What to do and not do when building a rifle? Looking at a 260AI.

[oldfamily]

Figure out what you want to do with the rifle. Keeping same size barrel or going bigger, changing stocks, need extended magazine to get best results out of it. That said what components do you have for it? Powder, dies, primers, bullets, brass are all hard to find. If you have to order a barrel you are looking at a year at best to get one made.

 

[skookum]

One thing I learned the hard way: Ask your gunsmith what his accuracy expectations are. I wound up with 2 rifles rebarreled by the same guy and they both shot like garbage. His words were "I'll take anything that shoots around a minute." He half-a**ed both rifles. One gun I got back with the stock making contact with the barrel and the other had thumb prints in the bedding. Neither shot well even after I addressed the issues.

 

[Bullwhacker]

I rebuilt a 243 M700 into a 260AI. Shooting 143 ELDX out of a Hawk Hill barrel chambered by Alex Wheeler with Alpha brass and RL26 at 2958 fps. Loving this round the more I shoot it. Printed this 3 shot group at 600 yards last week while testing neck tension.

 

[Kimber7man]

#1 assume anyone doing the work on your gun is a liar.
Do not believe anything they tell you,, especially when it just happens to be anything you want.
Have a worst case plan for this -upfront.

Wonder what would happen if all gunsmiths felt the same way about their customers....

 

[WWP2012]

If you have to order a barrel you are looking at a year at best to get one made.

That is simply not true. Lots of barrels in stock all over the web. I just placed a Lilja order last week Monday and was contoured and shipped Friday.

 

[yorke-1]

You are leaving performance on the table by limiting a custom to a SAAMI chamber except maybe on the CM/PRC cartridges.

If he's building a 260 AI, it won't be a SAAMI reamer. It's just a matter of getting a copy of the print for whichever reamer the he wants to use.

#1 assume anyone doing the work on your gun is a liar.
Do not believe anything they tell you,, especially when it just happens to be anything you want.
Have a worst case plan for this -upfront.

That's about where I'm at these days.

With the availability of quality custom actions capable of accepting prefit barrels, I'd go that route rather than have a smith build a rifle under most circumstances. I've had 13 custom guns, built by 7 different smiths. Some of them have shot extremely well, others haven't. Some of them showed the kind of attention to detail you'd expect from a top name smith, others didn't.

I'm a function first shooter 90% of the time. If I can install a prefit barrel on an action and get .5 MOA (or better) for half the price of a custom gun that shoots the same groups, I'll go prefit every time.

 

[SSgt G Cody]

I'd advise you to take your time and shop around well. In 6mmAI I would chamber it for a long, heavy bullet, in a sleek bolt action (Tikka, Weatherby, etc), light trigger (1.5-2 lb), 1/7 twist light Sendero-type barrel, probably stainless, longer mag box, comfortable free-floated stock, single pic rail, steel rings, and a good scope. This should shoot under .5 MOA. Also, I'd compare this chambering to 6mm PRC.

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

Know what you want—

As most said buy a good barrel.

Buy a good trigger, and what you like…

Find a gunsmith you like working with—and don't wear his rear out hanging in his shop or you will never get your gun.

Ed

 

[oldfamily]

That is simply not true. Lots of barrels in stock all over the web. I just placed a Lilja order last week Monday and was contoured and shipped Friday.

How long to get a 1 in 7 twist lilja? Krieger has ready to ship barrels you can order anytime. Last 3 Kriegers I ordered 14 to 16 months. Brux little less,.

 

[Mikecr]

Wonder what would happen if all gunsmiths felt the same way about their customers....

It isn't personal. It's a conservative approach to planning.
With regard to paid services, how anyone 'feels' should not matter to the outcome.
So I don't want my stock finisher to like me or hate me. I only want them to follow my order to the T, and as committed. After all, I've already paid them for just that.

Preference #1 Have all reloading components needed for the expected life of one barrel -before you buy anything else.
Measure your brass, develop a reloading plan, maybe fill out a reamer print.
Preference #2 Hold your own reamer. Do not let whatever rattles around a gunsmith's drawer set the foundation of YOUR cartridge/reloading.
Preference #3 Buy barrel blanks in pairs, and have them finished together. In relative terms, the barrel is the most important, yet cheapest part, as the only disposable part of the gun.
Additional #1 Begin the home refinancing process so that you can at least shop around for a new scope..

 

[WWP2012]

How long to get a 1 in 7 twist lilja? Krieger has ready to ship barrels you can order anytime. Last 3 Kriegers I ordered 14 to 16 months. Brux little less,.

Don't know you would have to call them. Unless you insist on a odd ball twist most manufacturers have standard twists in stock as blanks.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

..... I would recommend faster than traditional with most bullets on the market. There are some thin jacketed bullets that could have trouble, but most won't.

....

^^^ This is exactly what I came here to post. If there are any regrets from the numerous customs that i've built or advised on, it's twist rate.

Anything I build in the future in .22, 6mm or 6.5mm will be <1-8". IMHO, the pros FAR outweigh the cons. Of course, there will always be caveats, but that will be where an honest & capable 'smith will earn his money, reputation & business.

I'd also advise to heavily vet the gunsmiths that you are considering. I'd wager that most of us with a lot of experience in this game have been bitten by the "cheaper than the other guy" "gunsmith. Lord knows that I have.





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[Mike D Texas]

If he's building a 260 AI, it won't be a SAAMI reamer. It's just a matter of getting a copy of the print for whichever reamer the he wants to use.

I get that as I own a 260AI but he said in his post he was going with the advice of his builder and using a SAAMI chamber.

 

[Andy4600]

Lots of good input from everyone. Thank you! Looks like I need to nail down what chamber I want first, and then go from there. I'll start another thread on that issue.