Let's make two assumptions. One, you have decided to get a custom 300 H&H and second your budget for this project is $7500. What components and features would you select and who would you have build the gun? Please remember this will be a "using" gun not necessarily a beauty queen built for looks only.

I'd send a Model 70 Classic action to that fella that lives in Utah.

D'Arcy Echols legend rifle is the one I'd do.

You don't need to spend that much money.

1. Rem 700 or Win M70 action - squared up and Sako extracter put-on Rem 700 action.
2. #7 bull sporter barrel from Krieger - 26"
3. HS precision or MacMillan Stock - pilar/glass bedded
4. Jewel trigger
5. Leupold 2.5-10x VXIII with B&C reticle
6. Std. Leupold mounts should work fine.
7. 300 Win Mag.

Should get 1/2 MOA accuracty with full throttle loads.

Estimated cost - $2000 including the gunsmith.

Regards, AIU

quote:

Originally posted by Ackley Improved User:
You don't need to spend that much money.


7. 300 Win Mag.

Estimated cost - $2000 including the gunsmith.

Regards, AIU

Wouldn't be an H&H then would it? Also, pretty darn heavy bbl.

LJS,

If you like synthetic stocks then Darcy's would be a good choice.

I'd be trying to get Thom Burgess to do mine if I had that much to spend.

I'm with JBabcock. I've had D'Arcy Echols build all of my custom hunting rifles for the last six years. These are the best rifles I've ever owned, period, and D'Arcy's the best and most honest riflemaker I've ever dealt with. He and I are the same age, have similar tastes, and I've found we are on the same wavelength when it comes to rifles. Everything he sends out to clients is tested, proven, and a known quantity. This is as it should be.

My Echols rifles are all 'Legends' built on Model 70 Classic actions with D'Arcy's own McMillan stock. I have them in .300 Win. Mag., .338 Win. Mag., .375 H&H, and .416 Rem. Mag., so my battery is pretty complete. No, they don't have pretty wood stocks. I don't care about that side of things because I like fiberglass better than wood, and it's just one less thing I have to worry about.

Echols is a very big fan of the fine .300 H&H chambering as well, and that's certainly a cartridge he be glad to build a rifle around. I'd like to have one in .300 H&H myself........

AD

Sorry, I should have included that I prefer a wooden stock. I love the look of Ray's new 416 complete with English forend. Maybee he'll put a new barrel on it and sell it to me???? I will contact D'arcy Echols. Does he have a web site. I coudn't find it. An address would help also. Thanks!!

That is an excellent selection, you can't go wrong having D'Arcy doing it. Personally I like wood a lot too and his Classics, which are blued and stocked in wood (see thread in gunsmithing where I posted a stock he did on a custom 700 for the level of work we're talking about) are over the 7500 budget. here is what I would probably do.

Buy the donor action/rifle, I got my 375 classic for I think 650. That's easy as just a rebarrel and chamber. I'd buy a good barrel, let's call it 250 on the high side. Have it put on with the right sights and sling setup. Then I would find myself a really good stick, but spend no more than 500 and send it off to Biesen to turn on their pattern. Finish it myself and send off to have checkered, say 250-275 for a really great checkering pattern.

You'd still have money left for the little things like some simple engraving, the bases and rings and scope. If you are going for authentic I would get Jim Wisner's version of the Winchester Pre-64 Safari sight with a nice front bead.

I don't know what he charges, but if it were doable in the budget I would skip using a pattern from Biesen and get Jerry Fisher to build my stock. oooohhhh sweeet.

Gotta quit reading these dream posts.

Red

Buy an action from Montana rifle company

Barrel it with a (pick a name) Shilen, Hart, Douglas, etc barrel of your contour preference. MRC also makes barrels are are good barrels.....Maybe you order a Barreled action.

Glass bed this to a McMillan synthetic stock and free float the barrel.

Add a 3X9 Leupold and you have a lot of change left over for your $7,500 bill.

If you wish you can add a Williams sight (ramp and hood) front and rear and a Talley barrel band.

If you want a wood stock the price can easily triple depending on the grade, variety, and density of wood and the artist you hire to do the work.

