Cost of a Custom Rifle with Glass

Way out of what I want to spend. Just me and the best thing is everyone can do what they want!! I spent a fortune for a full custom 338 Edge top of the line for me, and don't see it happening again. 7K out the door ready to hunt in our jacked up prices times. Everything custom built to the rifle/action. Vx6, 200 ADG Brass, Engraved, Brake, 500ct. Diff Bullets, 3# H1000, etc. Now I know I could have saved a lot of cost with no loss in performance. VX5 instead of VX6 -$800, standard 7-308 mag -$150 Dies, buy action through smith -$300, "main stream" reloading components -$500.
 
The last one I built DIY went like this:
Defiance Tenacity $1,000
Proof pre-fit carbon $1,000
McMillan stock $700
Triggertech $180
Hawkins M5 DBM $300
Leupold $1,000
Talley Rings $50
Total: $4230 thereabouts

My current build is about the same plus $800 for the price increase in the action.
 
What would you spend or have spent?

What is your budget (costs) for a complete custom rifle with glass if you were having someone build for you or you building?
Since today I finally finished our Taxes and had a lot of receipts to go over.

I was tabulating some costs of our rifles from last year with glass including purchase price shipping & taxes. We have (5) builds like this.
$1,500 - Stock with inlet & bedding or Chassis
$500.00 to $2,000.00 for BiPod or Front Rest
$1,500 - $2,000.00 - Action
$550.00 for SS Barrel
$800.00 for CF Barrel
Buy (2) Same Barrels at the same time. First barrel to Dial in and or Fire Form and Second for having an accurate rifle.
$300.00 to 400.00 Trigger
$300.00 - $400.00 for Scope Mount
$200.00- Brake
$3,000.00 to $4,000.00 + for Glass
$300.00 ++++ for Gunsmith to Chamber Fit & Finish
$300.00 - $400.00 for Dies - Only component for reloading, all the other reloading components $$$$.

Glass is the e com
 
I reload for a fair amount of people. When it's young hunters and shooters on a budget I tell them that if you have $2000 to spend on a rifle and scope to spend $12 to 13 hundred on the glass and get a rifle with what's left. Look for a good used rifle, there are plenty of them out there. Very few people have the deep pockets to buy a $8000, to $10,000 rig. At least not the ones I know.
 
My first and only custom I paid for was in 1980, it was on a Rem 700 in the renamed 7mm Express on a custom wood stock that was beautiful to say the least, Quilted Maple thumbhole, burnt and sanded to my desired color I liked, all for the tidy sum of around $1200.00. The glass was Weaver 3x9 with Control mounts and rings. I turned a lot heads in deer camps with that rifle, my daughter now owns that rifle.
Since then I have made dozens of custom rifles for myself, my family, and some really close friends, and they did not cost them a penny. I built the rifles on Rem 700's and Mauser's 98's when you could buy the 98's for $69.00 plus tax and the Rem's used for $2-300.00. Yea those days are over so I don't build many rifles today. Last year I built a Rem 700 in 300 WM with a 26" Douglas XX SS barrel, threaded and chambered by them, plus threaded for a brake, installed on a custom thumbhole stock I had on a 458 WM I built 15-20 yrs ago. (long story)
I've built a lot of rifles that shot good at 1-200 yds, it was only recently that I started shooting out to 4-500 yds, but most of my rifles would shoot sub moa groups, I did reload though, and most were built on 26" Shilen or Douglas sporter barrels, but the results were always there and a Leupold was the best scope I ever had on one. Forever I used a Simmons Apex 3.4 x 12 x 50 AO and I'd buy 10 more new in the box today for hunting if I could, but when you see the targets below realize that most were shot using the Simmons scope.
I'll attach the pic of my Rem 300 WM from last year, maybe I have $1500.00 total in it. Most of the other rifles I have well less than $750.00 that you see the groups on.
 

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For me a rifle in the 4500-5500 just rifle is fine with me. Don't know what the builder feels about that but I wouldn't have a problem with this range. Obviously glass in the 2500-4000 range bumps things up there.

Yes factory rifles have improved immensely but when you cycle that custom action and it picks up that shell and injects it into that precision chamber and gets locked down how can you not smile knowing (if I'm on my game) it's hitting where you put that cross hair. Now your Caressing that trigger like a fine Cl#%^&&×=< and you send that Beautiful 7mm 195gr (projectile of choice) on its way. You watch that vapor trail through an ALPHA Tier 1 scope (of your choice) as it reaches 1150 yards and connects with your intended target. Hitting within inches of your actual POA. It could be a gong or flesh your choice. You sit up thinking hot **** and look down at your rifle and smile. Even a sweet Caressing of the stock makes things better.

I now forget the money I spent on her and say she was worth every penny. I look at the beautiful makeup job on the stock the PERFECTION in the glass it wears and say she is the one AND I will love you forever.

Not much better than that.
 
I reload for a fair amount of people. When it's young hunters and shooters on a budget I tell them that if you have $2000 to spend on a rifle and scope to spend $12 to 13 hundred on the glass and get a rifle with what's left. Look for a good used rifle, there are plenty of them out there. Very few people have the deep pockets to buy a $8000, to $10,000 rig. At least not the ones I know.
Good "hunting" glass can be had for $500 and up these days.
 
I would love to meet up with someone who has a scope that cost 5K and let me shoot their rifle. I'm trying to wrap my head around how they can be that much better than a Leupold (1200-1500 range) to justify the extra expense. I'm not saying they're not worth every penny because I've never even looked through one, much less ranged one out at 500 yds or beyond. A Leupold is as good as it has ever gotten for me at long range. I've shot my Leupold Mark 4 Long Range Tactical M1 at 1000 yds and hit what I was shooting at, if the 5K scopes make it that much easier to hit at that range I'd like to see it.

I just did a quick put together of a Rem 700 action w factory trigger, 26" threaded and chamber heavy Douglas XX SS barrel, a brake, buying a custom woodstock (no in-letting or finishing added yet), and the total was already $2350.00 without any smith work added into that cost. Everything I just priced is on the lower side of the price range, so when people are buying the premium components I can see where just the cost of those parts can cost 4-5, without the glass, then add the smith work and it really starts to add up.

What's nice about our hobby is that if you have the want to you can spend a ton of money to get what you want and you don't owe an explanation to anyone else why you're doing it. I'm not the 1000+ yd serious shooter some of you guys are, yet I tip my hat to y'all because it takes good equipment and skill to do that and to do it good consistently, but I have enjoyed shooting out to 500 yds more than I used to.
Shooting is fun, if it's 100 yds enjoy it, if it's a mile or two enjoy it, but most of all we all need to stick together and support each other.
 
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If my wife sees this, I am dead. But my last few builds are all fairly similar. These are average costs. Some slightly more, some slightly less. But I would say overall, within $800-1000.

Action $1400
CF Barrel $750
Muzzle brake $140 (TBAC CB)
Stock $1100
Trigger $350
Bottom metal $300
Mags or mag box/spring/follower $100
Gunsmithing (cut/thread/chamber/thread muzzle, time brake, Cerakote, bedding) $1200
Rings $200
Level $75
Scope $3600

Total $9215
If you add suppressor costs (I have 3 that bounce between rifles), $1500 each
$10715

Add reloading costs
Dies $250
Brass (200pcs) $500
Powder 8# $350
Bullets (1k) $750
Primers (1k) $150

$12715 each

Yeah, costs add up real fast for a top of the line full custom rifle.
 
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