Custom Rifle ideas

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Llama Bob said:
Upsides to the Mausingfield:
scope rail
Savage easy-swap barrels and changeable bolt face
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As much an any of it's features, this has me leaning toward the Mausingfield. Swap barrel and I'm shooting .260 Remington

Some say that the barrel nut is ugly. Frankly, I don't care. I have a Savage and It's never bothered me
 
Nature Boy said:
As much an any of it's features, this has me leaning toward the Mausingfield. Swap barrel and I'm shooting .260 Remington

Some say that the barrel nut is ugly. Frankly, I don't care. I have a Savage and It's never bothered me
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I don't mind the barrel nut - seems like a good system. I do feel like the M700 compatibility compromises are severe enough that I would not spend substantial money on one though. The m700 just made a lot of mistakes, and perpetuating those mistakes for accessory compatibility reasons does not appeal to me, especially when there's a good population of M70 accessories as well. Others may feel differently.
 
the really neat aspect of this is the user can intentionally sling brass across space and time into the next universe by running the bolt really hard, or be gentle and have a nice little pile of brass next to the shooter, case velocity is determined by the bolt velocity, not a spring
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To me the significance of the fixed blade or spring loaded ejector (All Kimber rifles) isn't the ability to fling a fired case clear of the action but rather the ability to fling a heavy loaded round clear of the action in the event of a misfire. Controlled round EJECTION should be emphasized over CRF although the ability to easily and quickly eject a live round midway through the feeding cycle can be of some benefit.
 
Also take a look at the bergara action that comes packed with features only found in
actions and rifles that cost x 3 times or more.

Independent left side bolt stop release
index.php
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That feature is available on the CRF Kimber 84M and 84L Hunter rifles and all Kimber rifles for that matter.

The bolt handle is brazed to the bolt body and screwed to the end so they can be exchanged.
The bolt and receiver are made of beefy 4140 chrome-moly steel.
The bolt rides on two rails within the receiver and it’s incredibly slick and smooth.

index.php
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I don't consider brazing the bolt handle to the bolt body as being a good thing. In fact quite the opposite and frankly I'm surprised that Bergara does this. Using Kimber as an example, the bolt body and bolt boss are machined from a single piece of round stock and the bolt handle screws into the bolt boss. That's a much better design in my opinion.
 
We know is more cost effective but not sure why is a bad thing?
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Because brazed on bolt handles can and do come off unexpectedly. Introducing an additional failure point between two parts using a technique that is expedient and nothing more is not a good idea. PT&G offers one-piece Remington bolts for a reason, and those bolts sell well for a reason. I'm surprised that Bergara went with soldering. I would have expected one-piece or at the very least a welded connection.
 
MCMXI said:
Because brazed on bolt handles can and do come off unexpectedly. Introducing an additional failure point between two parts using a technique that is expedient and nothing more is not a good idea. PT&G offers one-piece Remington bolts for a reason, and those bolts sell well for a reason. I'm surprised that Bergara went with soldering. I would have expected one-piece or at the very least a welded connection.
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The cannot come off unless you want to. They are locked by the rear mechanism.
They cannot be broken neither or at least not easily nor easier than other designs whether they are monolithic or welded.
These things are tested by the manufacturer and by others including the patrols and swat teams buying these rifles.
..I guess we would have to see how this in fact would be possible by a defect in the design but I would be surprised when
nobody has experienced this during testing, including grueling testing.
It is not like this design just came out of the assembly line.
 
The cannot come off unless you want to. They are locked by the rear mechanism.
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Uhhh, yes they can .... and no they're not. Do a search ... there are many, many Remington owners out there who have had bolt handles break off. I had all three of my Remington handles TIG welded on for this very reason.
 
I've seen two instances of Remington bolt handles breaking off. Both times in a rapid fire match; 10 shots in a minute.

A couple dozen or more Remington extractors breaking; one was mine.
 
MCMXI said:
Uhhh, yes they can .... and no they're not. Do a search ... there are many, many Remington owners out there who have had bolt handles break off. I had all three of my Remington handles TIG welded on for this very reason.
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Exactly! Although these share the remington dimensions, these are not made by Remington nor use the same remington design for the bolt handle or materials. If you look at it closely we have not seen this leap in features and quality w/o significantly impacting the price point in a very very long time.
I actually rebarrel rifles, chamber them, and work on the actions so after close inspection and testing there is no doubt in my mind this is among the best value on the market.
It doesn't mean ti is the best action. It means what it means, something very interesting to consider packed with features.
 
