Building or buying.

[slickest]

Hello guys.

First of all I'm left-handed and looking at this to be my first custom rifle. I have no gunsmith experience and I guess basically I'm just looking on where to start. As of right now cost isn't that important. I'm just looking to see how much i should be planning on spending, if you could also suggest any good gunsmiths or websites to look at as far as buying a rifle already built, and  also I would like to know if their is any good gunsmithing videos available to purchase that would give a good demonstration on what I could do myself i would greatly appreciate it.

I was going to buy a .308 browning BLR but a friend who reloads talked me out of it and said he thought I should look at a custom bolt if i really plan on keeping this rifle. After some suggestions I would like to build on 700 action. why can you not buy a .308 in a cdl? I just thought that was kind of odd.

I would mainly use this gun for whitetails and black bears. but I'm also hoping on getting either a elk or caribou hunt. I would use of a little bit of paper shooting but not much.

Also are their any gunsmiths out their who guarantee below sub-moa? at 100yds if so what would i be looking for on prices?

thanks for any help. Adam

[Mikey]

Adam:  Just my two cents worth here but you seem to have already set your parameters somewhat in regards in regards to the action preference, caliber and the need for a left handed action.  You may be able to get the performance you wish from a factory action/barrel/rifle and not go the expense of putting together a custon rifle. 

You prefer the Remington 700 action and the 308 caliber.  Popular choice and for good reason.  Those are accurate shooting rifles.  You can stock those to your personal desires.  You can improve the trigger if need be and should a barrelled action not perform to your expectations you can send it for rebarrel to any number of different sources. 

Graybeards has two sponsors who can start you in the right direction if you are not satisfied with what you get, a barrel maker and a stock maker. 

By the way, the Browning BLR in 308 can surprise the hay out of a lot of folk with its accuracy and it handles the same 308 loads as would a bolt gun, so you shouldn't sell yourself short (or let anyone else for that matter) on a Browning lever.  Your stated purpose for the rifle fits a BLR perfectly. 

This is one of those situations where you may be better served by buying what you want. 

I am certain there are gunsmiths who will guarantee a sub-moa rifle but many factory rifles shoot just that well from the box.  Mikey.

[rockbilly]

To me custom built rifles and gourmet cooking are just a bit overrated.  I own three custom built rifles that were professionally done by some very talented people, I also have several custom rebuilds from military rifles that I did myself.  I can truly say, I have been no more impressed with the customs that an off the shelve rifle.  Sako, Winchester, Remington, Ruger, and several others build guns that will out perform many of the so called customs, and they are much more economical to purchase.

The point is, if you are looking for perfection, you may not find it in a custom job.

[Catfish]

You can get guns with guaranteed accuracy, but you pay for it. My guess would be that if you buy an off the shelf rifle, give it a trigger jog and bed the action it should shoot well enough to do what you want. I have a nephew that bought a 700 mountain rifle. Cheap plastic stock and pencil barrel that put 7 shots with mixed bullet weights into a .690 group at 100 yrds. You never know what a gun will do.

[Freezer]

    Years ago my brother was looking for a new rifle.  He could only afford one this is the advise I gave him. 
1)  Get a caliber that will suit the largest game and longest distance you'll be shooting. (He choose 270)
2)  Get a synthetic stock.  I fairs well in bad weather and you can't scratch it.
3)  Get a good scope with the right magnification (He chose Leupold VXII 3x9 he wishes he'd gotten 4x12). Don't buy cheep optics!
4)  When you get the rifle and scope don't open the box!  Don't fondle it, don't look at it.  Take it to the gunsmith have him           
disassemble it, clean it, adjust the trigger (most are too heavy out of the box), mount the scope, bore site it and make any stock adjustments needed for the barrel and action to fit perfectly.  Then have him make sure the LOP is correct for you.  If the stock has a Monte Carlo cheek if can be shaved to fit your face.
5)  Break the barrel in correctly
6)  Work up a good hand load. 
7)  Enjoy a gun that's been done right and fit to you.

IMHO if your not a bench shooter you don't need a custom rifle, you may want one and that's ok too!  But do you need one?

Personally if you limit yourself the 308 I stay with the Browning also.  In a bolt the 260 Rem or 6.5x55 might be a better choice.

[Foggy]

Freezer
Truer words were never spoken about a rifle. You hit it right on the head.  So many folks try to shoot poorly set up rifles and shotguns out of the box probably not fix you . I worked in a Gun shop full time for years. and when you mention about get it set up and fitted many a Guns & Ammo expert would say it's not a custom I don"t need that, or the classic  you just want more of my money a customized rifle or shotgun will do you better 90% of the time then a custom  built rifle or shotgun

Foggy

[slickest]

thanks for all the info guys. I appreciate it. Ive sold a few guns because its not what i wanted/liked in order to try a different brand. I guess will give a rem a try this time.

how do you guys feel about the .308 compared to a .300wm?

It will be used for black bear and whitetail mainly but i would also like to get in a caribou/elk hunt. Also was i just looking at the rem website wrong? I didnt see a .308 CDL in left hand. I guess i want to change to a synthetic stock right away but i like to wood for looks and would like to have the wood stock if i ever pass it on to someone.

Would of got back sooner to everyone but i work out of town during the week.

[Doesniper]

I have to disagree with a majority of what has been posted. I have several custom built rifles. Some are better than others but they are built to satisfy my wants and needs, not everyone else. I feel that if you take a Rem. 700 action and build it right, you will have a better rifle than you can buy in a box. Remington can't build a rifle to the specs. my 700 is built to. I have my rifles built to meet my needs, and have no regrets. Build it.
A .308 would make a great all around gun for the game you mentioned. There is not enough difference between it and the 30-06 to matter until you go beyond 165g bullets. If you reload you can customize loads for what your hunting.

