building my own hunting rifle

[Mram10us]

Thanks for the input, I don't have any equipment so I would have to purchase. I think it would be better finding a smith that could do the work after reading some posts. I have a lot of hobbies and although this interests me, with a 1.5-year old I don't think I have time right now.

It took me about $6k for lathe and tooling to thread and chamber rifles. Time is the big one. I never had formal school for machining, but building a rifle is week one type stuff from what my machinist friends say Spend your time with your little one. Great hobby down the road and it isn't rocket surgery

 

[416Taylor]

I do understand the desire to build you own. My journey started as a kid working in my dads shop where I learned to use a lathe, mill, weld, etc. Now many years later I have 2 large metal lathes a Bridgeport mill, surface grinder and the list goes on. More tooling to break several banks. I have worked as a ffl shop and enjoined it. To set up for one or two builds I would save your money and pay someone to do the build for you. That said, if you go down the path of building for yourself just know it not going to be cheaper. Just my thoughts.

 

[BrentM]

I've built over a dozen in the last few years. Mostly it's assembling parts but i do a lot of mods too. If you have a jig aptitude to learn and diy then by all means do it. Keep in mind that the right tools are necessary so if it's a one time build, it might not be worth it. My action reamer and bolt truing tools are about 500, for example.

 

[gmessina]

Putting together an accurate rifle is not a hit or miss project. I spent about a week at Colorado School of Trades learning the basics of doing an accuracy build. Then another week with a friend learning how 1970's benchrest shooters did it.
It is not that you can't do it, but it is a process

 

[dwinmeade]

All this well meaning advice can be summed up in what my Dad once told me... "You can't beat a man at his own game."

Put your time/effort into things you know and leave the gun building to a pro...your local gunsmith. He will save you money and heartache in the long run.

Put your time in reloading, shooting, reloading, shooting, etc until all your rifles shoot the groups you are happy with. And, if a rifle won't group like you want, sell it and try another. Quit wasting your time banging your head against a wall (rifle) that won't perform like you want.

My personal goal is 1/4" groups out of my rifles.
I currently have 4 rifles, one is shooting 1/4" groups already and the other three are in progress, with 1 of the 3 shooting 1/4" groups with a varmint bullet. (I'm currently working on a heavier, game bullet load... I'm at 1/2" groups so far.) The other two rifles are going to be spring time efforts.

I once had a. 224 Valkyrie that couldn't hardly do 1" groups...its sold.

I had a Ruger M-77. 243 that, after 500 rounds or so, only averaged 1" groups..it's sold.

My gun philosophy is just that, mine.

Develop your own philosophy and stick with it.

Best success in your gun travels.

 

[BrentM]

If you want to pursue it, go for it. There is not a lot of magic or voodoo involved but like mentioned it is a process. In the end it's very simple if assembling parts. If you get into timing and truing it's a bit more involved. If you have a high aptitude and ability to diy then it'll be easy.

 

[Mram10us]

If you want to pursue it, go for it. There is not a lot of magic or voodoo involved but like mentioned it is a process. In the end it's very simple if assembling parts. If you get into timing and truing it's a bit more involved. If you have a high aptitude and ability to diy then it'll be easy.

I have a low aptitude and subpar ability, and it still is easy

 

[Nickie.01]

Thanks for the input, I don't have any equipment so I would have to purchase. I think it would be better finding a smith that could do the work after reading some posts. I have a lot of hobbies and although this interests me, with a 1.5-year old I don't think I have time right now.

A lot of site members sell beautiful builds with load development already done. You can use the saved time and cash for shooting, hunting, and Disneyland. Post a WTB at your local club with your preferred calibre and you will have the advantage of trying before you buy.

 

[KyCarl]

I'm retired from machining and there some things you need to develop a "feel" for
Indicating a part and facing the end square isn't that hard. A stepped reamer is another story.

 

[5.56×250]

If you trust a good barrel/ chamber builder, you can do a remage or savage build all except the chamber work , with no special tools, just a diy attitude and common sense. I've only built, or assembled, two bolt action rifles. One a savage in 223 and recently a 6.5 creed on a remington action. The savage wore a shilens select match barrel and AVERAGED in the .2s over several hundred rounds. The remage is a new build I did this year and is solidly in the low .3s without much load developement at all. It's got an xcaliber barrel .
I did my own pillar and glass bedding, bought a drop in trigger , the barrel nut makes headspacing easy .
I'm not sure what you meant by build your own rifle, but if you dont want to become a machinist/gunsmith just to put a rifle together, the means to build your own rifle is very easy these days.

 

[Mram10us]

It can be done on the cheap if you watch ebay for tooling. As for practice, grab all the 1.25" rod or old barrel blanks you can. I did about 30 thread and chambers on old barrel blanks before I did my first (CA carbon barrel). Don't worry if you screw up a Rem 700 threading, cause you can always trim it down and make a tikka out of it If/when you do it, you'll become immersed. Again, you don't need expensive tooling, just the right tooling.

 

[cockednlocked]

You could start with a savage and customize it with very little in the way of tools a set of go/no go gauges and a barrel vice + a barrel nut wrench everything else is bolt on not a full custom but still capable of great accuracy and a fun project spend the big money on a great barrel and have fun shooting bug holes in paper knowing you built it

 

[BrentM]

Someone mentioned savage but you can do Weatherby and Remington. They may be other prefits now, tikka, rugger, etc.

My last build is a bighorn. Done many savages and a couple Remington prefits. I also did a Weatherby for my neighbor.

 

[Clark]

I have built about 40 rifles for myself over the last 54 years, mostly over the last 20 years.

I put $5k and 100 hours into it.
They are not really much better than a factory Kimber rifle for hunting.
But it is a hobby.