Custom rifle cost going to the moon , when does it end ?

[jcbjr]

These guns often appeal, like other high end items, to people with more money than sense, often who can't/don't want to set up rifle, work up loads, etc. That probably have a factory or dealer modded diesel 1ton pickup that's way more that they need, as well. This recent economy (pre-COVID 19) has produced a bunch of young kids with tons of money, so there's a market. Good! Adds to our national bottom line! I don't think we have to worry about being priced out, as there are plenty of great makers willing to produce excellent guns/parts at substantially lower prices; not cheap, mind you, but attainable by mere mortals.
Personally, I pride myself in putting together a rig for, scope and all, under $2500.
Bone stock Savage .308 with heavy fluted 24" bbl,
Bushnell Elite 6-24 mil dot scope
Rings and 20mil pic rail (good stuff, can't remember brand)
Linear compensator (out of consideration for fellow shooters!
Aftermarket adjustable cheek piece

That's it! Accustock and Accutrigger.
0.5moa at 200 consistently; can batter a 4" plate at 500m all day long. This is the fun part for me. Some day maybe I'll have another, spend more, get a really good scope. But I'll leave the Gunwerks , etc., to those with the money but no time/desire to invest in the build. 65 yo grandpa's 2 cents.
JB

 

[Deleted member 103481]

Well I guess controlling heart rate , breathing , trigger press and follow threw may not be good practice for you but it is for me because when you are climbing a mountain and buck feaver kicks in these muscle memories are now more important then ever !!!! I do spot and stock coyotes and varmints from cover for this EXACT reason , when I see them I need to get to a shooting point , get set up and break a clean shot all while my heart rate is up and getting my shooting position set up all in prep for fall hunting season , this is getting off topic so I'll leave it there

ive never seen someone do load development after running down a mountain and crawling through oak brush but if you do then you're scenario does qualify.

controlling your heartbeat from that walk from your truck to the bench doesn't though.

 

[AaronSkipDavidson]

These guns often appeal, like other high end items, to people with more money than sense, often who can't/don't want to set up rifle, work up loads, etc. That probably have a factory or dealer modded diesel 1ton pickup that's way more that they need, as well. This recent economy (pre-COVID 19) has produced a bunch of young kids with tons of money, so there's a market. Good! Adds to our national bottom line! I don't think we have to worry about being priced out, as there are plenty of great makers willing to produce excellent guns/parts at substantially lower prices; not cheap, mind you, but attainable by mere mortals.
Personally, I pride myself in putting together a rig for, scope and all, under $2500.
Bone stock Savage .308 with heavy fluted 24" bbl,
Bushnell Elite 6-24 mil dot scope
Rings and 20mil pic rail (good stuff, can't remember brand)
Linear compensator (out of consideration for fellow shooters!
Aftermarket adjustable cheek piece

That's it! Accustock and Accutrigger.
0.5moa at 200 consistently; can batter a 4" plate at 500m all day long. This is the fun part for me. Some day maybe I'll have another, spend more, get a really good scope. But I'll leave the Gunwerks , etc., to those with the money but no time/desire to invest in the build. 65 yo grandpa's 2 cents.
JB

I always find that old saw funny. "more money than sense" All the customers that I know are really successful and intelligent people. I've learned a lot from the association. I aspire to their levels of intelligence and success. The hard working self made successful person that buys a Gunwerks rifle, whether he's a landscaper or a land developer isn't a stupid person. I don't mind when people beat up our brand, because I understand it mostly comes from a lack of visibility or complete knowledge. But I will stick up for our customers. They are smart cats! They are successful for a reason.

 

[Randel]

IF was going to spend 10k plus I'd buy a 416 or 50 cal Barrett Rifle they would drop any animal on the planet, and yes you can build a custom Rifle for around $4500 including scope.

 

[Almondgrower]

ive never seen someone do load development after running down a mountain and crawling through oak brush but if you do then you're scenario does qualify.

controlling your heartbeat from that walk from your truck to the bench doesn't though.

Varmint hunting is for set up and execution practice

 

[JAYgs8163]

Bottom line is a Gunwerks rig completely dialed in with ammo and optics may be what some guy/gal wants and it'll shoot great I'm sure, with NO frustrations. It's done and complete with no further worry.

The other part of that equation is you can build a similar rifle for much less but you have be very patient and accumulate everything, find a trusted Smith, wait, wait, wait. Once it's done though %95 of the time you have a awesome rig that's every bit as good.

Worst case scenario that's eliminated by buying a Gunwerks is the elimination of that 5% chance you get back a rifle that's not what you expected (a turd). Poor Smith work or some defect in one of the items you purchased on your own. I've experienced a poor Smith job and it can be very frustrating, but I have now found a very competent Smith and no longer have this worry.

To each their own. What ever floats your boat but to put someone down because they have the ability financially to buy a Gunwerks rifle is ludicrous. Also, my $600 Savage 6.5 shoots bug holes all day long just as nice as my custom rig does. Anyways. Cheers all.

 

[Deleted member 103481]

Varmint hunting is for set up and execution practice

No idea what you're talking about at this point.

you pay for load development when you buy a kit rifle. Load development at any insured company at distance is well over a grand. I said the hours you spend doing ladders and developing load don't count as practice like field practice hours do, now you're talking about varmint hunting.

