Advice

[panhndl]

I know this has been asked a 100x in a 100 different ways but I’m thick headed tonight and can’t find it over search.

I’ve always wanted to build a rifle from selected components that I wanted. At first I thought I wanted an AR build but eventually decided I wanted to build a bolt gun. I’ve finally got my kids old enough I’m getting a little shooting back into my life and would like to embark on this project. I’m working on selling a few guns to fund this but thought I’d ask the experts here a quick question first to help me prioritize my build purchases.

Let’s call the build a set of 5 major components: action, barrel, chassis, trigger, and scope.

If you were to prioritize the items from most important to buy the best you can afford to the one you can go cheap on initially and buy better later, how would you rank them?

My goal is a rifle I could have for LR target shooting, general hunting, and maybe sometime down the road, doing some competitive shooting.

I’ve looked at an Bighorn Origin action, trigger tech trigger, MPA Hybrid chassis, Minox scope, and undecided on barrel.

Please don’t feel obligated to go into too much detail because I know newbie questions are annoying especially if they’ve been asked 100’s of times.

 

[XLR308]

I would personally rank the barrel at the top of my list and choose wisely who does the work.
The action is more of personal preference based on features and the the market is flooded with great options including blueprinted rem 700 actions. Do a search on here for LRI's handy work with rem 700 actions.

The optics choice again is more of personal preference and the market is flooded with great choices right now. Your bank account or credit limit on your card is the limit there but there are many great deals lately on some very solid scopes that won't clean you out. I'm partial to Bushnells Elite line, they are damn good scopes that perform well with decent glass and an excellent warranty and track record.

The trigger is an easy one if you like single stage triggers, Jewel is a great option if you keep them clean but I have allready started switching to the TT Special in black with the flat trigger shoe.

 

[264win]

The action and barrel would be the most difficult to upgrade yourself. The scope, trigger and chassis are quite easy to swap out yourself. With that thought you might prioritize the barreled action.

 

[dirthead1]

I think the most important thing is who you have build the rifle. A great Smith can install a quality barrel on virtually any action and it is going to be a shooter. There are so many custom actions available today that it’s like picking a new pair of shoes. Choose one and go. Buy a high quality barrel (Bartlein, Krieger, Rock, etc). Trigger tech is a great trigger. MPA chassis is a great option if that’s what you prefer. Mcmillan, Manners, and a dozen other chassis makers are also great. Choose a good Smith and you’ll be a happy shooter.

 

[Kadams1563]

Panhndle are you in Oklahoma panhandle by chance or Texas?

Anyways I say f it. Go all out and build you a true custom gun right off the bat.

$1300 action
$1300 stock
$1700 optic
$750 barrel and chambering
$200 trigger
$150 rings
$75 muzzle brake


Anything I’m missing? Lol. Your gonna do it anyway so might as well get it done right the first time.

And if your in OK or Texas then it’s Imoact and Foundation stocks. Pretty much the gold standard now days if your around here.

 

[acudaowner]

in a world where there are all so many things one could be confused over yours is a rifle that's not too bad . Now after figuring out which parts I wanted to make up my new rifle and finally figuring out who can put all the pieces together , and how much this is going to cost I gave myself a 2 month wait , if at the end I still want all this I am going to start putting my orders in . Its your money you are going to spend . Ask as many questions as you need to regardless of how stupid it sounds in your head . Just my opinion I would way rather sound stupid by asking a question than waist thousands of dollars and not be able to enjoy what I paid for . good luck to you on what ever you decide to get .

 

[LawnMM]

action, barrel, chassis, trigger, and scope

I like Bighorn for versatility and reliability. This is probably number two priority.

Scope, if you can get a Minox ZP5 MR4 with the current sale price it's flat out unbeatable for the money, priority one.

Chassis, trigger, barrel for the 3rd-5th priority, in that order.

Chassis, I think XLR Envy is damn hard to beat, everything you need and nothing you don't for around $750.

Trigger, Huber has never failed me, single or two stage options available.

Barrel, I vote for button rifled options till you get seriously competitive and need every edge. At that point cut rifled is worth the increase in accuracy and cost.

