Anyone ever build (assemble) a bolt action rifle? Got thoughts?

[Iowashooter]

I've built (assembled from parts) a couple of ARs and one 10/22. Had fun with those builds and they shoot pretty well.

For 'something to do' I'm considering building a bolt action rifle.

I've been watching Brownells videos on the topic.

I'm not a precision shooter and no longer hunt... so this would be a rifle for recreational target shooting at the range.

Caliber TBD

Thoughts? Experiences or perspectives?

 

[lonestardiver]

Do you have a specific action in mind?
Savage actions with a prefit barrel are easier to set up head space.

 

[Charlie]

Good morning, folks!

 

[Txhillbilly]

I've built many over the years. Both semi-custom off factory action's, and full custom using custom action's.
It all depends on what you are wanting, and the amount of $$$$ you want to spend.

Savage and Remington 700 action's are the easy button using any of the pre-fit barrel's made for them.
There are 3 custom action's that I know of that also take Savage style pre-fit barrel's.
American Rifle Co., Zermatt / Origin, and Shilen.

 

[db_tanker]

I went to Youtube University and built me up pretty much what you are wanting to do.

Old Savage long action and a 6.5 Swedish Mauser chambered barrel in #4 Contour at 26" long (don't ask me why...its comical looking when I'm at the range) and headspaced it with a cellophane tape strip on a round of Lapua ammo for no-go(I know its kind of sketchy) but all in all it is actually a good shooter and when I sized my brass after the first range trip it didn't move alot of brass at all. Later I did get ahold of go and no go chamber gauges and headspace was spot on.

It was pretty fun. Got an old used wood stock from Numerich and modified it (A LOT) for that barrel contour lol.

it is butt-ugly but fun to shoot

D

 

[Iowashooter]

Do you have a specific action in mind?
Savage actions with a prefit barrel are easier to set up head space.

Yes… that’s what I’ll need… prefit and ability to headspace using go/no go gauges and barrel nut

thinking short action

 

[Iowashooter]

I went to Youtube University and built me up pretty much what you are wanting to do.

Old Savage long action and a 6.5 Swedish Mauser chambered barrel in #4 Contour at 26" long (don't ask me why...its comical looking when I'm at the range) and headspaced it with a cellophane tape strip on a round of Lapua ammo for no-go(I know its kind of sketchy) but all in all it is actually a good shooter and when I sized my brass after the first range trip it didn't move alot of brass at all. Later I did get ahold of go and no go chamber gauges and headspace was spot on.

It was pretty fun. Got an old used wood stock from Numerich and modified it (A LOT) for that barrel contour lol.

it is butt-ugly but fun to shoot

D

I’ll probably need to find/build one that requires a bit less customization

 

[zackmars]

If you aren't trying to eek out tiny groups or hunting, I'd say look around for a milsurp, maybe find an enfield or mauser to un bubba if you want a project

 

[baboon]

Unless your a machinist buying all the tools might be more money then a hobbist wants to spend.

 

[Charlie]

We need pictures!!

 

[V-Tach]

The tooling for truing (blueprinting) a 700 will be $600.00 +......if you are going to do several it makes sense....to do one? not so much. Can you get cheap crap tooling? Yes, but your results will be less than optimal IMHO.....

 

[Lonesome Dove]

Do you have a specific action in mind?
Savage actions with a prefit barrel are easier to set up head space.

It can also be done with a Remington and a Remage barrel same system as the Savage.

 

[Lonesome Dove]

Here's one I did quite a while back. It's a Savage 10 action with a heavy 24" barrel with brake added. After market barrel lug, honed bolt face, polished bolt, large bolt knob, after market trigger, chambered in 243 Ackley Improved.

It has a one off hand made stock that is pillar and glass bedded via myself.
This thing shoots like a high dollar gun. I know because I shot right beside many.
I was sorry nobody here snapped it up when it was offered. Found a new home elsewhere.

