Custom rifle review thread?

[huntnful]

@Dioni A is convincing me to do a custom/semi custom rifle review/analysis thread.

Before I put all the work into it, I think it would be good to hear what info people would be interested in.

I think I’ve had 7 custom rifles now and few factory guns also, and have used a few of them extensively in the field. I believe I have pictures of most of the guns also.

I’ve had TI actions, steel actions, carbon barrels, steel barrels (fluted and standard), adjustable stocks, non adjustable stock, chassis, big magnums, small magnums.

Ultralight and ultra heavy rifles.

Used various powders and bullets to kill maybe around 30 animals.

Used 4 different gun smiths.

Tested at least a dozen scopes and different ring types.

Ultralight bipods and heavy bipods.

I’ve just done a lot of testing and switching things because it keeps me in the field shooting often and interested more than anything.

And more importantly, I’ve never recieved a single component for free, or a single hour of labor for free. I pay for everything and have no biases based on getting kick backs or free work done.

 

[finner]

Great idea. I'm definitely swinging back towards factory rifles and swapping stocks and barrels myself. I had one gun built by Snowy Mountain and it never shot as well as my factory guns. Also didn't feed from AICS mags well. Curious to hear if other folks still think it's worth it for a custom

 

[huntnful]

Great idea. I'm definitely swinging back towards factory rifles and swapping stocks and barrels myself. I had one gun built by Snowy Mountain and it never shot as well as my factory guns. Also didn't feed from AICS mags well. Curious to hear if other folks still think it's worth it for a custom

Great point about feeding from mags also! I had a gun not feed from a mag because it wasn’t tested for that before it shipped out. I fixed it, but still not ideal. That happens a lot from what I’ve heard also.

 

[DisplacedHusky]

Great idea. Within your review, I would like to see you break down your favorite components into 2 or three different builds that you would recommend at different price ranges (i.e. - a budget build, mid-level and a price is no object build).

 

[hereinaz]

Couple of thoughts.

It would be helpful to inform about the processes and decisions about choosing and building. There are lots of little things as you dive into the choices for building.

Ultimately, it cannot really answer the subjective questions people ask like:
Is it worth it?
Which is better?

 

[huntnful]

Great idea. Within your review, I would like to see you break down your favorite components into 2 or three different builds that you would recommend at different price ranges (i.e. - a budget build, mid-level and a price is no object build).

Great input!

Couple of thoughts.

It would be helpful to inform about the processes and decisions about choosing and building. There are lots of little things as you dive into the choices for building.

Ultimately, it cannot really answer the subjective questions people ask like:
Is it worth it?
Which is better?

You’re absolutely right about that. I may even avoid trying to justify if they’re worth it? Of course I think they are, or I wouldn’t have them. But I wouldn’t try to talk someone into one if they didn’t have excess funds, ya know

 

[JollyRoger]

I’d like to hear from people about the great ideas they’ve had, and then realized maybe it wasn’t as good as they’d imagined for certain reasons. Or what they’d do different next time. I say this because I’ve created a lot of rifles in my head but wondered if reality is different. How crazy light can we go with a rifle before it sucks to hang on to or shoot? Would 2” of barrel make a difference in balance and shoot ability?

 

[hereinaz]

Great input!


You’re absolutely right about that. I may even avoid trying to justify if they’re worth it? Of course I think they are, or I wouldn’t have them. But I wouldn’t try to talk someone into one if they didn’t have excess funds, ya know

It would be great to break down like you are saying. A focus on “this is the feature” and maybe compare with other features. Not always “this is a better feature”, like 90 degree be 70 degree bolt throw. Sometimes, there are “better” features, but it’s hard to quantify how much better is a side bolt release over a regular Rem 700 bottom bolt release.

I feel like that is what will help. Because many choices really are just a marginal improvement over the nicer factory rifles. The combination of marginal choices isn’t “huge” IMO, but it can be nice. I still shoot a custom rifle for my primary, and my others are modified factory rifles.

I hear ya, I don’t like it when cheapo friends are on the fence and ask if they should buy a custom. Especially when I know they get by with budget gear. I don’t want to spend their money for them, and then have regret it. It’s expensive and there are plenty of factory rifles that get it done…

 

[huntnful]

It would be great to break down like you are saying. A focus on “this is the feature” and maybe compare with other features. Not always “this is a better feature”, like 90 degree be 70 degree bolt throw. Sometimes, there are “better” features, but it’s hard to quantify how much better is a side bolt release over a regular Rem 700 bottom bolt release.

I feel like that is what will help. Because many choices really are just a marginal improvement over the nicer factory rifles. The combination of marginal choices isn’t “huge” IMO, but it can be nice. I still shoot a custom rifle for my primary, and my others are modified factory rifles.

