I would love to have a fine custom rifle. But more so I would like to use it and hunt with it. The way i see it is that a Human dosent really own anything. We just hold on to then for a while, so if your preserving anything its for someone else. Why not enjoy your posessions while you can ?
"high end" rifles
- Thread starter DeerSlayer86
- Start date
black mamba
New member
I'll take two girls of 21 each, a $1000 rifle and $1000 in cash, please.
Good choice . . . you'll need the money for the two 21 year olds!
DeerSlayer86
New member
didnt mean to get people into the custom gun discussion. Thats a totally different subject. I was purely talking about the "custom production" guns. They arent custom but the fit and finish is nicer, not as many produced, use better materials...stuff like that. And often because of this are more consistant. Not always, but more often than not. I would have to strongly disagree with some of the responses that its "only cosmetic.." Back to the consistancy thing...I know a lot of the "cheap uglies" will shoot great but the standard just isnt as high. Thanks for the feed back guys keep it coming
Saltydog235
New member
I should have clarified my statement better. My Savages are every bit as accurate as my Sakos but that is where the comparison stops. In no way do they feel nearly as good or fit as well as those 75's do. The actions on the Sakos' are like polished glass. The fit and finish are supurb with a beautiful piece of walnut to dress them up. The lines of the rifles show the thought and craftsmanship of the design and I have never had a factory trigger that crisp in any other rifle.
Dadgummit, now I'm going to have to take one out for a sit this weekend.
Dadgummit, now I'm going to have to take one out for a sit this weekend.
I love to look at nicely finished rifles and could easily buy one or have bought one, but I'm a shooter first, hunter second, and not a collector of any firearms, so I still don't have that Model 70 Supergrade, Weatherby, or Cooper.
I did splurge a bit to buy a very nicely-grained Rem 700 Ultra-Walnut replacement stock from Stockeys Stocks this year and enjoy it, but it came off and the old synthetic is on there for the hunting season. It will be back on after Thanksgiving and will be appreciated. After pillar-bedding, it shoots as well as the Sendero stock and to exactly the same point of impact!!! Cha-Ching...Win-Win!!
I did splurge a bit to buy a very nicely-grained Rem 700 Ultra-Walnut replacement stock from Stockeys Stocks this year and enjoy it, but it came off and the old synthetic is on there for the hunting season. It will be back on after Thanksgiving and will be appreciated. After pillar-bedding, it shoots as well as the Sendero stock and to exactly the same point of impact!!! Cha-Ching...Win-Win!!
About ten years ago I got a check in the mail for $4000 from an old employer that closed up shop and distributed the profit sharing accounts. To be honest, I forgot I even had the money. So I bought a Remington AWR rifle. Made in the Remington Custom Shop. Price was $3200. From a distance, it looks like any other Remington 700. The closer you get to it, the more you know it’s not an off the shelf rifle. It shoots just over 0.5 MOA. Is that worth 3X the money? I guess that’s up to the owner. I mainly bought it for the pride in ownership thing. Something to pass down to my son when my body assumes room temperature.
At the risk of veering off topic, this made me think of one of my favorite movie quotes. Its from a movie that mostly sucked (The Upside of Anger), but did have this memorable quote:
Who should I sleep with, Terry? Women like you? Your age? My age? I don't. You know why? 'Cause younger women are *nice*. You take them out, and they're actually grateful. "Oh look, a steak. Yummy." You go for a walk after dinner, the air smells nice, they say, "Thank you. This was *nice*. This was *fun*. You're *funny*. Tee-hee-hee." What should I do, Terry? Settle down and marry some ******-off thing like you? I'd rather have someone come over and do *dental* work, *every day*, from my backside, up... through my *behind*!
Worth. High end.
Worth. I like the comparison to what you drive to work.
Y'know...accuracy may be the least important part of a high end gun (and high end will mean different things to different people).
Getting what you want is, perhaps, more imprtant than whether or not the gun groups well. The most expensive rifle that I own - about $4K with the scope - will not on its best day shoot a one inch group, not from either barrel but it will put two shots very close together very quickly. And it's a handsome gun. But.....I always wanted a double rifle and when I retired, I bought one. A dream completed. What is that worth?
