My First Build: In details

[dbowhunter]

Gentlemen,

I decided to chronicle my first precision rifle build on a blog that I started just a couple weeks ago.

If anyone is interested, please check out 'Part 1' at the link below. I have my first three installments out with more to come as the build progresses.

Building My First Custom Bolt Action Precision Rifle (Part 1) | Liberty: There is No Greater Cause


Take Care,

Dave

 

[dbowhunter]

Parts 2 and 3 of this series are up as well at nogreatercause.org

Check them out at the links below.


Building My First Bolt Action Custom Rifle (Part 2) | Liberty: There Is No Greater Cause

Custom Precision Rifle Buile (Part 3) | Liberty: There Is No Greater Cause

Thank Gentlemen, Let me know if you enjoyed the read, and subscribe to the blog to get the rest of the series.

Dave

 

[motoxno53]

Great blog man....

 

[dbowhunter]

For those that are interested I have just posted 'Part 4' of this series.

It starts like this:

Thank you to everyone who has been following this series, your loyalty makes me smile

In this week's post, I'll cover a few of the 'small' (not necessarily cheap!) pieces of the puzzle that wrap up the component selection for the rifle itself: trigger, muzzle break, bipod, and some accessories. Then I'll share a few photos of the build 'mocked' together so you can get a feel for the final product.

But first, a few links to the prior pieces for those that are joining us late.

Part 1: Rifle Purpose, Platform choice: Stiller Action

Part 2: Barrel Caliber and Reamer Selection: Brux Barrels, 6.5 Creedmoor, Reamer Specs

Part 3: Stock/Chassis Selection: Manners T4-A Stock with Mini-Chassis and Paint

Alrighty folks, I'm sure your getting antsy, as I am, so onward we go!

TRIGGER SELECTION

Along with your rifle stock/chassis and optics, your trigger selection and setup will be your direct line of interaction with the rifle. The trigger is the happy switch, the piece of the puzzle that makes the magic happen, and an integral part of your platform. There is no other piece of equipment that can so quickly ruin your accuracy potential than your trigger, so care must be taken in selecting it and tuning it for the role you need it to fit.

Continue Reading

 

[lsm62]

Looks great. Good job

 

[dbowhunter]

Looks great. Good job

Thank You Sir.

I just got the call that the rifle is complete and getting boxed up at the gunsmith.

I guess I need to get together my next post detailing the builder and build option as well as optics. Because this thing will be here next week and It'll be old news by then. I won't want to write, I'll want to shoot!!!

-D

 

[clemens]

Great blog and sweeet rifle. Can't wait to see finished project.

 

[dbowhunter]

Thank You Sir.

And as promised, Part 5 is out this morning outlined my selection on a gunsmith.

It begins like this:

Custom Bolt Action Precision Rifle Build (Part 5) | Gunsmith Selection: Longrifles, Inc.

I received my phone call yesterday that this rifle's barreled action is complete at the gunsmith and headed back my way! I decided I needed to get this post together on my riflesmith selection before it arrives, or else I'll be too 'giggity' to write this post well, wanting to move on to other things like shooting instead of writing!

If you haven't been following the series, the first post in the series is here, and you can follow along from there. I have been chronicling just about every equipment decision in this build in details and you've started off near the end of the series if this your first glimpse of it, so go back and check them all out when you are done here. Every post in the series is linked at the end of this post.

GUNSMITH SELECTION

All these pieces that I've gathered do a man absolutely no good if they aren't properly assembled by a rifle artist, more commonly known as a gunsmith. You have taken up countless hours of your time making sure you wring out the exact performance standards you are looking for with each component selection of your build, but it is all for naught if you gunsmith isn't up to snuff. This is not the place to just haul your gear down to the nearest guy with a lather and bickering over price, though deals can be had.

