It seems, to me, custom rifle builders these days don’t even care about your business if you’re not a top tier competitor and/or build 5 rifles a year. I got tired of the puss poor customer service and hellish wait times. I tried two others and they fell flat as well. No communication and 10 month wait times. That’s what led me to the Origin and prefits. Same with you, once i mentioned the prefit barrel route due to my former rifle builder after being treated like a beggar, suddenly, he became offended at my departure and bad mouthed the prefit idea. I’m not sure where the primadonna attitude of some of these machinists is rooted but I’ve had enough. The prefit path seems much less resistant.
Same here, your right. The gunsmith nowdays are competing really hard trying to keep up with industry, and the prs, fclass , short range benchrest in the past few years has sky rocketed,. Components , are best thats ever been, too. Bullets, and more efficient cartridges, also have uped peoples interest. ELR, aswell.
Stumpies custom guns in Swansboro NC. Retired Marine scout sniper. He does really good work and does right by people. But I am more into doing as much myself. What do yall think about BAT bumblebee action?
Gunsmiths and limitless excuses? Don't you mean the couple gunsmiths you have dealt with. Customers bring me their shit and I do whatever they want plain and simple. There are lead times but that's not my fault or any other guys fault that's in this line of work. What we get tired of is customers who do things like constantly message us for two weeks saying they are bringing their garbage to us to do this or that to it but then when time comes no call, no show us and it's frustrating when your a by appointment only custom rifle builder like myself. Or when your typical hunters who break or foul up their junk last November hunting decide two weeks before hunting season the following year starts that they will finally have it fixed and want it back immediately because they weren't smart enough to do it when the issue occurred or during the summer while they were doing absolutely nothing. We put up with a lot of dumb sh*t from customers, some even try to argue with us because apparently the typical hunter who shoots his rifle once a year knows more than the rifle builder/1000yd competition benchrest shooter/f open class shooter who has 25yrs experience knows. Just ask them they will tell you. If you went to someone reputable like myself or my colleagues who have an impeccable reputation for every Custom rifle they turn out of their shop you would not have an issue
I have a 25-06AI that I put together on a howa action. Bought a preferred barrel blanks barrel and a brownells chassis. All parts cost me less than 1k and the gun shoots smaller groups than my friends Remington 5r in 6.5cm. He has $700 in gun smith fee's on top of a $850 gun with a $250 trigger. I'm not ever gonna say that a "home built" bolt gun is better than one put together by a competent gunsmith... but it can dang sure be AS GOOD and usually for much cheaper and quicker.
I’m just like you , got a defiance Ruckus action and proof 6.5 carbon shouldered prefit and it literally the best rifle I’ve ever shot.. have 2 ga precision rifles the cost 3 times the money, that don’t shoot this good.. will never buy a custom again..
I bought an impact 737r about a year ago now and bought a proof prefit in 6.5 CM Edit: (because I still had a lot of reloading components and brass for it), torqued her down and I rarely shoot paper targets, but when I do, I am seeing a running average at around .35 ish moa with 140 ELD-M. Never even talked to a smith, and never will talk to a smith regarding the rifle. When the barrel gets shot out down the line, I plan to go with a 6 GT, or if something better comes out by then. I agree whole heatedly with what your statements despite how controversial the may be in some places.
I see this done more often. Another popular shooting you tube channel built one, quite reasonably and it shot in the quarter to half inch range all day with little load development. It seems like that particular rifle can shoot a wide range of bullets and loads well. I think they had about $2000 into it. It could have been cheaper as they opted for a Cadillac trigger.
great video. I am doing the same. building a tokka t3x now. hope to get factory barrel off soon. have a proof research cabon barrel to replace. plan to order a chassis from mdt soon
Man, I love your videos. Clear, crisp and concise. I’m wanting to get into PRS type shooting and your gear reviews are awesome. I’m wanting to do a 6GT prefit build and this is a confidence builder. I need to find a mentor here in the Reno NV area
Great video. Glad to see you not worried about comments. Most people are fake and you are offering advice, it’s like water. If you want to drink it drink, advise is the same I appreciate everything you do
Thanks! Appreciate the feedback and affirmation. As time rolls by shouldered prefit barrels are now being offered by more and more smiths. The industry is shifting.
