who's the best custom rifle builder

[kaliesman]

I am wanting to build a custom rifle and i dont know who to have do it for me. And i dont understand some of the things there asking me. Im a young hunter and havent learned all the tricks and trades and my young age of 14 so could you please help me

[260shooter]

I would start with the rifles intended purpose, paper punching, hunting. Will it be carried far (weight will be a concern). If the intended target is an animal, the cartridge will have to have enough power, and since you are on this site, it will need to be inherrently accurate enough to put a round on target at distance.
Some questions a good smith might ask would be.
Target animal (the biggest you will hunt).
Caliber choice.
Cartridge choice.
Bullet choice, this will help the smith decide the twist rate that best suits the application.
Weight, that gets you into stock selection, barrel contour, hardware on the rifle (rings and mounts, bottom metal).
Will you want a break? This will reduce felt recoil and allow a lighter rifle.
There tons of options. Do some home work to figure out your needs. My olny suggestion is buy the best you can afford so you olny have to do it once. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

260shooter

[trader388]

You want to talk to Chris Matthews. Longshotrifles@yahoo.com

[ 11-07-2004: Message edited by: trader388 ]

[Heavy Barrel]

You also need to start saving a "lot' of money.

[george]

Try Chris Matthews, he comes highly recommended and he is now building a rifle for me

[LB]

The best? You are likely to get a lot of opinion on that....and no clear consensus.

With good reason. Machinist skills, combined with a solid firearms background and the talent is not exactly as rare as a builder of London Best shotguns; nor as expensive, thankfully.

Still, it helps to have reliable references. It's not absolutely necessary to deal with someone clear across the country. I use a unhearlded local, with many references from people I already know. Much better to conduct business eye to eye, in my opinion. The problem with this guy; he turns down work if he doesn't know you. He's more like a well kept secret.

Anyway, decide what you need and WHY you need it. Do your homework, talk to friends, visit a few shops, and sign up.

Good luck, LB

edit: now I will duck and run. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[ 11-07-2004: Message edited by: LB ]

[7ultra]

Kaliesman,
Before looking for a builder, you should first sit down and take a long look at what you want. You should have a pretty clear concept of what you want before committing to a rifle. Not to long ago I was in your shoes. Granted I was 17, so a little older, but I too wanted a custom gun. Leading up to this decision, I had worked a year and a half on a gun range. I read a majority of the monthly publications regarding shooting and what not. Needless to say, I had a fair idea of what I wanted. I owned several hunting rifles, reloaded and had the ability to shoot often. Now I'm not saying go out and find a job at a range, but take steps to educate yourself. Start reading gun mags, and better yet, get hands on experience. Hopefully you have access to other guns. With the OWNER's PERMISSION, get familiar with them. Get an understanding of what you like and dislike. That's a big part of owning a custom gun, it's tailored to your needs. Along with knowing the gun, you should look at how you are going to use it. With my custom, I was looking primarily at punching paper, maybe the occassional open field deer. So I wanted a heavier, more bench orientated gun. Included with choosing a gun configuration, you should select a cartridge that best suits you. Unless you reload, or have access to equipment, It doesn't do you a whole lot of good to chamber some odd-ball wildcat. Finally, and this is a two-per, make sure you have enough money, and permission to buy this gun. For me, It took alot longer to get my parents permission than it did to raise the cash. Keep in mind, most anything custom is not cheap. Take your time, save your pennies, and also remember, there is more to being a kid than shooting. Its fun to have a custom gun, but make sure it doesn't consume you(monetarily and time wise). Good luck, and have fun