Stupid question: Can a layman build his own custom rifle?

Hidalgo

Hidalgo

Well-known member
I've read about rebarreling Savage & Remington 700 actions. And I would LOVE to try my hand at building something. I can handle tools well and have a huge assortment of tools, but nothing in the form of a lathe, milling machine, etc.

Now I'll skin my ignorance: Can someone just buy the parts and build a 700 action/barrel in their garage? Do you just change the barrel & bolt? Is a barrel change easy to do with regular hand tools? I have built several AR15s and that's easy-peasy but I'm certain that this is a whole 'nuther ballgame ...........

I just looked at GA Precision and their rifles start @ $4500 or so. Not in my budget.

Should I just buy something and take it to a local gunsmith and have it rechambered and rebarreled?

I'm looking to go with a 224 Valkyrie or 22ARC in a lightweight platform that I can carry in the field all day. I'm not seeing anything out there in a factory rifle that appeals to me currently.
 
With the nut barrels.changing barrels is easy. Changing bolt faces gets harder as it might involve changing mags or feed rails. You can buy finished stocks, unfinished, semi inleted and blanks.

I have to pretty much custom fit all my stocks, short arms, high cheek bones.

There are a bunch of Howa Minis out there with the correct bolt face and replacement bottom metal. Mine has DIP bottom metal and modified factory mags so the don't hang down.

A lightweight 22-250 or 223AI will give you the same ballistics with .much less tinkering.

I believe PTG makes 700 bolts with changeable bolt heads and if you build on a Savage they come from the factory that way.
 
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I've built 3, sold the barrel from one of those and having another barrel made up now. With pre-fit barrels and a barrel nut, it's very easy.

My son gave me a Savage model 10 in 308 he had but never used it. It had less than 20 rounds through the barrel. Threw the cheap stock away and sold the barrel. I bought a KRG Bravo stock, and a barrel from The Urban Rifleman in 6BR. Put the new barrel on the Savage action, used Go/No-Go gauges and tightened up the barrel nut.

I also made a 20 Vartarg Specialty Pistol & rifle. I sold the rifle barrel and currently having a 20 Practical barrel made up from The Urban Rifleman. Both 20 Vt's are very accurate.

Here's a 5 shot group from the Savage:
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I purchased a barrel vise as well as Go/No-Go gauges for each caliber. I already had a torque wrench, but you really don't need one.

The Urban Rifleman uses Wilson barrel blanks. He turns out a really good barrel.
 
You can build an entire Rem700 pattern rifle yourself without using a single part from Remington. Custom action like a $900 Bighorn, a $350 prefit barrel from Northland Shooter Supply (he often has what you need in stock), whatever stock and trigger you want. Just aftermarket stuff, and in your garage with just a few tools.

After I shot out my Savage model 10 243 barrel, I took the entire thing apart and rebuilt it. Criterion prefit barrel, new recoil lug, nut, and trigger. DIY Duracoat on the factory AccuStock, and Cerekote on all the metal except the barrel. Put it back together pretty easy. It shoots amazing at 500 yards. Would a GAP shoot better and be a better rifle? Yes, but $4-$5k is a lot for one rifle. Prefits can shoot very well. Now I'm planning to rebuild my Savage 223.
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WOW. That's awesome. Thank you for the info and pics. I'm still considering it. But like anything else, I am doing research to make darn sure I know what I am doing before I ever start.
 
Savages are probably the easiest or at least the use to be. Now even the Remingtons and Tikka's and a few others are in the game. And you don't need a bunch of special tools. A member on Accurate Shooter has a bunch of Savage model 10 actions for $350 and Urbanrifleman sells Wilson prefits for under $300. All that's left is a stock. An hour in the garage assembling your parts and your ready to go shoot.
 
Hidalgo said:
WOW. That's awesome. Thank you for the info and pics. I'm still considering it. But like anything else, I am doing research to make darn sure I know what I am doing before I ever start.
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Look on UTube. There are many videos on there that show you how to do a Remage or Savage. There’s a lot of tips in most videos. It is very easy and you will really be surprised how easy it actually is. Make sure to get the proper tools and it will make it easy.
 
Savage has a floating bolt head. Many claim that's what helps with accuracy. Bolt heads are interchangeable on the Savages and not expensive either. Watch a few videos and you'll see its not that hard to do.
 
Im no gun guru, but seeing how easy it is to put a rifle together off a savage action with just an action vice and a barrel nut wrench and some headspace gauges, i put two guns together from parts exactly how i want them, and then rebarreled a factory gun. And all 3 are very accurate, and exactly what i want. Its too easy not to do it. For my 223, i bought a lightweight action with a 308 bolt face, and replaced the boltface with a 223 boltface, no big deal. Its really not hard to buy a savage action, order a custom prefit barrel, swap bolt faces if necessary, and put together a sub moa rifle exactly how you want it. Jaoutdoors, gunshack, and youtube are your friends. Dive in man. It was easier than figuring out how to build ars, and less special tools to buy.
 
Both of these i put together from parts, easy peasy. 8 twist 223 wylde on the left, 10 twist 308 on the right. Both 16" barrels. Both 1/2 or less moa guns.
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This was a factory savage ultralite in 308. Swapped factory barrel out with a 9 twist, 16" 243 barrel. Swapped trigger and bolt handle, done deal. Didnt even have to swap bolt faces or mags going from 308 to 243. Buy a savage action,order acustom barrel, build a gun just like you want it. Only weak spot on savage builds is a lack of aftermarket stock options.
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You can do a barrel nut setup on a 700 action, as well as several custom actions out there that take barrel nut setups if building on the Salvage actions give you the hives.....

REMAGE Project — Building Rem 700 with Pre-Fit Barrel « Daily Bulletin

Barrel nut system allows Pre-Fit barrel installation on a Remington action. CLICK photo to zoom. REMAGE Project Report by Bill, Rifleshooter.com Editor Installing a new barrel on your Remington 700 (especially without a lathe) may seem like a daunting...
bulletin.accurateshooter.com bulletin.accurateshooter.com
 
What is a custom rifle? some will say it is high end wood, deep rust bluing, precision fitting of triggers, bolts, barrels and sighting equip to make the rifle more beautiful and accurate. To me a custom rifle is one built to fit your needs and wants, some consider that Bubba'd.

Rem 700 20P carbine length barrel (remage/Criterion)
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I was heavy into Sav before the Remage barrels came out.

Sav/Stevens nutted Xcalliber 20P med/heavy barrel
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Sav/Stevens 222 Rem ER Shaw nutted barrel(won the PM Egg Shoot with it)
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Another Sav/Stevens that I rechambered to 22-204 my second go round with nutted barrels
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This is my first and a wildcat I developed myself

Sav/Stevens action and PacNor 25-204 barrel circa 2005, first available new 204 Ruger brass.
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