 

[panhndl]

I think the most important thing is who you have build the rifle. A great Smith can install a quality barrel on virtually any action and it is going to be a shooter. There are so many custom actions available today that it’s like picking a new pair of shoes. Choose one and go. Buy a high quality barrel (Bartlein, Krieger, Rock, etc). Trigger tech is a great trigger. MPA chassis is a great option if that’s what you prefer. Mcmillan, Manners, and a dozen other chassis makers are also great. Choose a good Smith and you’ll be a happy shooter.

I probably should have explained a bit more. The point of the rifle is that I build it. I have initially chosen the Bighorn action because of the number of shouldered pre-fit barrels and Savage threaded barrels that fit their actions. I'm sure that there are other actions with equal number of smiths making barrels for them, but I chose Bighorn. That's also the reason I chose a Bighorn over a trued 700 action.

I suppose that if I build a rifle that won't shoot, then I'll be forced to give it to a smith for work, but I'd like to avoid that at first, at the very least.

I think the important thing is to not get dead set on a build.

Consider a factory rifle, like a Tikka T3x CTR in 6.5 CM or any number of other good options like a Bergara.

And look at the new Optika6 scope to top it off. Yes the Minox is excellent btw.

Also, if you want to just say F it and you like MPAs chassis , get the BA6.5. I have seen 4 of them, and they all beat their 3/8” factory guarantee just fine. And they cost what the chassis and action and barrel do...

If I don't build the rifle myself, I'd would consider the Desert Tech A2. It's pretty pricey, but would offer me a variety of caliber choices. I don't like it's overall weight, but can probably manage it. Also, if I did go with the Minox scope, I could just buy a 7mm Mag or 300 WM Mauser to get the certificate. I was planning on selling the rifle to offset some of the cost of the scope, but could be persuaded that this is a better option. The Mauser is going to be minute of elk accurate, for sure.

Panhndle are you in Oklahoma panhandle by chance or Texas?

Anyways I say f it. Go all out and build you a true custom gun right off the bat.

$1300 action
$1300 stock
$1700 optic
$750 barrel and chambering
$200 trigger
$150 rings
$75 muzzle brake


Anything I’m missing? Lol. Your gonna do it anyway so might as well get it done right the first time.

And if your in OK or Texas then it’s Imoact and Foundation stocks. Pretty much the gold standard now days if your around here.

I am in Guymon, OK. I'm not familiar with Impact or really Foundation. I'll look them up.

I like Bighorn for versatility and reliability. This is probably number two priority.

Scope, if you can get a Minox ZP5 MR4 with the current sale price it's flat out unbeatable for the money, priority one.

Chassis, trigger, barrel for the 3rd-5th priority, in that order.

Chassis, I think XLR Envy is damn hard to beat, everything you need and nothing you don't for around $750.

Trigger, Huber has never failed me, single or two stage options available.

Barrel, I vote for button rifled options till you get seriously competitive and need every edge. At that point cut rifled is worth the increase in accuracy and cost.

So let me run through my choices and why I chose them. It might make more sense.

Bighorn Origin- plenty of barrel options, great price for what you get.
MPA Hybrid chassis- light enough you could carry the rifle and hunt with it, but with a weight kit, it's heavy enough for precision work.
Minox ZP5 5-25x56 MR4 scope- the Mauser/Minox deal is the primary reason I'd go this direction.
Undecided which barrel. looking at a 6.5 CM and 300 WSM in barrels. I'll be dumping a 243, 7mm-08 and 300 WSM to build this rifle and think the 6.5 and 300 WSM would get me back to hunting unless I decided that I just kept the Mauser for heavier caliber hunting rig.
Trigger Tech seems to be a favorite. I love good triggers, but don't have much exposure to variety.
Rings- completely undecided
Muzzle break- I won't need one. I have a Thunderbeast Ultra 7 that will go on the front of the rifle.

FYI- I will unlikely be able to buy everything at once. More likely, I'll sell a rifle and buy what components I can afford with the sales proceeds. Also, I plan to buy used where I can. Plenty of great options at great prices in the PX.

I'm sure I'm forgetting more stuff, but I think that covers it.

 

[kindabitey]

You may want to talk to Shane at Paradigm Gunworx for barrels, if you aren't doing the machine work yourself. I've gotten a barrel and
a barreled action from him, and both are lasers. He's located in Tulsa.

 

[panhndl]

You may want to talk to Shane at Paradigm Gunworx for barrels, if you aren't doing the machine work yourself. I've gotten a barrel and
a barreled action from him, and both are lasers. He's located in Tulsa.

