# First rifle build



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

So when I joined here I mentioned working on a rifle build well I'm finally underway and I thought I would share the process. Well I've posted a couple pictures of the rifle to start, just a typical Remington 700 varmint chambered in 243 LH action.

I have done a complete blue print of the rifle to include, true receiver face, single point cut internal threads, true face of locking lugs (can see residual sharpie from checking contact with bolt), and ream raceway to .705".

I purchased a 1 piece bolt ground to .703" and cut for Sako extractor from PTG with small spiral fluting, the bolt was then lapped to the locking lugs to insure complete contact. I also made my own bolt knob, but I'm not 100% sure that it will be the one I use. I also purchased and oversized recoil lug from Tactical Solutions.

For the barrel I have a Shilen Match Stainless 6mm 1in 14" twist. At the time I purchased it I was not sure of the contour I wanted to go with so I bought a complete blank. So I have it contoured down now but still needs to be finished but for the biggest part I'm done contouring. I decided to go 243 Ackley Improved, mostly because I'm lazy and don't want to spend a bunch of time trimming brass plus I like the idea of pushing a 55-58 gr bullet to 4200ish. Threads were single point cut on lath, counter bore was done using a boring bar and chambered with PTG reamer.

I have purchased a laminate stock, and PTG bottom metal and Accuracy International 10 round mag. I am looking at either Bushnell Elite 6400 4.5-30 50mm (will likely never use top end but why not) or the Burris Eliminator III 4-16 50mm. I still haven't been home to get to check out my buddy's Burris yet so that will be part of the determining factor plus we'll see what the accountant says (aka the wife).

I'm on spring break right now so I wont get back to work till next week. I should be finishing the barrel contour and crowning then I'll go on to inlet stock for the action/barrel and for the bottom metal. Then all I'll have left is to give her a paint job, pillar bed, and mount whatever scope I decide to go with.

It is still pretty rough right now, but I thought it would be kind of neat to show the transition of it all. Plus I figured this would be a good thread to announce I have accepted a full time gunsmithing job at a new shop opening up near my hometown. They are putting up a new building this spring it will be a gun shop with a full time gunsmith (me) and they are buying all of my equipment lathe, mill, blasting cabinet, ect., ect. and I will be making a salary until I want to renegotiate. So it is kind of a gunsmiths dream come true, I have a lot to be thankful for right now and hope to be paying it forward in due time.


----------



## dwtrees (Mar 5, 2012)

Can't wait to see the finished product. Also congratulations on the new job. Pretty cool the company is going to equip the shop for you.


----------



## Jonbnks (Jan 21, 2012)

Nice to see the work you're putting into your project rifle. You don't see to many left handed rifles. My uncle and my cousin would be jealous because they are both left eye dominant and shoot left handed. Sounds like you sure have a great job lined up.


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Yes I am very lucky, it is funny how a small town works the first part of school is doing repairs so basically I took guns in from people and did work for free. Well apparently they are happy with my work and word got around, an investor and local successful businessman wanted to open a shop and herd my name we met and now I've got a job. They have been very open to suggestions from me and want me give them all the input I can. It's and exciting and terrifying undertaking!

I always said I was going to have a left handed rifle, now that I have one I still don't know how I feel about it. lol I'm just so accustomed to dealing with right handed guns that getting a left took some getting used to.


----------



## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Congrats on the new job. Something tells me that you're gonna be pretty successful. Do PT members get a discount?

That is a beautiful build by the way!


----------



## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Congrats. on the new job, thanks for sharing your build.


----------



## Guest (Mar 4, 2014)

Very Nice rifle build. The machine work on the bolt is 1st class. Please share more pics as the build progresses.


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

I'm sure I could work something out with PT members. :mrgreen: I'm glad you can see the diamond in the rough that it is right now, hopefully next week I can get it cleaned up and ready for a finish.

I'll add pictures as I get work done, I think next week will be a pretty busy weak so I'll have plenty to post.

My hope is by this time next year I'll be able to do something special for one of the members here.


----------



## Jonbnks (Jan 21, 2012)

Maybe I should start saving my money now so that when Christmas rolls around, I can have you build a rifle for me. The hard choice would be deciding on all the options.


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Jon I hear you there, the options are endless. I'm having second thoughts on my stock choice right now, but I'm really have to much bought and planned around it to change. If you do decide you want to have a gun built, I'd love the business.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Hey guys I've been slacking the last couple weeks been pretty busy. I've gotten some done so I thought I would show some pictures showing progress. Last week I finished cleaning up barrel, it was pretty rough from initial contouring. So after a lot of fileing and sanding in the lathe I got it cleaned up looking pretty good, then I bead blasted it in preparation for its paint job. I also finished bead blasting the action and the handle and knob of the bolt.

Today and the last several hours tonight I have been working on inletting the stock to take the heavy barrel and bottom metal. The majority was done on a mill but there was a lot of hand/dremmel work to be done. After about three hours tonight I have the majority of my work done, minus about an 1/8" on the back end of the bottom metal that will require some mill work. Tomorrow I will be bead blasting the bottom metal and magazine, both the barrel/action and bottom metal will be a light brown while the magazine and bolt handle/knob will be the maroon color on the stock.

