Re: sub moa rifles.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: skullandbones69</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I was wonder what the difrences are between an out of the box rifle that shoots sub moa and a rifle of the same caliber thats a custom rifle but like 5000 dollars or more compared to a little over a 1000. if they both shoot sub moa groups then why pay that much? Is it just a rifle snob thing or what? </div></div>
Precision, Repeatability, Precision, Reliability, Precision, Quality of Fit and Finish, Precison, Shooter Confidence, Precision, Brotherhood, Precision. There is a pattern forming in my statement and one doesn't get all/any of those things from a factory rifle unless it is, to some degree, paid for. Even still, factory rifles are only capable of a small portion (if any) of the items in that statement. There's obviously a market for factory rifles and it's aimed particularly at those shooters that are serious enough to get involved, but lack the knowledge and/or skill to know the difference or skillful shooters that want to shoot it to death so they can resurrect it as a custom later on. Skillful shooters know what they're buying when they buy it.
The goal of the larger manufacturers is one thing. The Bottom Line. They (the larger manufacturers) typically couldn't care less what your (or anybodys) down range performance is. "This is the last thing they never discuss in the board room." They manufacture and offer rifles at a price that is attractive to the "consumer." In order to do this, the cost of their Bill of Materials (BOM) has to be low enough that the realized margins for the Board Members are high enough for them to pay for their Custom Rifles. This means that quality is never of great concern as is evident by looking at stocks and finishes offered on factory rifles. Most of the stocks are plastic and Remington is spraying black paint on the 870's now (there are exceptions to this, but such rifles still don't stack up to a custom). They do this because the "consumer" that lacks the sophistication to know the difference finds it acceptable.
Now let's look at Custom Rifles and the ones that are shooting them. The skill-set and level of knowledge amongst these shooters is significantly more refined than those that are satisfied with factory rifles. I speak to guys everyday that know what they want, why they want it and they understand the level of passion and commitment it takes to build a custom rifle. These guys know what down range performance is and how it's achieved. I also talk to guys that may not have such a vast knowledge base but have the interest and ability to learn.
The Custom Rifles are exactly that, "Custom." The cost of a Custom Rifle is directly proportional to all the things I mentioned in my opening statement and more. The components are far superior, but it's the tolerances and attention to detail that's paid for. There's a huge difference between making a barrel with a hammer (most factory barrels are hammer forged, this inludes the contour, rifling and chamber) and making a barrel with precision tools on machines that cost as much as your house. There's any number of custom actions, stocks, triggers, bottom metal, etc., but how it's all put together is what makes the difference. Looking at the websites of any of the custom builders on this forum will probably go a long way to answering your question, but the mere existence of this forum and others like it should be the most significant explaination of why customs are preferred.
