To prefit or not to prefit…🧐

[sierracharlie338]

OP based on what you are saying I would go the buy once cry once route.

A GA Precision 308 build is hard to beat for me personally but there are tons of great smiths that do amazing work out there.

Then you can buy an action and build one for fun but still have a solid full build on deck.

As far as accuracy the majority of shooters won't see a difference in a quality "prefit" and some "non prefits".

 

[FireFlyFishing]

I have two rifles I just built using Kelbly Atlas Tactical, the shouldered pre-fit barrels are made by Preferred Barrel Blanks, the headspace was checked for both and they were perfect with Clymer Go and No-Go gauges. That would be your biggest concern is headspace. If you do not have the tools, barrel vise and action wrench, I would suggest purchasing a Terminus Zeus QC action, no tools needed other than an Allen wrench. That is going to be my next action to buy, and I will use it for my personal rifle. Good luck, enjoy the process, I will give you some other advice, when you order the stock, if you use AG Composite, they will ask for the barrel shank length and the taper. I would hold off on ordering the stock until you receive the finished barrel, this will allow you to provide the precise measurements they will need to set the barrel channel in the stock. Have fun and take your time.

Once again we have to define our terms. Some refer to "prefits" as those barrels that use a Savage style nut. Others mean shouldered barrels that are finish chambered and fit the newer very precise actions. Mainly personal preference. The wait time for barrels can be long but if one's chosen smith doesn't have the barrel in stock the delay is barrel wait plus the work load delay of the smith. I think the time factor is one of the main driving forces behind the popularity of the pre-fits

Copy that on headspace. I was unaware you could do a shouldered prefit as well as a barrel nut. More things for me to consider now. I'm pondering how that would work and I see what y'all are talking about a quality blank so it spins on there with proper headspace. With the barrel nut prefit, you adjust the headspace with the gauges. I'm tracking with you guys. I guess I'll have to look at price differences between the two. I think the shouldered would look better in the end, but that's not a deal breaker either way.

I'm assuming there are many options for quality blanks from different vendors. I guess the question is…who to stay away from?

 

[FireFlyFishing]

North of $5K has me squirming in my seat a bit. Assuming that includes glass. However, it's funny, my mountain bike was over $10k when all is said and done. The good thing about a custom .308 is it will likely last my lifetime. Mountain bike not so much…the rifle is a better investment! That's what I'll tell my wife anyway.

 

[Kmccord]

North of $5K has me squirming in my seat a bit. Assuming that includes glass. However, it's funny, my mountain bike was over $10k when all is said and done. The good thing about a custom .308 is it will likely last my lifetime. Mountain bike not so much…the rifle is a better investment! That's what I'll tell my wife anyway.

Using Custom action and doing everything yourself, the cost is going to run you between 3500 and 4200, depending on how much you want on a barrel, fluting, Cerakote or if you go Carbon fiber. The action will cost the most, then comes stock, manners are not cheap, AG Composite is very good on price for a carbon fiber stock.

 

[cajun]

Fair enough. I'm not a rookie around a wrench nor a building an AR from scratch. You can budget build those though. I don't want to mess up a nice bolt gun…then pay more for a smith to fix.

I've watched the vids. Seems like good parts and following the directions with correct tools = really nice rifle without having to deal with long smith wait times and extra cost.

Do a prefit. One warning though if you buy the tools you may wind up spending more money.
Big horn origin $900
Criterion prefit 350-400 depending on shouldered or not.
Uses rem 700 foot print so lots of stock and trigger options. So you can spend 400-500 on an HS or $700-900 on an adg, mcmillan or manners.
Trigger tech or timney.
I bought a viper barrle vise and northland sells a nice action wrench.
As for the shoulder it might look nicer but I like the ability to set the headspace myself.
I built one one a remington and one a savage since I already had the actions. Both are legitimate .5-.6 moa average of 3 shots over multiple groups. Barrel cleans really easy. I like the heavy factory contour. The next one I build will be on an origin.

 

[Lee7588]

I have had barrels cut and chambered by gunsmiths and shouldered prefits from proof research CF and I would do shouldered again and again. I shoot a zermatts action, like many other custom actions are machined to tight tolerances. So ordering a shouldered prefits for me is the way to go. I get about .25 moa shooting hand loads. Now I will say there are a lot of GS that can and will cut a shouldered prefits for you without having your action. That gives more choices than what proof does i.e. twist, length, and contours. Having and action wrench and barrel vice I can swap a barrel in about 5 mins. and be into a different caliber.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Do a prefit. One warning though if you buy the tools you may wind up spending more money.
Big horn origin $900
Criterion prefit 350-400 depending on shouldered or not.
Uses rem 700 foot print so lots of stock and trigger options. So you can spend 400-500 on an HS or $700-900 on an adg, mcmillan or manners.
Trigger tech or timney.
I bought a viper barrle vise and northland sells a nice action wrench.
As for the shoulder it might look nicer but I like the ability to set the headspace myself.
I built one one a remington and one a savage since I already had the actions. Both are legitimate .5-.6 moa average of 3 shots over multiple groups. Barrel cleans really easy. I like the heavy factory contour. The next one I build will be on an origin.

Yep. I understand the tools will be an investment. That doesn't bother me. If I don't need them, I can always sell them…but, I have a feeling once I complete the first rifle I will want to build more and the tools will be needed.

 

[cajun]

Yep. I understand the tools will be an investment. That doesn't bother me. If I don't need them, I can always sell them…but, I have a feeling once I complete the first rifle I will want to build more and the tools will be needed.

I can guarantee you will lol. It's not bad the viper is about $70 and the zermatt action wrench is $85. Plus headspace gauges. The shouldered barrels would be convenient if you plan on swapping barrels on one action.

 

[Lee7588]

I use a PMA vise. One side is cut for heavy barrels and 1/4 turn it for smaller profile barrels. I use a southern precision rifle action wrench. When you do your first one you'll be hooked

 

[lancetkenyon]

North of $5K has me squirming in my seat a bit. Assuming that includes glass. .

 

[hemiford]

View attachment 527219

I don't see how it's even possible or safe to assume a "prefit" shouldered barrel will be
headspaced correctly. It must be checked and set by a machinist, at the given barrel torque,
either with or without thread lube.

 

[cajun]

I don't see how it's even possible or safe to assume a "prefit" shouldered barrel will be
headspaced correctly. It must be checked and set by a machinist, at the given barrel torque,
either with or without thread lube.

Because the tolerances on premium custom actions are so tight. These are cnc machined to tight tolerances so it is possible to cut a barrel tenon to be within headspace tolerances. Very rarely have I seen folks complaining about a shouldered barrel that won't headspace correctly. Given how people tend to complain about problems on the net I would say that's a good indicator. I have seen a lot of guys on here who shoot shouldered prefits with very few complaints. Personally if I don't plan on switching barrels I would rather use a nut and set it myself.

 

[pavementends]

Even with a shouldered pre-fit I check it with head space gauges. You really do not have to be a machinist to tell if the action closes on a go gauge and does not close on a no go gauge. And almost everyone I know has access to a torque wrench. It is however somewhat addictive.

 

[cajun]

Even with a shouldered pre-fit I check it with head space gauges. You really do not have to be a machinist to tell if the action closes on a go gauge and does not close on a no go gauge. And almost everyone I know has access to a torque wrench. It is however somewhat addictive.

Most definitely check the headspace.