How much would you spend for a new rifle?

Yes there is a market for $3k rifles

If money was no object, yes I would buy a rifle that's $3k or more.

SCAR17 comes to mind, or a Barrett M107, or KAC SR25. These are not custom rifles per se, as they are factory built. Although one can easily build or customize a rifle to cost in the $3k price range.

Building a high-end AR15 I can easily spend $3k if it includes name brand optics from Trijicon or Leopold, and other expensive parts from Noveske or Wilson Combat.
 
My best hunting rifle:

I own the Ruger American in .308 Win. I love everything about it and I only spent $600.01. I spent the penny more to get what I wanted. :>)
 
$600 seems a little expensive for a Ruger American rifle. I thought they were Rugers version of the Savage Axis budget rifles and cost around $400.
 
Is there really a market for the $3,000 plus custom rifle?
Click to expand...

Yes. With accessories I have something like $3500 in my SCAR.

I just spent $12000 on a MM23E. It will someday have an auto-sear installed in it but right now it is simply a very expensive semi-auto.
 
It cost me a little over $3000 to build my AR. Thats no optics, no mags, just rifle and irons. There are plenty of people building guns and their lowest price is $2500. So, sure, there's a market.

After a certain point you face a diminishing return, but that doesn't mean the rifles/cars/whatever isn't better. Does an expensive gun perform better thn a cheap one? Yeah. If you disagree, go to any benchrest or f-class shoot and show me the completely stock vanguard/ruger american/remington adl with $80 simmons winning or setting records. Even with the best hand loads.

If all you want to do is kill thin skinned animals at 50-150 yards or hit paper on a range at 100 yards, then you may not need/want a $3000 gun. Doesn't mean everyone has those same wants and needs.
 
I like to build off existing rifle. My latest 270Wby used Rem 700 action, new stock and Mike Rock fluted barrel was app $1100. That priced didn't include any action work,chamber or bedding and I added couple extra's my cost was appr $800 so I have $1900 in new rifle not including cost of donor action.

You build what you want and pick the parts way I look at it. I started about 30yr ago having one done every year and you got to have fun doing it.
 
Yeah, used Savage's are going for about $300. Can get a fluted bolt from Pacific Tool for $175. Hart barrel for around $300. Then any number of stocks.
Optics are optics. Can spend a little or a lot.

Point is, I can "custom" myself for around $1000-1200. Why would I want to send someone my action, which I have already shelled out the money for, and another $3,000-3,500 to do what I can do at home?
 
Point is, I can "custom" myself for around $1000-1200. Why would I want to send someone my action, which I have already shelled out the money for, and another $3,000-3,500 to do what I can do at home?
Click to expand...

If you have the time, tools, and skills required to make a custom rifle - then there is no reason to have a custom rifle built by a gunsmith. However, not everyone has the time, tools and skills required - and has your enthusiasm for building rifles. Therefore, they're willing to pay a professional to build a custom rifle.
 
Sure, I'd spend $3000+ in a heartbeat if I had the need for such a gun. If I were a top national or international target shooter I would want the best. If I had the resources to hunt around the world, like Africa or even Alaska for the big and dangerous critters out there, again I would want the best to make sure I came home. Doesn't make any sense to spend the money to hunt if the gun isn't up to the task.

I am sure there are any number of factory rifles that can do the job on any hunt I could think of, but I'm the kind of person who would prefer not to drive a Chevy to a Rolls Royce convention. I only have one problem. If I start buying $3000+ rifles I will probably end up single. If I end up single I wouldn't be able to afford the hunting trip, so what's the point. :D
 
There is definitely a market for $3k rifles. Most of the shops that build them have a waiting list a year long. Having said that, I will not spend that on a rifle except for one of my bench rest rifles.
My favorite rifle is a Savage I built that is absolutely amazing at any distance. I paid $400 for a new Savage tactical. I picked up a stock for $175 that would have cost over $500 normally. I sent the barrel off and had it hand lapped, a muzzle brake installed and barrel cryoed. I was going to square the action (even though it improves a floating bolt head very little), but the action was already perfectly square. I replaced the recoil lug, did a trigger job, and did a little bedding work. I have less than $725 in the rifle. I did not build it for a 1k bench gun, but I have shot it a few times at 1k. 5 1/2" groups out of a $725ish rifle is not too shabby.
I shoot at a range where a lot of snobby people shoot. There are plenty of us good ole red necks there, but there are also quite a bit of snobs from "the city." I quite regularly drag the old ugly Savage out and hurt their feelings. Many days I intended to do load development on my custom Bat action rifle, and just to tick off some snobs drug out the Savage.
 