So my hope is tomorrow to finish last little bit of inletting, bead blast bottom metal/mag and crown the barrel. I did finally settle on what scope I'm going with, I settled on the new Burris Veracity 4-20 50mm using a one piece DNZ scope mount. I likely wont get to bed the action till after the Brownells career fair which is in two weeks, I still have my 1911 to polish and prep for bluing next week as well as some work on my ar. Well I hope everyone enjoys the pics, it is quite the transformation from what it was. Also no those are not my pink slippers in the back those would be my wives.


----------



## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Very nice indeed, thanks for sharing.


----------



## jimmy shutt (Jun 2, 2013)

solid build, it looks great.

congrats on your new job you're in the right field.


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks Hassell and Jimmy.

This week it will finally all come together. Paint job will be done scope mount and scope will be in tomorrow changed scope choices yet again, ended up with a Vortex Viper HSLR FFP.

A funny story about the gun, the day I posted the last photo you'll notice the bolt isn't in the gun. Well I thought I left it at school, the next day at class I can't find it anywhere. I tore apart my work station, my truck, the wife went to the house and looked and we couldn't find it anywhere. I finished up class and got home and started my search again to no avail. Well I decided if I couldn't find it I would order another from PTG since they apparently messed up making mine and had two to my exact spec but messed up the fluting. I head to kitchen to grab a beer after excepting I'm going to loose some budget for my other guns to fund another bolt and there it sits. The damn thing was on top of the fridge, I did have to spend money since my wife had to dig through the trash looking for the bolt. So she got dinner but that was still a lot cheaper than the alternative.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Story kinda sounds familiar.


----------



## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

It's always in the last place you look...sheesh !


----------



## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

Been there and done that many times.


----------



## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

Nice work... let us know how she shoots.


----------



## Jonbnks (Jan 21, 2012)

Glad you found the bolt. Rifle looks great, very interested to know how it shoots.


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

That is probably the worst part, after finally finishing the gun I likely won't have time to work on any load development. I've got a few more guns to work on, and will be moving middle of may/working on finishing up the new building which will have the concrete poured by the end if thus week. So basically I have about a month and a half before I move in that time I have two weddings, and a Bulldog Rescue event my wife signed me up for. I guess I might have time to shoot it some. Lol I'm sure it will eat at me and I'll make time for, I'm just not sure when.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Agney5 said:


> That is probably the worst part, after finally finishing the gun I likely won't have time to work on any load development. I've got a few more guns to work on, and will be moving middle of may/working on finishing up the new building which will have the concrete poured by the end if this week. So basically I have about a month and a half before I move, in that time I have two weddings and a Bulldog Rescue event my wife signed me up for. I guess I might have time to shoot it some. Lol I'm sure it will eat at me and I'll make time for it, I'm just not sure when.
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

So here it is the finished project. It has been a long week, all in all probably over a 100 projects were finished this week by my class. Anything from bluing, parkerizing, or spray on finishes. The only thing left with it is bedding and I'm going to purchase a Timeny trigger for it but for sake of pictures this is it.


----------



## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

Sweet... Nice Job!


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Boy that is a nice looking rifle you built. Congrats on a job well done.


----------



## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

By the look of the finished product you put a lot of heart into every part of the project. Well Done.


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks everyone, it has been a lot of fun and it is a relief to see it come together.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## dwtrees (Mar 5, 2012)

Mighty fine looking rifle you built. Hopefully you will get a chance to zero it in soon.


----------



## SWAMPBUCK10PT (Apr 5, 2010)

*Boy OH Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bet its going to be a shoot'er----love them thumbhole stocks--most of my rifles have them----Congrats on a job well done----p.s. You won't be sorry you went with a Vortex good decision-------sb*


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks DW and Swampbuck! I didn't know if I would like the thumbhole but it has grown on me, it seems to be people either love it or hate it. I've yet to try a Vortex but I've herd nothing but good about them so I figured it was worth a shot.


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

So I finally got a chance to take the rifle to the range and shoot. I had a heck of a time, I couldn't sit still and plus I was shooting with a front bag with a seater as a rear bag. I had everything packed up and decided I would give it one more shot. So here is my last attempt at a five shot group and my "new" 243ai brass. Using black hills gold with 58 vmax (haven't set up to reload for it yet moving in two weeks)
















Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## dwtrees (Mar 5, 2012)

1/2 inch group with factory ammo, You built a definite keeper there. With a little fine tuning of your load (after you get done moving), I would bet you will probably get one ragged hole with 5 shots. Good job on the rifle build.


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks DW! I have high hope for it. Hopefully by fall I'll be posting pics of it taking its first coyote.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## Jonbnks (Jan 21, 2012)

If that's how the rifle shoots when you're having a rough day, it's going to be extremely impressive when you shoot it the next time. That's a great rifle. I'm saving my cash and hopefully will have you build one for me this year.


----------



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks Jon! Well when the time comes keep me in mind.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk


----------



## devildogandboy (May 12, 2014)

good shooting and great looking rifle, you did a excellent job on your build! congrats!

Bruce


----------

