As the title implies, it is about style and balance. Standard factory offerings always lack in one area or another. Corners have been cut - the cheapest wood or a platic magazine floorplate or cheap sights or a rough action or budget recoil pad or a trigger that can't be adjusted or bad inletting or bad wood to metal finish or the cheapest and ugliest swivels, etc. Gosh, it does not sound good when we start to make a list.

Many people hate the Bavarian style stock. Big bores that split the stock as no bedding job was done and only one or no crossbolts and no extra recoil lug. Metal not rust-blued, etc. Length of pull might not suit you if you are too short or tall. Magazines that does not feed well. Oval chambers or a headspsce problem right out of the box - I have seen one from Ruger - a M77 in 7 mm Rem Mag. I have seen a rifle from Vektor where the screws on the trigger guard were turned in skew - the lack of quality control is amazing.

This is just to get the discussion going. What style do you like? What does balance mean to you? Buiding a gun and specifying the parts you prefer is so much more fun and you just bond that much easier with such a rifle.

Let us hear your thoughts.

Chris

You may see a lot of posts here from me for the very reasons you have. I am too tall for factory rifles and sick of trying to make them work. I like old world fit and finish too. I have finally decided to go for a real rifle that fits me, but I like wood, and not laminates, so it all starts to add up fast.

Among my favorite rifles are my '03 Springfield with a AAA fiddleback maple stock, 257 AI M-98 with an Oberndorf style American Walnut stock and 35 Whelen also on an M-98, classical styled Claro walnut stock. But as much as I hate to admit it, Ive kind of had a hankerin latley for something with more of a "tactical" feel, therefore Im building it.

It will be a synthetic stocked 260 Rem with a semi bull bbl and a 4-12 AO scope. And Ill use it for everything from punching paper (see practice) to varminting to big game.

In short, I like to keep my options open. But I agree wholeheartedly that factory options always seem to be lacking, for one reason or another. Better to take the "burger king" approach and go for exactly what you want the first time as opposed to settling for what is lying around at the local gun shop.

However I must admit, in this "age of information" the factory options for the average Joe have grown considerably as opposed to what they were 20 years ago. But customs still have a huge edge in the quality department.

I owned a pre ww2 J P Sauer Mauser with the flate oval reinforcement on the sides of the stock. I was an absolute joy to shoot. Slim and sexy fore arm with a take down bolt to give it that old world appeal. double set triggers and drop comb for iron sight shoot'n. Lever floorplate release. I miss it so much I'm building one up as a long term prodject rifle.
The overall slimness and the graceful lines really move me.