Whats custom Worth?
- Thread starter Blaese490
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I’m new to this as well and have asked this question a bit so here’s what I’ve been told. There’s nothing wrong with a factory action and upgrading it trued,barrel,knob, thread etc. But a custom will have some extra depending on which you go with, integral rail and lug, tight tolerances, very strong. It’s gunna cost around the same if you do your factory action up right, but I would take a look at getting a custom. Go check out impact precision, they seem to be making some nice stuff lots of people are liking. What would your plans be for this build just to get a better idea?
Loaded question for sure.
The most cost-effective action for good performance is a Tikka IMHO. You can buy a $450 donor rifle, pull the action, stick a barrel and stock on it, and you're set. Or buy an $800 CTR or Varmint and you're set from the beginning with an accurate rifle that shoots great but will probably eventually need a stock upgrade.
Custom actions offer nice performance, but I don't personally think there is that much benefit over a Tikka action unless you really shoot a ton. Kind of like scopes - you can get an SWFA HD, Cronus, Stryker, Razor, etc. and be in good shape. If you really shoot a ton, you'll probably appreciate the ATACR, Minox, Kahles, S&B, TT, etc., but none of the mid-priced scopes are really going to hold you back a ton - they're just a little less pleasant to use. I see custom actions pretty much the same way.
The most cost-effective action for good performance is a Tikka IMHO. You can buy a $450 donor rifle, pull the action, stick a barrel and stock on it, and you're set. Or buy an $800 CTR or Varmint and you're set from the beginning with an accurate rifle that shoots great but will probably eventually need a stock upgrade.
Custom actions offer nice performance, but I don't personally think there is that much benefit over a Tikka action unless you really shoot a ton. Kind of like scopes - you can get an SWFA HD, Cronus, Stryker, Razor, etc. and be in good shape. If you really shoot a ton, you'll probably appreciate the ATACR, Minox, Kahles, S&B, TT, etc., but none of the mid-priced scopes are really going to hold you back a ton - they're just a little less pleasant to use. I see custom actions pretty much the same way.
Bighorn Origin action is a ton of value for the money. If you like to do your own work on your rifles the Origin makes it easy to change barrels. Also the firing pin assembly comes out in seconds which is really nice For finding where your bullet touches the lands.
You gain a lighter bolt lift with a custom. Thats about it. Kinda like a chevy vs cadilac. Both do the same thing but one is a little more refined. Performance wise custom vs factory action is equal. Some factory barrels shoot equally as well as custom barrels.
My only advise would be to start researching custom actions and some of the nicer factory rifles (Tikka, Bergara, etc.). Like you said, you are new to this world and there are so many choices and things to consider, its almost impossible for us to list them all here for you.
You really won't go wrong with any of the popular custom actions around here, but these are high dollar purchases and it is worthwhile to research and read as much as you possibly can before making a decision.
I'm sure many will agree with me, that it may be wise to pick up a quality factory rifle (or secondhand custom/built rifle from the PX here) while you get started. You won't break the bank, and it will give you an opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in the precision rifle world. You will either quickly learn exactly what you want in a custom and it will help you make your choice, or you will find you're satisfied with a quality factory rifle and it will serve you well for the time being.
If you are new to the game, and have no clue how far you want to take it, I'd buy a decent factory rifle, or semi customize a Tikka. The Tikka with some upgrades will always be a 2nd rifle if you go full custom.
It took me many tries to get what I want in a custom gun, and a lot of money. Today all my rifles look the same and have the same glass on them. It was a journey, fun though, but I predict you wont get it right the first time.
It took me many tries to get what I want in a custom gun, and a lot of money. Today all my rifles look the same and have the same glass on them. It was a journey, fun though, but I predict you wont get it right the first time.
^^^ This right here... still don't have exactly what I want in my second custom.
Are you saying after a factory action has been worked on, or just out of the box?
Do you think ‘some factory barrels shoot equally as well as custom barrels’ is as fair of a statement as ‘most factory barrels do NOT shoot as well as a custom’?
How about ball ammo sometimes prints as well match?
Sorting through stocks-chassis expensive enough, I sorted actions earlier this yr, kick in the nut sack.
I have always been happy with the Bergara offerings, whether wood, tactical, or chassis. Their barrels are great, the action and safety are an improved Remington 700 style with a Sako type extractor, and there is enough aftermarket stuff for the Remington 700 that fits to customize them to my personal likes and needs. Before Bergara started making rifles I used what I was accustomed to from the service in a variety of stocks and chassis but I won't be buying another Reminton 700 ever again now. Still waiting for Bergara to come out with the long announced folding stock option for some of their chassis rifles like the B-14 BMP, the Premier LRP, and Premier Elite LRP though.
Ive never had ball shoot as good as match. I do have 2 honest .5 moa factory rifles.
If you are considering custom don't ruke out AI or a Sako TRG. If i was starting from scratch and had all the money wasted on lesser rifles I'd just get a AI base model and call it good.
If you are considering custom don't ruke out AI or a Sako TRG. If i was starting from scratch and had all the money wasted on lesser rifles I'd just get a AI base model and call it good.
I would get an Origin or Nucleus action to get my foot in the door, then start looking for savage small shank barrels on the exchange or get a Criterion or Shilen from NSS. Get go/nogo gauges for whatever caliber you are set on. Get a cheap KRG Bravo chassis until you decide on what you like and it very well may be the KRG Bravo or when you sell it you will get 95%+ of your money back). Get a trigger thats to your liking, again when you decide you like another better you will get a large chunk of it back on the exchange.
