Newb wanting to go custom

[Rob.Dizz.89]

Hey everyone, first post here. Quick background: beginner/intermediate marksman with about 12 years experience around firearms, mostly bolt action and semi-auto small caliber rifles. Besides converting a Ruger 10/22 to a 10/17M2 I've never really done any custom work so I literally have no clue where to look for aftermarket parts.

The purpose of this build is to put together a rifle that can effectively shoot out to 800-1,000 yards. I dont believe I'll be doing much hunting with it, so weight is a non-issue.

I'm starting my build with a Savage model 11 top bolt release, stagger-feed, action chambered in .243 Winchester. My budget for this project is about $1,500 give or take. I would like to start with a new barrel and stock first and foremost, and if I have enough change leftover then I might consider custom trigger work. I already have the perfect optics for this project, and I ordered an over-sized bolt handle/knob from Glades Armory.

As far as custom barrels go, I have a few questions. Would I be better off with a 26 or 28" barrel? Also, which rate of twist is ideal for my set-up, 1:8 or 1:10? McGowen is the only company that I know of that makes custom heavy barrels, so I checked their site and it looks like they can build me something that fits my needs at a reasonable price, but I'm sure there are other manufacturers out there that may build an even better barrel than McGowen. I just dont know where to look...

As far as stocks go, I just want something durable (no wood) and pretty much drop-in. I know a few of the popular brands like McMillan and Choate but if you guys have any suggestions I'm all ears.

 

[Martin Taylor]

I'm not that much more experienced than you in terms of rifle building but having recently made all of these decisions I can give you my input and just take it with a grain of salt:

If you're not hunting with it I see no reason to not get a 28" barrel I mean it's not like you ever have to carry it afield and the added velocity could be fun.

I would go with the 1:10 twist, simply because I don't know what bullets would be heavy enough to justify a 1:8 twist but I don't shoot .243 so I maybe wouldn't take my advice on that.

As far as makers go, I have had experience with Hart and Krieger barrels and current;y I would suggest Krieger but that may be because they are semi-local to me. I know my Local GunSmith uses Bartlein barrels in his personal builds (he shoots F-class).

The big option you're missing on stocks is Manners, it seems like they used to be a little less expensive than McMillan but last time I looked it was moot. Big Army thinks the world of HS-Precision though and having used one on a buddy's rifle they're not at all bad for the money.

I do my own trigger work, not that hard, saves me money.

That's just my .02 and I'm certain other much more experienced members will jump in and add to the mix.

Good Luck!

 

[coldboremiracle]

I would suggest reading for a couple weeks or a month before making any big steps, you'll find you will spend less money on better options if you do.

 

[broke_again]

I would go with a twist rate of 7.5 for a .243. Don't even mess with any bullets under 100 grains for 1,000 yard work. Check out XLR for chassis systems.

 

[bkw1911]

I would suggest reading for a couple weeks or a month before making any big steps, you'll find you will spend less money on better options if you do.

Agreed. Nothing worse than paying tons of money and deciding on a barrel contour especially and discover after its built that it was way to heavy or too light or you really ended liking a different style or length or stock or...

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[Rob.Dizz.89]

Thanks for the replies guys. As per the advice, I've been doing a lot more reading. I'm starting to get an idea of what it would cost to build a custom rifle starting with only the action, and I'm wondering if I wouldn't be better off buying a brand new gun. On Savage's website, a model 12 target series "long range precision" model only runs about $1,000-$1,200. For that I can get a .243 winchester with a 26" fluted target barrel, a heavy duty target action, and Savage's target accutrigger. All I would have to do is add a brake and I would be good to go until I saved the money to buy the stock I wanted.

Can anyone tell me what they think of Savage's heavy/target barrels? More specifically, are they even in the same ballpark as your basic or entry level custom barrel?

If you guys can help me out with first-hand experience I would be very grateful. In the meantime, I'll keep reading up.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Savage makes a killer rifle, cheap, and good shooting rifles. I loved my 10fp, it was just as accurate as my customs. Any reason you are after a .243? you could get comparable performance from a .260 or 7-08 with much better barrel life and bullet selection.

 

[briang7511]

I would suggest reading for a couple weeks or a month before making any big steps, you'll find you will spend less money on better options if you do.

+1 ^^^

Take some time to really look into what you want and what will perform best for your application. Go to the range and check out what others are shooting. Maybe check out the firearms for sale and see if you can get a little more for your money.

 

[CharlieNC]

Go the the SavageShooters web site and become a paying member so you can look at the classifieds. You will find several places with McGowan barrels off the shelf, and Northland Shooter Supply carries other good makes as well (Criterion is very nice) available now. Yes the Choate Tac is a solid, good shooting prone stock with a v-block bed that is solid. If you want to save a few bucks, watch the member classifieds and you can pick up what you want in a few months. As suggested be open minded about other calibers with a better barrel life. I assume with the stagger feed that you have an older trigger; if it is the 3-screw version you can gently hone it and replace the wire with a lighter diameter and have a great trigger.

