Building a Custom Bolt-Action Rifle

Custom bolt-action rifles have become more accessible than ever, allowing hunters and shooters to build firearms tailored to their exact needs and preferences. This blog explores the evolution of custom rifle building, the advantages of assembling your own, and the essential components and steps involved in creating a truly personalized bolt-action rifle.

Story and Photos by George Krumm

I’ll never forget watching my dad put a rifle together back in the mid-1970s.

He’d purchased a J-9 barreled action and a laminated maple-and-walnut stock blank from Herter’s in Olympia, Washington. For what seemed like months, he’d work on it a little at a time, using hand chisels to rough out the shape of the stock. He carved a Monte Carlo cheekpiece into it, detailed the inlet so the action would fit, and widened the barrel channel so he could glass-bed the action and the barrel. He painstakingly sanded and finished the stock, and when it was all done, he put a Weaver K-4 scope on it. It was chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum. A month or two later, I found it under the Christmas tree with my name on it. That was more than 45 years ago. I still have that rifle. I’ve taken several deer and elk with it over the years, and it holds a lot of sentimental value.

Most hunters have always just bought rifles off the shelf at sporting-goods stores. What was available in gun stores evolved over time. If you walked into a gun store 30 years ago, you’d see lots of hunting rifles. Some would have wood stocks, some synthetic. Some had blued barrels, some were stainless, but they were generally all sporter-type (thin) steel barrels. When you wanted a new rifle, you bought a Remington, a Winchester, a Savage, a Ruger, or one of the other big-name rifle makers. There were lots of “Ford versus Chevy” type arguments about rifle brands back then. Still are. Unfortunately, there were few choices other than the off-the-shelf rifles, unless you wanted to hire a gunsmith to build you a custom rifle at upper-white-collar prices.

How Rifle Shopping and Building Has Changed

But when it comes to hunting rifles, how we get them, and what’s available, things have changed considerably, especially in the past 5- to 10 years.

Open-source parts have proliferated. You can now buy à la carte components to build your own premium, custom bolt-action rifle, and wind up with something superior to many of the off-the-shelf, big-name factory rifles. Now, because of superior machining practices and technology—and the fine tolerances they produce—high-end, custom actions and barrels are easy to come by (aside from the wait you have to endure while it’s being built, and the price) and putting them together does not require the skill of a gunsmith. As more and more small manufacturers sprout up, parts availability and quality are improving and pricing is becoming more competitive.

Stocks and chassis have also benefitted from improved machining and materials. Fit and the ability to customize for length of pull, comb height, and weight are all within reach of the average Joe who wants to put together a premium bolt-action rifle in his garage. All you need are the parts you want to use, a few simple tools, and a little bit of knowledge.

You can make it exactly how you want, and most likely, it will be more accurate than most off-the-shelf rifles. In fact, in my limited experience (I’ve built three rifles in the last year), half-inch, 5-shot groups at 100 yards with factory ammo seems to be rather easy to attain.

Don’t Be Intimidated by Custom Rifle Building

The idea of “building” a rifle seems a little intimidating. Don’t be intimidated. You are really just selecting parts, assembling them, and measuring some critical tolerances—specifically, headspace. It is not difficult.

What we are talking about here is building a premium bolt-action rifle. Even though we’re doing it ourselves, such rifles still are not cheap—you are not going to build a premium bolt-action rifle for the price of a Ruger American. But you can definitely save a little money by building a premium bolt-action rifle yourself. You can plan such a build and buy the components one at a time until you have everything you need, then put it all together.

Advantages of Building Your Own

I touched on some of the advantages of building your own above. Accuracy is one of the main reasons to build your own custom bolt-action rifle.

Fit is another. Most off-the-shelf factory rifles are one-size-fits-all rifles. This is slowly changing, as the big players are seeing that today’s shooting and hunting enthusiasts want better. There are a wealth of chassis and stocks available to the custom builder today. Some that I have used include MDT’s HNT26 carbon-fiber chassis, Aero Precision’s 15” Competition Chassis, and Grayboe’s Phoenix 2 stock. All have adjustable length of pull and adjustable comb height, allowing you to properly fit the gun to your body. This results in more comfortable shooting, more accuracy at the range, and more lethality in the field.