D'Arcy Echols will build my next rifle. It will be a synthetic stocked "Legend", and a rifle I plan to use for alot of years. He is a builder that can be recommended without hesitation.

Chuck

If you are interested in a wood stocked rifle, Winston Elrod of Chesaning, MI does terrific work. His stocks go for $3500 (without blank), and includes cheekpiece, ebony forend, inletted swivels, wraparound checkering with fleur-de-lis pattern, etc. Examples of his work are on the Cabelas website under "Fine Rifles" in the Gun Library-he has both a 270 Mauser custom and a 358 Win on the list (reference #'s 324614 and 255335). I've seen both rifles at the Dundee, MI Cabela's and both are high quality and very reminiscent of the O'Connor Biesens. I believe he may fit into your budget requirements. Wood stocked custom rifles from Hill Country Rifles run over $15,000, and I suspect similar rifles from "name" smiths will carry a comparable price tag.

Without a doubt Bob De'Vries would build it if it where mine....................one of the best getting around.

I have seen one he has done on an M98 1909 totally re-worked english bolt,dakata 3 pos saftey 1/4 rib flip up express sites )not needed on this cal but you want a looker and this gun is) Fully engraved, Rust blue and takes down as well, stock comes off in similar fashion to how a forend would on a 12 gauge U/O shottie, he also makes custom talley bases as talley bases are not that asthetically pleasing to the eye.

Bob has done all of the above on my impending .404 J on a 1909 (I did not opt for the takedown feature though) and also got a rednackgel 3 pos saftey instead of the dakata as it was more "mauser like"

Then get a nice blank from Rodger Vardy in Australia whom supplies blanks to H&H in England and choose your stock maker. In Australia Ross Waghorn is the premier wood artist and if you get a De'Vries/Waghorn Rig IMHO your getting the best out there.

Dakota has one for you.



300 H&H

For myself I like a pre 64 M70 as tweaked. That's a gun that's good.

I've also planned a custom 300H&H but I'll spend far less than $7500. FN Deluxe barreled action, Grisel drop box bottom metal, home-made scope bases/50s-style Redfield rings, barrel band express rear sight, banded ramp front sight, barrel band sling stud (all from Recknagel), English walnut turned from Jeffe's pattern, pad, ebony tip, Dressel cap. I'll need a smith to do the checkering, solder the sights, blue, I'll do the rest. Got the barreled action/donor gun ($400) and the blank ($135):

fla3006, that is a nice looking blank. I have a limited edition Kimber 300 WSM I bought in March that looks like it was built from your blank. Beautiful. I am considering selling it now to pay for a custom 338 I have ordered. It took me several months of shopping to find one with this grade of wood and I am having a hard time making the decision to let it go.

Cobrad, I lucked out and got it cheap off ebay. I like a quartersawn blank with a moderate amount of contrast & color, not overwhelming flash & wild figure. As Ray Atkinson said on his post, very fancy figure only distracts from the rest of a well made rifle or shotgun and costs more.

quote:

You don't need to spend that much money.

1. Rem 700 or Win M70 action - squared up and Sako extracter put-on Rem 700 action.
2. #7 bull sporter barrel from Krieger - 26"
3. HS precision or MacMillan Stock - pilar/glass bedded
4. Jewel trigger
5. Leupold 2.5-10x VXIII with B&C reticle
6. Std. Leupold mounts should work fine.
7. 300 Win Mag.

Ditto,

The only thing I'd change would be a Ziess Scope. You should be able to do all of that for less than 2000 and have a rifle that will look just as good and shoot just as good as any custom available.

Good Luck!

Reloader

I can have a .300h&h & a matching .375h&h built for just about that.
M70 actions
24" PAcNor #4
Dakota 1/4ribs & NECG sights
nice piece of wood for each w/ one cross bolt
1.5x5 VXIII for the .375
2.5x8 VXIII ofr the .300
To make it nice; inletted swivels & skeleton grip caps.
It wouldn't be a DE but they would be grand & I would have two.

