You know what i hate the most about shooting...

[frakka]

I was too smart to get hooked into the custom gun route, I avoided the wait by ordering a Cooper...........14 months later........

[andrewk]

I was too smart to get hooked into the custom gun route, I avoided the wait by ordering a Cooper...........14 months later........

Doh! They are very nice though.

Time management and staying on task is the biggest issue. I've gone into his shop and countless occasions he's making a new vice or brackets for himself to do this and that and the job you dropped of months ago is gathering dust.

We need an ameture gunsmith section.

[andrewk]

Guys,

Just take a leaf out of my book, talked the wife into letting me buy a lathe, next will be a small mill, now she's telling me I should make my own 30 cal match bullets. Just need to talk the boss into giving me a pay rise to make it happen faster.
I don't do my own barrels yet, but in time. In the meantime, I can recrown, make dies and all the other fiddly stuff that takes ages to get done elsewhere.

Jeff

What lathe did you get, How much and what specs?

[trevort]

The two gunsmiths I know are top blokes and I love my custom guns by a seriously large margin over any of the many others

[Brett33]

I am no Smith, I have done some pipe fitting, but am neck deep in importing stuff, and it is slow, real slow at the moment.
If you boys think the Aussie guys are slow try getting stuff out of the USA, I am connected and have Mates time lines at 1 barrel maker and it is still at least a 8 to 12 week wait to get barrels supplied, then there is the exporting stuff boy that takes a long time 4 bits of Aussie paperwork, 2 lots of USA paperwork. Need to find a exporter, need to find a customs agent, find a company willing to handle the shipping at reasonable cost. Oh and customs, don't get me started on those guys, they have lost stuff twice on me, the first time after 3 weeks of paperwork and 4 weeks of "its lost" I actally called the feds, then things got found!
It drives you nuts, then you have clients that call/email every week asking for news. I have taken to telling clients 7 or 8 months just to get the parts, then depending on the order size 2-3 weeks for any pipe fitting, then they are happy when it only takes 5 or 6 months.
Smiths are a dieing breed we no longer have enough to go around, I know I am done and I was never a smith.
What I hate about shooting is my sport is not in the Olympics and I am too old for that peep sight stuff.
Brett

[Glenn]

Why spend thousands on custom rifles when you are just going to get dicked around and screwed over when a factory rifle will do what 95% of what a custom rifle could do.
Sure I do understand the appeal of it, getting non-factory cartridges, components that are EXACTLY what you want and probably the most desirable thing about a custom rifle is the fact that it is custom.
I just don't see them being worth the pain of building and owning a custom rifle.

A factory rifle will NOT do 95% of what a custom will do, EVER!
To compare a Tikka T3 to a full custom is embarrassing for the T3!

What pain is in involved in owning a custom gun?
Great accuracy and repeatability, I can live with that pain!

andrewk

We need an amateur gunsmith section.

We had a great Gunsmith section with a wealth of information but all of it was deleted
Apparently you need a gunsmith to have a gunsmithing section!


As native said if you have no joy ring another gunsmith, or ask on the forum who other people use!

I waited a long time for mine rifles but it was worth it!
14 months for a Cooper just made me feel better though

Glenn

[kjd]

Why spend thousands on custom rifles when you are just going to get dicked around and screwed over when a factory rifle will do what 95% of what a custom rifle could do.
Sure I do understand the appeal of it, getting non-factory cartridges, components that are EXACTLY what you want and probably the most desirable thing about a custom rifle is the fact that it is custom.
I just don't see them being worth the pain of building and owning a custom rifle.

A factory rifle will NOT do 95% of what a custom will do, EVER!
To compare a Tikka T3 to a full custom is embarrassing for the T3!

What pain is in involved in owning a custom gun?
Great accuracy and repeatability, I can live with that pain!

andrewk

We need an amateur gunsmith section.

We had a great Gunsmith section with a wealth of information but all of it was deleted
Apparently you need a gunsmith to have a gunsmithing section!


As native said if you have no joy ring another gunsmith, or ask on the forum who other people use!

I waited a long time for mine rifles but it was worth it!
14 months for a Cooper just made me feel better though

Glenn

So you think in the field, you would hit more game with a custom gun vs a good quality factory gun at normal hunting distances? I don't see it, too many variables for it to make a difference in hunting situations. In competition or long range hunting I can see value in a custom gun for what most of us here do I don't think a custom gun will be an advantage over a good factory gun.


