Your Personal RESULTS with custom long range HUNTING rifles built buy a PROFESSIONAL?

Had Straight Jacket Armory build me a 6.5 prc barreled action. 20" proof and falkor action. I did a 10 shot ladder test. Found a good node and did seating tests yesterday. Shot 5 different groups of 3 shots at 400 yards. Got a grouping of 0.4 moa. This is with the sun setting straight in front of me and a quartering wind at 11 mph. I could get it better with fine tuning and better conditions, but it's staying the way it is til after hunting season.

I set it into a HNT26 chassis with a Vortex Razor LHT on top. Complete with an empty mag comes in at 8.4 lbs. Using Hammer 125 HHT, Lapua brass, GM215M primer, and RL23. Best group was with a 0.020 jump.
 
I don't qualify as a professional gunsmith, though I have re-barreled close to two dozens of my bolt guns and gassers with my own chambering jobs.

So to have a name recognition on one of my parts kit, I asked an old friend to do the honors. He is semi retired from gunsmithing. Though he is busy on his 5 section spread, he agreed to do my rifle while I waited and hung out in his shop.

Two days, rifle was done and tested.

 
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I have two Gunwerks rifles and both shoot flawlessly. One shoots the 180 Hybrid and has worked great for me ever since I bought it. I have had this rifle for at least 10-12 years maybe even longer. I bought it as a complete shooting system, i.e. Rifle, Scope, Rangefinder and Ammo. I have since started loading my own ammo with the components Gunwerks told me they used for their factory ammo and the loads shoot great as well. Unbelievably confident while using this rifle, it just shoots great for me. The last one I purchased I just bought the rifle, added a scope and started working up a load for it. It took a bit but once I got the right combination it shot lights out. The rifle is a half MOA shooter all day long with my hand loads.

I just purchased a new rifle that is a McWhorters Custom in 300 PRC and have not had a chance to ring it out yet. My first trek to the range did produced a sub 1/2 MOA group with factory 212 ELD-X ammo. Once I start loading for it I hope I can reproduce those results with the handloads as I won't use the ELD-X for hunting.
 

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Over the years, I've had rifles built or rebarrelled/worked by 7 different gunsmiths that I can think of. If you have your build done by a reputable (national) shop, you very likely will have a rifle that will shoot. I had one rifle done by a local shop, and it wasn't the best. I eventually had it re-worked by a national smith. I've also had poor barrels done by national shops that I previously got good work from, but a couple barrels got ruined by poor chambers, the replacement barrels they provided have shot great.

Also, from all the national smiths, I've had days and loads that would be sub 1/2 moa. The same gun/load on another day would not be. If you get a rifle or barrel from a national smith (you can see who are the common PRS/NRL gunsmiths online for instance), and you do proper load work up with quality components and quality dies, you will have a rifle that will shoot.

The best rifle I've had was a Sako TRG, but with a barrel I had chambered by a national smith with a reamer I own and the ammo was loaded on custom dies from the same reamer.
 
Unfortunately, or fortunately, I think most ruger Americans are as accurate as customs.
I bought one in 6.5 Creedmoor because the guy at the local GS sold it to me for a song. Mounted a Vortex Viper PST scope on it just so I could shoot it. I took three different boxes of factory loads to the range and all shot into one hole groups at 100 yards and all three groups combined on the target where you could cover them with a silver dollar. I paid $259.00 for it! I never did shoot it at any distance beyond 300 yards but it printed 1/2 MOA on the 300 yard 3" gong all day long. I had no real use for it, I just couldn't pass it up for $259.00, so I gifted it to my step son so he would have something to hunt whitetails with in Idaho. Looks like hell but what an engineering masterpiece if was for the price I paid.
 
I would like to hear only firsthand accuracy results from people who have had a long-range hunting rifle/scope system built buy a professional gunsmith/company. Secondly, have you had them develop a round and bought ammunition from them and was it truly consistently accurate, and the tracking was good as adjustments were made for various yardage (400 - 800)? The focus is on repeatable, accurate built rifles and ammunition, and we'll see if there is a common denominator! NOT interested in this post discussing ethics/calibers, etc. If you would recommend family to use this builder, I would appreciate you sharing the specifics on your triedd and true rifle.
Arrowhead Defiance in 300 PRC. 1/2 MOA out to 500 yd. Have taken bear and moose with it. Very pleased with the rifle. Performs better than "name" rifles costing over double what this cost.
 
I don't qualify as a professional gunsmith, though I have re-barreled close to two dozens of my bolt guns and gassers with my own chambering jobs.

So to have a name recognition on one of my parts kit, I asked an old friend to do the honors. He is semi retired from gunsmithing. Though he is busy on his 5 section spread, he agreed to do my rifle while I waited and hung out in his shop.

Two days, rifle was done and tested.

It would be awesome to know how to do that
 
I have several rifles built by Kevin Cram Montour County Rifles. He use to build for Len right here on LRH. Something happened between them don't know what ,don't care. from 6 BR up to 338 Lapua Improved. Every rifle shoots better than I can. Now, Kevin only lived about 3 hours from me so we became friends, but I don't believe he would treat anyone differently than he treated me. He helped me hone my loading skills. all this being said you're gonna wait for a quality rifle, and it will ruin you for any off the shelf firearm.
 
Another vote for GAP. I have a 308 (boring I know) but it's stupid accurate and just exudes quality when I hold it. I've shot under an inch 5 shot groups at 300yards many times. I've stretched it to 1100 and hit a 9" steel plate 4 out of 10 shots. I feel like I was the limiting factor though. The gun itself is likely capable of 10/10.
 
Another vote for GAP. I have a 308 (boring I know) but it's stupid accurate and just exudes quality when I hold it. I've shot under an inch 5 shot groups at 300yards many times. I've stretched it to 1100 and hit a 9" steel plate 4 out of 10 shots. I feel like I was the limiting factor though. The gun itself is likely capable of 10/10.
I have a Remington 700 bdl 308 factory heavy barrel that shoots factory Remington 150 corlok 1/4 moa, crazy accurate
 
This year I had Dallas build me 2 rifles for my son in law and Grandson. Both rifles shot so well that when I mentioned or posted about the results people called me a liar.
But…….We know better. I had one a few years ago that with three shots you could not tell it was three shots. Single perfect hole.
 
There are several great GS's out there based on the feedback so far.
In my experience... best components, best barrels, best gunsmiths, best optics, full load development. You'll get a lot of small groups. .2-.3" 3 shot groups. .4-.5" 5 shots groups. And lots of them. But the hunting weight systems and hunting cartridges will all end up producing some .6-.7" groups if you shoot them enough. Not one rifle will hold 1/4 MOA repeatedly. Or probably even 3/8-1/2 MOA.
I believe this really sums it up. If you miss on one of these items, things can get squirrely. There is so much more to a custom than just tiny groups. Fit and feel as well as getting exactly what you want plays a big part. I personally put value in being able to have conversation with the GS and drive to GS to take possession of the rifle or if something goes wrong deliver the rifle directly.
 
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