a hunting rifle on a Reminton 700 style custom action, which one would you choose and why? I have looked at a lot of the options out there but I have no idea why one would be better than the others. Thanks for your help!

You didn't say what kind of hunting but here is a list of the stuff I purchased for a hunting rifle.

McMillan fiberglass stock, Hunters Edge pattern
Defiance Deviant GA Hunter short action .473" bolt face
Brux #2 contour 10" twist 338 barrel
Sunny Hill #525 BDL trigger guard assembly
Jewell Trigger
300 pieces of 338 Federal Brass

 

[CharlieNC]

Instead of a specific recommendation, the good news is there many good options as mentioned. For off the shelf my old Tikka 695 is smooooth and I would buy the current version. A Rem clone, prefit barrel, and one of many aftermarket stocks of your choice provide unlimited capability.

 

[std7mag]

PTG "Valhalla" Viking Heaven Action - LA W Lug & Rail - Pacific Tool and Gauge

Limited stock, call for availability.

pacifictoolandgauge.com

For a short action, maybe their Drakkar.

Otherwise i'm looking at Kauger, Coupe de Grace, and a couple of others.
I don't have a custom action yet, and am looking to build one also.

Friend & i have been building on Savage actions for the past few years.
Less expensive, but not nearly as nice or smooth as a custom.
Less aftermarket for them also.

 

[nakneker]

I didn’t see a budget mentioned but you did mention 7mm-08, which is a great choice for a lot of hunting, Bears and elk would get a bigger cartridge if it was me. There’s a plethora of actions to choose from, lots of steels and lots of features too. If weight is a concern I’d buy a TI action, if not many of the actions mentioned would be a good choice. If you’re watching the dollars I’d get Kauger if not then I’d take a look at a Pierce TI or one of Bats offerings but that just me. Again, if weight is a priority I’d go with a Proof carbon barrel or #2 contour, if not I’d flute a #5 Brux or Kreiger. I like McMillan stocks and Manners stocks, most of my hunting rifles wear one or the other. Bottom metal.. I like a classic BDL for my lighter rifles, Hawkins for my mag fed rifles. There’s lots of good triggers out there to choose from. Most my recent builds are using flush cups, I like them better than swivel studs, they are easily removed for bench work and easy to install a sling when ready for one.

Custom rifles are fun. You get to choose exactly what you want, I’d listen to the opinions of others and then I’d make sure the build is what you want. Let us know what you do when your decisions are made. Fun!

 

[DGP4]

You didn't say what kind of hunting but here is a list of the stuff I purchased for a hunting rifle.

McMillan fiberglass stock, Hunters Edge pattern
Defiance Deviant GA Hunter short action .473" bolt face
Brux #2 contour 10" twist 338 barrel
Sunny Hill #525 BDL trigger guard assembly
Jewell Trigger
300 pieces of 338 Federal Brass

Thanks for that info Edd. I don't hunt out west. Most of my hunting has been for deer and hogs from Pennsylvania down to Florida. Consequently, I don't need a magnum rifle. I do love the McMillan line of stocks and the Hunter's Edge is a favorite of mine!

 

[DGP4]

The BAT and Defiance are extremely well made, as are the Terminus…. But I just can’t imagine building a hunting rifle and not having CRF.

Thanks Clancy! I have several CRF Mauser action hunting rifles, both small ring and large ring models. They are mostly long action calibers where I prefer the CRF design. I may be wrong, but on a short action cartridge like the 7mm-08, I like the push feed design as they seldom present any of the longer cartridge problems.

 

[DGP4]

PTG "Valhalla" Viking Heaven Action - LA W Lug & Rail - Pacific Tool and Gauge

Limited stock, call for availability.

pacifictoolandgauge.com

For a short action, maybe their Drakkar.

Otherwise i'm looking at Kauger, Coupe de Grace, and a couple of others.
I don't have a custom action yet, and am looking to build one also.

Friend & i have been building on Savage actions for the past few years.
Less expensive, but not nearly as nice or smooth as a custom.
Less aftermarket for them also.

Those receivers look pretty interesting, but I have had some bad experiences with PTG in the past. I'll take a look at the other ones you mention. Thanks!

 

[DGP4]

I didn’t see a budget mentioned but you did mention 7mm-08, which is a great choice for a lot of hunting, Bears and elk would get a bigger cartridge if it was me. There’s a plethora of actions to choose from, lots of steels and lots of features too. If weight is a concern I’d buy a TI action, if not many of the actions mentioned would be a good choice. If you’re watching the dollars I’d get Kauger if not then I’d take a look at a Pierce TI or one of Bats offerings but that just me. Again, if weight is a priority I’d go with a Proof carbon barrel or #2 contour, if not I’d flute a #5 Brux or Kreiger. I like McMillan stocks and Manners stocks, most of my hunting rifles wear one or the other. Bottom metal.. I like a classic BDL for my lighter rifles, Hawkins for my mag fed rifles. There’s lots of good triggers out there to choose from. Most my recent builds are using flush cups, I like them better than swivel studs, they are easily removed for bench work and easy to install a sling when ready for one.

Custom rifles are fun. You get to choose exactly what you want, I’d listen to the opinions of others and then I’d make sure the build is what you want. Let us know what you do when your decisions are made. Fun!

