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Custom rifle or not?

rookie7

Good afternoon,

First post on here. I have been reading on here for a very long time. I really appreciate the level of knowledge, experience, and wisdom that visits this board.

I have been at the point of wanting a custom rifle for a few years.

My long range rifle is currently a Tikka.

I have read many times that getting into the land of custom builds is a land of diminishing returns. Some people advise stick with the Tikka, and spend the rest on reloading supplies.

Honestly, I’m unsure if should take the path of custom build, but I’m thinking it may be one of those life experiences that I just have to get out of my system.

I don’t shoot Benchrest comps. I shoot a few PRS style matches a year. Outside of that I enjoy time at the range.

Have any of you had this same dilemma? Which path did you take? Why?

Thank you
 
First off welcome. I think whoever told you that is living in the bizarro world- to quote seinfeld. Working on factory rifles is the land of diminishing returns. Stick with a good custom (not the prs flavor of the week) and youll always be able to sell it. While a tikka is a very good choice its like a remington when you spend money on it. Buy it for $400, spend $800 on it, then sell it for $400
 
Comrade Terry, solid advise and I do already.

Dusty Stevens, thank you, that’s pretty funny, but exactly what I thought was the case.

Buy for 4 - spend another 4 on it - and if one ever needs to move it sell it for 4. Funny but true!

I appreciate everyone’s response!
 
Yes and no. When you build a rifle, plan on the fact that barrels are going to wear out. Whether you put it on a custom action or a factory Tikka, it has little value after “so many rounds”. They’re like tires on a car. A custom action will give you your highest return if you ever sell it. A “trued factory” won’t. If you rebarrel a factory, you’re probably going to like it but then you’re going to wonder how much better a full custom would shoot. That thought will haunt you, so I advise to go full custom at least once.;) Just my experience.
 
joshb said:
Yes and no. When you build a rifle, plan on the fact that barrels are going to wear out. Whether you put it on a custom action or a factory Tikka, it has little value after “so many rounds”. They’re like tires on a car. A custom action will give you your highest return if you ever sell it. A “trued factory” won’t. If you rebarrel a factory, you’re probably going to like it but then you’re going to wonder how much better a full custom would shoot. That thought will haunt you, so I advise to go full custom at least once.;) Just my experience.
Click to expand...

Ditto the "AT LEAST ONCE". The find another custom owner to help you find its limits. Without the right help, a custom is not much better than a factory.
 
I would without a doubt say custom. Watch the for sale section and see how long it takes most customs builds to sell. Even if you built off a trued up 700 action it gives you the option of what barrel contour,twist, etc you choose. The other part that I think is one of the more important issues with a custom build is that allows you to choose the neck and the freebore specific to your application.
 
I have three Tikkas, all excellent rifles, all shoot very well. I've had factory rifles that shot extremely well out of the box and some that required a lot of rework to get them to shoot. BUT...

Life is short, the fact that you are considering a custom build means you'll keep wondering about it so if you can afford it I'd go for it. The nice thing about a custom build is you'll being able to design it to meet your specific needs.

Some advice:

- Think carefully about what you want and prepare a spec sheet, i.e. caliber, twist rate, barrel length, barrel contour, stock, action, etc.

- Find a high quality gun smith - seek recommendations from precision shooters in your area - choose a gun smith preferably within driving distance so if there is a problem you're not trying to solved the problem by phone, email or letters.

- Once you find a gun smith put everything in writing including his assurance to stand behind his work. Most quality smiths do this anyway.

An alternative is to buy factory rifle with the action you like and have it rebuilt with a high quality barrel and high quality stock replacement. For my money, the Howa / Weatherby Vanguard actions are some of the best.

I recently purchased a Vanguard with the idea of rebuilding it but the rifle shoots so well that I scrapped the rebuild idea. It's a 1/2 moa rifle with tailored reloads - this blew my mind. The only thing I did was adjust the trigger pull. I'm not a fan of a two stage triggers but this one works quite well. Sometimes you get lucky, I got lucky.
 
Sounds like you won't be truly satisfied until you try a custom.
My advice would to buy used. Lots of used PRS style rigs on the forums. That way if you don't think its worth it or decide you need something different, you can sell it without taking a bath like you would if you had paid to have it built.
 