Customization and Modularity in Modern Rifle Building

By selecting open-source parts, you have a great deal of modularity, which allows you to change things. For instance, if your action is a short-action Remington 700 or Remington 700 clone, you can put that action in any stock or chassis that is inletted for a short-action Remington 700 footprint. You can change stocks or chassis. If you get tired of one, or if you decide you want something different, you can put your barreled action in a different stock or chassis, as long as the action footprint is the same, and the barrel channel in the new stock or chassis is big enough.

Another great advantage of building your own custom bolt-action rifle is that by selecting components that are open source, there is a good amount of customization you can do. Some examples include adding a pic rail near the end of the stock or chassis for a bipod, and an ARCA rail for tripod use closer to the magazine well.

Selecting components – Action

The action you use is the heart of your rifle build, but the dream of building a custom bolt-action rifle starts with caliber selection. You need to have a caliber in mind before you can begin selecting components, because caliber will determine what length of action you will need—short action (6.5 PRC, .300 WSM, etc.), long action (.30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag), or magnum action (.338 Win Mag and up).

The caliber will also determine not only the action length, but the required bolt-face size. Both a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 6.5 PRC are short-action cartridges, however, the 6.5 PRC requires a magnum bolt face. Some actions actually have replaceable bolt heads. Aero Precision’s SOLUS bolt actions have this feature. This means if you build a .30-06, and later decide you want to change that rifle to a 7 PRC, all you need to do is remove the ’06 barrel, spin on a 7 PRC barrel, change the bolt head on your bolt, and then check headspace. You will probably have to get a new magazine. Just like that, you have a new rifle.

Some other features to think about when choosing a custom action are bolt throw (60° vs 90°), controlled feed vs push feed, changeable bolt knobs, fluted body or not, integral 20 MOA rail for optics, integral recoil lug or pinned recoil lug, and magazine compatibility. Some actions are made of stainless steel, while others are made of titanium. Titanium actions are generally lighter, but stainless actions tend to cycle a little more smoothly. Stainless actions can be plain, or coated, or nitrided. There are many good actions on the market. Decide what features you want, and what you’re willing to pay, and you’ll be able to narrow it down.

Choosing the Right Barrel for Your Build

Once you know what caliber you want to build and what action you want to use, then you need to select a barrel that is compatible with that action, and chambered for the cartridge you want. There are many custom, aftermarket barrel manufacturers now. I have used Oregon Mountain Rifle, Proof Research, Carbon Six, and Aero Precision barrels. Since the quality of your barrel affects accuracy more than any other part of the rifle, you should buy a quality barrel. You have choices. Do you want an extremely lightweight, carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel for packing around the mountains, or a heavy barrel for competition use or varmint hunting? It helps to have an idea of what you will be doing with the rifle.

Be aware that for barrels, lighter sounds good, but it isn’t always the right choice. If you build a 300 PRC that weighs 7 pounds, you might like carrying it, but you are not going to like the recoil when you shoot it. Put some thought into not only the brand of barrel you want, but also the weight. The barrel manufacturers usually list the weight of their finished barrels on their websites. If not, ask them.

Barrel length is also a consideration. The trend is toward shorter, more maneuverable barrels, but shorter barrels come at a cost of decreased velocity. Many people are cutting magnum-caliber barrels down to 20 inches because they plan to shoot with a suppressor. This makes the overall package shorter, but at a cost of 25- to 50 feet per second per inch of barrel. So, your 6.5 PRC with a 20-inch barrel shoots quite a bit slower than one with a 24-inch barrel. By shortening your barrel that much, you are essentially neutering your magnum…Which is okay, as long as you’re aware of the performance loss.

Shouldered Prefit vs Barrel Nut

Another consideration regarding barrels is whether you want to use a shouldered prefit, or a barrel with a barrel nut. The advantages of a shouldered prefit are that it’s simpler to install and they tend to look a little cleaner in some people’s minds. Shouldered prefits are the easiest barrels to install, and generally they are guaranteed to headspace properly, though you still must verify headspace. Remember, you are essentially setting off a little grenade a couple inches from your face when you pull the trigger. Make sure headspace is correct. More on this later.

The downsides to shouldered prefits is that they are usually built of one specific action model, and there is no way to adjust headspace with a shouldered prefit. The tolerance for headspace varies considerably from cartridge to cartridge. For instance, according to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) the 7 PRC has maximum headspace at 1.910”, and minimum headspace is 1.900”. There is just 10/1000 of an inch difference, but a shouldered prefit could land you anywhere in that range, and you can’t adjust it. Note that some traditional cartridges have far more headspace range than modern cartridges.

