For a long time, I have wanted to build a custom rifle. Having a rifle that didn’t have any compromises in materials, design, or appearance was really appealing. However, these custom rifles come with a high price tag. Furthermore, I also knew that in most hunting scenarios, the difference between a 1.5 MOA rifle and a 0.5 MOA rifle is largely irrelevant. However, I have finally decided to build my own (semi) custom rifle.
Purpose
I want a rifle that I can use hunting all North American game, optimized for black bear to elk sized animals. This means that the rifle needs to be light and reasonably handy. However, I am not looking for a specialized sheep rifle where bare rifle weights are down below 5 lbs. These rifles, while fantastically light, are difficult to shoot well. Jack O’Connor had it right when he said a 7.5lb rifle was perfect for the mountains. This was probably because that was about as light as you could make a rifle back then, but it is a bit of a sweet spot in balance while still being heavy enough to steady.
Action
The most significant benefit of going with a custom rifle is the precise machining that quality parts are manufactured with. This precision manifests itself in greater accuracy. In order to take advantage of this greater accuracy, it is logical to build a bolt-action rifle.
Next comes selecting an action. There are a variety of different aftermarket custom actions out there, as well as factory options that can be trued. I was looking at a Defiance Anti-X action. One can either go with a Remington 700 footprint or build off of a popular factory option. However, after further research, I decided to go a cheaper route and use a Tikka T3X action off of my 30-06. The action is already very slick and reliable and I like the 2 position Tikka safety which locks the bolt as well as the flush fit detachable box magazines. After shaving a few ounces by fluting the bolt the Tikka action is nearly as trim as the Defiance. Furthermore, there is a lot of aftermarket support for the Tikka T3 line of rifles from stock and barrel manufacturers.
The Cartridge
Next, we must select the cartridge. I wanted a cartridge that has the velocity and long high BC bullets for longer shots out to 600 yards. In addition, I wanted to be able to humanely hunt everything from mule deer to moose with this rifle. Finally, I wanted it to have an acceptable level of recoil. A 338 Winchester Magnum can ethically take anything on North America and arguably anything on the planet. However, the recoil in a 7.5lb rifle does not encourage practice.
After some deliberation I narrowed it down to 5 Cartridges in two different calibers: 0.284 and 0.308. The 7mm options were the 284 Winchester, the 7mm SAUM, and the 280 AI. For 30 caliber offerings I was considering the venerable 30-06 and the 300 WSM.
The Process of Elimination
The 300 WSM is an excellent cartridge. In fact, it was the champion, running the mathematical gauntlet in order to win the title of Best Hunting Cartridge Ever. However, the 27 ft-lbs of recoil energy ultimately made me decide to leave this cartridge for another day.
The 284 Winchester was eliminated for the opposite reason. While recoild is very manageable the 284 shoots the same bullets slower than the other two 7mm. Since none of the remaining cartridges recoil that much to begin with, ballistics give the edge to the 7 SAUM and the 280AI.
The 30-06 is a great option for an all around rifle. However, the two 7mm buck the wind better and are slightly better for extended ranges. If I shot factory ammo the 30-06 would be my choice. However, because ammo availability isn’t an issue as long as I can find components, I opted for the slightly sleeker 7mm offerings.
Finally, we are left with the 280AI and the 7 SAUM. The 7 SAUM fits better in the T3X action and if I were building a rifle completely from scratch this is probably the right pick. However, the action I already own has a standard bolt face and finding dies and brass in Canada is much easier for 280 AI. Feeding can also be a bit smoother on standard bolt face long actions. As such, I decided to stick with a standard bolt face and go with the Ackley for my custom Tikka build.
The Barrel
Next option was selecting the barrel. A high quality barrel is the most important part in assembling an accurate rifle. As such, I decided to go with IBI Barrels out of Chilliwack, in British Columbia.
I wanted the rigidity and consistency of a heavy profile barrel, but there was one problem. I don’t want to carry the weight. This necessitates the use of a carbon fiber wrap to give the benefits of a heavy profile in a sporter weight package. I want to throw long high BC bullets in the 155-175 grain weight range. In order to do this I consulted with IBI barrels and determined a 1:8.5 twist barrel was best for my purposes.
The final piece of picking a barrel is the length. A longer barrel gets the most velocity out of the 280 Ackley. However, long barrels make cumbersome rifles. I decided to go with a 24 inch barrel in order to get the most out of the cartridge, even though this will make the rifle a bit longer. With that in mind I selected a Carbon Hunter profile IBI barrel with a 1:8.5 twist for my custom Tikka.
The Stock
In order to keep the rifle light, a light stock is imperative. It also needs to be impervious to weather and temperature changes. This rules out wood and cheap polymer stocks as they can flex or swell with heat and moisture. Laminate is a great material but is too heavy to stay below the weight limit.
In order to stay light weight and remain immune to the elements, a carbon fiber or fiberglass stock is necessary. I considered a Wildcat Composites stock for its extreme light weight. However, I also wanted a vertical pistol grip so I ended up ordering a Forest Carbon Mcmillan Game Warden stock with their edge fill.
Magazine and Bottom Metal
The selection of the Tikka action necessitates detachable box magazines. I personally have no issues with detachable box magazines, however, for some a hinged floor plate or even hidden internal magazine may be preferable. The magazine provides convenience for those going in and out of a vehicle while the floor plate cannot be lost.
For the magazine and bottom metal I went with Mountain Tactical. They upgrade the durability of the components by using aluminium instead of polymer. Also, a shortcoming of the Tikka design is a short cartridge overall length that will fit in the magazine. By using aluminium magazines the permissable cartridge overall length is increased by 10 thousandths.
Trigger
The trigger is probably the only cheap component of this rifle. The factory Tikka trigger is very good, and quite possibly the best factory trigger on the market. Swapping a Yodave trigger spring gives a crisp 1lb trigger. I have made this modification and am plenty happy without an aftermarket trigger for this custom Tikka rifle.
Optic
Finally, every great rifle must be paired with an appropriate optic. First of all, the new rifle scope needs to be light. In order to keep the rifle trim, I’m imposing a 20 ounce maximum weight limit on the optic.
Also, in order to allow long range shooting, an adjustable elevation turret with a zero-stop and zero-stop are required. The windage turret doesn’t need to be externally adjustable, however, the reticle should allow easy and precise hold overs for windage. Finally, illumination is not required but is a plus.
After considering a number of scopes such as the Leupold VX-5HD, Leupold VX-3HD, and the Vortex Razor LHT. Ultimately, I decided on the Vortex LHT 3-15×42 because it has a practical reticle and includes illumination. In addition, at the time of writing it is slightly more affordable than the VX-5HD.
Closing Thoughts
Building a rifle all your own is not cheap. However, it has been a very exciting and enjoyable process as well as forcing me to think about what my perfect rifle attributes would be. Hopefully this build inspires others to build their own custom Tikka rifles.