 

[Rob.Dizz.89]

Savage makes a killer rifle, cheap, and good shooting rifles. I loved my 10fp, it was just as accurate as my customs. Any reason you are after a .243? you could get comparable performance from a .260 or 7-08 with much better barrel life and bullet selection.

I have a couple Savage rifles, the 11 I'm considering customizing in .243 and a model 25 lightweight varminter in .17 hornet. Both great rifles and very very accurate so I wouldn't be hesitant to purchase another if you think they are somewhat comparable to a custom barrel job. My main reason for wanting to go with .243 is recoil, that is at the top of my list when it comes down to me personally being a more accurate shooter. I would consider going with an even smaller caliber if I thought it would reach out to 800+ yards. Barrel life is not a huge concern for me, so really the only downer is the bullet selection, but I'm sure I'll be able to find something that suits my needs.

I'm still quite a ways from making any purchases and I plan on doing a lot more reading. I appreciate the help and if I come across anything else I need help with, I'll just post 'em up here, thanks guys.

 

[Akhunter907]

Dang man. With your budget you are about there with a real custom. That's kind of what I thought I clicked on. Not just a tricked out savage. Figure out what you want. But a blue printed 700 is within reach. Unless I read your budget wrong. For my disclaimer. I've had a bunch of savages. It's worth your time to dry fire one against a 700 trigger. Timmeny. And my favorite a Jewell. Match that with a custom tube much better served Imo. 1200 for a stock savage. Find a doner 700 and go from there. Rem Tupper ware is harder than savage ware again Imo.

And on your question no I do not think any factory tubes compete with the button rifled crowd. Shilen Douglas. Or cut rifled krieger brux Bartlien. If you are thinking savage build for sure. 300 for action 125 or so for a SSS trigger. 350 for Shilen. 30 lug 35 trued nut. Again my opinion but for a savage build over buying a complete rifle. No brainer

 

[Rob.Dizz.89]

After a lot more reading and mulling things over I am going to start with my savage short action and build up from there. I'm gonna ditch the .243, after reading up on a lot of different calibers, I think I'm gonna re-barrel it to a 6.5 Creedmoor w/ muzzle brake. It has a pretty high ballistic coefficient, and I also read that it can get pretty close to duplicating the trajectory path of a .300 Win Mag. with obviously a lot less recoil (which again, is most important to me). The only thing I'm worried about is whether I'll have fitment/feeding issues with my short action. Can anyone help me out with this?

I'm going to have the action trued, and also have the action glass bedded into the stock I end up choosing, swap out the stock trigger with a rifle basix trigger, and replace the stock recoil lug with a SSS heavy duty stainless lug. The only thing left I need to decide on is a nice aftermarket stock. Right now I'm looking at an H-S Precision Pro-Series M24 Vertical Grip Stock, Bell and Carlson Medalist Stock, or a Choate Tactical Stock (bedded, free floated, with adjustable spacer system). Any input on these stocks would be really helpful.

I meant to mention this earlier, but I'm topping this rifle off with a Swarovski PH 6-24x50mm with a TDS reticle. The hold-over crosshairs on the TDS reticle will really come in handy for shooting the distances I'd like to reach.

 

[Rob.Dizz.89]

Well, I finally started my custom build today by purchasing an aftermarket bench rifle stock. I kept going back and forth between the Choate Tactical Stock and the B&C Medalist, and in the end, the B&C won out. To be more specific it's the B&C Tactical Medalist A2 in black w/ red web. I was able to buy it and have it shipped for just under $265 so I'm pretty satisfied with that. My old man has a B&C Medalist A5 (I think...), the one that has the adjustable cheek piece and butt plate. It has a very similar shape to the A2 and is made of the same materials, so after closely inspecting his stock my decision was definitely swayed towards the B&C.

Are these stocks pretty much drop-in or do they require and little work to get a correct fit? I know some manufacturers claim they make "drop-in" stocks and they fit about as well as a square peg in a round hole. I'm also thinking about having the action glass bedded into the stock....good idea or bad idea?

The next thing on my list is to purchase a custom barrel. For my first custom I'm gonna go with McGowen. Their website is very user-friendly and helpful, and I think its pretty cool they have a list of pre-fit barrels that they currently have in stock, along with semi-custom, or full custom barrels you can also order. Ordering a barrel and shipping my action off to have the barrel installed is my goal for this week, so hopefully I can get that part of my build started.