Sharp Shooter Supply - The Savage Specialists

Northland Shooters Supply – Providing top-quality affordable shooting components to the shooting industry since the 1990s

northlandshooterssupply.com

 

[RankAmateur]

Do it. Savage actions are easy to work with, and you can even recycle an old Savage rifle if you want by changing out the barrel. I might recommend, though, that you consider an action with a Rem 700 footprint (like the Zermatt actions) if you want to end up with something easier to customize to what you want? Those actions use the barrel nut system like the Savages and will fit in stocks/chassis designed for Remington actions. They will also use Rem-style triggers which are far more numerous and varied than for Savage. BTW, you CAN build a precision rifle like this. I've done one with a Zermatt TL3 action, Shilen bull barrel chambered in 6BR, and Jewell benchrest trigger that was good enough to do well in club-level mid-range F-Class matches, so plenty good enough for very accurate fun shooting. Build another on an Origin action with a Shilen .223 Rem barrel chambered in for the heavy bullets. Just pick up a go gauge and you'll be amazed at how quickly these go together. Remington actions with Remage barrel nut and prefit will give the same advantages. Lastly, some custom actions are good enough that you can acquire barrels that don't use barrel nuts (shouldered barrels you can spin on yourself). Again, do it and enjoy.

 

[xkon]

and headspaced it with a cellophane tape strip on a round of Lapua ammo for no-go(I know its kind of sketchy) but all in all it is actually a good shooter and when I sized my brass after the first range trip it didn't move alot of brass at all. Later I did get ahold of go and no go chamber gauges and headspace was spot on.

If someone is on a budget, can always just get a go gauge and skip the no go. Packing tape on the back of a go gauge is what a lot use as a no go gauge similar to what you did on the fired brass

 

[xkon]

Yes… that’s what I’ll need… prefit and ability to headspace using go/no go gauges and barrel nut

thinking short action

Working through assembling two actions now and did a bit of research on the same. Most modern custom actions will have their tolerances exact. This will allow gunsmiths to take a barrel blank and work off the print of the action from the manufacturer and thread the barrel for your action with guaranteed headspace. Essentially you can have prefit barrels worked up for your action without sending your action in or taking it somewhere.

They can also work up the barrels with a shouldered prefit not requiring a barrel nut.

The below is a remington 700 in 223 that has a few changes and is probably one of my favorite range guns.

If you go for a stock, lead times can be fairly long if you have it made for your specific action and bottom metal. Some companies have universal stocks that may allow a drop in fit depending on what you have, but limited to what they have available.

Chassis are usually in stock and have better availability.

 

[Mike_from_Texas]

There are plenty of actions these days that don’t require an ugly barrel nut but use shouldered prefits instead.

How much are you looking to spend on this venture? It will be cheaper than a fully built gunsmith rifle but not as much as you think.

For a range plinker, .223 is hard to beat.


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[Iowashooter]

The cost of doing a build might be more than I’m willing to pay

I might be just going with a barreled action and picking a stock and that suits me

Howa 1500 is one I’m considering

 

[Txhillbilly]

There are plenty of actions these days that don’t require an ugly barrel nut but use shouldered prefits instead.

How much are you looking to spend on this venture? It will be cheaper than a fully built gunsmith rifle but not as much as you think.

For a range plinker, .223 is hard to beat.


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What's ugly about a barrel nut?
I've never noticed much of a difference visually.
Accuracy wise, there is no difference if setup correctly.
Price wise there is a big difference between a shouldered prefit barrel and one using a barrel nut. I have them both ways, and the shouldered barrels run around $300 more.

 

[xkon]

What's ugly about a barrel nut?
I've never noticed much of a difference visually.
Accuracy wise, there is no difference if setup correctly.
Price wise there is a big difference between a shouldered prefit barrel and one using a barrel nut. I have them both ways, and the shouldered barrels run around $300 more.

I think part of it depends on what barrel maker you want and for what action. The ones I have looked for are only about $75 more for a shouldered prefit.