Is custom worth it?

[coues7]

I'm having second thoughts about getting my 700 SPS stainless fully customized.....it's going to be about $1600 total and would include:

trued action and bolt
new barrel with brake
bolt handle mod
McMillan HTG stock
pillar and glass (metal) bedding
new recoil lug


OR


I could keep the factory action, bolt and barrel and just get a new recoil lug, new HTG stock and have it pillar and glass bedded for approximately $1000


I appreciate your input...... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]MAN thats a lot of money for a gun to go hunting with and shoot throughout the year

[dbhostler]

How far are you going to shoot and at what. You answer this and it will tell you weather to spend the extra cash.
db

[coues7]

Deer, Elk and Bear in AZ. I'd like to have capabilities out to 800 yards

[Top Cat]

How does it shoot right now? Any factory rifle could use bedding, cleaning up the crown, and a load workup to determine it's potential. Before doing that, you don't know where you stand. You can do all that yourself if you are handy, otherwise, it is a small investment. $1600 sounds like a lot of coin to spend on a rifle that should be excellent "as is" with a little tuning.

TC

[coues7]

With factory ammo I was getting about 1".

Just as a side note I live in AZ.....its hot, the terrain is steep and rugged and you CANNOT ROAD HUNT. I'm not lugging a varmint rifle around....end of story.

Unfortunately I don't get out to shoot "this rifle" much as is. I shoot rim fires quite a bit just to keep my skills honed but work and life really don't allow me to get out much.

The rifle is currently topped with a Leupold Mark 4 M1 LR/T 4.5-14.5x50....which I would say is a "good scope". I use Swarovski 10x50 SLC binos and a Swarovski 80mm spotting scope for my hunting purposes.

I'm at the the point where I get a Swaro Range finder or have a custom rifle built.....my wife and I have agreed one big purchase for me related to outdoors/hunting each year.....otherwise we'd be living on the streets because I'd have a bunch of guns.

[Supermag]

I'll vote for the none full on custom rifle (second option). You can use this for hunting and practicing to get you closer to the 800 yard mark and when you burn the barrel or start getting to the point of not enough accuracy for the range them replace the barrel, work the action, etc.

[James Jones]

find a good smith that will set the barrel back and install the new lug and clean up the chamber for you , have the crown recut and lap the lug so they make a little better contact. These few step will do wonder for the accuracy once its bedding properly into a good stock.

The stock that Rem put on their SPS rifles are realy crappy , I find it hard to believe that they are using them and still getting the prices they are.
Anyway , I have "fixed" a few of these stock so they are alot stronger. The end result is a much stronger stock that a we bit heavier but a hell of alot cheaper than the McMillan.

So for a couple hundred dollars you can greatly improve your accuracy and quality of the gun and buy yourself somemore time to save for a full build latter.