I would go with the D'Arcy Echols Legend on this .300 H&H too. IF you want to think of it that way D'Arcy builds $5,000 worth of reliability into the rifle, something you won't get from your average gunsmithy.

John Barsness did an article for Rifle magazine a while back wherein he related a collection of horror stories about some current rifle "builders".

D'Arcy builds wood-stock guns of about $20,000 I think.

jim

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
I can have a .300h&h & a matching .375h&h built for just about that.
M70 actions
24" PAcNor #4
Dakota 1/4ribs & NECG sights
nice piece of wood for each w/ one cross bolt
1.5x5 VXIII for the .375
2.5x8 VXIII ofr the .300
To make it nice; inletted swivels & skeleton grip caps.
It wouldn't be a DE but they would be grand & I would have two.

Don't leave us in suspense. Who is the builder that you would have do it. Any pictures of his work?

quote:

Originally posted by HunterJim:
I would go with the D'Arcy Echols Legend on this .300 H&H too. IF you want to think of it that way D'Arcy builds $5,000 worth of reliability into the rifle, something you won't get from your average gunsmithy.

John Barsness did an article for Rifle magazine a while back wherein he related a collection of horror stories about some current rifle "builders".

D'Arcy builds wood-stock guns of about $20,000 I think.

jim

Did Barsness name those builders in the article?

First of all I am definately biased. But you will find no better rifle and damned few (if any) equals for a hunting rifle than an Echols Legend. I worked for him while attending grad school at USU and he's a personal friend. No one will spend more time making sure your rifle is as close to perfection as it gets. Order one and when it arrives forget about hunting with any of the rest of your rifles. They are now safe queens.

Ralphie

What is "perfection" in a rifle?

22wrf, if I can get some dig. pics of my .280, I'll post them. His name is Laszlo Lucaks in SanDiego, Ca. One of those old world gunsmiths (trained in Europe) that can build a nice rifle that doesn't cost an arm & leg. It may not be an Echols but it won't cost you $20K either.

Been a while since I had anything custom, but I'd go Win M70 action, 23" PacNor barrel, McMillan stock, Pachmayr Decelerator pad, all metal done in a flat black finish and work to be done (if he's still in business) by Lon Paul. I've always used Burris 2X7 compacts but since this is your 7500.00 I'd probably look for a Swarovski or Zeiss in a similar model. There's probably other details but those are the first to come to mind.

I got some pics of my .280 up. This rifle was done from the ground up for about $2400 (w/ the scope & mounts). I could have spent more on the wood, but I hunt my guns so I wanted straight, tight grain. This rifle has turned in several sub 2" groups out @ 300yds, so it shoots, & I think it's kind-a-purdy.

Thanks for those pics, that is a steal at that price, I mean a real steal there. you sure it isn't hot?

Red

Fredj338

That is a handsome rifle.

I like the schnabel forend tip. The stock has a subtle, understated quality about it.

Thanks for the compliments, I'll pass it along to Laszlo, no Dago, I had it built, bought a like new M70 06 BOSS & took it apart; 23" PacNor match bbl., Neidner steel butt plate, ribbon checkering, the stock is basically patterened after the M70ft.wt. stock w/ the Euro style cheek piece & forend. You can get nice work for decent prices, it's taken me many years to find such a gunsmith.

You might want to talk to Micheal Scherz over in Yuma AZ. He builds a very nice rifle for the money. I wish I still had a few pics of his work to share with you. He'll do a wood stocked rifle with all the amenities (custom bases, etc) for about $5000.00 plus parts. He's doing a 1909 Mauser in 35Whelen for me.

gilagunwks@aol.com

My 2nd choice would be Roger Biesen

http://www.biesen.com/

While I've never examined one of his guns, a lot folks on this board swear by his work and his prices seem very reasonable for what you're getting. Another good thing about a Biesen is if you should ever want to part with it, the resale should be very good because he has a well known rep for building quality guns.

I'm sure an Echols rifle would be perfect in every way, but at $20,000.00 for wood it's a little cost prohibitive (for me anyway).

I've never heard of Laszlo Lucaks, but fredj338 has a damn fine rifle there, might be worth giving him a call too.

Terry