There is really only one way to select a gunsmith, and that is on his reputation amongst discerning customers and shooters that have been around the sport long enough to have seen builders rise and fall and know what to look for. That isn't to say you need to pick the oldest, longest running rifle builder around, there are new people doing great things in all industries every day. But if you can garner the opinion of folks that shoot, see the results on paper of multiple builds from multiple gunsmiths, you'll start to get an idea of the lay of the land.

Continue Reading Here...

Thanks For Stopping By.

 

[Edd]

This was perhaps the hardest decision for me, as I am not in the 'circle' of custom rifle builders, nor anyone else that happens to be in that circle as well. This might be starting to sound boring, but The Hide was once again my resource here. There are so many great builders out there that I don't want anyone to think that the one I chose is any better than the others, as I said, I'm the amateur here. Therefore, I'm not going to share what other gunsmiths I considered, and instead just let you know that I chose Chad Davis' LongRifles, Inc. to be my craftsman of choice

Is Chad Davis one of Chad Dixon's relatives?

 

[dbowhunter]

Ha fudge! I work with a Chad David!!! It's amazing how your mind can just do what it wants.

 

[dbowhunter]

Fixed.

 

[dbowhunter]

Part 6 an Optics Selection is up and live. CHECK IT OUT!!!

It begins like this:

Custom Bolt Action Precision Rifle Build (Part 6) | Optics: Bushnell Elite Tactical ERS 3.5-21x50mm, Seekins Precision, Accuracy 1st

Well this is the last piece of the puzzle of a rifle I've been assembling since the start of this series. In this installment we will go over my selections regarding Optics; that includes the scope, rings, caps, and a bubble level. I left out the base, as I used the 20 MOA base included with the Stiler Tac-30 A/W action I used as the basis of the build

We'll dive into these details in just second, but if you haven't been following the series you can find the first installment here, and the links to every part are at the end of this post, so be sure to check them all out.

OPTICS SELECTION

Optics play an extremely important role in your system, and they need to perform in all situations as well as any piece of your system. The performance standards I was looking for in this rifle, were selected to fill it's intended role. The same applies to optics. To start my process, I sat down and decided what I wanted out of this scope in each technical and performance metric, and the following short list is what I came up with:

• Quality glass that would allow high-resolution out to 1000 yards
• Mil Reticle with Mil Turrets
• First Focal Plane Reticle
• A lifetime warranty yet a reputation of not needing to use it
• Reticle with ranging abilities to the 1/10th mil, and fast target acquisition
• Ability to dope wind/elevation in the reticle preferred but not required
• Magnification on the high-end of 16x and on the low-end 4x or lower
• Zero-Stop preferred not required
• 'High Speed' 10 mil knobs preferred not required
• Weight is not an issue
• Illumination not needed

Continue Reading Here...

Thanks For Stopping By.

And I appreciate all the feedback I can get.

 

[dbowhunter]

The rifle build is finally complete, and I was greeted to a gun case on my doorstep Saturday with a return address of LongRifles, Inc.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTO GALLERY HERE.

To say that the care in packaging taken by the folks at LRI was superb and left nothing to chance, would still be an understatement. Every piece, down to each piece of the scope rings, was in a ziplock plastic bag, inside a sealed paper bag, and wrapped in at least twice as much bubble wrap as would get the job down. The case itself was sealed with duct tape and had a zip tie through each of the 6 hasps for locks. Needless to say, everything arrived to perfect condition. The 2-day shipping was a bonus too!

And thanks to everyone who has come across from The Hide and elsewhere to follow along, you guys have helped me with this build immensely. Thank You to Chad and company at LongRifles, Inc., Brendan at Custom Gun Coatings, Tom at Manner's Stocks, Scott at Liberty Optics, Greg at Southern Precision, Eric at EuroOptic, and everyone else that built or sold me a piece of this build, and to the anonymous forum members whose opinions and reviews helped shape this build.

Thanks for following along as well!

 

[dbowhunter]

ttt. one and only time.