Do we have to be “completely” honest?o_O The REAL dangerous behavior is getting hooked on the building of the customs. It seems these days I always have a project in the works.;)
 
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If I didn't shoot competition I wouldn't buy a custom made.
Ya gotta get what the competition has to play.
To shoot at the farm ... Not a custom.
 
What I've figured out over the years shooting is: even though a rifle feels good in the store, even though it feels good for a few shots and trips to the range, one never really knows if they fit (shooter and rifle) until time is spent behind said rifle.

I have had the chance to run the bolt a few times (run only) - defiance, kelby, stiller, bighorn, and curtis.

None of them felt significantly better than my Tikka T3x (disclaimer - I was working from memory not side by side comparison). The one that did standout in my mind that was really nice was the Curtis Custom Axiom. Matter of fact the Tikka action is not very far behind any of them - IMO (and again my experience is minimal).

I have been putting this off for around 3 years. My thoughts were, "I'll buy this factory rifle, make these mods, and it will be good to go for a fraction of a custom."

I've tried that 4 times in the three year period, and I haven't been completely satisfied with anything.

So, I believe y'all are right. I have to find out for myself, and scratch the itch.

I asked all of you just to confirm either a) I'm crazy or b)I'm not.

Here are my thoughts so far:

1. Bighorn Origin - 700 footprint, Savage small shank tenon, can swap bolt heads easily for not a lot of money, can buy shouldered prefits.

I already have a Calvin Elite trigger, so the only thing left would be a stock. I'm considering the Grayboe Renegade or Ridgeback. I've read they are quality stocks, but less money than a Manner's or McMillan.

These products will get me a "custom" rifle for less than $2K, and as far as I can tell not a bad way to start.

I have glass already.

BTW, I think Nature Boy may have a point. I found over the years that $250 scopes lead to $500 scopes. $500 scopes lead to $1000 scopes. The $1000 scopes lead to $1500 scopes and up.

Quality is addictive.

Thoughts?
 
rookie7 said:
What I've figured out over the years shooting is: even though a rifle feels good in the store, even though it feels good for a few shots and trips to the range, one never really knows if they fit (shooter and rifle) until time is spent behind said rifle.

I have had the chance to run the bolt a few times (run only) - defiance, kelby, stiller, bighorn, and curtis.

None of them felt significantly better than my Tikka T3x (disclaimer - I was working from memory not side by side comparison). The one that did standout in my mind that was really nice was the Curtis Custom Axiom. Matter of fact the Tikka action is not very far behind any of them - IMO (and again my experience is minimal).

I have been putting this off for around 3 years. My thoughts were, "I'll buy this factory rifle, make these mods, and it will be good to go for a fraction of a custom."

I've tried that 4 times in the three year period, and I haven't been completely satisfied with anything.

So, I believe y'all are right. I have to find out for myself, and scratch the itch.

I asked all of you just to confirm either a) I'm crazy or b)I'm not.

Here are my thoughts so far:

1. Bighorn Origin - 700 footprint, Savage small shank tenon, can swap bolt heads easily for not a lot of money, can buy shouldered prefits.

I already have a Calvin Elite trigger, so the only thing left would be a stock. I'm considering the Grayboe Renegade or Ridgeback. I've read they are quality stocks, but less money than a Manner's or McMillan.

These products will get me a "custom" rifle for less than $2K, and as far as I can tell not a bad way to start.

I have glass already.

BTW, I think Nature Boy may have a point. I found over the years that $250 scopes lead to $500 scopes. $500 scopes lead to $1000 scopes. The $1000 scopes lead to $1500 scopes and up.

Quality is addictive.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Yes, quality is addictive, or spending money is addictive, take your pick, lol

I started with a custom action, did numerous 700 builds too, more customs, up to 7 at one point. I hated the workload, last yr I scaled back to 4 customs. Month and a half ago I ordered the new Borden super short 6 action, and yesterday aft my oldest XC threw it's last fit on me. Today I ordered a new Manners PRS1 with mini, and a Proof carbon barrel.
For the time being, I am going to mothball a yr old Impact and a Manners T4A, maybe this 25 cal stuff will interest me later on when bugs are worked out.
 
I agree with the folks in the custom action crowd...almost always.

My current build is based on a Wasp case and will be a repeater. Available custom actions: zero. Thus a Remington 788 30-30 action is getting a pile of money poured upon it.

Unless you’re doing something bizarre, custom actions are usually the best bet and when it’s all said and done generally a better investment.
 
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