The other gun - currently a tad over $3K (without a rear sight) - is a .22. An Anschutz target rifle, it is very accurate. Would you spend that on a .22? Another dream fulfilled.
The one other expensive gun is being made for me and should be ready for me later this Winter. It is a 16 gauge flintlock fowler....basically a single barreled shotgun.
See some examples at http://www.fowlingguns.com/fowlers.html
Worth it to me.
Pete
Worth. I like the comparison to what you drive to work.
Y'know...accuracy may be the least important part of a high end gun (and high end will mean different things to different people).
Getting what you want is, perhaps, more imprtant than whether or not the gun groups well. The most expensive rifle that I own - about $4K with the scope - will not on its best day shoot a one inch group, not from either barrel but it will put two shots very close together very quickly. And it's a handsome gun. But.....I always wanted a double rifle and when I retired, I bought one. A dream completed. What is that worth?
The other gun - currently a tad over $3K (without a rear sight) - is a .22. An Anschutz target rifle, it is very accurate. Would you spend that on a .22? Another dream fulfilled.
The one other expensive gun is being made for me and should be ready for me later this Winter. It is a 16 gauge flintlock fowler....basically a single barreled shotgun.
See some examples at http://www.fowlingguns.com/fowlers.html
Worth it to me.
Pete
I have some very nice and accurate "field rifles". But if I ever had a couple of thousand for a rifle I would have to order one of Wyosmith's custom builds on a mauser action. Search the forum and find some pics of this man's work. They are gorgeous to look at and imho you can't beat a mauser action.
Greg Mercurio
New member
In the past 4 months, I have picked up a .270 Weatherby and a .300 Weatherby, both MkV Deluxe. Combined they didn't reach $2,000. But I'm a very careful shopper and was very lucky to have found these. Gorgeous wood, fit and finish excellent. I'm still looking for a steal on a .257 Wby, but I'm not holding my breath.
High end? Yes. Custom? No. But they are easily the most attractive bolt rifles I own and will be in the family forever. I expect their accuracy to be at least as good as their reputation. They have held their value over the years as well.
High end? Yes. Custom? No. But they are easily the most attractive bolt rifles I own and will be in the family forever. I expect their accuracy to be at least as good as their reputation. They have held their value over the years as well.
I'm not sure what the draw is to "high end" rifles is. I suppose you get what you pay for. But I pull the trigger on my $400 gun and it goes "bang", and I put my bullet that I bought at Walmart in the chest cavity of a whitetail. Why should I pay for the name stamped on the barrel? Or fancy checkering?
My father called his shot with a Rem 700 in 22-250 that was beautiful. It was a yellow wood with a brown grain. I think it was Pecan wood. It looked almost tiger-striped. He put a round just left of the nose of a doe at 150yrds and blew the back of her head out. Guy we were hunting with offered him $1000 for it on the spot. Was it worth that? Doubt it.
My father called his shot with a Rem 700 in 22-250 that was beautiful. It was a yellow wood with a brown grain. I think it was Pecan wood. It looked almost tiger-striped. He put a round just left of the nose of a doe at 150yrds and blew the back of her head out. Guy we were hunting with offered him $1000 for it on the spot. Was it worth that? Doubt it.
603Country
New member
The draw to high end rifles is very much the same as the draw to high end automobiles (for me anyway). It's the beauty and the fit and finish, and in the case of the BMW I had, it's the smell also. A Savage and a Chevy would have done 80 percent of what the Sako and BMW did, but it's that last 20 percent that makes the real difference. It might even be less than 20 percent, but the difference is there and it's real. I now drive a truck, but I still have the Sako. There is nothing wrong with any of the fine rifles out there (Remington, Savage, Ruger, Tikka, Marlin, etc.), but there are several 'next levels' of weaponry. It isn't specifically for the accuracy, but if you can afford it, why not...? I only have the one 'fancy rifle', and I enjoy my Ruger Hawkeye 223 just about as much., though it isn't as pretty.
How many of these custom rifles that are mentioned are actually custom? I know that custom shotguns are another story and it's possible to have one "made to measure." But I suppose someone is making rifles like that, too.
Ultimately, it's what you mean by "high end." Some would claim there is no such thing as a high end Winchester. Sort of like a high end Chevy; not as long as there's a Cadillac (or even Buick). But a Corvette beats a Malibu any day.
