Custom rifles

[pass-thru]

I would like to hear from the those of you who own or have owned custom rifles.....are you happy with them? Worth the money? Have they appreciated or depreciated since you bought them? Any trouble selling them if you wanted to?

Also, has anybody had good or bad experiencs with custom hardwood stocks?

 

[meat hunter]

A custom gun is like a custom car. They are great but forget about ever getting your money back. I have done it twice and lost my butt on both of them. Lots of really good factory guns out now that will shoot as well as any custom gun for a fraction of the cost and you can get most if not all of your money back if you decide to sell.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

x2. they are money pits no where near worth what you put into them.

 

[rdl65]

I have a rifle that I got built by Short Action Customs. I have never had a factory rifle that could shoot as consistently good as this rifle. And I have owned a lot of rifles over the years.

Do you need a custom rifle to deer hunt with....No.
Am I going to get out of it what I got in it....Don't know but it's not for sale because it is exactly what I wanted.

But to say you can get a factory rifle at a fraction of the cost that shoots just as good as a custom gun....Well, I think your having your rifles built by the wrong person.

 

[fastbs]

There's a little more to it than this but in a nut shell.

Normally a custom is going to be less picky about what you feed it, more durable, and excellent service if something does screw up.

Out of the box $300-$800 brand X will probably be able to find a factory load that will consistantly give 3/4 moa results.

As for resale, a GAP you pay $3500 for will probably go used in the $2700-$3200 range depending on wear and that you find someone looking for that kind of rifle.
An $800 brand X box rifle will go for $500-$750 and buyers are fairly easy to find.

Reasonably with numbers on paper a full custom is NOT justifiable. A custom is purely a want purchase.

 

[pass-thru]

I've been toying with the idea for a while. A few years ago I bought a higher end factory rifle. It shoots great, but the bolt action feed and eject is not as smooth as I would have thought. And even though it was "high" grade walnut, I was a bit disappointed with it when I finally got my hands on it. I researched the rifle I wanted carefully for close to a year before buying, but had to special order as they're just not stocked all over. So I never had it in hand until after I bought.

I'm not altogether unhappy with my rifle, but I want a better rifle, I know that would have to come from a custom shop.

I fully understand it is not a good investment. However in a cash pinch, I would want to be able liquidate it fairly easily and recover close to 80%.

If you look how much most people dump into cars/trucks that are scrapped in under 10 years....I would want a good custom rifle to be passed down long after I'm gone.

 

[JimFromTN]

I think 80% is probably top dollar on a custom rifle unless the maker dies or retires. Why buy yours if I can buy the same rifle for the same price and have it made especially for me with my preference of finish and LOP. Once they stop making them, the price starts to shoot up.

There is no way I can spend $4000 plus on a rifle. If you buy a McMillan rifle, they will let you attend one of their shooting schools and I think they will let you come back as often as you like which is really cool except for the fact you have to spend $4500 on a rifle.

I started a build on a savage 110 action. There is no way I will get my money back out of it and by the time I'm done, I probably could have bought a better rifle for cheaper. So far, I got $250 in the action, $250 in the barrel, $200 in a stock, and $200 in smith work. I still got to get a trigger and another stock. Trying to fit a rifle in a stock with aluminum bedding blocks can be a serious pain if the bedding blocks are in the way and need to be cut or shaved down at all. If I get a smith to fit it, the stock will end up costing me as much as a mcmillan stock. I have decided to take the $200 loss and invest in a quality stock. I am going to have about $1400 in it by the time I'm done and that does not include optics. There is no way I will ever get that money out of it. I'd be lucky to get half.

 

[remke]

I am haveing a custom built by Sharp Shooter Supply as we speak.
I am not planning on selling it, becouse its what I want in a PD gun, so I am not worried about loosing money on it. I understand that the "what ifs" are always there, but if I want a money back plan. I would buy stock in a ammo manufacturer. :grin:
good luck and enjoy what ever you decide to buy

 

[meat hunter]

I have a rifle that I got built by Short Action Customs. I have never had a factory rifle that could shoot as consistently good as this rifle. And I have owned a lot of rifles over the years.

Do you need a custom rifle to deer hunt with....No.
Am I going to get out of it what I got in it....Don't know but it's not for sale because it is exactly what I wanted.

But to say you can get a factory rifle at a fraction of the cost that shoots just as good as a custom gun....Well, I think your having your rifles built by the wrong person.