Dont waste money on a Bergera or Tikka (and they are very fine rifles) imo at the end of the day your going to spend the same to put lipstick on a pig and will not be able to recoup your losses. I started with Ruger precision and honestly it took alot of trading and time to recoup most of my investment (disclosure I still have a $789 grabagun 6mm CM Ruger Precision that I keep for friends and family).
Dont waste money on a Bergera or Tikka (and they are very fine rifles) imo at the end of the day your going to spend the same to put lipstick on a pig and will not be able to recoup your losses. I started with Ruger precision and honestly it took alot of trading and time to recoup most of my investment (disclosure I still have a $789 grabagun 6mm CM Ruger Precision that I keep for friends and family).
Just get one of these in the caliber you want a stock color you like. If you don't stick with the sport u can get most of your money back if you do it's a system you can run for a decade and make any changes u want. Factory or custom? How about a factory rifle using custom components?
https://patriotvalleyarms.com/deposit-john-hancock-bolt-action/
It's really hard to justify rifles cheaper for what you get here and you will need to spend almost twice as much to get a custom around this quality.
The reality is your rifle will be built by top gunsmiths and not put together by "assemblers" like most factory guns.
https://patriotvalleyarms.com/deposit-john-hancock-bolt-action/
It's really hard to justify rifles cheaper for what you get here and you will need to spend almost twice as much to get a custom around this quality.
The reality is your rifle will be built by top gunsmiths and not put together by "assemblers" like most factory guns.
You would be much better off to go out and see what you want. Factory rifles will be just fine but don’t shoot it next to a custom.
Great advice! If you've got the money most gun dealers will have a honey of a rifle for you and at starters around $3,400.00 for an AI and a good $2,500.00 bucks more for optics and rings you will now be at the price of a decent used car, or even truck. Compare that with a decent, and I mean decent starter rifle (Bergara, Tikka, even a Ruger, or some of the Howas, or Savages, ...) today that shoots anywhere from barely sub-moa to .5moa add optics and glass and you still won't have to break the bank.
Years ago for the price of any of these 'starters' you could have gotten only something that would have been better used for clubbing whatever you were after with it. A perfect set up rifle is well worth it but I would not discount all the ways I've learnt about marksmanship, and how much more I appreciate a rifle that shoots well and a great set of optics by not having had it right away.
Not too long ago I saw a young fellow at the range who was sporting a Rolex, had his Beamer parked in the lot right behind the range and was sporting a brand new AI with a Schmidt and Bender, had a Magnetospeed set up on it, Kestrel, and was cussing up and down because he could not get this "cheap @... rifle zeroed in". Last I saw of him was him tossing the rifle case into his car's trunk and speeding of the range in a cloud of dust. Sometimes it is a good thing to grow with your equipment, to learn substance matter and patience and that even a bad day at the range is better than a good day performing hard labor and it still serves to teach us something if we keep our records, so we can learn from it.
Sorry for the rant but I just had to add my bit about the value of 'starter rifles' vs. the instant gratification of being a LR beginner with a Rembrandt of ballistics. You absolutely can shoot long range with a 'starter rifle', are you going to take first place in competition, probably not. There is always someone out there with a bigger budget, more time on their hands, or who has the latest and greatest but such is the nature of competition. One thing I can say for sure the more people can afford to get into LR shooting, and the more people do, the more all of us benefit from the competition between brands and the ingenuity of entrepreneurs who come up with new accessories and devices to make this sport a success.
If your the kind of person who changes their own oil or rotates their own tires then you can assemble a origin. Grab a savage pre fit barrel Go and no go gauges savage barrel nut savage wrench. Install a timney or triggertech trigger with two pins. If your the Kind of person who takes your car to the dealer for a oil change
Then I Would buy a Tikka or Ruger precision rifle. Either way is a good way to go imho
Then I Would buy a Tikka or Ruger precision rifle. Either way is a good way to go imho
I agree with Codiekfx400 wholeheartedly but with one caveat, it doesn't matter if you change your car's oil by yourself on a regular basis; if you're new to this and have never installed a barrel on a rifle in the name of safety first please don't do it until you've had some proper instruction. At that point get yourself a Bergara, or a Tikka and you'll be better of.
Or failure, unless you are talking about AGI webinar videos and the likes. I wouldn't want my kid doing it after just watching some yahoo on YouTube messin' with something as vital as barrel and action but that's just me.
With a go/nogo gauge its pretty darn fool proof to install a barrel on an origin or a nuke. It certainly isn't rocket surgery.
I know it is, I worked as an armorer long enough still I wouldn't want my kid learning from youtube but a reliable source. Of course you can learn your procedures where you want, and from whom you want, and do with your firearms what you want as it should be. Do I advocate learning gunsmithing from YouTube as a primary source - no I don't! You can do whatever you want.
YouTube is exactly like the real world (because.....it is).
I can show you a terrible gunsmith teaching the wrong way not on YouTube and one teaching the right way as well.
The only difference in YouTube is someone captured it on video.
YouTube isn’t “the source.” It’s just a hub. The source is the person making the videos. Same as learning something in person.
Due your diligence and make sure the person making the video is reputable.
You can source your wisdom from wherever you want. YouTube like facebook is full of bad ideas and some good ideas if you advocate to beginners to utilize these sources as their sole intro to gunsmithing you are the one not doing your due diligence and who is doing them a disservice. As I said before you can get your advice from wherever you want, it is your gun do whatever you want with it it is none of my business but don't sell any ol' video as if they are the Encyclopedia Britannica. Quite frankly I am getting a little tired of this circular conversation, get your info wherever you want. You do it your way when you teach a newcomer, I'll do it mine.
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I layed out the cost of custom vs factory in excel while making my decision. In the end a Stiller action (for me) came in at about $200 more than building up a stock Remington. Lay out what you want it to be in the end, price it out and make a decision from there.
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