Taken with this rifle last week at 270 yds with Nosler factory 140AB load.

JC

Excuse me, but aren't Jarrett rifles Remingtons, or clones thereof? That's no Mercedes, nor analogy thereto. Goodling Rifles, Spring Grove, PA can build a rifle that will perform the same or better, using the same components, for under $2K. Way under, I'm thinking. PT Barnum was definitely right. Jarrett proves that there's a sucker born every minute.

Jarret builds his rifles with meticulous precision, and they're guaranteed to shoot very well. Unless your Pa. gunsmith is willing to work for minimum wage he can't build a comparable rifle for less. Your comment about a sucker born every minute is way off base. You owe the gentleman and Mr. Jarret an apology.

Vol717,
Sid Goodling is very good! If I didn't build my own, I would be proud to have Mr. Goodling build me an accurate rifle.
Butch

JC,
That is a nice deer.
Butch

When someone charges many times more for the same performance in a rifle, that should determine who owes whom an apology. But what I am amazed at is that some people will willingly shell out the extra money. I suppose that they can't discern best value themselves and must rely on name recognition. In reality it's not much different than the Chevy versus Mercedes argument. Those who can't make a best value judgement choose the Benz.

quote:

Originally posted by Vol717:
When someone charges many times more for the same performance in a rifle, that should determine who owes whom an apology. But what I am amazed at is that some people will willingly shell out the extra money. I suppose that they can't discern best value themselves and must rely on name recognition. In reality it's not much different than the Chevy versus Mercedes argument. Those who can't make a best value judgement choose the Benz.

What's it to you as long as the guy is happy with his rifle? Why come in and crap all over his thread?

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
JC,
That is a nice deer.
Butch

Thanks Butch!

JC

As you stated you only paid a fraction of the original cost for the rifle. I have no reason not to believe that the rifle performs as you state and a 3 shot target is shown in the .2's for a hunting load. I say you got the bargain of the century and where do I sign up for the same deal. Great caliber to. If I was to get a Jarrett it would be in 280AI as Kenny loves this round and his rifles in the caliber just shoot!!! Again great find!!!

I had a nearly identical Jarrett in 280 AI. I bought it used on Gunbroker. It was one of the most accurate & well built rifles I've ever seen. I used it on a couple deer hunts and like an idiot relisted it on Gunbroker. It sold for the "Buy Now" price in less than 5 minutes.....to the same guy I had bought it from !!!!! I suppose he was kicking himself in the arse for selling it just like I am now. Anyways that's a fine rifle JC and I don't blame you a bit for being proud of it. Folks seem to like to bash Jarretts but they are some of the finest rifles ever built. The 280 AI is an incredible hunting round. Nice animals too by the way!! 163bc

quote:

Originally posted by 163bc:
I had a nearly identical Jarrett in 280 AI. I bought it used on Gunbroker. It was one of the most accurate & well built rifles I've ever seen. I used it on a couple deer hunts and like an idiot relisted it on Gunbroker. It sold for the "Buy Now" price in less than 5 minutes.....to the same guy I had bought it from !!!!! I suppose he was kicking himself in the arse for selling it just like I am now. Anyways that's a fine rifle JC and I don't blame you a bit for being proud of it. Folks seem to like to bash Jarretts but they are some of the finest rifles ever built. The 280 AI is an incredible hunting round. Nice animals too by the way!! 163bc

163,

I don't think you had a "nearly identical" rifle. I think you had the "identical" rifle!

I believe I may have bought this gun off the guy who sold it to you, then bought it back. I bought it from him when he subsequently sold it again!

JC

Saw Mr. Jarrett at the DSCI show Saturday.
Butch

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
Saw Mr. Jarrett at the DSCI show Saturday.
Butch

And????

I wished him good luck.
Butch

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
I wished him good luck

... with your new build!

No.
Butch

Like all good things in life, perfection has its price. Yes, you may get a Savage to shoot a similar group, and you will get a Chevy to cruise at 70 mph on the highway, just like a Benz. But to make "value" comparisons as such indicates to me that one doesn't hold the same love and fascination for rifles as many of us do. If that's your feeling, then don't comment, and get in your Yugo and go home.

