Custom rifle of choice

[ohiohunter]

I agree with COhunter. No doubt the 7mmD is a hammer, but its obscure compared to the 300wm. An on the shelf gun would be best suited for a large audience, not a select few, and probably should be a popular caliber. Gear it towards higher end factory ammo like hsm and black hills for those who want long range but do not reload.

Also as a builder it would be easy to thread the barrel and cap it then sell the break extra if they want it.

 

[shortgrass]

I think if you were looking at it that way, I would lean more towards a cheaper build that you can get over the counter ammo for. A trued rem action in a B&C stock in calibers like 30-06, 270, 7mm, and 300wm would be where I would start. If someone wants a different chambering, a McMillan stock, etc, then they will probably go the full custom route anyway. JMO...

Wouldn't that pretty much discribe Noslers' offering? Standard calibers that can be bought "off the shelf".

 

[MMERSS]

260
7 WSM
300 Mag

All have proved to be effective at ranges most would consider long. After all we are in a long range forum where long range shots are quite frequently equated to ranges past 300 yards if not well beyond.

800+, 300 RUM and 338 Edge added to the mix.

 

[deadlift]

There are a few guy that offer rifles like this, Nosler being one as well as Hill Country. We see alot of guys building rifles like the one I described in the beginning thread, so it peaked my interest. Most run 7mm Rem mags. The up side to a proprietary round like the 7mm Dakota is that it is somewhat rare, but components are available. There is nothing worse than buying a rifle that you can't get components for. Whether its stocks or brass.

 

[MudRunner2005]

There are a few guy that offer rifles like this, Nosler being one as well as Hill Country. We see alot of guys building rifles like the one I described in the beginning thread, so it peaked my interest. Most run 7mm Rem mags. The up side to a proprietary round like the 7mm Dakota is that it is somewhat rare, but components are available. There is nothing worse than buying a rifle that you can't get components for. Whether its stocks or brass.

If you want somewhat "custom" on the caliber, but accessible components and shelf-ammo, then go with 7mm STW chambering. You and I both know that it has made a very strong come-back in the last several years, and holds a very large cult-following.

Plus with a 26-28" varmint contour 1:8.75" twist, you should be able to shoot 160's up to the 190-195's when they become available.

Nosler offers STW brass, along with several other companies, and other than that, components are relatively easy to find.

The STW can shoot game from 50-1500 yards no problem. That's some serious versatility. What more could you really ask for?

 

[Deleted member 48126]

7mm Rem Mag pretty much covers it.

No one mentioned the .308 Win. Solid 750 yard performer especially used in the platform described.

ALSO, I wouldnt mind seeing the 338 Lapua

 

[Timber338]

My #1 choice would be 300 win mag. My perspective living in Colorado, a harvesting rifle has to be able to handle anything from antelope up to elk and moose, and the 300wm just gets it done. It pushes the heavy 200+ grain bullets fast enough to carry plenty of energy out to 1000+ yards, while not so fast that barrel life suffers. And although a brake let's you spot your shots, a 300wm is easy to shoot without one.

#2 choice 7mm STW.
#3 choice 338 RUM or Edge

In my mind the 7mm bullet is perfect for deer sized critters, the .338 is perfect for elk & moose, and the .308 bullet is the most versatile of them all.

 

[cohunter14]

Wouldn't that pretty much discribe Noslers' offering? Standard calibers that can be bought "off the shelf".

There are a number of people out there that do this, although I would say that Nosler's prices are definitely a bit high compared to others. All I was saying is that if you are going to make an off the shelf, semi custom rifle, I wouldn't make it is specialty calibers. The people who you are marketing that kind of a rifle to probably wouldn't need those. To put it in other terms: if you are making a rifle that you want to sell a lot of, would you chamber it in a 7mag or a 7 dakota/stw etc. If you are making semi-customs and only offering a few chamberings at a lower price, I am guessing you are going to want to sell a lot of them.

 

[deadlift]

I would like to see a 338 Lapua as well! But a bigger non-cheytac 375 is also intriguing. Obviously both of those are specialty rounds, but they would still be whacking machines!!
Chris

 

[shortgrass]

There are a number of people out there that do this, although I would say that Nosler's prices are definitely a bit high compared to others. All I was saying is that if you are going to make an off the shelf, semi custom rifle, I wouldn't make it is specialty calibers. The people who you are marketing that kind of a rifle to probably wouldn't need those. To put it in other terms: if you are making a rifle that you want to sell a lot of, would you chamber it in a 7mag or a 7 dakota/stw etc. If you are making semi-customs and only offering a few chamberings at a lower price, I am guessing you are going to want to sell a lot of them.