I went this route with my hunting rifle big horn sr3 action, Micmillan carbon game warden stock, proof carbon wrap pre fit savage small shank in a 7 rem mag, I used proofs switch rifle barrel nut and shield, used a patriot arms self timing break. Built this gun three years ago and it’s been nothing but impressive, 3/8 groups with 168 cutting edge mht 5 kills with it from 80-900 yards I love being ale to build a gun at my house with all the parts and no gunsmith. I love having the ability to change calibers if needed turning my one custom gun into a base to hunt and shoot whatever I want without using a gunsmith and waiting to get it back. Not everyone can afford to buy a full custom and put high end glass on it this is a great way to have a do all gun.
If using a Savage style removable barrel sistem, once you have it headspaced and locknut torked to specs. How about drilling and tapping a set screw through the locknut and barrel, so you can remove the barrel and locknut in one pice and consistently replace it just by torking down the the nut to specs?. You could have preset barrels in dif calls from 257 Wby to 458 Win with the same rifle
@@WillyK51 great idea but when I do buy another barrel it’ll be a shouldered style no barrel nut. There’s plenty of options for pre-fit chambered barrels that I don’t need to run the barrel nut. When I built this gun the options where limited. Also I’ve shot a lot of animals with it the way it is and honestly with having so much confidence in the gun I may not ever change it and just build another one in a different configuration and caliber.
You are right. I personally would build/get a Rifle in 7MM Rem Mag for just about anything, but the option of 22/257 or the 338 Win Mag for Alaska on the same rifle by just buying a Barrel and nut without taking the gun to the shop. Old and broke but very skilled to build one for grandson. Could use my old 1917 US Enfield, but a much lighter rifle planed👍 @@KC-7mm
The tolerances on these parts are so good nowadays that they all have the same exact measurements. The actions are the same exact size, and the gunsmiths know what their measurements are, so no need to send them in. Just cut a barrel according to those measurements its timed, chambered, headspaced, just right. You can switch calibers by simply switching out the barrels. You get modularity with custom level precision. Gotta love modern technology. Make sure you get a good custom action not some off the shelf remington 700.. that aint gonna work.
Your GT is dang near identical to mine. Same stock, action and scope. I’ve gotten some flak for going the “at home custom route” but I love it. I love tinkering and being able to pull barrels and learn. Not to mention after you get several of the same actions you can start switching around parts and pre fits and repurposing different actions for different things which essentially gives you several guns in one. You’ve got some sweet setups!
There is still a gunsmith cutting that barrel one way or another. You’re just creating a system where the barrels are produced in a more efficient way and can then fill a pipeline so customers have better access to them without wait times I’m not anti- prefit, I’m just saying it gets cut and chambered either way. Fwiw I would recommend always using headspace gauges to insure everything is fine. You will still eventually have a piece slip through that’s out of spec, it has happened to me on a guaranteed action before.
It may sound insane, but I’m doing exactly this to build a custom scout/general purpose rifle. But if I wanted to, I could also use it for PRS. I’m brand new to all of it. So it’s just a fun learning project. Like building a polymer 80.
I have to agree it is fun learning about these builds and gratifying when they are complete and shoot one hole groups. Thanks for the watch and hope you choose to subscribe.
You did have a gunsmith/machinist, it’s the guy that chambered your prefits and that guy is a lot of the reason those rifles shoot as good as they do 😉.
You are correct. But if you ask (today) most gunsmiths they will say a prefit is garbage…won’t shoot worth a crap. Gunsmiths more now that live in the custom action world of prs now get it but still don’t like it unless it is their prefit. Lol
It’s no less custom just because the machining was done by another smith. A traditional smith is ordering a barrel blank, ordering a stock blank, and ordering a custom action.
Another option I'm looking into I just found out about is MPA. If you buy a rifle or a chassis/action, they take all the measurements and it is saved with the serial number of the gun. When you get another barrel you have all the measurements to give the machinist. Just find a competent machinist to cut barrel to given dimensions. This way all you have to do is send your machinist a barrel blank with the measurements of your setup that is on file under it's serial# and have him cut it to the dimensions given. Should be much quicker than having an entire rifle built from scratch, and cheaper too. Barrel blanks are ~600.
