I realize this is the african forum, but the posters here know what they are talking about and it gets the most traffic, so please bear with me. I am interested in having a custom rifle built for NA game but really don't know what I want. I want something pretty different from my current line-up (I think) but I want it to be practical. It must look great (good walnut/blued), shoot even better and function flawlessley. I need some help in deciding what caliber and who to have make it, basic componenets (action, barrel etc.) and what options it should have. My current rifles are a 7MM Rem. Mag in a SS Mod 700, a weatherby super varmit master in .22-250, and ruger deerfield carbine in .44 mag.
Most likely this rifle will be used mostly for deer, etc.

Budget is about $2000.00

Also what would you have built for african plains game.
Thanks

I would suggest that you consider getting either a .270 or .300 built for you for the use of NA hunting or for any future African hunts for plains game. The .300 would be the best choice for regular plains game hunting and would also handle most all of the NA hunting for you.

As far as who to contact to build a great rifle for you there are many, but one guy that I know does a great job and has built many rifles for some of my clients is Bill Wiseman who makes great custom rifles. You can contact him in Texas at 979-690-3456 and talk to him about your details and costs.

I am in the middle of my first true custom rifle. I have found out that $2000 wont get you a true custom rig unless you go used. A stock alone from one of the top makers is more than your budget. Do some serious considering about what you want and narrow it down from there. Personally I would take a hard look at something in 308 Win. It would be a good midpoint from what you currently have.

Have you checked out the catalogs of the big manufacturers? You may find something there that will fill your needs without having to get a custom rifle built.

If I didn't already have too many rifles , and wanted to move up from the 7mm Remington Magnum, I'd spec out this rifle:

• Chambering - .300 Win. Mag. or .338 Win. Mag.
  
• Action - reworked Mauser or Model 70
  
• Stock - Serengeti Stockworks Leopard (or Cheetah if you're building a light sporter)
  
• Barrel - Shilen, PacNor, Lothar Walther
  
• Bottom metal - William Firearms Co. one-piece
  

I don't know if you can build it for $2k, though.

The above would be good for African plains game, as well.

George

I would recommend a 338-06 for caliber, built on a M70 classic or pre-64 action.

bmpregler,

You already have a good long range caliber as the 7mmRM.

In my opinion your new rifle should be a good bush gun, with a practical range of no more than 250 yards.

The 35 Whelen is a good American caliber, very close in performance to the British 318 Westley Richards.

If you are considering also the possibility of an African Safari then the most sensible choice is the European 9.3x62.

It will be the ideal caliber from impala to eland and it is a good caliber for all big five.

I do not know what you can buy with $2.000 in the States but in South Africa within your budget you can certainly obtain a very nice, no frills, custom made hunting gun.

In your place I will start by acquiring a good P17 action and a decent quality barrel of the appropriate profile.

Your gunsmith will have to cut and polish the chamber, cut the barrel to the proper lenght, thread the barrel and then do the muzzle crowning and barrel lapping.

On the action, beside the cosmetics, he will square the bolt face and true the locking lugs. Than he will fit the barrel and set the headspace.

Next he will install the sigths of your choice, an additional recoil lug and a Timney type trigger.

For best fitting you will probably need a custom made wooden stock and for practical reasons I recommend the glass bedding of the action and 2 cross bolts to avoid cracking.

At this point the stock must be fitted and completed with a top quality recoil pad.

A non reflecting blueing, a good hand made fine chekquering and a London finish it is all what is needed to complete a good looking working gun.

If you decide to have it built in South Africa I suggest to buy in the States the action and the barrel. It will semplify a lot the burocracy.

Obviously you will need to come to South Africa when the gun is near completion, in order to have the stock properly fitted.

We have plenty of reasonably priced game around here to properly field test your custom rifle.

