Ep. 033 - Custom Rifles | Things to Consider |

Boots Obermeyer always said CroMo was "tougher" than stainless.

OK, last one....I don't know if the issue has been fixed on Timney Triggers for 700's, used to have an issue with sear drag. I am a fan of Timney for their multitude of options, just ordered a Remington 788 trigger.

I agree that a custom action gives you choices, quality and accuracy - I think in that order. If you want a Mauser style extractor in a Rem700 pattern, you can do it with a custom action. The custom action quality is superb. I really haven't seen what I'd call a major action released (like the Nucleus) that isn't just excellent. Accuracy... OK steel plates are one thing. Thousandths of an inch in bench competition is something else. IDK how much Hornady Mfg caters to the BR crowd - they're an interesting bunch and have their own very specialized demands.

Thanks for putting the blogs out - really helpful and insightful. My custom ARC on AICS will hopefully be done here soon. Started to go pre-fit but decided to go with a custom fit-to-order from a local smith using a Brux blank. The whole idea is to move the Hornady 190gr .284.... very far.

Great info guys; keep it coming.

I personally think synergy can make a considerable difference when talking about how well a rifle shoots or doesn't. 3 people can shoot the same rifle but NOT shoot the same size group. Same 3 on a completely different rifle setup and the results could differ again.

Much like a musical instrument, the difference in human input can make it sound/perform differently. It's all about the chemistry or "synergy" between the two imho. Just my opinion of course.

Great pod cast! Glad to see the down to earth interaction with good fun desires.

Dream job

great pod cast but I disagree about carbon fiber barrels have had 4 out of 4 being completely unusable point of impact moving up to 4" at 50m depending on the heat of the day

one of the most informative podcasts I've come across in a while, thank you

Thank you for the knowledge

... would love to see Miles custom rifle.

Great topic I chamber my own actions and laugh when people start in on the blue printing action stuff..lol I've put barrels on egg shaped mauser actions happens when use the wrong action wrench and it shot 1/2 moa.

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The Savage boat head has done so much for precision shooting on the 10 and the 110 actions

You cannot spend yourself into you being a good shooter with the fundamental.

Great Podcast............I continue to learn and enjoy the conversations with everyone. The podcasts are great information in the firearms/ammunition industry. You guys do a great job having a variety of conversations on this podcasts.

6 Arc would be cool.......if you could fine brass.

I agree with Jeffrey. The Savage floating bolt head and barrel nut(for head space) should be a starting point. Regular binding bolts often have the lugs lapped. I bought a Marlin SX7 in .308 15 years ago. I think I paid $300 for it. It would be hard to beat, even with a custom. I do agree with a new trigger.

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Omnivariousness. Creators, why do You all not focus on creating a rifle and this rifle's parts to be made as to except multiple different manufacturer parts (barrels, triggers, bolts, etc.), come on, You can do Anything together.

5 lbs. 300 RUM. Bad idea?

Its the long range hunting craze is where people are at. Even the "500 and under" crowd dreams about stretching their effective range which can make a huge difference out west. When you stretch it out, now all of a sudden its all about accuracy and energy down range. How far can my cartridge be effective on elk? What people sometimes forget about is that group size REALLY matters at long range. If I can't shoot at least MOA, you can't shoot much past 500 even if your cartridge can deliver enough energy. Accuracy is the new priority along with energy for long range hunting.

Shouldn't fluting produce a stiffer barrel since the outside diameter is larger than the same amount of material in a thinner barrel? The Length / Radius ratio is larger making it stiffer.

Guys! We need to see Mile's rifle! You can't talk that thing up and not show it off!!!

For carbon barrels, GA precision will only honor accuracy with the Bartlein carbon barrels. They say that the steel core is thicker on theirs vs other manufactures. I have personally shot my Bartlein carbon barrel to a 10 shot string and it was still hammering dead on… however it was boiling hot and don’t want to buy another one anytime soon so I generally let it cool after 5 at most. Anyone have experience with other carbon barrels?

What’s the next prc cartridge? Any work on a .338? Something that’ll shoot the 285gr eld-m at 2850 hopefully

Just to add on the ruger American predator in 6.5 creed and definitely using a Hornady 140 eld-m bullet, I’m shooting 5 shot groups between 1/4” to .5” at 2730 with 43.3 grains of h4350. The R.A.P’s can shoot and even better with a Hornady pill.

A great episode and you can tinker as much as you can afford. I think anyone watching this should also watch the podcast of "your groups are too small." That will introduce some humility. There are plenty of things you can do to increase accuracy and you can also get supremely accurate factory rifles, sometimes in a budget model. But the ammo is the final deciding factor and that is always going to have some variability.

Your $8k rig might still average 1 MOA after a 200 round run.

I just can’t afford to build a custom rifle so I’ve taken a Remington 700 light tactical with a 20” barrel and made it as accurate as possible. I bedded the factory stock, dropped a Timney 1 1/2 pound trigger. Also built the length of pull and cheek rise out of stuff I had. May not be the prettiest gun but I’m very accurate with it. Shoot what you got and have fun doing it.

I was really surprised when one of you said a bolt action build is easier than an AR. The assembly might be, but identifying and specifying a compatible receiver, barrel, trigger, bottom metal, and stock/chassis that works well for your application (weight and volume of fire) seems a LOT more challenging. And of course you have to select your cartridge first … that’s just nuts in today’s market with all of the possible choices.

