Custom Rifles - thoughts?

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ieszu

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Trying to figure that out....
Thinking about the forum topic dealing with 1,000 yard shooting, I was curious what actions you all preferred for building up a custom rifle... not a sporterized version or a standard factory model. Oh, and I am leaving out all the different Savages... I know they are cheap, but other than price and ease of changing the barrel, they do not really offer anything special.

Any thoughts?
 
Lots of custom rifles are built on Rem 700 actions. I'd guess it'd be a toss up between them and the thousands of rifles that have been built on Mauser 98 actions. The problem is that Remington doesn't sell just receivers. (Savage does with a .223 or WSM bolt head though. Limits your cartridge options.) A lot of people buy a 700 in the length for their chosen cartridge, just for the action.
Knew a guy, long ago, who bought a BNIB Win 70A, just for the action(I got the stock for $20Cdn and put it on my Cooey .243 M71. Glass bedded. Looks great. Shoots minute of deer. Consistently though.). He built a 17.5 pound .300 Magnum(used 190 grain match bullets) in a Douglas Premium SS barrel, 1,000 yard, target rifle for DCRA(same idea as NRA full bore) shooting. He won regularly too.
Mind you, there's 1,000 yard shooting and 1,000 yard shooting. Not all 1,000 yard matches are the same and most use different cartridges. Palma(800, 900 and 1,000 yards), for example, requires .308's using 155 grain bullets and nothing else. Other matches allow any rifle, any sight. Some are iron sights only(Palma matches are iron sights only). There's 1,000 yard Bench Rest shooting too.
 
or a panda, or a stolle, (stollie?) if you want a old action nothing wrong with a remmy x action , or better yet a czech made vz 24 mauser action.
 
Building a custom rifle for what?

That would make a real difference to my decision making. For F or F/TR I would stick with a Savage Target action, they may not do anything special, but they won the Nationals in F/TR last year with a box stock gun. The 12 F or F/TR is a very fine rifle for the same as the cost of a good trued action. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a Panda/Surgeon/Kelby or Stolle by the way, they are excellent and pretty, it's just money.

For hunting both of my customs are built on Mauser actions, one is a .275 Rigby on a VZ24 and the other a .458 Winny on a commercial model. For a hunting rifle I can't think of any other action I would prefer.
 
I have used Nesikas and CZ-550 actions for most of my custom projects.... for the time it takes to true a mil-surp Mauser or VZ-24, it is usually better to use a CZ-550... for the customers who want a Rem. 700, I accommodate them, but personally it leaves much to be desired with regard to cost-efficiency... but I know customers who want them and are willing to pay for the work to true them, so I don't complain (work is work after all).


I do have 3 VZ-24 custom rifles that are my personal firearms, as well as a Rem. 700, CZ-550, P-17 Enfield and a '03-A3 Springfield... but they were built for learning experience, not necessarily for sale.
 
the rem 700 is a good one to build on because it's well supported by the aftermarket & most of the custom br actions are based on the 700. a panda, stollie or stiller will be cheaper in the long run than modifying a 700 & the price of the 40x's is way up there too unless you just happen to steal one .
i'm collecting the parts for a ph m84 mauser based target rifle for use in some informal matches just because i like mauser actions, if i was serious about it i would be using one of the 700 based aftermarket actions
 
A 700 pattern action will give you the most options with regard to after-market goodies and stocks. If you have money to burn, there are many options already mentioned: Nesika, Stolle, CG, etc

I'm also a fan of Surgeon, but those actions are really designed for tactical shooters more than LR target shooters - they may have add on you don't want to pay for.

Don't dismiss factory rifles like the Remington 40x, FN SPR and others which are very capable rifles.
 
I have seen a fair number of target rifles on Winchester actions. Hardly any on Mauser or Springfields except old guns still in harness or DIY jobs.

A friend has a very nice rifle on a Tikka action, one of those made before the plasticky T3.

As said, Remingtons and small make customs with a lot of Remington characteristics rule the roost.
 
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