Custom Rifle?

[Altjaeger]

What is a custom rifle?

I think most of us typically think of an expensive rifle built to order with a kings ransom of highly figured walnut, fine checkering and metal work that would be on parr with Jack Belk's best. The kind of rifle we might imagine as companion to Jack O'Conor, Warren Paige or Jim Carmicheal.

In the strictest sense though I will define it as any rifle that was built or modified to suit the owner's desires. It might cost $250 or may run well into six figures. The owner may have built it himself or perhaps paid the finest artisians. We have all seen fine rifles photographed as the fine pieces of art they are in magazines and books.

Then theres the man that buys a old Enfield, chops the barrel off, grabs the grinder for metal he defines as excess while shortening and reshaping the stock has a custom rifle. Also the man who takes a Marlin, Savage o scavenged action, buys a barrel blank from a mail order outfit, has the chamber reamed for the .147 pipper squeaker based on a shortened .22 LR case and drops it in a Ramline stock.

The man who modifies the military rifle, the one who's rifle is built up of inexpensive parts and the finest rifle built to an individuals specifications that money can buy all have customs rifles. After all each has a one of a kind firearm that was designed as they wish within the budget they set. Hopefully it does the things they sought when building whether it was a cheap gun that goes bang hitting a bucket a 25 yards or a piece of art going straight to the safe never to be fired.

My take is that custom rifle is any one of a kind firearm built to an individuals design and specifications. What is yours?

[ncboman]

I tend to think of a custom rifle as one built to fit a certain individual.

I sure would like to see Jack Belk post a reply to this one. :)

ncboman

[GF.]

Yeah, in case he's watching to see that nobody takes his name in vain ;)


Captains Semantics sez...

'Custom' means built from the ground up to suit the individual owner/shooter.

'Customized' would be anything that has been tweaked and/or tuned in a way that makes the gun somehow unique to the owner/shooter - that could involve a one-off paint job on a synthetic stock, or it could be a custom stock configuration, as with my brother's right-handed/left-eyed Italian SXS 20 ga.

But either way, you really have to be talking about something that's one-of-a-kind--not just a slicked-up example of something that you can get off of a shelf.

Something like a Kenny Jarrett straddles the line; if it's not something really out of the ordinary, is it a 'custom' job, or just a special order from a guy who doesn't do much volume and turns out excellent stuff?

I guess the difference there is simply this - has he ever built one just lijke it for another customer, and/or will he ever build another one for someone else?

Like owning the original oil painting vs. a high-quality print - if the only way to tell it apart from the rest is the serial number, it's not 'custom', no matter how good it is...

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

A custom rifle.!?

Truly, in it's purest form would be an individual going to a well established gun maker and being fitted for a rifle based on all the various sundry measurements taken for such a project. It would involve numerous trips to (or by) the gun maker (depending on your financial involvement) to choose stock styles and blanks and final fitting of the stock before finishing. The gun maker may or may not do all work on site or he may farm out various jobs (engraving, inlay, and other artsy metal work) to other individuals specializing in the work. The choice of cartridge the rifle will fire is probably the least important aspect of the operation in-so-far-as the maker is concerned (heavy magnums excluded) and the most important aspect to the customer, and will probably be chosen for a specific purpose. The finished product would then be tested and fired by the customer (after extensive testing and firing by the firm) and delivered in a custom carrying case. (the accountants will handle the dirty old money). The rifle is then used on one Ibex hunt and is put away with others of it's kind, a memento of the hunt.

There are other very practical (to a fault) fellows who do use their custom guns hard. I hunted quail once (many years ago) with a guy who had a matched set of Purdeys bouncing around in the gun rack next to my Ithaca SKB. He saw my quite obvious disbelief at his casual use of two shotguns that were easily valued at more than my net worth at the time (probably still are). He told me that he only hunted with what he considered the best. He said that those shotguns were The best quail guns he could buy and that to put them up and not use them regularly would be like having a fine race horse (he had several those too) and never running it. I agreed, of course, as I was doing the same thing with my Ithaca (which had been given to me as gift by my father probably so HE would not be embarrassed by me bringing along my Re-blued Stevens 311D 20 ga. with the homemade custom refinished stock).