I recently purchased a Savage 110 6.5 Creedmoor Magpul hunter.
4.5x18 Zerotech scope..wheeler offset rings.. 120 rounds through it.. shoots better than I can .. but I do consistently bang the 200 yard small iron plate so..
But I just found out , Thru Criterion a new caliber barrel , the wrench and a headspace gauge for 250. dollars or so... same magazine same rifle, new bang.

I bought a defiance ruckus action and a proof carbon wrapped 6.5 CM prefit barrel, put it in a American rifle company xylo chassis with a triggertech diamond trigger.. first five shots were a 3/8 inch hole at 50 yds. It’s crazy that you can buy good components and put it together by yourself, with out a gunsmith and get a rifle, that would cost another 5 thousand!! I was shooting Hornady ELD match, your ammo is amazing!

I’m with Miles, it’s hard for me to trust the carbon fiber barrels as much when it comes to shooting bug holes consistently,but it’s probably just a head thing because we know they shoot as he said

I wish I had the money to put into a "custom" gun, every time I go to put a parts list together I end up around 3 -5K dollars, I just can't justify that kind of money and stay married....

The Real Gunsmith Randy Selby has built more rifles than anybody on this planet. His offerings in breakdown guns totally eclipses the competition, and he has more experience than any human being on earth.

I do not care about the trigger that much and I shoot F, Silhouette, Bullseye and high power. People make too much fuss over the trigger. A trigger has to be pretty bad to justify the stupid high prices a lot of them go for today. A lot of shooting sports have limits on how light your trigger can be. I am more concerned about the action being true and concentric and the barrel. I have never seen a trigger drop someones group size by a large margin. For the price of a trigger you can get an action trued and a barrel installed!

Outside of weight saving it is impossible for a carbon wrapped barrel to do anything that the orignal pre-turned blank could not do better. The carbon wrap could cause corrosion long term. It acts like insulation and holds heat in the bore of the barrel longer. Carbon fiber wrapped in that manner add's nothing to the stiffness of the steel barrel. You do not gain any stiness or rigidity and you make it harder to shed heat. Carbon wrapped barrels are a fools folly. You do not see them in aviation barrels where light weight and known durability rule supreme. You do not see them in ship barrels, artillery pieces, tank barrels, machine gun barrels or even standard issue rifle like the M4 or M17 handgun. A proof steel barrel of the same profile as the wrapped version would perform identical tot he wrapped version and would weight even less!

I was lucky I bought a Savage 338 Lapua Magnum,in a MDT LSS XL chasse and 5 round mag in clouded so I got it brand new like it,only things I put on it was the scope & suppressor

I changed the trigger on my M24. The Remington trigger was horrible and the more I shot it the worse it got. The custom trigger was great. The size of group was way way smaller. You shoot way better when you know when it’s going to break.

I remember 15 years ago dreaming about things that are cheap and easy now. This a golden age not only for precision rifles, but all types of firearms.

thank you gentlemen...

I carved out a chunk of walnut for a Ruger mark ll in 220 swift, took about 180 hrs...... Shoots 1/4 at a 100yd. ..... It was quite an accomplishment . My next project is a Weatherby vanguard.... Just a hobbie....

My 77/22H shoots 1 MOA at 100yds with XTP hand loads. My Hawkeye 7 mag also shoots 1 MOA but with a competitor’s bullets. No idea how they shoot with factory.

Stop pushing pre fit barrels. Guys that work hard for their money deserve a custom fitted barrel. With a prefit you get a mass produced barrel chambered from a live center and who knows where the muzzle runout is pointed in the barrel was actually dialed in properly at the chamber end. One major ar match barrel supplier here in Illinois chambers their hi power barrels this way and it absolutely disgusts me. People work to dam hard for this type of quality. Pat the extra 100$ and have a real rifle smith chamber that 450$ blank properly. Cheap barrels put the real craftsman’s out of Buisness. We can’t afford to loose any more of them!! Do everything in life properly and you will be better off.

Awesome podcast fellas! So I own several levels and styles of guns and yup most have a Timney Trigger. Their customer service is first class they were local to me in Az. I took a trigger back in that I had ordered from Brownells that was too short because of the different Eddystone Enfield magazine capacities. My mistake but they looked at it and swapped out the trigger for me on the spot and installed it to checkout fitment no charge! On the barrels the big thing I’ve noticed is a true match barrel be it button or cut rifling shoots a lot more different rounds really really well compared to the factory production ones that only favor that one sweet spot. My 100yr old 30-06 Enfield with just a lapped bolt and a Criterion barrel shoots everything I’ve tried better than MOA. If you care about the accuracy just start with a good barrel any of the custom American barrel makers do excellent work. The less you do to a barrel the better off you’ll be don’t thread or flute it unless you really have too. I’m ready for some .22lr Hornady match ammo!

Question for Miles . Do you chamber tru the headstock or with steady rest?

Forget custom builds but a Barrett MRAD and call it a day lol. I have one with a .300 PRC Conversion and a .308 kit and it’s the best rifle I have ever owned.

i'm looking for a youth hmr 17 bolt rifle with bull barrel ss

Yall really gotta do away with those giant bulky headsets.