I hear ya, I don’t like it when cheapo friends are on the fence and ask if they should buy a custom. Especially when I know they get by with budget gear. I don’t want to spend their money for them, and then have regret it. It’s expensive and there are plenty of factory rifles that get it done…

I could not agree more with this whole statement. Small improvements, that are “worth it” if you have the extra funds, but not actually necessary or worth it if you don’t have them.

I’d like to hear from people about the great ideas they’ve had, and then realized maybe it wasn’t as good as they’d imagined for certain reasons. Or what they’d do different next time. I say this because I’ve created a lot of rifles in my head but wondered if reality is different. How crazy light can we go with a rifle before it sucks to hang on to or shoot? Would 2” of barrel make a difference in balance and shoot ability?

That’s is basically exactly what I’ve done over the last several builds. But instead of thinking theoretically, I actually just had them built and tested them. I’ll be happy to go into detail on the decision making, and whether it was realistic or not

 

[Quicksilver]

Do you have any prefit experience?

 

[MT_Wyatt]

@Dioni A is convincing me to do a custom/semi custom rifle review/analysis thread.

Before I put all the work into it, I think it would be good to hear what info people would be interested in.

I think I’ve had 7 custom rifles now and few factory guns also, and have used a few of them extensively in the field. I believe I have pictures of most of the guns also.

I’ve had TI actions, steel actions, carbon barrels, steel barrels (fluted and standard), adjustable stocks, non adjustable stock, chassis, big magnums, small magnums.

Ultralight and ultra heavy rifles.

Used various powders and bullets to kill maybe around 30 animals.

Used 4 different gun smiths.

Tested at least a dozen scopes and different ring types.

Ultralight bipods and heavy bipods.

I’ve just done a lot of testing and switching things because it keeps me in the field shooting often and interested more than anything.

And more importantly, I’ve never recieved a single component for free, or a single hour of labor for free. I pay for everything and have no biases based on getting kick backs or free work done.

I'd be really interested in your evolution on component and cartridge choices as you went through all of those customs. I'm guessing the "path" would end up flushing out a lot of the reasoning as time went on with what you built.

 

[sierracharlie338]

OP my past experiences mirror yours in terms of numbers and I think it is amazing the little things you learn every time you go through a build process with new smiths or products. I think that info is definitely worth sharing. It won’t apply to everyone but might help someone.

 

[huntnful]

Do you have any prefit experience?

No personal experience at all unfortunately

I'd be really interested in your evolution on component and cartridge choices as you went through all of those customs. I'm guessing the "path" would end up flushing out a lot of the reasoning as time went on with what you built.

Definitely gone from one extreme to the other, then back again to a middle ground

OP my past experiences mirror yours in terms of numbers and I think it is amazing the little things you learn every time you go through a build process with new smiths or products. I think that info is definitely worth sharing. It won’t apply to everyone but might help someone.

It has definitely been a very insightful learning curve! And I've appreciated the journey and every build and what I learned from it!

 

[Maverick1]

This is Rokslide. The only answer is Tikka.

 

[huntnful]

This is Rokslide. The only answer is Tikka.

Hey, that's a good answer also!

 

[Mag_7s]

Great thread, thank you for starting. There will be a lot of experience and knowledge to be shared here for those considering this option. I'm on my 3rd full custom where I source all the components and send in the barrel to be chambered and fit. I've learned a lot. Not everything is as plug and play as it would seem. I sent one stock back to McMillian twice, one Manners back, let alone feeding issues and having to learn how to tune a magazine.

 

[Shortschaf]

Before I put all the work into it, I think it would be good to hear what info people would be interested in.

For each action, answer:

1. What did you buy it for, and did it fit the role like you wished?
2. Pros, or just things you liked that stood out
3. Cons that stood out
4. Would you purchase again?
5. Who would you recommend this action to?

For the barrels (maybe a seperate thread), I love hearing which ones shoot good and which shoot less good. Including the length, twist, weight, muzzle device, and load+velocity.



Lots of scope, scope ring, bipod, stock, caliber, etc comparisons out there. Dont think that's needed personally.

 

[huntnful]

Great thread, thank you for starting. There will be a lot of experience and knowledge to be shared here for those considering this option. I'm on my 3rd full custom where I source all the components and send in the barrel to be chambered and fit. I've learned a lot. Not everything is as plug and play as it would seem. I sent one stock back to McMillian twice, one Manners back, let alone feeding issues and having to learn how to tune a magazine.

I've about 50 pictures set aside now haha. I'll have to consolidate them! But yes, I think it will be great for others to weigh in with their experiences also.

For each action, answer:

1. What did you buy it for, and did it fit the role like you wished?
2. Pros, or just things you liked that stood out
3. Cons that stood out
4. Would you purchase again?
5. Who would you recommend this action to?

For the barrels (maybe a seperate thread), I love hearing which ones shoot good and which shoot less good. Including the length, twist, weight, muzzle device, and load+velocity.



Lots of scope, scope ring, bipod, stock, caliber, etc comparisons out there. Dont think that's needed personally.

Awesome! I would be happy to address those questions for sure!