OK you guys,

If I can round up a good used complete action, Mod 70, Mod 700, or?, and a good barrel, used ok, WHAT will it cost to have a GOOD gunsmith put them together properly?

Not looking for anything other than good hunting accuracy in a rifle chambered in .243Win, .244 Rem, or .260 Rem. Will have to be gradually pieced together because of monetary constraints.

Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.
Doug

Doug, a good complete action, 70 or 700 will be in the 350-450 range and if your going to the trouble to build this I would go with a new barrel which installed and ready to drop in a stock shouldn't run over 500. then add a factory stock,another 100 to 150.

Have you considered just saving your money for a few months and buying a complete rifle?

You can pick up a brand new Savage, Remington, Winchester or Ruger in .243 for about the same price (or even less) than you will have into your parts and labor.

Lets see.........I have on order a stainless Ruger Mark II for $570. Lilja barrel for $295, and a McMillan stock for $450. The I will pay my smith $200 to install and chamber the barrel and slick up the trigger. Add a scope for $400 and I have just under 2K in a rifle I hope will be a MOA shooter day in day out and can handle what Alaska can toss at it in terms of weather.

quote:

If I can round up a good used complete action, Mod 70, Mod 700, or?, and a good barrel, used ok, WHAT will it cost to have a GOOD gunsmith put them together properly?

You can't buy new or used parts and have them put together cheaper than just buying a new or better a used one.

A brand new stevens 200 in the caliber of your choice will set you back $250. Rugged, dependable, accurate and inexpensive. Pretty good package.

Weagle

Ramrod has it right. If you are going that route, buy a used rifle. The cost exercise is just an excercise in futility.

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED... THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT. DOUG

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
Lets see.........I have on order a stainless Ruger Mark II for $570. Lilja barrel for $295, and a McMillan stock for $450. The I will pay my smith $200 to install and chamber the barrel and slick up the trigger. Add a scope for $400 and I have just under 2K in a rifle I hope will be a MOA shooter day in day out and can handle what Alaska can toss at it in terms of weather.

Hmmm... Sounds like "diminishing returns to me"

Buy the rifle on a laminated stock spend $20 on a package of acraglass and hope the rifle
shoots into 1-1/4" out of the box.
and that a proper glassing job and some handloading will tighten it by 1/2".

Anything better than 3/4" on a big game rifle is blatant turd polishing that could be considered by only the most profoundly Obsessive-compulsive.

AllanD

Not really. They do not offer the rifle in 338 for left handed folks. Besides the Lilja would outshoot the factory barrel any day of the week. Plus having a custom chamber cut is better than what the factory offers.
I will not argue the accurracy debate. As I said, if it shoots MOA all day long I will be tickled pink. If I could buy one from the factory in 338 I would try it before buying a new barrel.
You have no idea what a bitch it is to be left handed in this gun world,lol

grubbydug

The advice that you have received is pretty much spot on! If you are asking just because you don't want to freak out when you spend
300-400% more than you think you should have spent, thats fine. If you want what you want, and know that, spend the money and be happy,
(after all, it is your rifle). Otherwise buy someone else's custom or a standard and move on. I have done both!
Good luck, Doug

Probably the best deals out there is to buy another persons custom rifle. I would estimate that most of the money we pour into a custom rifle is never recovered when we sell it. You can find some great bargins this way.

THANKS TO ALL for your posts and I will just keep an eye out for another good deal like the Rem mod 788 in .222 I picked up at a gunshow. It seems to be in very good condition, apparently hardly used. This is my first .222 and if it lives up to the reputation, I'll be very happy. Doug