Hi Everyone. One of the moderators over at Realtree's forum told me about this sight. Said there was alot of knowledgable folks over here.
Here is the situation:
I've been researching custom guns, I seem to be concentrating on Ed Brown's and Bordens.(feedback..) My gunsmith suggested building one because it would be cheaper and have some of the same components. One of the actions I've looked at is produced by Montana Rifle, however I've heard lately they've been struggling with finances and quality. So does anyone have any current experience with Montana rifle?
What about the Ed Browns and Bordens?

Thank you

You are correct that there are a lot of knowledgeable people here. But they can't pull a rabbit out of a hat.

You need to tell what type of hunting or shooting you plan on doing with the rifle, as well as caliber, wood or composite, type of sights, etc. etc. etc. And of course how much you want to spend. Then the good folks here will give you some good advice.

The first hunt will be for moose next year. Mostly big game after that. As far as a caliber, Im thinking about 2: 300 Win or the 300 Weatherby. Composite stock. It will be scoped, no sights. Stainless barrel w/ muzzlebrake. I'd like about a 3lb trigger pull that breaks like glass. anything else

Forgot the budget question. Between $3000-4000

I am sure some will disagree, but with that budget I think I would get a donor Winchester 70 Classic Action, new one piece bottom metal by Williams, and have somebody like Thomas Burgess or Mark Penrod or a host of other good Smiths put a quality barrel (Krieger, Hart, Pac Nor, Channlyn, etc.) on it, do a trigger job, and install some Talley bases. Then I would order a McMillian Stock and have it glassed in. that would take most of your $4000 but you would have a damn nice Rifle.

More reasonable,I would do what I did. Look for a good Used Model 70 Classic Stainless in the caliber of your choice. (I found one in .338 for $400). Put a scope on it and shoot it with a variety of loads. If it shoots well, have the trigger done by a good trigger guy and use the money you saved to go hunting.

As for the Moose, I don't think he is going to know the difference between a .300 Winnie and a .300 Weatherby.

or you could just go out and buy a dakota, I'd pick the 300 winny just because of ammo availability. If something goes wrong your chances of finding 300 wbthy ammo is pretty low

I have a pre 64 M70 in 300 win mag that has seen less than 100 rounds, you could shoot it as is or it could be re stocked with a good synthetic and you still will be under $2000.

http://www.duanesguns.com

Another option you should consider is Hill Country Rifles. These fellows seem to build first-class custom rifles that are priced reasonably.

http://www.hillcountryrifles.com

AD

I had Montana do a rifle for me and it is great. It is a 6.5x284 built on a mauser action in a light configuration. Wish I could get it back from my daughter. She took another deer with it Saturday.

I can also second Allen's suggestion. I have worked with Hill Country three different times and have been extremely satisfied. All rifles, two re-barrels and one ground up wildcat, shoot consistant 1/2" groups and they are sporters.

Matt and David will do you right.

quote:

Stainless barrel w/ muzzlebrake.

stalker66,

Welcome to the forum.

Don't get a muzzle brake. The noise will be so bad that you will damage your hearing and that of those around you. I have all the personal experiance with the blast from such rifles and hearing loss to last this lifetime. Don't do it. Find another way to handle the recoil or reconsider the size of the bullet and it's velocity.

I will argue against needing to spend a lot of money on a hunting rifle. I suggest that you buy the gun that you like best and then improve it only if neccesary.

I would buy a Kimber 8400 Montana in 300 WSM and with the immediate delivery that you will get there will be plenty of time to tweak it if necessary and plenty of money left over for a Christmas present too!

Now for Christmas presents don't forget yourself!

With that budget here are some suggestions. Look at custom ear protection from sources like these:

http://www.espamerica.com/
http://www.gunaccessories.com/EARinc/default.asp
http://www.walkersgameear.com/itc.asp

Get a backup scope with detachable rings.

Get a laser rangefinder.

Get another rifle as a back up. I suggest the Kimber 84M Montana in 308 Win. I like this rifle so much that I am looking sideways at dozens of others here and finding ways to make this one work.

Get the stock on the Kimber Montana magnum coated with a non slip finish. Your smith can do this with a Brownell product. I am going to send my stock to Master Class for the Granite finish.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/146100283

I hear ya..I have a brake on a Ruger M77 300WSM (The rifle is a piece of crap, hence my original post) The thing has a serious bark to it.

What does everybody think of the Ed Brown's?(Savannah) I searched this sight and saw alot of positive feedback but alot of it was dated.

stalker66, welcome to AR. I have a partner who has 2 Ed Brown rifles, 1 is about 6 years old one is brand new and they are both highly accurate, quality rigs. I don't think you would be disappointed with one of his rifles.