Some guns are really better than others, although they are rare. They were always expensive and scarce on the ground. And in fact, most of the better sportsmen's guns "made like they used to be" are history. Sometimes the same company is still around making very fine guns but even the guns they made 50 years ago weren't as good as the ones they made 100 years ago. It was all about two things: cost and market. Not only have costs gone up and still are but the market for such things has shrunk and not necessarily because the prices have skyrocketed. After all, Ferraris are still available. Frankly, I have trouble thinking of very many names. Among shotguns, other than English made, there was L.C. Smith. Among rifles, the best example was probably the Mannlicher-Schonauer, plus English doubles. Now, they were high end.
Ultimately, it's what you mean by "high end." Some would claim there is no such thing as a high end Winchester. Sort of like a high end Chevy; not as long as there's a Cadillac (or even Buick). But a Corvette beats a Malibu any day.
Some guns are really better than others, although they are rare. They were always expensive and scarce on the ground. And in fact, most of the better sportsmen's guns "made like they used to be" are history. Sometimes the same company is still around making very fine guns but even the guns they made 50 years ago weren't as good as the ones they made 100 years ago. It was all about two things: cost and market. Not only have costs gone up and still are but the market for such things has shrunk and not necessarily because the prices have skyrocketed. After all, Ferraris are still available. Frankly, I have trouble thinking of very many names. Among shotguns, other than English made, there was L.C. Smith. Among rifles, the best example was probably the Mannlicher-Schonauer, plus English doubles. Now, they were high end.
I also agree that it is primarily pride of ownership, which is imho good nuff of reason. They will all get the job done! BUT are you the type that wants to wring all the capability and quality out of a rifle?
Rifles are EXPENSIVE. 2500 will barely buy you a Sako TRG. Customs start at around 3000. Accuracy Internationals AW line starts at around 6000. A mosin is $79 add a little more for handpicked quality
What you basically get in a high end rifle is ruggedness AND precision. Words cannot describe the ruggedness of the AW platform or the sub 1/4 MOA of a well tuned 700
Rifles are EXPENSIVE. 2500 will barely buy you a Sako TRG. Customs start at around 3000. Accuracy Internationals AW line starts at around 6000. A mosin is $79 add a little more for handpicked quality
What you basically get in a high end rifle is ruggedness AND precision. Words cannot describe the ruggedness of the AW platform or the sub 1/4 MOA of a well tuned 700
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Joe Chicago
New member
In my mind, there are two things to consider. First, there are a lot of relatively inexpensive rifles that are functionally identical to their more expensive cousins such as the Tikka T3. They are made on the same equipment by the same workers using the same action as the more expensive models. The main difference is the fit and finish, quality of wood, special coatings and maybe the omission of some feature like a magazine. Simply put, the less expensive model shoots as well as the more expensive one, but it does not have the bells and whistles.
The second thing to consider is that there are now 'semi-custom' shops like ER Shaw that will allow you to choose the features - stock, barrel diameter, length and fluting, etc. - of your rifle. These shops bridge the gap between factory and custom makers and their products are priced like higher end factory rifles.
The second thing to consider is that there are now 'semi-custom' shops like ER Shaw that will allow you to choose the features - stock, barrel diameter, length and fluting, etc. - of your rifle. These shops bridge the gap between factory and custom makers and their products are priced like higher end factory rifles.
"Why should I pay for the name stamped on the barrel? Or fancy checkering?"
You obviously shouldn't. You enjoy killing deer with an inexpensive rifle. That's fine. A single-shot shotgun would work as well and cost less. Or a sharp stick if you're real quick.
Seriously, a .22 LR is all you need for deer.
Actually, they're probably tens of thousands of deer killed by cars every year. Why buy a rifle if you already own a car? I can be cheap, too.
You obviously shouldn't. You enjoy killing deer with an inexpensive rifle. That's fine. A single-shot shotgun would work as well and cost less. Or a sharp stick if you're real quick.
Seriously, a .22 LR is all you need for deer.Actually, they're probably tens of thousands of deer killed by cars every year. Why buy a rifle if you already own a car? I can be cheap, too.
mapsjanhere
New member
With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, does helping your rich cousin move involve taking wheels of a trailer?