Many custom actions like lone peak, impact, bighorn barrel providers don’t need your actions measurements rather the tennon dims and specs from the action manufacturer.
I love the feeling of building a new bolt gun especially when it shoots cloverleafs and it is something that I didn’t buy off the shelf. Congratulations on the build!
Terminus zues...proof barrel....shoots factory ammo crazy small.....and I used the money saved to go into my chassis and scope...... Custom is for the convenience and provenance......but for guys that like to tinker....gunsmith is not needed really.... But both the centerfire and rimfire I built...both run proofs.....both shoot factory ammo very small....
The 3rd rifle with the Zermatt TL3 action , Foundation Genesis 2 stock and X-Caliber barrel is exactly the rifle I plan to build . I have already purchased the TL3 action , just need to decide what caliber and twist rate . Thinking 6mm creedmore or 6gt and a few others.
I picked up a bergara hmr in 300prc and 4 boxes of eld-m about 4 months ago. I am very pleased with it... Now I'm starting load development re-using the hornady brass.. I have been on waiting list for lapua and adg brass since I bought the gun.. Cant find it in stock nowhere..
I had some decent results with the Hornady brass. Call precision reloading and get on their back order list. No deposit required. I think I heard adg may have a run the end of the year for 300.
Don’t know that I can give a good comparison as I am waiting for my lone peak fuzion. I have just handled some friends kelblys, defiances, impacts and lone peaks. As far a the bolt lifts it is very smooth. I don’t typically run hot loads anymore in my magnums so that is not an issue. When I did I could get them to extract. I think the big difference (which is not a big deal) is the cycling of the bolt. On the initial push forward, if you put upward pressure on the bolt handle, you can feel it want to grab the top of the action. If you run more straight in and out it is smooth. The defiance and Kelblys actions I have messed with seemed abit more like ball bearing smooth. I have only ran the lone peak dry but I am guessing with a slight lube it will also run like butter. The reason I like the bighorn so much is the service ability of the bolt and the swappable bolt head design.
@@Designhunter9125 I was considering the big horn for the same reasons. I'm looking to build 2 rifles soon and I'm having a hard time narrowing down what I'm looking for. I'm probably trying to have my cake and eaten it too
Not sure why anyone would get offended, definetly convenient and quick and should shoot great. Of course you dont get a say when it comes to your chamber, the barrels not clocked, and personally It's tough to spend that much money just to cross your fingers and spin on a pre-fit. This works for most guys but there will always be great smiths to spin up barrels the right way and that makes me happy.
Don’t know much about the Weatherby platform. On a large magnum like a rum you might consider a 6screw ring for the extra ring to scope contact surface area. Everyone has their opinion on scope mounting but I have only lapped 1 set of rings in my life due to some manufacturers imperfections. I was having the scope move under recoil on a large magnum. I have started using a very light dusting of rosin powder between the scope and rings. Very light! Never use lock tight on ring screws. I have had success with nightforce, vortex pro, Talley, mdt, spuhr.. there are a lot of great rings out there. Don’t go too cheep. In my experience this is one of the easiest areas for your rifle system to fail in the field. Next would be the trigger.
American rifle Co. m-lock rings .. these are the best rings for a thumper 300rum , these are so precise that they don't need lapped... I've owned a 300 rum also
Love this idea. I just retired and want to do the same thing. I’m just learning about this. So I can do this at my home? I need to decide on an action . It looks like a proof carbon barrel?. So after a bit of time what action would you still recommend?. And just so I’m clear, prof research makes. Pre-fit barrel? I assume I need a go-no go gage? Thanks for the video. This is right up my alley
Yes you can do this at home. My favorite actions are lone peak fuzion (more premium) for a budget you could go big horn origin (ton of features for the price). If you are going prefits I would recommend a shouldered prefit instead of a barrel nut. Either way spend the money on go/no go gauges. Safety is a good policy. Proof has prefits for both actions. Good luck on your journey!!!
Lol. I really went down the rabbit hole during Covid lockdown into building rifles just like the ones here. The precision of manufacturing the components for rifles has eliminated the gunsmith if one has any mechanical skills and knowledge of basic tools. I now own many homemade precision rifles and nothing shoots greater than half MOA with 20 rounds in the hole. Remember friends don’t let friends buy factory rifles! Haha
That bolt on the big horn action is the helical diamond. It has a recess at the end. If you are going to use it hunting it’s fine. If you are shooting prs the would recommend the tactical knob. Repeatedly running the bolt for 100 rounds on the helical diamond will make your fingers sore.