Who are "the others" who have lower prices? I'd like to check 'um out. Even if you're not paying retail for the components and would be doing all the work yourself, you're getting pretty close to the $1720 they're offering their "Patriot" model for. Propriety action (haven't seen one, yet), hand lapped SS barrel, B&C Medalist stock, + bottom metal, spring & follower, and add CeraCoat, too. They've got quit a list of available calibers, too. I just shipped a custom to a customer who provided the action and the stock and the final bill was higher than Noslers rifle. I will agree that for an "off the shelf semi-custom" common calibers would probably sell better. Ya' can't please 'um all.

 

[cohunter14]

Who are "the others" who have lower prices? I'd like to check 'um out. Even if you're not paying retail for the components and would be doing all the work yourself, you're getting pretty close to the $1720 they're offering their "Patriot" model for. Propriety action (haven't seen one, yet), hand lapped SS barrel, B&C Medalist stock, + bottom metal, spring & follower, and add CeraCoat, too. They've got quit a list of available calibers, too. I just shipped a custom to a customer who provided the action and the stock and the final bill was higher than Noslers rifle. I will agree that for an "off the shelf semi-custom" common calibers would probably sell better. Ya' can't please 'um all.

Snowy Mountain is the one I would recommend. Not as low of price as that Patriot (I didn't look at that one earlier), but very inexpensive compared to full customs. IMO a 1 MOA guarantee that Nosler gives isn't too solid for a $1,700+ rifle.

 

[Timber338]

IMO a 1 MOA guarantee that Nosler gives isn't too solid for a $1,700+ rifle.

I'm thinking the same thing about Nosler's 1moa guarantee. I would be curious to see how well they shoot with hand loads... I would sure hope better than 1moa.

For my money, buying an on-the-shelf rifle that we're talking about in this thread, I would be much more likely to buy something from a sponsor from this site than a Nosler rifle.

 

[shortgrass]

I'm thinking the same thing about Nosler's 1moa guarantee. I would be curious to see how well they shoot with hand loads... I would sure hope better than 1moa.

For my money, buying an on-the-shelf rifle that we're talking about in this thread, I would be much more likely to buy something from a sponsor from this site than a Nosler rifle.

I'd like to get a guarantee , too. That guarantee would state that the person getting the rifle knows how to shoot and has good handloading equipment, components and reloading technique. I've had one try one factory ammo offering, an import at that, and declare "it won't shoot". I took a look at it, cleaned it because it was filthy, fired a one hole group with the first handload I put in it and then fired another real nice group with an American made factory load. Another tried shooting like it was a 6PPC that weighed 17# with the forarm not held, just let rested , and complained he was shooting "way over the back stop and couldn't hit the target". That won't work with any 140g. 6.5mm bullet leaving the muzzle @ 2825fps out of a 12# rifle. And still another who had "accuracy woes" until he bought a new powder scale! Guarantees need to go both ways and usually aren't worth the paper they're written on or the band width they occupy.

 

[cohunter14]

I'd like to get a guarantee , too. That guarantee would state that the person getting the rifle knows how to shoot and has good handloading equipment, components and reloading technique. I've had one try one factory ammo offering, an import at that, and declare "it won't shoot". I took a look at it, cleaned it because it was filthy, fired a one hole group with the first handload I put in it and then fired another real nice group with an American made factory load. Another tried shooting like it was a 6PPC that weighed 17# with the forarm not held, just let rested , and complained he was shooting "way over the back stop and couldn't hit the target". That won't work with any 140g. 6.5mm bullet leaving the muzzle @ 2825fps out of a 12# rifle. And still another who had "accuracy woes" until he bought a new powder scale! Guarantees need to go both ways and usually aren't worth the paper they're written on or the band width they occupy.

I think guarantees are pretty simple...if the gun can do it, that's all that is necessary. It shouldn't be too difficult to prove that in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. It isn't the builder's fault if the shooter can't live up to the gun's potential. With that being said, a gun with a 1/2 MOA guarantee sounds a lot better than a gun with a 1 MOA guarantee.