After working my tail off for the last twenty years and raising my daughters I'm finally in the position to do something I've always dreamed of: having a rifle built just for me. I've always stayed with factory standard weapons and while I've always enjoyed working up loads for them and experimenting to get the best accuracy they were capable of I've saved $2500 and I'd like a rifle to be built just for me. And to do this I need some help from you all. I haven't kept up with all the new innovations over the past decade so I'd like some input. This gun would be used mostly for informal paper punching to 500 yards and dispatching the occasional rogue ground squirrel (I have 22 centerfires for most of my varmint shooting).

1) I'd like the rifle to be either 260 Rem or 6.5 WSM. What are the pros and cons of these two rounds? Has the 6.5 WSM been standardized yet?

2) I'd like a synthetic stock. While I love a great piece of walnut I'd probably live in fear of that first scratch. Who makes the best stock?

3) Optics? I'd like to see the holes in the paper out to 200 yards. Anything farther and I have a nice Howa spotting scope.

4) I'd like to use bullets from 77 to 160 grains. How fast a twist rate do I need?

5) Righthand bolt action. Which action would you recommend?

6) As this will be used mostly from the bench I don't want a whippy featherweight barrel. What would you recommend for a heavy contour fluted barrel?

7) Most important. **Who** would you want to build this rifle for you? I know on no local riflesmiths nearby so I really need help on this subject.

I know that I'm asking for a lot of imformation here and I appreciate you taking the time to read all of this. Put yourself in my shoes: how would you spend the money given the caliber and the stated use?

Thanks in advance.

BTW, I'd really like to get this project started before something happens and I'm forced to spend the money on something else.

My first choice in a rifle like that has always been the Remington 40X. They are available in many configurations and the 260 Remington is one of them. The triggers are first class and I have been very satisfied with the 40X's that I own.

The MSRP is about $1700 with a discount you should expect to pay a lot less than that.

For a scope I like the Unertl Ultra Varmint 15X. They go for about $500-700.

Go to www.bergerbullets.com and pick your bullet and twist there.

Good luck.

I have yet to do a project like this. It will happen. I think the 260 is a great cartridge and have seen it perform very well at 1000yds. The 6.5 WSM is still in the experimental stages and could be trickier to learn to feed.
Stock Choices, Barrel countour, Action choice, optics. Those are all part of a much bigger package. I too am pretty much out of touch, my only advantage is I know an excellent long Range Varmint Rifle Gunsmith.( email me and I will give you his address & phone #)
The best thing to do is find a real good Gunsmith.
Explain exactly what you want, and what you intend to do with it. THEN TAKE HIS ADVICE!
At least thats what I intend to do.
Good luck!

[ 05-30-2002, 07:47: Message edited by: Jim Dannels ]

Hey 25 inch

You have a gunsmith in your back yard!
Action gun works in Sparks NV.
Shoot at the Reno range with BMG's.
His work is really good.

can make you a red pink or blue one .Check him out.

The .308 is more accurate cartridge, more match bullets available for the .30 caliber and more people use them for target work.There is a reason for that! Use a Remington 700 short action and have it trued and squared with a good custom barrel. Talk to Billy Stevens of Stevens Accuracy he is a benchrest shooter and builder of very accurate rifles. Good Luck!

Here are a few thoughts:

Chambering. For up to 500 yards, I'd pick the 260. The 6.5 WSM is an awful lot of a good thing. If you want some more speed than the 260, there are lots of 6.5/284 reamers out there set up for long range bullets. Personally, I'd be having nightmares about how to make the decision on throat length, given your range of bullet weights.......

Barrels: any of the "major makers": Krieger, Hart, Lilja, Shilen, Pacnor, Douglass.

Stock: McMillan or H&S.

Optics: Swarovski A-line is pretty classy, but there are no flies on Leupold, Zeiss, or even an Elite.

Now, the hard question is, which action will you use, and why? While there is no problem using a "standard" action, have you considered a full blown, "real" accuracy action? Like a Hall, Kelbly or other bench rest action. If you aren't going to take it into the field, you should be able to shoot 2's and 3's, even with it chambered in the 260.

As far as who, well, depends on what you want done. If you go with the benchrest approach, I'd most certainly use a benchrest smith. If you go with a "standard" action, I'd find a smith with experience building high-power type rifles. If you want a trussed-up sporter, someone like John Ricks or Mark at Kailua Custom in your area, or Charlie Sisk in Texas.

A few links that might be helpful:

Snipershide.com
Benchrest.com

FWIW, Dutch.

Thanks Don, Jim, reload and Dutch for the helpful responses. Each and every one of you added something that I needed to think about.

And Sixbits, thank you for the lead on Randy at Action Gun Works. I spent three hours with Randy and his wife and worked out roughly what I want. I was amazed at the knowledge he was willing to share and completely in awe of some of the 1000 yard targets they had shot. Just over THREE inch five shot groups at 1000 yards? AMAZING. And they were in my backyard all along.

Thanks again to each of you. When my new toy is built I'll share the results with all of you.

[ 06-04-2002, 07:55: Message edited by: QuarterIncherNV ]

Hi 1/4 inch

glad you hooked up with Randy .I need to rob a bank,or win the clearing house so I could have him build a slew of guns.They are works of art,plus they shoot good.

I used to live in Minden,But it started to be like SFO CA.

Hunted out of Austin NV.Those hay fields are rich in Yotes,badger too.
Spent 5 months working that whole county.been to just about evry ranch in lander county .
Some good trout fishing as well.Lots of sage rats.
There is miles and miles of hunting.
Gerlatch is good as well.

A 4x4 and a shovel comes in handy.plus a big can of water this time of year.

Have fun with the new gun,