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.