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Whatever way you decide do keep us informed and when it is complete, share. I looked and talked to the wife and planned for two years before I got mine and i love it. I need to take some pictures and share, maybe ill break it out this weekend. Custom bolt guns are awesome
 
OK, I think I'm settled on building off the Mausingfield action

I'm going to spec out a barreled action from a few custom builders that have some experience with the Mausingfield. Barrel will be a heavy contour M24, MTU or Heavy Varmint. Maker dependent on builders suggestions

So far I've talked to:

Short Action Customs
Longrifle Inc

Plan on calling Patriot Valley based on suggestion in this thread

Any others you guys have experience with?

I'm also going to make a decision on a chassis system. Thinking about:

Manners T6
XLR Element
 
Another reputable smith is John Whidden of Whidden Gun Works. John is a great guy and phenomenal shooter who has won the NRA Long Range Championships four times. He knows how to build rifles capable of winning matches. He also has his own line of dies and accessories all of which he makes in house.
 
Precision rifles aren't really my cup of tea but this is a very interesting discussion about actions and where the market is going. I don't think most people will be building a custom rifle or buying a 2K rifle for hunting. The market would be very limited here. Most hunters don't shoot enough to use the accuracy found in a 1K bolt gun to begin with. The ones I know are fine with cheap triggers and glass. They go to the range to check their POA/POI once a year before hunting season. We always get very busy at our range a few weeks before deer season.

Hunters use safeties even when they shouldn't and I doubt that will change. Instructors should introduce the concept of hunting using condition 3 but mostly they don't. I think we are getting away from safety as the primary consideration and stressing condition readiness in it's place. Hunters aren't cops or combat troops. Pigs can't shoot back and bears are only a threat in places like Alaska. How many people hunt in Alaska every year?

I see a huge market for the 1-2K precision rifle though. It brings the rec shooter into the world of long range shooting. My shooting buddy has already maxed out his ability with his low end AR/EOTech and wants a more precise rifle. I'm steering him toward a BPR-14. His budget is about 2.5 K. He likes AR's but he will never get the precision he's after with those. So far he isn't convinced. I may have to buy a precision rifle to demonstrate.:D
 
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My first choice would be a Sako action, smoothest out of the box of anything I've ever used. Second choice would be Winchester, and 3rd would be the Remington . Just my personal preference.
 
Short Action Customs has gotten back with a quote

General specs:

Mausingfield action
Bartlein Heavy Palma, 5R, 26"
Threaded with hellfire brake installed
Timney Calvin elite trigger
Manners T6A stock
Action and barrel cerakoted

Right at $4,300

They recommend not going with barrel nut
 
*jedi mind trick wave* This IS the rifle your looking for......

thats a pretty nice looking combo right there, and form my completely uninformed position dosent seem to be too badly priced.
I was just looking at the action, and my first thought was thats alot of money for a 700, but specs out much nicer.

From my experience with my Bergara, i dont think id use a stock 700 action for anything anymore, even considering the new ones are much nicer than they were in the early mid 2ks.
 
Nature Boy said:
Mausingfield action
Bartlein Heavy Palma, 5R, 26"
Threaded with hellfire brake installed
Timney Calvin elite trigger
Manners T6A stock
Action and barrel cerakoted

Right at $4,300
Click to expand...

I'm no expert, but that's higher than I'd expect. Are they buying & supplying the action? See my last note below.

Last year, I had a custom rifle built by a top F-class builder.

Border Alpine Action
Brux 26" barrel, threaded
Jewell trigger
20 MOA base
McMillan A5 stock
AI bottom metal & mag.
Action & barrel teflon coated.

Right at $3,000.

On his advice, I bought the action and gave it to him; otherwise, according to him, I'd have to pay a hefty markup for buying a complete rifle from a "manufacturer".
 
oohhh...hadnt thought of that, figured the price included the action...
Shows what i know
 
Just to be clear - though I bought the action separately and delivered it to him, $3k was total cost of the complete rifle (less optics). IIRC, my 'smith said that saved me nearly $1k, which would've taken the cost about up to Nature Boy's quote.
 
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