I am not in the financial situation to have my own gun built for me and would have come to the conclusion the only way I can get one is to buy one used. I check the auction sites and Hallowell and Co. Is there some other avenues I should be persuing?

champlinarms.com

Go to www.gunsinternational.com. rather than pages and pages of new stock firearms, GI lists many custom and high-grade firearms. What are you looking for?

Mauser or pre 64 in a standard caliber -.243 thru 30/06. Nice walnut, metal work etc. Ideally a well used gun from a prominate maker. I would be buying the gun to hunt with, no safe queens

check your PM's.

Hallowell.

Hang out here there are very nice customs offered at very good prices. On a regular basis

Come to Dallas next week, there are a few there for sure and you can pick them up and handle them.

have kobe make you one to your specs - nothing comes close to having it made for you

Custom rifles are best purchased used in my experience. While having a bespoke rifle is a treat and something made to your measurements and specifications is indeed a joy, for someone seeking to enjoy a custom rifle on somewhat of a budget, used is the way to go. I think most folks having bespoke rifles made are not doing so under any illusion they will make money on the rifle, which is rarely the case. I would guess that most custom rifles depreciate significantly the instant they are delivered to the new owner. If you want to have a nice custom made rifle to hunt with and are looking to do so on a budget, used is the way to go. Champlins has an email list you can subscribe to and get updates when something new comes into George's shop. Sign up for that, as well as checking out the other places mentioned.

All of the venues mentioned would be a great place to start. Also check out Dismal River Armory here in Nebraska, he has some really nice stuff.

Good luck in your search

Griffin & Howe; Collectors Firearms.

A used custom rifle sold at a retail establishment will cost considerably more than if purchased on a forum such as this. They will likely make $1,000-$2,500 or more over what they bought it for in trade, especially if it's a known maker. Take your time and wait it out.

Agree with Biebs - the guys on this forum have a very good supply of custom rifles and are often willing to sell one because they have their eye on the next one they want!

quote:

Originally posted by dcdone:
Griffin & Howe; Collectors Firearms.

Collectors ridiculously prices their firearms. A gun shop of last resort.

quote:

Collectors ridiculously prices their firearms. A gun shop of last resort.

Yes, only lawyers can afford those places :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:

quote:

Collectors ridiculously prices their firearms. A gun shop of last resort.

Yes, only lawyers can afford those places :-)

. . . plaintiff's lawyers perhaps.

Mike,

How much do each of the elephants you shoot depreciate when they hit the ground?

100% ?

Memories do not depreciate . . . setting aside dementia and Alzheimer's . . . but in the latter case not too sure I would be worried about my rifles either.

Check out First Stop Guns who advertises on Guns International. They really try to turn their inventory. As an example, they have a custom 300 Win Mag made by David Norin. He is a member of the Guild and at $3500 this is a bargain.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

quote:

Originally posted by dcdone:
Griffin & Howe; Collectors Firearms.

Collectors ridiculously prices their firearms. A gun shop of last resort.

I agree. Based on their published prices, I don't see how they ever sell anything.

Mike,

At $20,000-$40,000 per elephant for each of the thirty or so you have shot that's a lot of memories. You could have a full rack of custom rifles and those memories would have been enhanced each time you you took a rifle to the range or simply sat in a chair and stroked it lovingly.

Surely you can't get the same feelings from one of your plastic stocked and painted rifles you have shown on AR.

quote:

Originally posted by dave wesbrook:
Mike,

At $20,000-$40,000 per elephant for each of the thirty or so you have shot that's a lot of memories. You could have a full rack of custom rifles and those memories would have been enhanced each time you you took a rifle to the range or simply sat in a chair and stroked it lovingly.

Surely you can't get the same feelings from one of your plastic stocked and painted rifles you have shown on AR.

. . . and if I was to start down that road I would buy used custom rifles as opposed to having them made. Just a wild guess, but I would imagine that something like 70-80% of custom rifles sell used at a significant fraction of the original cost. Particularly rifles made in the last 10-15 years. Anyone buying a custom rifle with a view towards the rifle appreciating is likely to be disappointed. As I said, I am not knocking bespoke rifles made to a person's unique requirements, but from an economic perspective . . . which is what the OP was raising . . . I think you are far better off purchasing a used custom rifle versus a bespoke rifle.

Thanks for all the replies guys. I was not meaning to start a debate on the worth or need for a custom made rifle. I have drooled over many of the rifles posted on here and hope one day to own one. I was simply trying to find other avenues than those I listed to find one.Thank you for all of the advice

BT, go for it....I think you'll find that the search is half the fun.

Hey Mike: Think of all the money you'd saved by not going elephant hunting..or..was that a wise financial investment..maybe a second hand elephant would be smarter (grin)

. . . given the amount of lead from poachers already in most of the elephant I have shot, I think most are in fact secondhand . . .

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

quote:

Originally posted by dave wesbrook:
Mike,

At $20,000-$40,000 per elephant for each of the thirty or so you have shot that's a lot of memories. You could have a full rack of custom rifles and those memories would have been enhanced each time you you took a rifle to the range or simply sat in a chair and stroked it lovingly.

Surely you can't get the same feelings from one of your plastic stocked and painted rifles you have shown on AR.

. . . and if I was to start down that road I would buy used custom rifles as opposed to having them made. Just a wild guess, but I would imagine that something like 70-80% of custom rifles sell used at a significant fraction of the original cost. Particularly rifles made in the last 10-15 years. Anyone buying a custom rifle with a view towards the rifle appreciating is likely to be disappointed. As I said, I am not knocking bespoke rifles made to a person's unique requirements, but from an economic perspective . . . which is what the OP was raising . . . I think you are far better off purchasing a used custom rifle versus a bespoke rifle.

Reminds me of the comment about an AR member who died; he was really into double rifles and could not understand why anyone would go on a hunt when they could have had another fine rifle. As much as I love rifles, my hunting memories mean a lot to me. I did just get done spending about 12K to build and outfit two rifles: a Stiller 338 and an AR 6mm Hagar with a Krieger bbl, outfitted with Nightforce and March scopes. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

quote:

Originally posted by bt8897:
I am not in the financial situation to have my own gun built for me and would have come to the conclusion the only way I can get one is to buy one used. I check the auction sites and Hallowell and Co. Is there some other avenues I should be persuing?

Check your Private Messages.

The hunt for custom rifles at bargain prices is one of my favorite pastimes. I see sellers with guns on their websites that they have had for years. I troll gunbroker regularly as well. Don't be in a hurry as there are plenty out there and the market is soft. Be willing to offer a lower price, some of these guys will deal. I have also found a few nice stocks and then planted a barreled action in it with decent results at really low cost; well below the cost of stocking alone. There is a nice Frank Wells at Cabelas that is reasonable and I have made several really good buys at their stores. Enjoy the hunt. They also have a nice Dakota that is reasonably priced. Nicer wood and they hold their value. Missing rear site so hit them low. I know they will deal.
http://www.cabelas.com/product...0%26y%3D0&Ntt=dakota
http://www.cabelas.com/product...%3D9&Ntt=custom%2B70