Big horn/zermatt sr3 LA, ag composites stock, Wyatt’s internal box, don’t remember the bottom metal at this point but most will do, trigger tech special or diamond, proof shouldered prefit, scope and rings to your preference
Yes! 2.5 power is phenomenal for close range hunting situations. 20 power is higher than I run in prs matches for 1300 yard stages. It is a great all around magnification range but best of all for hunting!
It is a short action. Zermatt/bighorn origin actions have a bit more taken out of the mag cut in the action that allows for a full length prc to be fed
@@Designhunter9125 Awesome, love the build. great caliber and solid components. Is the 10lbs with the scope as well? If so that is crazy awesome. Are you running the Hawkins dbm box? Thanks for the ideas.
Their helical diamond knob comes with a recess in the end. The case is from my grandfather’s 21 gun salute. I cut about 3/16 of the head off and epoxied it in. Have also had a smith do one custom. You may also check out the polished knob.
@@Designhunter9125 Wow! Thats a nice touch and a fitting tribute to your grandfather. Both of mine were WWII Navy, I wish I had picked up the spent blanks. Thanks for the reply. I just found your channel and the info is great. I have very similar set ups that I assembled myself.
For the last couple of years I have been using an annealeze. It seems to work well. I am at the point in shooting a am contemplating squeezing out the last bit of equipment based accuracies. (Diminishing returns) I am considering an amp annealer. I do recommend annealing if you are a committed Reloader.
On the foundation stocks you really don’t need to bed as the are cut specifically to an action and a bottom metal. If you want to glass bed you can but I have not had to due to the mycarta like material. Similar premise to not needing to bed a chassis. Even on my agcomposite stock it is questionable if you really need to glass bed. There are some shops that provide bedding only services. Last bedding I used was a product from brownels
It is an ag composites adjustable hunter. The recoil is not bad with a good brake. Never shot with out a brake. I have also become very comfortable with recoil.
Not sure what exactly you mean as a shooters rest but don’t use one. I either shoot with bipod and rear bag or a game changer heavy bag over an object.
They are not wood. They are micarta and they are made by Foundation Stocks. They have a very dead feeling recoil impulse. Different than a metal chassis.
@@Designhunter9125 I'm thinking about doing a 6.5 prc for whitetail hunting and shooting out to 500 yards. I couldn't tell if your prefit on your foundation stock is 24 or 26 inches
Some say it is because your tightening against the thread instead of the shoulder and yes I still use gauges I'm just using a nut instead of a shoulder
It really depend on parts you choose. Lesser cost action like bighorn origin or an upper end stainless nitride, lesser cost chassis or high end Bells and whistles. This is the case for every part. Xcalibur barrels are less than a proof or prefit Bartlein.
You must be referring to Quarter Minute Magnum. They build custom guns. Badmouth everybody...quote you one price an charge you MORE!... QUARTER MINUTE MAGNUM SAYS THEY BUILD QUARTER MINUTE MOA GUN BUT DELIVER OVER HALF MINUTE GUNS FOR OVER SEVEN THOUSAND $$$...LIARS
Prefits have no shooting guarantee. Find a good gunsmith that stands behind their work and leave the unknowns of a prefit behind. Seen it locally where people have put Together a prefit “custom rifle” and it doesn’t shoot. Who do you go back to when that happens. Screw that, you get what you pay for. I’ll continue to pay my gunsmith who provides me with rifles he guaranteed shoot. I don’t even receive the rifle until is proven to shoot well.
I have had friend have smiths screw up barrels too. You are right there are no guarantees. Was just watching a video this morning and they were talking about a smith chambered barrel they just couldn’t get to shoot. It happens on both sides. I have had a proof that was cut with a worn reamer and proof was apply to clean it up for me.
@@Designhunter9125 nah, if the smith screws up that’s where he stands behind his work if he is a good gunsmith with a reputation. I know mine will 100% stand behind his work and that is why I will always go the custom route over a prefit. No one is perfect but if they have a reputation they will stand behind their work to maintain that.