Thanks. I won’t be doing the machine work myself. Tulsa is quite a ways and we don’t go there often, but I’ll keep the name handy.

 

[Lunabear]

If I had to do a budget build that covered all that and prioritize it all it would be as follows.

Your Smith is the most important. That being said you can buy prefits all day long as well. But any more it’s hard to get a bad barrel. See comment below.

Optics would be my second biggest priority. You simply can’t hit what you can’t see. But as much optic as you can afford and upgrade the rest to match it.
(I started with a $400 savage and a $2500 scope and shot my whole first year and was actually competitive aka never took lower than the top 50% in a match)

A good trigger will make or break some shots.( heavy gritty triggers are harder to smoothly and steadily pull while staying on target. Big difference between em but not top of the list.


Bighorn origin (best budget action hands down and can swap barrels yourself plus swap calibers)

As far as chassis it’s personal preference. The krg bravo offers lots of benefits for very little money. It’s basically in a bit shell a cheap version of a mini chassis manners. Light or heavy depending on if you fill it or not. Modular so you can add things here and there and any rem 700 foot print fits pretty much.

 

[kindabitey]

Thanks. I won’t be doing the machine work myself. Tulsa is quite a ways and we don’t go there often, but I’ll keep the name handy.

There's a brown truck that makes the trip every day

 

[panhndl]

There's a brown truck that makes the trip every day

True, but the brown truck goes anywhere in the country, too. If we're going to use the standard of it's available in the mail then pretty much anywhere is accessible.

I thought you were pointing it out because most people assume that if you live in Oklahoma, they assume Oklahoma City and Tulsa are pretty close. I live in Guymon which is 300+ miles from Tulsa. Regardless, I'll keep his name handy.

 

[Centuriator]

Rather than assembling parts, which is what you are doing, not "building" anything really, I'd just let GAP Precision or JP handle it for you.

 

[brianf]

some one has to say it...ill save you a few years and problems

throw all that crap in the trash and buy a AI used or new...dont waste your time

 

[panhndl]

Rather than assembling parts, which is what you are doing, not "building" anything really, I'd just let GAP Precision or JP handle it for you.

True enough. I'm not going to manufacture any of the parts. I would enjoy sourcing the parts and then assembling the rifle. I don't want to have GAP or JP handle it for me. Nothing wrong with someone else assembling the rifle, but there's nothing wrong with me assembling the rifle, either. If it doesn't shoot accurately, I'll take it to a smith to have it "fixed" for me, but I'd at least like to try doing it myself, first.

 

[Driftr76]

I went with an Origin action, and had Greg at Southern Precision Rifles spin up a bartlein barrel using his Bugnut barrel nut. Excellent machine work, and quick delivery. Installed the barrel myself, and everything worked out great. Everybody's gonna have an opinion on what is the best. I spent months researching every option. As for the trigger, I went with a Bix n Andy tacsport pro from Bullet Central.

 

[panhndl]

I went with an Origin action, and had Greg at Southern Precision Rifles spin up a bartlein barrel using his Bugnut barrel nut. Excellent machine work, and quick delivery. Everybody's gonna have an opinion on what is the best. I spent months researching every option. As for the trigger, I went with a Bix n Andy tacsport pro from Bullet Central.

Right. As far as opinions on what is the "best" set up, I know better than to ask that. I was really asking what people thought were the components you thought were most crucial vs. components you could go cheaper on until you could buy your ideal.

For example: I mentioned I wanted to get the Minox scope, primarily because of the discount available currently until the end of the year on the scopes. if you buy a $500 rifle, you get a $1700 discount on the scope. I only have until the end of the year to make that purchase, so it would be a fairly high priority item. Maybe you get that and buy a cheap chassis until you can afford a better one. Or maybe you spend less on an action and buy a better barrel. Or maybe you think the chassis is really important and that the action is less important.

I was attempting to prioritize my purchases. So, let's say I get the scope first. My next purchase might be a Bighorn action. Why? well, there's often barrels for sale in the PX that I could buy to affix to the action, and I can buy a very inexpensive stock and be in business.

It's just an exercise in arbitrating your purchase decision order, and I was curious what others thought.

 

[Mordamer]

Here is how I would rank your categories:
1. Scope
2. Barrel
3. Trigger
4. Stock
5. Action

With a good scope you can turn almost any rifle into a successful long distance hitter.