Not sure what you think is "good shooting". To me a rifle that will shoot consistantly at .5 to .7 moa with factory loaded ammo is good. Actually I think it is excellant. I have two factory rifles that will shoot this well with 3 or 4 different factory loads. I am quite sure I could get a handloader to work up a round for either rifle that would bug hole. One of my rifles cost under $500 and the other was just under a grand.
Are my rifles pretty, nope. Do the bolts feel like they are running on ball bearings greased with butter, nope. Will these guns shoot as well as a $4000 custom gun, yup. All day long.

 

[vonb]

You don't buy/build a custom gun and then sell it unless you want to lose money. It should be an investment in enjoyment as opposed to a return on money investment.

With that said, my custom actions run circles around the factory made guns in terms of fit, finish and pride of ownership. In terms of accuracy, I truly believe you can take a factory action and have it trued and have it shoot to the same degree as a custom action. It's all about squareness and who does the truing and chambering. However, with the factory action, it's still have the same factory action at the end of the day with money poured into it. You still might have issues such as bolt timing, primer flow (enlarged firing pin hole), and an action that is not as smooth.

It's all about what you can afford and what you value.

 

[KPH]

On a good day you can get a off the rack that will shoot very well any thing you put through it but the doesn't happen as often as I would like.
I do have 3 custom guns 2 I lucked out on in buying two and one I had built. The first one I got for better than half the price the guy had in it and it has put bullets in the same hole at 200 yrds. The next one the guy had it made and it wouldn't shoot as well as he wanted, again I picked it up for lot less than he had in it. The thing is he didn't realy give it a real chance. The one I had built is for P-dog shooting a 6x45 and should be easy on barrels in a lot of shooting. I probley couldn't get out of it what I have in it but it suits me just fine. You get what you want out of what you buy.

 

[rdl65]

I have a rifle that I got built by Short Action Customs. I have never had a factory rifle that could shoot as consistently good as this rifle. And I have owned a lot of rifles over the years.

Do you need a custom rifle to deer hunt with....No.
Am I going to get out of it what I got in it....Don't know but it's not for sale because it is exactly what I wanted.

But to say you can get a factory rifle at a fraction of the cost that shoots just as good as a custom gun....Well, I think your having your rifles built by the wrong person.

Not sure what you think is "good shooting". To me a rifle that will shoot consistantly at .5 to .7 moa with factory loaded ammo is good. Actually I think it is excellant. I have two factory rifles that will shoot this well with 3 or 4 different factory loads. I am quite sure I could get a handloader to work up a round for either rifle that would bug hole. One of my rifles cost under $500 and the other was just under a grand.
Are my rifles pretty, nope. Do the bolts feel like they are running on ball bearings greased with butter, nope. Will these guns shoot as well as a $4000 custom gun, yup. All day long.

Below is a couple of pics of groups I shot during load development. I have never owned a factory rifle that would print these kind of groups.

The first group was fired at 100yds. and is a four shot group measuring .117"

The second group was fired at 200yds. and is five shots measuring .425"

 

[Boone 58]

I have a rifle that I got built by Short Action Customs. I have never had a factory rifle that could shoot as consistently good as this rifle. And I have owned a lot of rifles over the years.

Do you need a custom rifle to deer hunt with....No.
Am I going to get out of it what I got in it....Don't know but it's not for sale because it is exactly what I wanted.

But to say you can get a factory rifle at a fraction of the cost that shoots just as good as a custom gun....Well, I think your having your rifles built by the wrong person.

Not sure what you think is "good shooting". To me a rifle that will shoot consistantly at .5 to .7 moa with factory loaded ammo is good. Actually I think it is excellant. I have two factory rifles that will shoot this well with 3 or 4 different factory loads. I am quite sure I could get a handloader to work up a round for either rifle that would bug hole. One of my rifles cost under $500 and the other was just under a grand.
Are my rifles pretty, nope. Do the bolts feel like they are running on ball bearings greased with butter, nope. Will these guns shoot as well as a $4000 custom gun, yup. All day long.

Good point, dont own a custom one, my budget wont let me but would if i could. Having said that the 150 deer or so i have killed have never known that little secret and i wont probably tell them...... :whistle:

 

[pass-thru]

Well I thought about it a lot and I decided, if I had a crap ton of money I would buy one of those Miller Classic rifles. Maybe even a matching set. But I don't have that kind of money so my factory rifles will just have to do.