Brown Precision rifles

[Snowwolfe]

Anyone have them build a rifle for you in the last 5 years or so? If so, would appreciate your feedback. I am considering sending them a lefty Win 70 for a Custom High Country Rifle build.

 

[ericmcd]

You may want to check out 24hourcampfire for m70 build info. I had an m70 built a little over a year ago and there was a lot more info over there for m70 stuff. I went with a bansner stock but the brown pounder was right up there in my decision. Rokslide is for your Tikka info

 

[Snowwolfe]

I sent my left hand Winchester 70 action to Brown Precision earlier this week. Mark will perform his magic and turn it into a Pro Hunter Elite rifle. It will end up being a 338 Win Mag with a 23 inch barrel and the rest of the goodies that come with the package he offers. Should make a heck of a rifle for Alaska. Turn around time was quoted at approximately 10 months.

 

[YippingCoyote]

I know this post is over 6 months old, but I thought I would put in my experience with brown precision as well.

Mark built me a 300 WSM on a Winchester M70 action (which I still consider one of the best hunting actions ever made). And in my opinion it is the perfect mountain rifle. I went with their pounder Kevlar stock, the model 70 action, and a number three contour barrel. With a Leupold VX-5 on top of it that weighs 20 oz, the entire rifle weighs 7 lb 10 oz.

It did take almost a year to finish.

Their Kevlar stock is a full length stock, that weighs between 16 to 18 oz when finished. I initially considered some of these carbon fiber aftermarket stocks (before talking with Mark), but they all weigh between 28 and 36 oz.

Brown precision started the composite stock craze with their fiberglass stocks back in the 60s (they still offer fiberglass stocks) and no one knows more about the composite stock market then Mark at Brown precision.

I think brown precision makes the most underappreciated rifles in the industry. And as you can tell from my response, I absolutely love mine .

 

[SavedByGrace2001]

Hey wasn’t sure if mark was still building rifle or not, what type of price range is he charging roughly?

 

[Wrench]

Just wanted to add that I have a 375h&h with no brake that I built in a pounder stock and it has taken it without any issues.

 

[YippingCoyote]

Hey wasn’t sure if mark was still building rifle or not, what type of price range is he charging roughly?

The price range runs around 5K - 6K (general ballpark). A little cheaper for some options, more expensive for others.

I'll give a little more context below on my build, in case you're interested. I think his rifles are worth it. Others will disagree.

I had a bad experience with another custom builder who wasn't able to deliver on what he promised, and sent that mess to Mark. Mark only re-used the M70 action. I have the rest of the parts in a box in my closet.

I only bring it up to drive a point home that Mark mentioned to me. He said most custom makers specialize in one thing that they do really well, and you need to find that custom rifle maker that does what you're looking for. This was my first truly custom rifle, and It was an expensive lesson for me to learn.

The first gentleman that I worked with made stunning wood stocked rifles. He had no real interest or much experience working with synthetic rifles, it turns out. In his defense, Mark did say the machining work he did on the M70 action was top-notch.

When I would ask about weight or handling with my first builder he would say "oh ya. Should be fine". It was a night and day difference talking with Mark. When I had questions, he would bring up how it would affect the weight and handling of the rifle. If he didn't know the weights immediately off the top of his head, he would grab the part and set it on a scale right there.

I also appreciated the wealth of knowledge he could pull from. This point was particularly apt for me. As an individual with a history in software development, I am a big data guy and always research topics in incredible depth.

Mark's dad invented the fiberglass rifle stock in the 60s. Both his dad and himself have tested almost all stock materials under almost every condition imaginable. When I had a question about materials or stock configuration, he could tell me exactly why they do or do not use it. And it wasn't something they read on someone else's website. His dad and then himself had built a rifle stock out of that material, then broke it to figure out how it would perform. He could bring similar data points to bear about things such as fluted barrels, carbon fiber barrels, muzzle brakes, scopes, etc.

The end rifle was 7lbs 10oz. 2 ounces heavier than my goal (I was shooting for 7lbs 8oz). The first builder was almost 3lbs overweight.

I apologize for the lengthy, overly enthusiastic response.

I'm sure there are other good rifle builders out there. I've only had this experience with these two. And as is apparent from my above comments, think Mark and his rifles from Brown Precision are top-notch.