Then there are "Customized" rifles. These are what you find at the Gun Show for jacked up prices. They have some kind of high dollar scope, a padded sling, a new trigger and a little piece of paper with a 5/8" group on it slid between the barrel and the stock.

Then there's the "Sporterized" Rifle. (I am most familiar with these) There's this guy. He dreams of having a Custom Rifle built, he lusts after the Customized jobs but the only way he's going to ever have anything beyond something out of a green box is to make him a "Sporter"! At best he educates himself and farms a lot of the metal work out, buys a drop-in Fajen or Bishop stock (or one of the multitude of synthetic stocks on the market) has a barrel put on, buys whatever scope he can and fine tunes the load himself. He has now taken a $75 surplus rifle, spent $800 on it, and tuned it into a "Sporterized" rifle which he could sell at a gun show for $100 or buy at a gun show for $1000 as a "Customized" Rifle.

At worst he digs around in the tool box till he finds his hacksaw and hand grinder and does a checkering job on the stock with a file. This fellow is probably not too concerned with with cost or value retention so I won't address it.

Anyway, that's my thoughts on "Custom" rifles.

Alan

[southtexas]

I sure would like to see Jack Belk post a reply to this one. :)

ncboman


Me, too! He was an asset to this forum. Anybody know him, or know if he is doing ok?

[Altjaeger]

Me, too! He was an asset to this forum. Anybody know him, or know if he is doing ok?

Seems like several years ago with some serious internet searching he was found in a northwestern valley trying to harness geothermal steam to power a small village he was trying to build in addition to building/rebuilding a particular type of small RR steam engine. I have heard nothing since.

[dave-t.]

:cool:

[Altjaeger]

Trying taking a gander around Utterpower.com. Last heard he was around Buhl, Idaho but departed when the sheriff got a complaint about him firing his cannon as far as I can tell from a quick scan.

[AK-49]

custom rifle.. I'd say use a well known rifle maker with a stellar reputation as a rifle maker and for being honest... and one who does all the work himself....

so far stiller predator action, wyatt center feed magazine, jewel trigger, Hi tech stock, lilja flutted barrel, straddle floor plate, chambered in 270 WSM... I have a rifle maker picked out.

[Joe Boleo]

Over the years I have built a number of custom rifles using commercial and military actions. My custom rifles never caused me to take out a home equity loan or a second job to pay for them. In many cases, it was a matter to putting a fine rifle back into service to meet my needs. I was able to find some competent gunsmiths that did excellent work at reasonable rates. Some rifles merely needed a new barrel and a blue job. Other custom projects were more involved and the rifles were transformed. That is my take on custom rifles. Take care...
Joe

[ncboman]

Trying taking a gander around Utterpower.com. Last heard he was around Buhl, Idaho but departed when the sheriff got a complaint about him firing his cannon as far as I can tell from a quick scan.

I haven't talked to Jack lately but that is my last info as well. It's tuff to contact Jack. Ya kinda got to leave a message and see if he replys. :D

If I were a custom rifle guy, I'd have some of Jack's work.

imho, Jack's name on a rifle makes it very valuable.

ncboman

[Altjaeger]

I haven't talked to Jack lately but that is my last info as well. It's tuff to contact Jack. Ya kinda got to leave a message and see if he replys. :D

If I were a custom rifle guy, I'd have some of Jack's work.

imho, Jack's name on a rifle makes it very valuable.

ncboman

If you go to utterpower.com and click on "navigate this site", and from that page click on "offgrid sites of interest' you will find a journal by Jack.

Seems he sold his place in Buhl, Id in 2003 (isn't that about when he disappeared?). Seems he landed in Magic Valley, Idaho near Jackpot. NV. I would not bet he is still there though. Last date I saw was 2005.