99% of the precision of a rifle comes from the barrel so I'd rank that second. There isn't much you can't hit with a good barrel and scope.

A good trigger is a huge plus, but it is possible to shoot very well with even a very bad trigger. It is just a lot harder.

The action and stock are mostly personal preference. You aren't likely to get a modern action that compromises the precision of the gun. I have seen incredible feats of shooting with just about every action out there. That being said, for the money, the Bighorn Origin is pretty tough to beat.

 

[dirthead1]

panhndl,

I understand what you are after now. I had a custom rifle built on a Bighorn TL3. I loved the Bighorn. Only sold it to fund an AI. If you are wanting to assemble it yourself, any action that accepts a prefit will work. I really like the controlled round feed and mechanical ejection of the TL3. I'm not familiar with the Origin, but it should be a great action. As far as the barrel, I would probably go with a Keystone Accuracy Krieger shouldered prefit. That's just my personal preference. I would rather have a shouldered barrel over one with a barrel nut setup, but that's just me. Drop it into whatever stock or chassis you prefer and go. I will say this though. When I had my Bighorn built, my smith made the comment that making a rifle shoot accurately was the easy part. Making it feed reliably was the challenge. You might get lucky and once yours is assembled, it could feed flawlessly. Then again, it might not. Knowing what to tweak and where, to make the rifle feed correctly, is one area where a knowledgeable smith is priceless. Either way, I wish you luck! I think whatever you choose the rifle will turn out great. There are so many quality actions and barrels available today that the choices are endless. I would definitely spend the money on the barrel and stock/chassis, to make sure a reputable smith is chambering and doing the prefit, and a stock/chassis that fits my personal needs. I really don't think stressing over which custom action to choose is going to make a difference on target. Just choose one with the features you want and call it a day.

The Minox scope is great. It's hard to beat for the money. I love Trigger Tech. The break perfectly for my taste. I wouldn't hesitate on a Timney, but if I was buying, my first choice would be TT. Their Primary trigger is good enough for 99% of shooters, and it's reasonably priced.

 

[pbatesaz]

Really, all of the components are important and I don’t know of I could prioritize them except that the barrel is number one, the scope is the other number one and the stock / chassis is the third number one ?. I would decide what my ideal rifle would consist of and look for those parts on sale. I have an MPA comp BA WTO switchlug with 6.5 and 6mm CM barrels and a Revic scope. It shoots GREAT, and their rifles are a great value, but it is 18lbs and at 71 years of age and having two fake knees, I am not going to lug it around the high country looking for deer. I have a 6.5 CM Bergara Timber that will work for that, but it’s not adjustable at all, so a compromise. It shoots 1/2 minute, but needs a different stock. If I was starting from scratch I would look for a switch barrel action, a barrel for long distance target shooting and another lighter profile, shorter barrel for hunting. I like the TT Diamond trigger quite a lot and can adjust it light for target work or heavy enough for hunting. I’m extremely happy with the Revic, but it is heavy. For hunting if I was going to plan on hiking, something lighter with exposed turrets that tracks well, probably don’t need more magnification than 10-16X. If I could only have one scope it would be the Revic unless I found a great sale on SB, ZCO, TT, Razor Gen 2, AMG or some equivalent. Any of those would be great choices and I’m sure there are others. For a stock / chassis, the Cadex Strike Nuke Evo may be worth a look and seems very reasonably priced. The MPA is great, and Gunwerks has some nice offerings, but a bit pricey. If money was not a huge consideration I would likely pick the Gunwerks Vertyx, a Curtis Vector action, or Axiom with WTO switchlug and two Bartlein barrels, TT diamond, the Revic and a Spuhr mount and another, lighter scope and another Spuhr. Then I would probably have to find a divorce attorney, or buy my wife a Porche and find a bankruptcy attorney ?. To keep it a bit more realistic, I would stick with my MPA and get another, lighter barrel from them and go shopping for a lighter scope. I would like it if the MPA chassis had a better option for lateral adjustment of the cheek riser. I tried their current offering... it lasted one adjustment before the 6-32 set screw adjustment went tits up.

 

[panhndl]

some one has to say it...ill save you a few years and problems

throw all that crap in the trash and buy a AI used or new...dont waste your time

I know. The price of entry is a little steep, though.

Also totally doesn’t allow me to assemble anything.