Barrel-nut barrels are a little more difficult to install, but not much. Barrel-nut barrels are sometimes slightly lighter than equivalent shouldered prefits. They allow the builder to slightly manipulate chamber tolerance. If you wanted to make your headspace .002” greater than minimum, you could do this with a barrel nut system. Tighter chambers generally shoot better. If you reload, by having tighter headspace, your brass will stretch less with each firing, and that can lead to longer brass life since you won’t have to work it as much to resize it.

Barreled Actions

Several manufacturers are starting to sell barreled actions. These are exactly what they sound like—an assembled action and barrel. All you have to do is install a trigger, then drop it into the stock or chassis of your choice. However, the ability to customize with barreled actions is a little limited. Examples of companies making barreled actions include Howa, Bergara, and Aero Precision. It is my belief that more companies will begin offering barreled actions.

Selecting a Trigger

Several companies make triggers that are compatible with different actions. Most of them are significantly better than the triggers that come on most factory rifles, and most of them allow you to adjust trigger pull over a range. For instance, the TriggerTech Primary triggers I like to use allow me to adjust pull weight from 1- to 4 pounds. I set mine at a little over 2 pounds, which I think is light enough to shoot well, yet not so light that it’s unsafe in a hunting environment. Other makers include Timney Triggers, Bix’N Andy, and others. Triggers are available with either a traditional curved trigger lever, or a flat trigger lever. If you’ve never shot with a good trigger, you are going to be pleasantly surprised the first time you do.

Stocks or Chassis

Most hunters use stocks to hold the barreled action, but chassis have become more and more popular, especially in the competition arena, but also among hunters. Stocks and chassis vary in the materials used to make them, in their weight, and in the degree of customization they allow. Chassis tend to be more adjustable, but stock makers are starting to incorporate many of the features previously only available on chassis, such as M-Lok slots, comb-height adjustability, and length-of-pull adjustability. There are many to choose from. Some that I have used include MDT’s HNT26 Chassis, Aero Precision’s 15” Competition Chassis, and Grayboe’s Phoenix 2 stock. All of them are great for their intended purposes. Most custom stocks and chassis today feature some sort of bedded pillars or V-block mounting for the receiver that results in a very solid connection between the action and the chassis or stock.

Assembly Steps for Your Custom Rifle

The main steps to putting these components together are: 1) Spin the barrel onto the action. 2) Check headspace; this is the most critical part of the entire assembly. 3) Install the trigger. 4) Drop the action/barrel/trigger into the stock or chassis and torque the action’s screws per the stock or chassis manufacturer’s specifications. The procedure for a shouldered prefit is simpler than that of using a barrel with a barrel nut.

To install a shouldered prefit, you simply put your barrel in a barrel vise, apply some anti-seize to the threads, and spin on the action hand tight. Then, insert the action wrench, then attach a torque wrench to the action wrench and torque the action onto the barrel in accordance with the barrel maker’s (or action maker’s) specifications. This varies, but for the rifles I’ve been building with SOLUS actions, it’s 75 foot-pounds of torque. It is helpful to wrap one layer of drywall tape around the shank of the barrel before installing in the barrel vise. This helps prevent the barrel from spinning when you torque it, which could mar the finish.

Barrel Nut Installation

For a barrel with a barrel nut, it’s best to secure the action in a bench vise if possible. You will want to protect the action from scratches. You’ll need smooth jaws, and you may want to use some layers of cloth or something to protect the action’s finish. Even with padding, do not use serrated jaws as they will mar the surface of your action even through the padding. You will need a Go gauge to properly install a barrel nut barrel. You can purchase Go/No-Go gauges, or you may be able to rent them depending on the caliber. Google Go/No-Go gauge rentals.

Once the action is secured in the vise, spin the barrel nut all the way onto the barrel threads, to the end of the threads. Then apply anti-seize to the barrel threads and spin the barrel most of the way onto the action by hand. Carefully chamber the Go gauge. Note that you may have to insert the Go gauge into the bolt face under the extractor, then carefully move the bolt forward while keeping the Go gauge aligned so that it will go into the chamber. Attempt to close the bolt. If it won’t close with normal bolt-cycling effort, back the barrel out a little and try again.