 

[bigtuna431]

Good Lord that's a bunch of dollars being tossed around in this thread... Way more than I could pony up for any new custom... Old and retired... That's why I buy used. Most of those fancy bragging guns will end up as safe queens... You know the ones. they were bought for that planned trip to Africa that never happened, or carried on one antelope hunt in Wyoming... Or the guy died before he got the chance to go.. So my rifle of choice is a rebarreled mint FN/98 Mauser action with a very nice piece of wood. Caliber doesn't matter, and duplicates don't matter as long as it's originally a quality build.. Buy enough of them and eventually you'll have all possibilities covered.. I just go broke buying safes for all my 'Queens'...

 

[bigngreen]

For a LOT of people the time is their money, a Gunwerks rifle would actually be a budget build for them! There are a lot of people who find more value in not spending money, comparing performance to dollars spent, my bro is one of those guys he has a full tilt custom rifle I built him, he goes out fills every tag with one easy shot, goes to the range and hits every target first round and he's board and the gun sits, he buys a Mosin for $75 puts weeks into tweaking it, milling parts and mods and he hits a giant steel plate at 500 with it and he's wetting his pants in excitement, go figure!!

 

[Arkansasdad]

I just saw a new release of a highbred big game rifle from probably THE big boys in the industry . The cost including a 2500.00$ optic is 12500.00$ . I have done my fair share of buying things that I knew were a bit out of the ( practical or common sense range ) because I just wanted it but not to the tune of 12500.00 lol !! To be clear I'm sure it comes with 100 rounds of custom ( tuned ) Ammo for it and we all know the work that goes into that although the load development is the steepest on the first ( set up ) then after that it's probably a little more cookie cutter . I'll be the first to admit these are some of the baddest rifles to ever hit the planet and the detail and designs are AMAZING for sure! I feel a custom build with a premium barrel , stock , trigger , action and optic around 5-6 k is ( fair ) but I also have some factory rifles with a proper tuned load that shot at .250 or better . One in particular I have is a .093 5 shot group at 100 yard and it holds that moa pretty close to 800 so far , I knew they shot well but I'm still on cloud 9 with that one and I promise, that's not the norm for me on factory guns !!
I know these factory rifles most likely will walk significantly more threw a 20 shot string then these premium guns will of course but for most hunting rifles that's not necessarily going to be needed . I have set up several rifles for friends that just want a hunting gun with factory Ammo . I set one rem 700 up with a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14 and found THE factory Ammo that it liked ! On most of these projects I'm able to find Ammo that will shoot .500 or better all for 1800.00$ and it just about holds that all the way to 800. I'm not poking at custom builders ,it is a true art , I'm just asking what your feelings are towards these 10-12000.00$ guns and where the future is headed ( and I'm not talking about 50 bmg or 375 cheytac type guns) With all the modern machining practices, factory rifles have came a long way for sure ! I think we are going to see a swing in the market for gun builders to produce a gun that is a (budget) version . I think these are selling now because of the craze we are in now kinda like in 2008 when desil pickups were grocery getters during that craze that blew up , then desil hit 5.00$ gallon in Comifornia and they were dumped quick ! Is it just me or are these prices crazy ..... but soooo bad a** of a rifle !!

I tinker with rifles all the time and in my humble opinion a Ruger, after a few rounds to break it in, or a Weatherby right out of the box will outshoot most shooter's ability. In the past few years the proficiency of the shooters that come to range has increased greatly but not to the extent that a one half minute rifle will make a difference over a three quarter minute will. Buy a reputable rifle and put twice the glass you can afford on it and you will probably find that the rifle will hold better than you. I hear all the time that someone has a one hole rifle but at the range they shoot 3/4 groups, and this is great but it is not one hole on the target. We have a range where we can shoot 1000 yds., (you will wear out a four wheeler there), and I see most good shooters are around 18" on the board and that is great. We also have about 5 shooters that shoot about everyday and they are in the 9" range on a calm day. One of these men shoots a factory Wby. with a NXS over it, no frills about $5500 total and can shoot the socks off about anyone shooting. George Farr borrowed a loaner at Perry and walked away with it. With a rifle he had never shot pulled down 71 bulls on the 1000 with a 1903. It was said he borrowed money to get to Port Clinton, he did not have the money to buy the rifle after the match as allowed by the Civilian Marksmanship Program so his fellow competitors all chipped in, bought it, and gave it to him, this is a great story and one that will make you think. Happy shooting.

 

[Sgt. grizz]

I probably should hold my 2cents because I build guns and no not ARs. In my opinion the cost of all the products have gotten out of control to build a gun, and it was not that long ago when everything was a lot cheaper to buy, barrels, actions, triggers, bottom metal, stocks and scopes were way less making it a lot easier to build and sale a good product at a lower price to the normal person that could afford a custom build.

 

[DSheetz]

Sgt. Grizz , that is true and I think that demand is mostly the reason the price has gone through the roof for parts .

 

[Westernhuntr]

I probably should hold my 2cents because I build guns and no not ARs. I'm my opinion the cost of all the products have gotten out of control to build a gun, and it was not that long ago when everything was a lot cheaper to buy, barrels, actions, triggers, bottom metal, stocks and scopes were way less making it a lot easier to build and sale a good product at a lower price to the normal person that could afford a custom build.

Well said my friend
I guess that makes you a "Clown" like the rest of us who don't like overpaying

 

[Mram10us]

I'm all about a couple guys getting together and building a successful company. It does seem there is more markup than I'd like. As an uninsured, non schooled gun tinkerer, I would have to charge $13k for a turnkey because the questions you get after the sale would take years off my life. "Why Is this shooting 3" high at 1000? I turned the thingy on the scope to "1000"."