help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

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HTRN
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by HTRN »

Precision wrote:How do I choose who puts the action and the barrel together, who does the final chamber... I know Kreiger can do it. I assume Borden can do it. Are there other fiddly bits that will need to be done too.
If it was up to me? Id have borden do everything, for two reasons, 1)They build rifles, so they'll have all the miscellaneous bullshit on hand(case in point: action screws), and are familiar with entire builds. They can probably get that Krieger barrel faster than you can. Also, they can finish the gun the way you want. Shiny stainless is not exactly preferable in a tactical rifle. 2) It minimizes shipping around anything with a serial number on it.

GA precision does do nice work, but since they've become the darling of the tacticool crowd, i suspect youll have a bit of a wait, and will pay more for it the same product. I will say they use excellent components: their templar action is basically a rebadged defiant deviant.

Have you thought about handloading gear, and what that is going to cost? Wilson dies and trimmers, K&T presses, an electronic dispenser for rough dispensing, a super precision scale for the final grain drop, neck turning tools, primer pocket uniformers, etc, etc, etc. And that doesnt even bring the cost of brass and bullets into play..
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BDK
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by BDK »

I also think it would help if you have a "builder" so there's a single entity responsible for fixing screw ups - lots of custom rifles are screwed up.

The builder I used gets most of his business by correcting bad, high dollar builds, though if you stay w a long established company I'm sure you'll be fine
Precision
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by Precision »

Precision wrote:How do I choose who puts the action and the barrel together, who does the final chamber... I know Kreiger can do it. I assume Borden can do it. Are there other fiddly bits that will need to be done too.
HTRN wrote:If it was up to me? Id have borden do everything, for two reasons, 1)They build rifles, so they'll have all the miscellaneous bullshit on hand(case in point: action screws), and are familiar with entire builds. They can probably get that Krieger barrel faster than you can. Also, they can finish the gun the way you want. Shiny stainless is not exactly preferable in a tactical rifle. 2) It minimizes shipping around anything with a serial number on it.
Kind of what I was thinking, but good to hear it makes sense.
HTRN wrote:GA precision does do nice work, but since they've become the darling of the tacticool crowd, i suspect youll have a bit of a wait, and will pay more for it the same product. I will say they use excellent components: their templar action is basically a rebadged defiant deviant.
Waiting is not my friend, I really don't want a "me too gun" and for the same price why not full custom.
HTRN wrote:Have you thought about handloading gear, and what that is going to cost? Wilson dies and trimmers, K&T presses, an electronic dispenser for rough dispensing, a super precision scale for the final grain drop, neck turning tools, primer pocket uniformers, etc, etc, etc. And that doesnt even bring the cost of brass and bullets into play..
I have. My plan for that is to get the dies and work with my forster co ax. Then upgrade a component each month or so as I am willing to budget it in. I am not looking to take on the big names anytime soon (if ever). I am looking to slowly get better. My skill set right now is better than a lee precision set of dies and a mediocre balance beam scale. My skill set is NOT going to notice some of the benchrest things until I get better and I will bring them in over the next year. I shoot my custom AR, less than 8" (5 shots) at 600 yds pretty routinely. With groups at less than less than 4" occasionally. Pretty good especially considering mediocre glass with max of 12x up until recently. I now have the Vortex PST 4x16 which is better glass and better mag, so it should help a bit. I will eventually upgrade to a 6x24 for the custom gun, but bit by bit.

With the rifle, I don't want to compromise and regret. With the reloading, I can spend the $1000-1500 (capital costs) over time and not be too badly off by doing it that way. I have the money. A final Gift from Dawn. I just don't want to lose the liquidity. The expendables will be a chunk at first but 1000 pellets will probably last a year, so...

Is that a viable plan?
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HTRN
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by HTRN »

Have you considered simply buying a Savage F class to start with? I think they're around 1200 last i looked, and gives you the chance to actually learn The art of long range shooting, instead of learning on something you spent 5 times as much on to have built, only to wear out the nice shiny new barrel (>2000 rds), discovering that hey, you should have done things differently.

Yep, it won't be as accurate. Yes, the 6.5x84 will eat the barrel out faster, but considering the way savages work, thats a half hour job in the garage with an action wrench and a headspace gauge, and you can change it to any caliber you want, because no mag. Add a cast iron windage rest from bullets.com, and bobs your uncle. If and when you decide to go to an actual custom build, you can sell the rifle, probaly for less of a loss than what shooting out that Krieger will cost you, or you may decide to hold onto it, as a practice/competition rifle. Or you may decide you dont need to build a custom, and just send the savage in for truing and a better trigger and barrel.
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Steamforger
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by Steamforger »

Not entirely off topic, but I wonder who at Stiller approved the SS lightning bolts on their Viper actions and what they were thinking. I think I'd have just paid the licensing fees to Chevy for their version instead :?
Precision
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by Precision »

HTRN wrote:Have you considered simply buying a Savage F class to start with? I think they're around 1200 last i looked, and gives you the chance to actually learn The art of long range shooting, instead of learning on something you spent 5 times as much on to have built, only to wear out the nice shiny new barrel (>2000 rds), discovering that hey, you should have done things differently.

Yep, it won't be as accurate. Yes, the 6.5x84 will eat the barrel out faster, but considering the way savages work, thats a half hour job in the garage with an action wrench and a headspace gauge, and you can change it to any caliber you want, because no mag. Add a cast iron windage rest from bullets.com, and bobs your uncle. If and when you decide to go to an actual custom build, you can sell the rifle, probaly for less of a loss than what shooting out that Krieger will cost you, or you may decide to hold onto it, as a practice/competition rifle. Or you may decide you dont need to build a custom, and just send the savage in for truing and a better trigger and barrel.
is there a way to make that NOT be a single shot. There are several options that might be as good as I am or way better, but most of them are single shots. Perhaps your logic is good. Perhaps I should go the less expensive route and do the full kit gun later. That part about selling it, against my religion. :D
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First Shirt
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by First Shirt »

Savage has a pretty good "custom shop" that will, if it can be made with available components, build whatever you want.

It's run by a really nice lady named Effie Sullivan, and her contact info is:
1-800-370-0708, ext #6
1-413-642-4145
Monday-Friday, 8-4, Eastern.
(This was current as of two years ago.)


Give her a call, tell her what you want, and go from there. There's no charge for asking.
But there ain't many troubles that a man caint fix, with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six."
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HTRN
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by HTRN »

Precision wrote:is there a way to make that NOT be a single shot.
The words "accuracy" and "repeater", dont usually go in the same sentence. :ugeek: :mrgreen:
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Netpackrat
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by Netpackrat »

HTRN wrote:
Precision wrote:is there a way to make that NOT be a single shot.
The words "accuracy" and "repeater", dont usually go in the same sentence. :ugeek: :mrgreen:
Yeah... I'd never heard of the Savage F-Class model until HTRN posted about it, so I googled it. One of the differences is the receiver is not even machined for a magazine well. All of that extra metal stiffens the receiver, and is one of the reasons it is more accurate than the standard model Savage bolt action. So getting their Custom Shop to build you one with a magazine is probably not going to happen. If you look at it closely, you may note that they also made the ejection port smaller than normal.
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HTRN
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Re: help me to understand a custom rifle build (updated 11/18)

Post by HTRN »

It gets better, the action in question, the Savage Target Action, has a different mounting footprint then the regular Savage actions (10/110/12/etc). It has 3 action screws, on of which goes right where the magazine cut is. :ugeek:

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