First build ideas and thoughts?

If the OP wants to put together a simple inexpensive hunting rifle that anybody can build their self here is a list for a budget build.
Remington 700
New lug
Timney trigger
Remage prefit barrel
HS Precision stock.
No machining required and no glass bedding either. Only work might be sanding a little out of the barrel channel of the stock to make it free float. If you don't want to put the barrel on yourself any gunsmith would probably do it for 25 bucks or less. I mean it literally takes less than 5 minutes to put the barrel on. So like I said the 700 is like the 350 Chevy engine. Tons of proven build list to reach the potential you want. This budget build will shoot 1/2 minute or better.
Shep

If the OP is truly only focused on seeing the results on paper, then the reworked Remington is probably going to be hard to beat, especially for the least amount of money spent.

But once you start down the road of building rifles which are more customized to your tastes, you start to realize that you are on a very slippery slope!
 
I've done two builds with pre-64 actions that I had on hand. If I was going do it again (duh) I am going to do a switch lug. Pick a nut or band or what not then when the next sweet gotta have chambering comes along I can "save" money with a barrel swap. LOL

Who builds a custom and thinks resale will be anything but pennies on the dollar? Just watch the wave of creeds hit the classifieds in a few years... There has been a .300 WM run lately. .280 AI's don't last long but all the rest come and go too...

I spent a third less and bought a factory custom rem clone .300WM and getting parts was so easy. Just have to retrain with the toggle style safety. You love Remington go for it.

Joe
 
I am looking for accuracy and not necessarily bells and whistles.

Will one shoot substantially better than the other?
No.

Of course, once the cartridge is seated in the chamber it's going to forget how it got there and shoot the same either way unless the lugs slip, which they won't in either action.

I was in the same 'practical' boat as you until I was at a LR shooting class and had a chance to try a Bighorn and a Defiance and compare one to one with a Rem 700. Wow - easy choice for me - I'll spend more $$$ for the custom, even though it doesn't shoot better. I also wasn't looking for bells and whistles until I tried them.

Now I'm looking to sell my custom built on a Rem 700 so I can get a more premium action. I don't want to unscrew the perfectly custom fitted barrel to upgrade the action, so I will sell the entire rifle.

It's too bad you don't have a way to try them side-by-side so you wouldn't have to rely on reading and asking others. Seems you only really know what you want after you've spent your money and time building your choices. That's why (I think) there are so many recently built rifles for sale on these forums, settling for much less than they spent building them.
 
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No.

Of course, once the cartridge is seated in the chamber it's going to forget how it got there and shoot the same either way unless the lugs slip, which they won't in either action.

I was in the same 'practical' boat as you until I was at a LR shooting class and had a chance to try a Bighorn and a Defiance and compare one to one with a Rem 700. Wow - easy choice for me - I'll spend more $$$ for the custom, even though it doesn't shoot better. I also wasn't looking for bells and whistles until I tried them.

Now I'm looking to sell my custom built on a Rem 700 so I can get a more premium action. I don't want to unscrew the perfectly custom fitted barrel to upgrade the action, so I will sell the entire rifle.

It's too bad you don't have a way to try them side-by-side so you wouldn't have to rely on reading and asking others. Seems you only really know what you want after you've spent your money and time building your choices. That's why (I think) there are so many recently built rifles for sale on these forums, settling for much less than they spent building them.

Zog's post is definitely the voice of experience. One thing that many posters on this thread are saying is that there are other things than accuracy that matter and that are worth paying for. Not to dismiss accuracy, just that it might not be the only attribute that a shooter should think about!

It is hard to get that idea across to someone who is new to the world of customized rifles and actions! No one wants to spend more than they have to, but as it often turns out, there is more to the picture than a shooter might think at first.

As for the OP, I am not sure what the ultimate purpose of his upcoming custom rifle will be. Knowing that might help forum members to give better advice.

But I think this forum is doing its best to try to help a new guy understand how his thinking is likely to change as he moves further down the road of better rifles and cu$tom builds!

Good Luck on your journey OP!
 