Last edited:
It's all relative, $3000.00 for some big earners isn't so much.

It is for me so I have to balance my whims against practicallity. I have three or four rifles gathering dust that I ought to sell and replace with a single, quality rifle. Maybe a Cooper in some caliber that I'm already set up to load for.
 
There is also resale value and exclusivity with high end guns. A good analogy would be with cars,..... You can get a Honda to run as fast as a Porsche with enough time and money but in the end, it will never have the pedigree or desirability as the Porsche and in return won't have any resale value being a Frankenstein car.
 
$3000 for a bolt action rifle without optics seems excessive. Coopers start around $1500 and I would rather spend money on one of those than on a custom job. $1800 for a gun and $1000 for a scope is probably where I would draw the line for a bolt action rifle. If I had unlimited funds I would probably buy an M2 and a Willy's to mount it on. :) Never gonna happen.
 
I have spent $7500 on a Barrett 82A1(sold it) ended up with a Bushmaster BA50. But spent more on a Custom 300 WinMag than the Bushy cost. I won't put a number, because if it were a CheyTac I loved, I would end up saving to buy it. I love German guns, HK's Sigs etc...I recently ended up with an Hk 94 (very low serial number) in good to very good shape (200 rounds fired through it). So I can't say what I would spend.
 
If I was still shooting competition... probably

If it was belt fed or something in 50 BMG... possibly.

For a hunting rifle... not until this lotto ticket pays up :rolleyes:

If it was absolutely b***** and I just had to have it... absolutely.:D

Boomer
 
Most of my rifles run about $900.00 to $1500.00 range.

Would I buy a $3000.00 rifle? If it was a semiauto 45-70govt or semiauto 357 magnum I would.

I wont buy guns that are not in a caliber I all ready own.
 
I'll bet a lot of answers might change if you earned your living and had to trust your own and/or others' lives with a rifle. $3k is nothing whatsoever if you're a PH chasing dangerous game - For them, the entry point is $11k and up for a Krieghoff double, and double that for an English double.
 
csmsss said:
I'll bet a lot of answers might change if you earned your living and had to trust your own and/or others' lives with a rifle. $3k is nothing whatsoever if you're a PH chasing dangerous game - For them, the entry point is $11k and up for a Krieghoff double, and double that for an English double.
Click to expand...

I'm definitely speaking out of turn, as I have never and probably will never chase a cape buffalo or African elephant, but logic tells me that the money spent on an English double is not necessarily for greater functionality. As a matter of fact, I would think that a big-bore bolt gun may, in fact, be easier to shoot and the split second lost to the double by cycling the bolt is probably made up for in the accuracy and economics of a bolt gun. I think carrying a double has more to do with tradition than anything else.
 
It depends....

For some folks no for some folks yes - it is not right or wrong if you do or don't. Some folks buy a used pick up and some always buy a new one, same thing really.

Including scope I have, once, it's not pretty though. It is a modified SS Model 70 Classic $700. It all adds up: SS super match grade barrel $450, McMillan stock $450, Williams Obendorf style one piece bottom metal $100, Williams spring steel extractor $30, Pachmeir recoil pad $40, get it all professionally done and the action trued $400, Nightforce bases and rings $250, Nightforce scope $1700.

What I've got is a rifle that doesn't look much different than a lot SS synthetic rifles, in fact mine is showing some wear cause I've hunted hard with it for years. The difference is: that the action is incredibly smooth and dependable, the rifle fits me perfectly, and it shoots sub moa off a bench. For me that was worth it. Not sure if I will again, I mean how many perfect rifles does a man need.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top