 

[Aimsmall55]

Well, I finally started my custom build today by purchasing an aftermarket bench rifle stock. I kept going back and forth between the Choate Tactical Stock and the B&C Medalist, and in the end, the B&C won out. To be more specific it's the B&C Tactical Medalist A2 in black w/ red web. I was able to buy it and have it shipped for just under $265 so I'm pretty satisfied with that. My old man has a B&C Medalist A5 (I think...), the one that has the adjustable cheek piece and butt plate. It has a very similar shape to the A2 and is made of the same materials, so after closely inspecting his stock my decision was definitely swayed towards the B&C.

Are these stocks pretty much drop-in or do they require and little work to get a correct fit? I know some manufacturers claim they make "drop-in" stocks and they fit about as well as a square peg in a round hole. I'm also thinking about having the action glass bedded into the stock....good idea or bad idea?

The next thing on my list is to purchase a custom barrel. For my first custom I'm gonna go with McGowen. Their website is very user-friendly and helpful, and I think its pretty cool they have a list of pre-fit barrels that they currently have in stock, along with semi-custom, or full custom barrels you can also order. Ordering a barrel and shipping my action off to have the barrel installed is my goal for this week, so hopefully I can get that part of my build started.

I have to ask ... Do you hand load??

 

[rockbox]

In regards to barrel makers for Savage. Shilen, Criterion, McGowen, Brux, Douglas, Pac-Nor all make prefit barrels for savage.

 

[Hawk45]

Give Jim Briggs at Northland Shooters Supply a call (don't email). He's a good resource for barrels and barrel/action parts. Good guy.
As far as barrels go, you can get a blank from any manufacturer and have a smith spin it down to fit your Savage. You don't have to use a prefit, they are just cheaper and more convenient. Makes sure to do a good bedding job on the action in your stock as well. Savages are great rifles for barrel swaps, and having the action bedded really helps make sure when you drop it back in, everything is in it's proper place. That also brings up the point to get a aftermarket trued recoil lug. Don't use the factory one, scrimping here for $27 isn't worth it if you are investing in quality parts elsewhere.

 

[Rob.Dizz.89]

I have to ask ... Do you hand load??

I'm just getting into it, yeah. I still buy some factory loads but the more experience I get reloading the less factory loads I'll end up buying in the future.

 

[Rob.Dizz.89]

In regards to barrel makers for Savage. Shilen, Criterion, McGowen, Brux, Douglas, Pac-Nor all make prefit barrels for savage.

Yeah that was a bad choice of words on my part. What I meant was McGowen's website lists their inventory of pre-fits so you know how long the turn-around time will be, roughly. I've read a lot of good things about Krieger and Shilen, along with others you mentioned, but for my first build McGowen looks like a good place to start.

 

[Rob.Dizz.89]

Give Jim Briggs at Northland Shooters Supply a call (don't email). He's a good resource for barrels and barrel/action parts. Good guy.
As far as barrels go, you can get a blank from any manufacturer and have a smith spin it down to fit your Savage. You don't have to use a prefit, they are just cheaper and more convenient. Makes sure to do a good bedding job on the action in your stock as well. Savages are great rifles for barrel swaps, and having the action bedded really helps make sure when you drop it back in, everything is in it's proper place. That also brings up the point to get a aftermarket trued recoil lug. Don't use the factory one, scrimping here for $27 isn't worth it if you are investing in quality parts elsewhere.

Thanks for the info! Sounds like glass bedding the action into my stock would definitely be a good investment. I was planning on replacing the factory lug with an SSS heavy-duty stainless steel recoil lug, so your advice reaffirms my plans. When I call in and place my order I'll ask for Jim Briggs, thanks again for the help.

 

[Trochlea]

I would go with a twist rate of 7.5 for a .243. Don't even mess with any bullets under 100 grains for 1,000 yard work. Check out XLR for chassis systems.

I completely agree with this. To reap the benefits of long range 243, you really want to look for bullets north of 100, namely either the 105 hybrids or 105 amax and both of these require a barrel twist of at least 1:8.

 

[Rob.Dizz.89]

Today I took the next step in my build by purchasing an aftermarket barrel from McGowen. It's a 6.5 Creedmoor, stainless steel, 26" long (28" w/brake), 1:8 twist, varmint contour, with McGowen's "Turbo Brake" installed. I also purchased a SSS stainless steel heavy duty recoil lug, and a stainless steel trigger guard to replace the flimsy plastic one. Next, and last on my list is to buy an aftermarket trigger. I think I'm gonna install that one myself to save a little money instead of having a gunsmith charge me by the hour. Right now I'm just playing the waiting game. Should have my barrel in a couple, maybe three weeks, then another couple weeks at the gunsmith and I'll be ready to sling some lead downrange!

 

[Hawk45]

Nice start, post pics when she's all done.