I fail to see how a custom action helps me hunt. There is really nothing a custom action does different for a hunting rifle that a 700 or model 70 or Savage or how's or a Tikka list goes on and on. A side bolt release. Wow that really helps because I take my bolt out so many times when hunting. Custom bolt knob. Wow just put one on your factory action. Maybe an intrical base. What else is there? They all do the same thing. Now when it comes to target shooting the custom actions are a step above. Longer barrel tennons, and trigger hangers, and the solid bottom and smaller ports increase rigidity. The tighter bolt clearence helps too as does the longer bolt handle. Other than this a factory action for a hunting rifle is just fine. I own alot of custom actions and have built a ton of rifles on custom actions and yet I still hunt with a run of the mill 700 and don't feel that a custom action would do anything better than what I'm using. There are guys who will only use custom actions and guys who only use 3500 scopes and nothing else will do. I will put a 700 up against any custom hunting action on the bench any day. The action used is not contributing as much to the accuracy as the barrel, bedding and loads do. If you can afford a custom action then use one of you like the looks more or want that all important side bolt release. Otherwise any of the major factory actions will do the same for alot less.
Shep
 
For dangerous game hunting, controlled round feed is a good feature to have and so is a smooth running bolt.

The primary extraction of my Archimedes is better at removing stuck cases also, that might come in handy if you are being charged or need to make a quick follow up shot.

You can hunt without any of those features but when you need them, you need them and a modified 700 can only have one of the three.
 
I am sure that when it comes to target shooting, and shooting the smallest possible groups, the best custom actions, barrels (especially barrels), etc. can and do make a difference. After all, that is a game where very small improvements in group size, or scoring, make all the difference. Just the same I have seen some reworked Remington actions that shot incredibly well, although these usually had very nice custom barrels chambered for cartridges that were well known for their superior results downrange. I own none of these, but I have seen them at work.

When it comes to hunting, other things matter much more to me. Here I want no custom action, and in general I do not want a rifle that has tolerances that are too tight. Those might be great on the target range, but not for where I hunt, and not for how I hunt.

Here I value rugged reliability over almost everything else. A rifle that works every time, no matter the conditions, no matter how bad the weather, no matter how many times I have fallen down with it or on it. I want a rifle that holds its zero and does not object to snow, ice, and mud and blood. I want a safety that I can trust to do nothing other than what I expect, no matter what. I want a strong extraction and ejection system. I want a rifle that feeds reliably, slick all the time, no matter how fast or slow I run that bolt, and the bolt handle had better stay on too!

I want a trigger that doesn't do stupid things like refusing to fire, or firing when a safety is let off. It does not need to be a lightweight trigger, a 3 lb trigger would be lovely. Just a good reliable trigger, not too light, one that can stand up to some bad weather. I need to feel it when my fingers are so cold that they will hardly bend.

I want a stock that fits me really well. And a low powered scope that is exactly where I expect it to be when I throw the rifle up in a hurry. And that scope needs to be ruggedly reliable too, although I understand that scopes fail more often than most people would think.

On top of all that, I want bullets that work really well, at bad breath range on out to more traditional ranges. They must not fail, because there may be a lot at stake. A whole lot. They don't have to shoot small groups, they just have to work.

With all of that said, it should be obvious that the issues I consider important in a hunting rifle do not revolve around Remington versus custom action. Nor is a lovely tight little wad of holes in the target the ultimate deciding factor.

Experience has taught me what I value in a hunting rifle. Part of that is also dictated by where I hunt, and how I go about it.

Other people have very different circumstances, and may reach very different conclusions about what they think they might want. Good for them!

At this point in my life, I know what I want. But other people are still learning, still experimenting, still discovering what this whole shooting and hunting thing is all about. Try what you want, build what you want, and figure out what you like and what works for you.

It can take a lot of years to get it all sorted out, but that is where the fun is at!!

:)
 
Mostly use a classic stainless action M70, but also have a pre-64 M70 and a Mauser 98. When the chips are down, I like a M70 in my hands. Nonetheless I have hunted a lot over the years with a Remington M700, an old tang safety Ruger M77, and more recently a Tikka. I like them all for different purposes!

All of them, except for the Ruger M77, have seen considerable modifications.
 
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