Also that section is not 'deleted'.

[Brad Y]

Jeez you guys are hard up. When I get a new barrel blank, Im shooting out of it by the end of the following week, sometimes by the end of that week if its not too busy. Recrowns take a couple of days tops. Anything else I can do at home. Often the longest waits are only for the actions and barrels (oh and Im waiting for a couple of reamers that will take 12 weeks from the US)

[andrewk]

Brett, tell me about your machines. I'm looking at investing 10k into a personal workshop.

[trevort]

Keith, you just dont get it and if you dont get it cant be explained. Dont ever do one if your happy with what you use as you wont be so happy with what else you have afterwards. Its so much more than hitting what you aim at.

[kjd]

Keith, you just dont get it and if you dont get it cant be explained. Dont ever do one if your happy with what you use as you wont be so happy with what else you have afterwards. Its so much more than hitting what you aim at.

What else is there though? As long as it functions properly and hits what you aim at then it's a good rifle.

I get that there is a pleasure in designing something to your own specifications and that it's of the highest quality that the builder can afford, I really do, but you can't say to me that a custom hunting rifle is going to kill animals deader or make you shoot better in normal hunting situations than a good quality factory rifle. The main factor is the shooter in hunting/varminting once you have an accurate rifle at least. So I guess the other reason for a custom gun is that it may give a shooter more confidence in making the shot himself.

The best shooters in the field I've ever seen we're as good with factory rifles as they were with their custom guns.

I'm not saying don't get them made, I'm not saying they're shit, I'm not even saying that I won't ever build a custom gun, I probably will. I'm just saying that it really is an indulgence (which is perfectly fine) and most quality brands of rifle will outshoot the person shooting them and that in most situations in the field the custom and factory will be on par because it's the nut behind the butt that is the weakest link and it's may even be true for all but the best target shooters too.

By far the worse thing about building a custom rifle from what I can tell is dealing with very busy, talented people who are great at gunsmithing and bad at business/customer service because they are too busy or just want to gunsmith and not do the rest of it. Which is fine, just hire someone to do that. Don't tell me it's not possible when people are waiting 12 or more months for their guns to be built if that doesn't indicate demand then I dont know what does.

[jimbo]

I sympathise with people who have been dicked around by "gunsmiths" - however, could I make a small suggestion that might cut down the time line.

In my sport of benchrest we get through a few barrels looking for that magic 'hummer' barrel - that one stick that cuts wind and shoots perfect groups (yeah, right).
Here is the tip. If you know (or are contemplating) that you will need a new barrel, then order the barrel yourself!
If you want a Maddco - ring them.
If you want a Tobler, ring Robert.
If you want a Krieger, ring Paul at Rifle SA....he might even have what you want on the shelf.

So...when it comes time, you can present your rifle and the barrel and request it be fitted. I can get near turn around service like this, as it makes it easy for everyone.
Brett is right about getting stuff out of the USA that requires any sort of permits (and that is most of it). WE are very much at the end of the food chain when it comes to exports.



Brendan Atkinson

[andrewk]

I've always supplied barrels/parts needed to do the job.

My longest wait was 9 months and sapol even rang me asking where the gun was. boy did that one get finished quick when i told him the cops rang me.

[Glenn]

So you think in the field, you would hit more game with a custom gun vs a good quality factory gun at normal hunting distances?

Most definitely!
The question is how far is "normal hunting distance" to you?
Once I started using my custom guns my "normal hunting distance" changed dramatically!

I don't see it, too many variables for it to make a difference in hunting situations. In competition or long range hunting I can see value in a custom gun for what most of us here do I don't think a custom gun will be an advantage over a good factory gun.

Trevort is right, you can and never will understand till you do it!

Also that section is not 'deleted'.

WHERE?
I can't find it!

Glenn

[kjd]

So you think in the field, you would hit more game with a custom gun vs a good quality factory gun at normal hunting distances?

Most definitely!
The question is how far is "normal hunting distance" to you?
Once I started using my custom guns my "normal hunting distance" changed dramatically!

I don't see it, too many variables for it to make a difference in hunting situations. In competition or long range hunting I can see value in a custom gun for what most of us here do I don't think a custom gun will be an advantage over a good factory gun.

Trevort is right, you can and never will understand till you do it!

Also that section is not 'deleted'.

WHERE?
I can't find it!

Glenn

Never said it was visible just said that it was not deleted.