[Freezer]

    What you say may be true, the specs will be better but after my brother had his 700 done right, he shoots sub-moa for the first time in his life. He's your typical hunter.  He'll shoot his .22 at cans for fun, uses his shotgun to take game and nothing else and his 270 would be used hard if hit shoots 100 rnds a year.  I've seen him take coyote at 275yrds and drop deer with head shots at 150 yrds.  He also has a Rem 600 I shaped a Bolds stock for.  He loves that gun because it fits him perfectly but the only reason it got a stock is because the original was broken.  That rifle makes one ragged hole at 100 yrds.  As for me I have a Rem 700 in 280 Rem that's been bedded, had a trigger job and a professional scope mount job.  It shoots better than me.  I have Rem model 7 in 7tcu (I like lite soft kicking guns) It's a custom rifle I really like it but my son can shoot it better than me.  My meat gun is a Savage 99f in 308 with my hand loads it shoots 1/2"at 100 yrds.  It had a trigger job.  All my guns wear Leupolds.
    I have both custom and factory guns.  My factory guns have been touched up but not customized.  As a hunter who actually pratices allot more than average I know that my guns will out shoot me but I'm not a competitive shooter.   
   IMHO if you have the money to buy the custom gun and the scope it deserves, the time and ammo it takes to get proficient with it go ahead and built that custom gun if that's really what you want.  Most folks would be better served buying a stock rifle have it touched up right spend the money they save on good optics, ammo and range fees.  Or better yet RELOADING GEAR!
   You wouldn't believe how many people spend good money for a gun then buy cheap or inferior optics or try to mount the scope themself.  Then when it doesn't shoot sub-moa blame the gun and not themself.  Mounting a scope isn't brain surgery but when done right can bring out the best in a rifle.
   

[Catfish]

I`ve been shooting center fire rifles since 1965. I started loading my own at the same time. At present I have rifles in 6 different .22 cal. rounds. I have 6 different wildcats at present. In that time I`ve gotten so used to doing most of my work myself. I said that so that I can now say this. I think Freezer put it as good as I have ever heard it put. I would like to add that any thing you spend at the gunsmith you`ll never get back when you sell the gun, so make sure that what you have done is for your benefit. If you can buy used you can save money, especially with fancier or custom guns.

[slickest]

what do you guys think about cooper firearms? I was looking at them today on the net and they really caught my eye. Mainly because I liked their classic, came a nice wood stock, and guaranteed 1/2'" moa 3 shot groups at 100yds. I know they are expensive and what not but i want a rifle Im not going to sell and keep with me.

I just cant see myself going and buying a savage, putting quality optics on the rifle, maybe possibly customizing it and still wanting to keep the rifle afterward. I have owned one before and i seen nothing wrong with it, But I just thought their was something out their i would like more and i think i finally found it.

looking for some feed back if anyone has one or has shot one.

[Freezer]

  I've read good things about them.  Haven't seen one.  I'm just not a big fan of fancy wood on hunting rifles.  When I had my Savage 99f re-blued,scoped and the trigger fixed the gunsmith talked me into a new stock.  What a waste of money   I took it home and finished the stock myself and a 99 never had a prettier stock.  Well on my first hunt with it I slipped on a shale hill....It isn't so pretty now      Some guns should be used on a bench, a gentelmens hunt or displayed in a glass gun case.  I've refinished, shaped and customized a few stocks for my friends and family but I'll never do it for myself again.  I'm a hunter and some of the places I go are to get away from other people (I won't call them hunters)  in the woods are just plain nasty.  Ask yourself, "What do I want this gun for?".  If you buy a gun with nice wood for hunting you'll cry over every scratch.  Heck I've been bragging about the scratches in my guns

[slickest]

ok i know im going to sound dumb here. But what i have read they say only there rimfires are repeaters. So does that mean that their centerfire rifles do not have a magazine and they are only single-shots?

[Freezer]

OK, you just showed your hand.  A repeater is an old term form the late 1800's before lever guns (Spencer, Win etc)  Prior to then you had to load one shot at a time through the breach or muzzle.  If you can shoot more than one round before reloading it's a repeater.  A magazine is what holds the cartridge.  Lever guns with a tube magazine(94 win), a bolt action with a fixed or detachable magazine, semi auto loading and pump or full fit machine guns with clips or belts.  All are repeaters

[slickest]

Just never really heard the term repeater used. I thought your gun either had a magazine or it was a single shot. I guess i really dont know what im going to do now. i def want a repeater. looks like savage is back to the number one option again.

I guess i really don't care if i pay up to 2000 for a rifle i that's my limit tho. anything up to that i think it would be worth it. after that i would believe i would make myself look dumber than the repeater question.  well my main concern is i just want something that is going to hold up to the abuse i will put the rifle through. Work mostly flawlessly through the period i own the gun and i would like that to be along time. Stock i don't care about that much or really fancy looks. I want accuracy and performance that's it.

[charles p]

It all boils down to what you want.  I've never bought a new rifle that I expected it not to shoot well, and most of my Rem rifles will.  I had a custom rifle built and its shoots well but not worth the money.

I've gone full circle in my rifle demands.  I used to want magnum beanfield rifles to shoot deer halfway across the county.  After surgery on both shoulders, aging eyes, and a bulging waistline, I now favor light recoiling rifles in short action calibers.  My favorite is a Rem LVSF from a special run in 7mm-08.  They are hard to find.  A Mod 7 is hard to beat for my hunting needs.