Just finished upgrading the bottom metal on this gun to a PTG Oberndorf unit. Figured I would share some pics of the finished unit. Additionally, I included a target shot today with the gun using standard Nosler factory ammo.

JC

;Geez, why do these things always end up putting someone down, gunmaker, or otherwise?

Kenny Jarrett builds good rifles, and he doesn't hide his costs so he can surprise people with them when he delivers. At the same time, I don't find the accuracy of his rifles particularly remarkable. It is good accuracy, but not amazing accuracy. And he apparently considers his time pretty valuable....worth about double what I'd put anyone's at for advanced assembling of parts.

I have a lot of rifles in my vault right now which shoot as good as the one featured in this thread, and some fair number which shoot better
groups than that, some do way better.

One of the things which attracted my attention regards the posted groups was that they are not in the same area of the targets on which they were fired. I assume that was primarily because they must have been fired by different shooters, the winds changed significantly between groups, or both. If neither of those factors were major contributors, what was? Different ammo?

A rifle which won't deliver its groups (no matter how small) to the same point of impact relative to point of aim isn't much use to me, and I don't consider such a rifle usably accurate if it won't deliver to the point of aim.

As to the part of this discussion relating to cost, I'd like to say this. If a person wants rifles as accurate as the one in this thread, for me the best and cheapest way to get them is to buy a good used lathe (even a good Chinese one) for $1,500 to $2,000. Buy a good NEW 4-jaw chuck for say $450 to $600 (Bison from Poland is a good brand). Spend another $250 for a good QC toolholder...you don't need a QC one, but the convenience is worth it to me.

Audit a machine shop course at the local Community College, for a couple of terms at maybe $30-to-$60 per term (don't take the courses for credit...they'll cost much more if you do, and you don't need the credits, you need the knowledge).

The only other major learning expense will be about $150 if you buy it new for a GOOD book on machine tool uses and operation. The best I can think of off the top of my head is "Machine Tool Practices" by Kibbe, Neely, Meyer & White. You can probably find it used on-line for $50 or less.

Then buy maybe $400 worth of good measuring tools which the course has taught you that you will need. The course will also teach you to make your own cutting tools, so you can buy unsharpened bits for a few bucks apiece and make whatever cutting tools you need. You can also make your own spyder for use if you elect to chamber through the headstock. No big deal.

Then start barreling, and chambering, and bedding your own rifles. You'll find Remingtons are dead easy to do, and any good custom, profiled, barrel can be had for about $300 or so. Any reputable quality custom barrel, such as Shilen, Douglas, Hart, Schneider, Lilja, PacNor, Krieger, etc., will shoot as well as the groups pictured in this thread, if you take your time fitting and chambering it, and are very careful to go slow and do it right.

(As you continue on doing barreling, you will become faster, but speed isn't the aim, ever, accurately done work always is.)

Anyway, you can quickly teach yourself the skills required to do good work, just by keeping your eyes and mind open, and spending some time at your machine.

Then, when you spot bargains on actions or abused guns in the future, you can buy them to build your own more-accurate-than-you-can-probably-afford-to-buy rifles, pretty much forever (or at least as long as you are in physical shape to use a truly accurate rifle).

P.S.: Machine shop work is kind of like shooting...it's addicting. You'll find other stuff you'll convince yourself you need...like a floating reamer holder. But you don't really need much; mostly its just "want"....

You WILL find yourself making a lot of stuff that you might never otherwise buy though....like case body dies, neck expanders, slightly different mandrels for neck turners, neck sizing/shoulder bump dies and their bushings, and so on...all because you CAN. For example, I made myself a set of automatic-ejecting gas check re-swagers for use in my RCBS presses, so I can take available Hornady checks and make them to exactly fit the bases of bullets they weren't made to be used on. If you can imagine it, YOU can make it.

Anyway, you should give it a try, regardless of your age (or lack of age). I had to sell my lathe and equipment to move here last year, and I feel so frustrated by things I now CAN'T DO for lack of the lathe, that I'm already looking to buy another.

Best wishes, and have fun whilst you can.