You'll get a lot of feedback on different makers, but I would second Allen days opinion on Hill Country--I also would look hard at the McMillan custom rifles, I've got one and it is sweet. As a final thought, for something different, the guys at Serengeti Rifleworks make a special laminated stock that is sawn vertically, they are things of beauty, and will build a custom to your specs--it will take some time, but I've got a rifle they did for me, and several more underway, they are just great folks and did a superlative job for me. I like the idea of the pretty wood with no warpage concerns, and my rig really shoots!

As a final note, I just ordered a rifle from Melvin Forbes and Ultra Light Arms, it's worth a phone call to him, he knows about accurate.

Remember to use a good piece of glass, or it can all be for naught.

http://www.serengetirifles.com
http://www.newultralight.com
http://www.mcmfamily.com

Good Luck--Don

Ed brown rifles, and all the other $2999.99 to $3999.99 dollar rifles really aren't "custom Rifles" they are simply well done $4000.00 PRODUCTION rifles. They all look the same They all shoot little itty bitty sub-bla-bla-bla-bla. Of course that is good, no doubt, And when you get done hunting for the day you can just throw the sombitti in a snow bank and walk in the tent, cause it's all stainless and carbon and teflon and bla-bla-bla-do-dah-do-dah. Don't worry, if it get's lost Sir, we can make ya 10 more all the same and you'll never be able to tell the difference, $4000.00 production rifles are like stock chevy blazers, nice? yes. Custom no. It's only custom if there's not another one like it in the world and plastic can't do that. Timan

Empire Rifles has an new all machined action they call it the model m-98s I've seen some of these and would be much more inclined to spend $4000.00 with Empire Rifles, It's a stianless 98! it has a stianless receiver and bolt, With accuracy features designed into the action, bigger bedding surfaces bigger reciever threads it would be my choice over all the others, even Dakota for $4000.00 in synthetic. They use Wiseman barrels all real good stuff. I urge you to take a good look at the Empire m-98s in 300 Rum or 338 Rum. It's a good one. With a bunch of Mauser features and more.
Timan

none of the supposed custom actions will outperform a trued/squared remington700 or win70. (unless you are buying a strict benchrest action with it's many features). That being said, true up a donor action, throw in a high end trigger, "skin bed" it in an HS Precision stock or pillar bed it in a mcmillan hunting stock, add a top end barrel mounts and rings and you are still shy of $2000 (just barely) and this rifle with good glass will hang with any full custom rifle.

pretty don't kill, so go for performance and durability first.

Great.... But that's bold statement my friend. Words like "none" and "supposed" lead me to believe you must have some "real" experience in this area. "Pretty rifles" shoot the same bullets that ugly plastic ones do. Last time I checked it was the Bullet that did the killing. How ever, it is possible you have mistaken your rifle for a more primative weapon know as a club. Now some of the best clubs aren't real pretty, but are good killing tools. Going by what you are saying I could take a real accurate B/A out of known to be super accurate setup, Make a nice walnut stock for it and this would somehow make it less accurate and less leathal.
TIMAN
get real
Next

If anyone prefers to hunt with a fine wood-stocked custom rifle, that's their business. I know guys who have literally taken every species of big game that the world has to offer with wood, and many of them have used the same rifles for over thirty years.

Personally, I've been there and back again with wood, and I'm never going to return to it. Good synthetic-stocked rifles are far better in terms of durability, strength, stability, and simple, maintenance-free rugged reliability, as just about every target shooter, law enforcment agency, and military unit in the world has long-since discovered.

And increasingly, that's what you see predominantly in just about every hunting camp in the world any more -- synthetic-stocked rifles, and many of them custom-built. Trophy hunters are interested in what works best, especially with hunting costing what it does these days, and cosmetic gratification and blessed tradition be dipped......

AD

Stalker66,

If Jim Borden puts his hands on it, it's going to be nice.

I feel that a custom rifle is anything that is built especially to suit you, the customer!

Jim Borden and Melvin Forbes produce some of the finest hunting rifles I have seen.

Now, you can go and spend $2K on the M70 style custom actions, spend almost that on the fancy shmancy fiddleback-feathered-claro walnut-turkish circassian(sp?)-etc.-etc-etc. wood stock, but don't drop it or let it slide off of whatever you leaned it against. It would be like driving a new car off the lot. Hey, I love those fancy shmancy stocks, don't get me wrong. I just think if you're looking for a hunting rifle that hunts like a Black and Tan Coonhound and will follow you over the mountains and through the woods after lions, tigers, and bears(Oh my!)...I say embrace the technology that's out there to face the elements if that is what you plan to do.

I see.

Where are you located, Stalker?

Upstate NY.