The Most Overlooked Part of a Rifle Build

[JohnJohnson]

I think an overlooked issue in the hunting community is people have a gunsmith build a 338 Remchesterby shit kicking magnum with no thought as to recoil management or how they're going to be able to practice with it without flinching. Semi-related to that, there are a lot of people who have a flinch from those sort of rifles that they don't even know they have.

 

[Harvey_NW]

338 Remchesterby shit kicking magnum

*emailing gunsmith about ordering custom reamer*

 

[MidGAHunter]

*emailing gunsmith about ordering custom reamer*

Sign me up for that reamer too! My Creedbun can only reach like 2 miles but with that Remchesterby SKM I can reach to atleast 5 miles. BOOM!

 

[dmossu]

We have seen so may of the Talley's fail. I for one will not use anything that says Talley on it any longer. I even seen one of their rails fail last week. If your accuracy goes to crap, and you have Talley mounts or rings, I suggest you look there first. They sure are not what they use to be. Sad really.

What rail do you recommend then?

 

[jimh406]

Taking the gun apart and then not properly tightening the action screws. Next, is improperly securing the scope/rings and buying a low quality scope. If those parts move, it doesn't really matter what the action/load is capable of.

 

[JohnJohnson]

What rail do you recommend then?

Not a huge fan of rails that are only kept in place by the mounting screws. Some scope bases (like a Nightforce base) have something akin to recoil lugs which I quite like. Then again I like overbuilt things so that might reflect more on me than the product.

Edit: Also the standard thread/screw size for scope base screws is pretty small. Makes me even more reluctant to rely on them. That's why back when more guys were tricking out their factory Rem700 actions one of the most common things they'd have done is for the smith to increase the scope base screw holes to an 8-40 size.

 

[07yzryder]

From what I've seen it's usually the shooter. But for rifle I'll say setting up the optic so it's the proper distance for eye relief. I spend a long time ensuring my optic is mounted at the proper location for comfort. If I'm comfortable behind the gun it's repeatable. And for long range shooting repeatable is everything. You can do everything wrong consistently and be fine as long as it's done wrong consistently.

As for price, I've had an 1800 CA mesa not shoot for crap while a used $600 Tikka t3x shoots half moa. Wasn't satisfied with 1.5moa on the CA rifle after 2 barrels decided to throw more money at it, proof barrel, greyboe stock, aluminum speedlock firing pin, and now it's half moa all day with the 210vlds I'm shooting until the 215s show up one day.

 

[Broz]

What rail do you recommend then?

Nightforce, steel, with the recoil lug

 

[badger109]

I was about to pull the trigger on Talley rings but y'all have talked me out of it.

Seems like the other suggestion was Hawkins Long-Range Hybrid Rings - but I'm not looking for the 25MOA cant (also OOS everywhere)

What's the next best option?

Tikka 308 lite stainless; Leupy 3-18 30mm tube

 

[SDHNTR]

I was about to pull the trigger on Talley rings but y'all have talked me out of it.

Seems like the other suggestion was Hawkins Long-Range Hybrid Rings - but I'm not looking for the 25MOA cant (also OOS everywhere)

What's the next best option?

Tikka 308 lite stainless; Leupy 3-18 30mm tube

Sportsmatch T084, Warne Maxima. Or a rail system.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

I was about to pull the trigger on Talley rings but y'all have talked me out of it.

Seems like the other suggestion was Hawkins Long-Range Hybrid Rings - but I'm not looking for the 25MOA cant (also OOS everywhere)

What's the next best option?

Tikka 308 lite stainless; Leupy 3-18 30mm tube

Talleys...and ditch the telescope

 

[Bigdave]

The most over looked part of a rifle build is that people need to remember that this is all for fun.

I see too many people that get way too judgmental about other peoples guns and how they outfit it.

Some of those guys with there $4000 guns with $400 - $800 scopes and $50 mounts. Shooting 50 yards with it from a deer blind.

Will take that exact same rig and pummel your ass in the field with it at a thousand yards.

We are truly in the golden age of fire arm building.

 

[Cactus kid]

where's the cut off line with this impact stuff? does it really need to be able to frame a house and pull nails?

your worst case pitfalls afield would be horse rolls over on it or you land on it in the rocks above tree line from a slip/fall while it's on the pack...and who's going to trust any reasonable weight hunting set up after those events and not expect to check and re-zero if necessary? this is a hunting forum still right? are we losing perspective here and getting lost down rabbit holes? I dunno what some of y'all doing with your rifles but being as it's a firearm and what it's capable of most are handled accordingly no?, like are we not always present of mind where that rifle is and where that barrel is pointed? I'll tell ya when I'm building or fixing things in the garage I'm not running up to the gun safe every time I need a 3 lb sledge

I think the current form tests are reasonable for true feild use. The problem is no one is really testing the ability until now. Just like many members, I have been on several hunts where a rifle took an unexpected tumble and checking the rifles zero is out of the question (I.e. on the final stalk to an animal.) I want to know which scopes can handle it.

 

[Rambler]

I'd like to see what everyone's answers are for the most overlooked part of a rifle build. Personally, I've seen far too many gun owners connect good optics to a good rifle with blister pack scope rings. What else have you folks seen that makes you shake your head?

IMO, the #1 most overlooked part of a rifle build is setting up proper throat lengths!

It’s pretty simple, if you have tight mag constraints, pick the longest/highest B.C. bullet that your barrel twist rate can handle, then seat that bullet in a dummy round with an OAL .050” shorter than mag length.

Even if you don’t plan to shoot that particular bullet, have the ‘smith cut the throat off that dummy anyway. Trust me here..

This will give you room to grow as the throat erodes, if that’s your thing. It’s not mine, but .050” short does nice things for reliable feeding.

Still, you will be able to reach the land while staying within mag constraints with everything else that your twist rate can handle. That’s right, everything else!!

If you don’t have mag limitations, simply pick the longest, highest B.C. bullet available that will run in your twist rate, then make up a dummy for the ‘smith with the bullet seated to where the top of the boat tail is even with the neck shoulder junction. This is “nirvana” for the guy trying to get the most out of a rifle without 32 trick moves and/or hindered performance from bullets taking up powder space.

So simple but almost always overlooked…