Thanks for the detailed info nakneker! I need to do so research on the Kauger actions as I had not come across them before. I am not too concerned with weight as we don't have those long hikes the folks out west do. Between brux and krieger barrels, what has been your experience?

 

[David Milisock]

You mention 7-08 but no budget, size of game or you intentions. Is this rifle going to be a working beater, or an heirloom.

I like both but as a working beater just buy a used rifle, many times there's not, much or nothing needed.

Just my opinion but my custom rifles are things that can't be regularly bought from a store. A bolt 450 Marlin dangerous game rifle for 500 grain projectiles, a heavy barreled 358 Norma Magnum for Elk as examples.

The 450 sports a synthetic stock and iron sights while it is custom it's set up for harsh environments and hard work. In my opinion still an heirloom. Built on a large ring Mauser.

The 358 has a custom wood stock, bipod, it's not what I'd call artic grade for weather but still an heirloom built on a Remington 03.

I have a 1948, 8MM Mauser and a 6.5x55 Swede, 96 Mauser that are working beaters with low 3 figure budgets. They both sport synthetic stocks and if the target is within 400 yards and the right size I can take it with either rifle.

Not knowing the budget, type of game or your intentions I can't provide any insights more than I have. In either case, Mike Burns at therifler.com can do a good job for you. You'll find his phone number on the contact page.

 

[nakneker]

Thanks for the detailed info nakneker! I need to do so research on the Kauger actions as I had not come across them before. I am not too concerned with weight as we don't have those long hikes the folks out west do. Between brux and krieger barrels, what has been your experience?

I have a few of both and like them both. They both have long waiting times right now, Brux quoted me a year last week for a wait time and I think Krieger is the same. I ended up finding a barrel wanted at Bruno’s. You can also check bugholes.com for in stock barrels, they have some once in awhile. If you’re worried about weight I’d definitely get a barrel with a little more meat, #5 is a good compromise imo. Below are the barrels I’ve used on builds over the last year, all good barrels. Bugholes has a few #5s in stock right, link below for #5 in a 9 twist. Not sure what bullets you intend to use but they have others in slower twists too.

Brux 7mm 9 twist SS #5 29''

www.bugholes.com

Kreiger
Brux
Mueller
Lilja

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Lots of very good options available these days. Map out the differences and features that are most important to you. Being a hunting rifle, I don't believe you'll ever see any difference on paper or terminal performance on game. But, there are things like action length/cartridge compatability, weight, feel, etc. Some have more unsupported case than others. Some have integral components, like scope rails and recoil lugs, etc.

Not that others aren't good too, but my rule of thumb has been for a long while that, you can't go wrong with what I'll call the "big 3..Borden, Bat or Kelbly. At the very least, name recognition equates to resale value, if all else is equal.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

One thing I like about the Kelbly Atlas is the ease with which you can swap out your Panda BR barrels between those actions...if you have a Panda.

This just makes too much sense whenever possible, to have as many actions as possible within a company's offerings, to use the same tenon and headspace dimensions. I understand it's not always possible but in lots of cases it is.

 

[nockhunter]

Zermatt/Bighorn Origin, savage barrel nut or shouldered prefit. Controlled round feed, Rem footprint, BDL floor plate or removable magazine. Looks good too. Not too expensive either, (not cheap).

Mike

 

[ChrisA]

I like Kelblys actions with the mechanical ejector. Ejection force depends on how slow you pull the bolt, nice if you’re in a blind and trying to unload quietly. This style bolt is really easy to work with too. To find touch with the Wheeler method you only need to pull the firing pin out and that operation is identical to a Rem 700. And you don’t have to worry about a broken ejector spring or losing the ejector because it went airborne during removal. I’m sure there are other actions with these exact attributes but my experience is with Kelblys. Great customer service and they have been around a long time so less worry about them disappearing per @jackieschmidt ’s comment. Also like most customs it takes a while to get one special ordered, but some parts houses have such as Bruno’s carry some of the more common types in stock.

I built a 300WM on an Atlas action and like the set up. However, I ran into a problem while hunting in cold weather this year. The action got wet from snow and froze the ejector in the eject position and I was unable to close the bolt on a chambered round. After figuring out the issue, I removed the bolt and warmed the ejector area enough to melt and free the ejector enough to put the rifle into battery. I assumed there was still moisture that would freeze and require hard bolt manipulation to break it free in case of a follow up but no shots were taken to find out.

Yes, the bolt and action where clean, other than said melted snow, and lightly oiled with Remoil.

Maybe not a big issue, but certainly a steep learning curve on a cold Colorado mountain.

Chris

 

[drop_point]

I like the Big Horn (now called Zermatt Arms) TL3/SR3. You can get pre-fit barrels that you can change yourself, you can change the floating bolt-head for different cartridges, its smooth as glass, it is CRF, it has a mechanical ejector, it has a pinned one-piece rail, and it feeds perfectly. You can get your choice of AICS/AW/Wyatt's/BDL magazine systems.

 

[3Ackleys]

Here is a question for those that have done it: If you were building a hunting rifle on a Reminton 700 style custom action, which one would you choose and why? I have looked at a lot of the options out there but I have no idea why one would be better than the others. Thanks for your help!

A lot of really good options out there. My primary hunting rifle is built on a Bat Vampire. They are light, smooth, accurate, and strong.