Regards

Your 7mag pretty much covers your hunting needs but I think everyone owes themselves 1 custom rifle. I would also vote for the .338-06 or a .35Whelen. If you can find a decent used rifle for the action, I like M70s, shop around for a nice but not ornate piece of walnut, 23" PacNor bbl. & a good smith to put it together, you might be able to squeek in @ $2K, but then you need a Leup. 2.5x8 & rings.
I built one from the ground up on a M70 in .280. It's a handsome rifle & it shoots as good as it looks. It came in right @ $2K w/ some nice touches like inletted swivels, color cased skeleton grip cap & ribbon checkering. I'll have to post a pic some day.

There are many routes in customs, and depending on what you can do yourself, what you find to start with, the 2k might be reachable. Don't include your scope in that budget though. :-)

You could call up Montana Rifle and order a barreled action in 338-06 (good cartridge) and have them custom serial number it for you, then have it stocked in good wood by Serengeti stockworks, have it blued by a good outfit and you are done. Not sure what their current costs are, but I bet you could do that for under 2k and a major reason is you are not using an action that has to be reworked.

But let's say you go another way. there is a local shop that had last week a pre-64 mod 70 in there in a wildcat with thumbhole stock, 499. Add 430 to have Pacnor do the action truing and lug lapping and install one of their barrels chambered in 338-06. You shouldn't end up with any major feeding problems as long as your action wasn't changed from 06 based cartridges.

then spend 200-300 on a stock from Presliks or Dressels. You are at about 1230 so far right? Then spend 200 and have somebody with a Hoenig duplicate the blank onto a good pattern for your rifle (with a mod 70 that will be a huge selection of stock styles). You spend the time to do final inletting, glass bed it, finish it. Then send it to somebody like www.checkering.com and have a fancy pattern done for 250:

Total- 1680!!! TaDA!!!! Doesn't have a lot of custom touches, but it is a custom rifle. You have enough left for polishing and bluing the metal and any open sights you want put on it.

I am in the middle of a project now and I can tell you my first idea of an 800 dollar budget (with me already having the action and not including the stock in that) was grossly imaginary. :-)

Red

Take a look at this rifle and save yourself a lot of headaches and waiting.



web page

BMpregler,

Based on the 2k budget, this is what I would do, go get the best deal you can on as NIB win mdl 70 classic in 300 win or wby mag or 338 win mag. I bought SS mdl 70 classic one for $452 FFL price if I remember correctly about a month back.

Then do this,

4 ducks for a English blank (it will be fancy enough)
$250 to have it turned and fitted, you can oil finish it yourself. Checker it when your rich uncle gets out of the pore house)
$50 for a trigger job
$500 for Nikon scope and rings

use the rest to take your wife to dinner to get yourself out of the doghouse. Might be enough left for simple checkering if I did the math right.

Might not be full house custom but it'll get er done.

If I could have only one gun, it would be my 375H&H. It can be loaded with lighter 235grainers and shot comfortably in the bush in NA for most game, loaded up a bit with 270gr for larger NA game or small pg, 300's for big cats and big pg, and 350 or 380 for dg. I use mine extensively on coyote and jackal if I want the pelt (the bullet won't have time to expand and ruin the pelt) and have shot several rabbits for the pot with it. I have a lot of guns, but I keep coming back to the 375. A nice winnie classic in 375 with a decent barrel, good wood, better trigger, and trued action would put you a bit under your $2k budget, and you could not be dissappointed with the 375.

hhmag,

I wont argue on the 375H&H. Mdl 70 in that cal is hard to beat for the money.

Looking at your curent battery

Quote:

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My current rifles are a 7MM Rem. Mag in a SS Mod 700, a weatherby super varmit master in .22-250, and ruger deerfield carbine in .44 mag.

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What you need is a .375 H&H mag
You got a long flat shooting magnum in the 7mm mag. and you got the small varmint rifle with the .22-250.

If you get a 375 H&H you can load it with light bullets like I do, and use it on everything (235 grn woodleigh PP) and if you want to use it for big stuff make some 300 grn solids.
The 375 H&H mag is a great killer and with a good 270 grn bullet it puts down all plaines game.

CZ action
LW barrel
NECG sights and band swirl.
Stock from Great American gunstocks
Leupld 1,5-5x20 (30mm)

Cheers,

Andr