• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Besides TacOps, the best of the best

Ouch - before you worry about a new rifle, gotta up your coffee game haha.


Lol. I solved that problem yesterday. I'd of laughed 10 years ago if someone would have told me I'd be spending $2200 on a stupid coffee maker.

But here it is...

1580734587645.png
 
Last edited:
anyone have an idea what a TacOps xray66 with McMillan A5 and Kreiger heavy threaded barrel would be worth. 300wm
 
I vote SAC. or AI. AI with a custom barrel would be great too.

Have great experience with them.

Have a couple GAPs too and they shoot great but they aren’t a small shop anymore.

I think it was SAC that had a beautiful rifle in the classifieds a year or 2 ago with a wood stock. I almost bought it. Would be right up your alley.
 
Terry Cross, LRI, Gradous, SAC, Area 419, Spartan, GAP, Tac-Ops.

There are so many top builders it’s hard to pic. Any of the above are a coin toss and are all rifles that reflect the individuality of the builder. It’s like having to pick your favorite Victoria’s Secret model.


Reminds me of an old Wyoming cowboy story.

A young bull looks down the hill to at a bunch of cows and says to his dad, an old wise bull,
“Dad! Look at all those cows! Let’s run down there and screw one of them!”

The old wise bull slowly replied,
“No son, let’s walk down there and screw them all.”



Pic one builder to start with, then build them all.
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
Reactions: spife7980
Robert Gradous was mentioned a few times in this thread; he passed away a few months ago.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Bender
Robert Gradous was mentioned a few times in this thread; he passed away a few months ago.
Its not like we were close friends, but I was in discussion with Robert and his partner Richard Davis about a build when his life suddenly ended. Even though I can't say we were friends, he was so open and honest and unguarded that you just kind of felt that you knew him for years and years. He told me about some of his challenges and I had some experience to share back on some of it.

Truly a shame...

Now, as you can see below...I love wood....on a shotgun! Rifles, not so much. I did take a look at Mr. Russo's site and he has some spectacular exhibition grade wood shown there. If you have never been in the high end stock blank buying market, an equal quality piece of wood for a rifle will be a good bit more $$ than for a shotgun as it needs to be figured and consistent over a much larger piece of wood than for a two piece shotgun set.

I did note that Mr Russo seems to favor a look in wood that I just love and that's the wood shown with a bit of reddish tint and very dark figuring. Looks to me like a hand done, in the wood oil finish with Alkanet root which is a very old and honored Euro style. The Alkanet contributes the red color and darkens the figuring. They just soak some of it in the oil used for the hand rubbed finish. That is also very pricey and not a lot of people know how to do it right these days.

DSC_2622.jpg

Buck's Super-X finished-40.jpg
 
Last edited:
I've been dreaming for years. I've talked to a lot of smiths.

LRI. For his hide cup rifle pictured in this thread
Tac ops for all he does for people and what he does to a rifle.
Crescent custom
Area 419

Those 4 are worth talking to.

I believe Mike and Chad have mental issues. Way way to nice of people and way to much OCD.
I don't think either is capable of disappointing a customer that isn't an ass.