Is it even worth doing a donor rifle build anymore?

[flyfisher117]

Been looking at a Ruger Precision as well as a Savage 10 and Rem 700 Varmint. Right now I can get a Savage 10 from Cabela's for $450-$500 after the rebate and club points. Then I can slowly replace stock/bottom metal and build a gun that fits my wants/needs.

When I look at the prices the Ruger precision is already just about there and it will cost the same money as upgrading a Savage/Remington.
The RPR I can replace my own barrels on where as the Remington I will have to have a smith do the work.

The only thing I haven't had experience with is actually shooting a Chassis rifle. I've shot ~100 rounds through the Howa chassis rifle but not enough to know if it's my thing.

Just looking for more experienced shooters input. Is it worth it to get a Savage and replace stocks/bottom metals etc. Or in the long run would I be better off forking out the money for the RPR? I like the idea of building exactly what I want but I also like the idea of having a gun that's pretty much there and only needs a tweak here or there.

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[predatornut]

You could go with a Remage setup for the 700. I am personally not a fan of chassis', so I would go Savage or Remington, or even get a custom action and use a Remage barrel. There are a lot of options out there.

 

[flyfisher117]

You could go with a Remage setup for the 700. I am personally not a fan of chassis', so I would go Savage or Remington, or even get a custom action and use a Remage barrel. There are a lot of options out there.

There definitely are. Seems like 6 years ago you had Savage and Remington dominating the off the shelf rifles with Tika starting to catch up and now everyone is doing pretty good.

I've looked at and considered just a custom action my only issue is there's no decent gun Smith's within 200 miles of me. At least none I want working on my guns to that level.

I'm wanting to check out the bergara 14 hmr. Looks like a lot of gun for the money. But if I get a Savage or remington and replace the stock with a manners or mcmillan and add a DBM bottom metal I am well over the cost of a RPR or the bergara.

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[lte82]

In my opinion, the factory offerings from Bergara or Ruger are impossible to beat for a new shooter. They aren't much to get into, are plenty accurate, and hold their value well if you decide you don't really like to play this game. With a custom or modified factory rifle you pay a premium for the parts and work and the value of the rifle is very subjective if you decide to sell it. It's definitely worth it if you know exactly what you want, otherwise I think you're better off with something off the shelf.

 

[fdkay]

I would be hard pressed to recommend a remington these days and I own 4 of them.
If your intent is to immediately remove the barrel and true it etc..., that is a different story.
My work gun is a 20" RPR. I am not a Ruger fan, but dammit, that rifle shoots like a dream and I think they are likely the best entry level rifle out there. They shoot very well and are user upgradeable.
If you are on a very tight budget, I think I would start with the Savage deal and slowly upgrade as there are plenty of excellent stocks and chassis available (don't forget about the B&C https://www.bellandcarlson.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=1127)

Another option is a Howa barreled action dropped into this:
https://www.bellandcarlson.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=1120

The Howa is a far nicer action than either the Remington or Savage and it is a one piece bolt.

Don't forget about the Tikka, they have several models that would be worth pursuing. They have apparently moved to a metal bolt shroud instead of the crappy plastic one they used to use.

 

[flyfisher117]

Thanks guys. I picked up a remington 700 SPS tactical 6 or so years ago. Out of the box it was a pain in the ass but after a little gun Smith work and putting it in a B&C medalist stock it shoots great. I'm just getting a little tired of the .223 and want more bang.

I'm not looking to right away rebarrel. If I got a bottom end Savage I may drop it in a stock or chassis pretty soon. Kind of why the Bergara and RPR caught my eye.

Tika while I like them I don't like the stocks so $1000 for the rifle then a stock upgrade will push it out of my desired budget. Unless I put a B&C on it but I don't really want another one of those.



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[308pirate]

Just get a Ruger RPR, Howa 1500 barrelled action and a KRG 180-Xray, or Bergara HMR and be done with it

 

[NateVA]

I've looked at and considered just a custom action my only issue is there's no decent gun Smith's within 200 miles of me. At least none I want working on my guns to that level.

Why would this matter? I live in Virginia and have a build order in with LRI in South Dakota. My first custom build was from RWS in Iowa. This has been a somewhat common theme around Sniper's Hide so I'm wondering what are the downsides to just ordering it from a smith outside driving distance? Other than shipping fees, which don't really add that much to the cost.

 

[flyfisher117]

Why would this matter? I live in Virginia and have a build order in with LRI in South Dakota. My first custom build was from RWS in Iowa. This has been a somewhat common theme around Sniper's Hide so I'm wondering what are the downsides to just ordering it from a smith outside driving distance? Other than shipping fees, which don't really add that much to the cost.

For me personally it's not worth the wait and additional expenses to have someone build me an Uber custom rifle. I'm still learning and getting used to it all so I feel like it would be a waste.

Sure I could pick up a used take off barrel and have someone do a build with it but then that also seems like a waste too me.

If I already had a rifle bigger than the .223 and had enough experience beyond 600 yards I would for sure build a rifle. But at this point I need to bridge that 600-1000 yard Gap and learn. Both my shooting and reloading abilities are not up to par for the custom route.

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