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<blockquote data-quote=".300 Dakota" data-source="post: 2498055" data-attributes="member: 106514"><p>Sadly true, and I've had my share of custom guns with accuracy that could easily be surpassed by a $700 off the shelf production gun. This, however, I've come to learn, has more to do with selection of components and who does the work. You'll get better results giving crappy components to a master gunsmith/machinist than you will giving exceptional components to a fly-by-night "gunsmith" that cuts a chamber here and there on the weekends. You have to combine the 2 best options in order to get something that would upstage that Browning. And it's real tough to upstage .4"@200, but by upstage, I mean that it will put most any load, not just the "preferred" load into that kind of hole and will give same POI every time. I've had one or two factory guns that would pretty much do that, but they an anomaly, and not the norm. Accuracy isn't the only reason to have a custom rifle built, though. There's balance, weight, shootability, how the scope comes to the eye, LOP, trigger enhancements, and mainly cartridge selection just to name a few. That doesn't even consider if someone wants a dedicated target gun for any level of competition. </p><p></p><p>Good buddy of mine has an X-Bolt LR in .28 Nosler that he's had put 3 shots in a quarter inch @400 yds. He's a much better shot than me. He uses a huge European scope that weighs nearly as much as the gun. He missed some deer from 300 yards to out a little farther and had to track a couple he did hit with that gun. He was careful to use temp-stable powder, but he figured out his cold bore shot was enough different at those ranges to cause his issues. Being new to longer range (than average) shooting and with a new rifle, he hadn't anticipared this being such an issue. Another issue was the factory LOP was way too long for him and he was reaching for the trigger. Something that wasn't an issue on the bench shooting groups. He ordered a new Fierce in .300 Win Mag in the Spring, and spent time shooting it over the Summer and Fall. This past year, problem was solved. Everything hit the dirt DRT out to change over 400. Everything fit better, and the cold bore was much closer to warm barrel POI. A Fierce isn't a custom gun, but it uses better components put together by competent smiths. They do make mistakes because it is still a production item. He could have designed it a little different if he had the oppprtunity to order it as a full custom to make it even better. He said it shoots sub-MOA, but will not shoot 1/4"[USER=74293]@400yds[/USER]. It was still the better gun in the field for him when it counted, though. By definition, anything "custom" is made to individual taste, and is likely one of a kind in some way. For someone who's shot enough to know what helps them shoot better and have an idea of exactly how they'd like a rifle to feel and perform, a phone call with a proven professional smith is in order to achieve the ultimate performance for whatever that intended purpose is. If you achieve it off the shelf, it's blind luck. Practicing with what you have will always bring better outcomes, also. Depends on your budget and time constraints.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE=".300 Dakota, post: 2498055, member: 106514"] Sadly true, and I've had my share of custom guns with accuracy that could easily be surpassed by a $700 off the shelf production gun. This, however, I've come to learn, has more to do with selection of components and who does the work. You'll get better results giving crappy components to a master gunsmith/machinist than you will giving exceptional components to a fly-by-night "gunsmith" that cuts a chamber here and there on the weekends. You have to combine the 2 best options in order to get something that would upstage that Browning. And it's real tough to upstage .4"@200, but by upstage, I mean that it will put most any load, not just the "preferred" load into that kind of hole and will give same POI every time. I've had one or two factory guns that would pretty much do that, but they an anomaly, and not the norm. Accuracy isn't the only reason to have a custom rifle built, though. There's balance, weight, shootability, how the scope comes to the eye, LOP, trigger enhancements, and mainly cartridge selection just to name a few. That doesn't even consider if someone wants a dedicated target gun for any level of competition. Good buddy of mine has an X-Bolt LR in .28 Nosler that he's had put 3 shots in a quarter inch @400 yds. He's a much better shot than me. He uses a huge European scope that weighs nearly as much as the gun. He missed some deer from 300 yards to out a little farther and had to track a couple he did hit with that gun. He was careful to use temp-stable powder, but he figured out his cold bore shot was enough different at those ranges to cause his issues. Being new to longer range (than average) shooting and with a new rifle, he hadn't anticipared this being such an issue. Another issue was the factory LOP was way too long for him and he was reaching for the trigger. Something that wasn't an issue on the bench shooting groups. He ordered a new Fierce in .300 Win Mag in the Spring, and spent time shooting it over the Summer and Fall. This past year, problem was solved. Everything hit the dirt DRT out to change over 400. Everything fit better, and the cold bore was much closer to warm barrel POI. A Fierce isn't a custom gun, but it uses better components put together by competent smiths. They do make mistakes because it is still a production item. He could have designed it a little different if he had the oppprtunity to order it as a full custom to make it even better. He said it shoots sub-MOA, but will not shoot 1/4"[USER=74293]@400yds[/USER]. It was still the better gun in the field for him when it counted, though. By definition, anything "custom" is made to individual taste, and is likely one of a kind in some way. For someone who's shot enough to know what helps them shoot better and have an idea of exactly how they'd like a rifle to feel and perform, a phone call with a proven professional smith is in order to achieve the ultimate performance for whatever that intended purpose is. If you achieve it off the shelf, it's blind luck. Practicing with what you have will always bring better outcomes, also. Depends on your budget and time constraints. [/QUOTE]
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