Headspace Checks

Continue until you can close the bolt. Leave the bolt closed. Then screw the barrel onto the action with your fingers until it just touches the Go gauge. You’ll know, because you will feel it stop. At that point, back the barrel off a very small amount; just enough so it is not touching the Go gauge. Open the bolt and remove the Go gauge. Then, being careful not to rotate the barrel, screw the barrel nut down to the action by hand until it stops. Then, torque the barrel nut to the manufacturer’s torque specification. Be careful to not let the barrel rotate while torquing the barrel nut.

Whether you’re using a shouldered prefit or one with a barrel nut, once the barrel or barrel nut is torqued, you need to verify headspace. Insert the Go gauge and attempt to close the action. Use no more than normal bolt-cycling force as if you were chambering a live round. It should close with normal effort. If it doesn’t, don’t force it. Check to make sure you are using the Go gauge and not a No-Go gauge. If you’re using a shouldered prefit and it won’t close, you don’t have any options other than to call the barrel manufacturer. If you are using a barrel nut and the bolt won’t close on the Go gauge, loosen the barrel nut and barrel a little bit, and go through the process again of properly torquing the barrel. It is possible the barrel moved a little while you were torquing the barrel nut.

Final Assembly and Function Checks

Assuming the Go gauge goes, then insert the No-Go gauge and attempt to gently close the bolt. It should not close. Don’t use more than normal bolt-cycling effort. It is common for the bolt to close about ¼ of the way, then stop. This is acceptable. If it closes on Go gauge and doesn’t close on No-Go gauge, you’re done checking headspace.

Some people say you must strip the bolt before checking headspace, meaning remove the ejector(s) and extractor from the bolt. Removing these pieces takes time, but stripping the bolt does make it easier to feel what’s happening when you’re checking headspace. That said, for the rifle builds I’ve done to date, it has not been necessary to strip the bolt to check headspace. If in doubt, ask the action manufacturer how they do it with their own actions.

Once you’ve installed the action and verified headspace, install the trigger per the instructions. Different actions and different triggers vary, so follow the instructions. It is not difficult.

Once the trigger is installed into the barreled action, it’s time to drop the barrel/action/trigger assembly into the stock or chassis. Just line everything up and carefully lower the barreled action into the stock/chassis. Hold everything together, and orient it vertically so that the recoil pad is on your bench or table and the muzzle is pointed up. Insert the action screw closest to the muzzle, and turn it until it is finger tight. Then install the rear action screw and do the same thing. Then, while pushing down on the barrel to force the recoil lug rearward against its inlet, torque the forward action screw to the number of inch-pounds specified by the stock or chassis manufacturer. Then torque the rear action screw to the proper inch-pounds.

Fit and Test the Magazine

Cycle the action to ensure the action screws are not interfering with operating the bolt. Insert an empty magazine if you’re using external magazines and ensure it can be easily inserted and removed. You’ll need to test the magazine to ensure it will feed rounds properly. This is best done at the range with the muzzle pointed downrange. So far, the rifles I’ve built have all fed properly and extracted properly, with no magazine issues. Many custom chassis and stocks have adjustable magazine-release levers, so if your magazine isn’t fitting quite right, you can usually make adjustments.

Next, you’ll want to adjust your trigger to a pull weight that is comfortable for you. Usually, adjustments are made with an Allen wrench. It’s easy to do, just follow the instructions that come with the trigger.

Aside from installing optics and accessories like rails, that’s it. You’ve built a custom bolt-action rifle. I always chuckle a little when we talk about our rifle “builds.” It’s really just an assembly process. What makes it custom is the selection of open-source parts that you pick to make the rifle.

Sample Builds

Below I’ve listed the components and included some thoughts regarding the three rifles I’ve built in the past year. This should give you some ideas of what is possible.

7mm PRC

• Aero Precision SOLUS Lightweight Long Action
• 22″ Oregon Mountain Rifle carbon fiber barrel with barrel nut; 5/8×24 threaded muzzle
• TriggerTech Primary single-stage trigger
• MDT HNT26 Chassis (folding version)
• Backstop Recoil Pad
• Leupold Mark 5HD 3.5-18×44
• Leupold Mark 4 Rings
• MDT Polymer 3-round AICS magazine
• BANISH Backcountry suppressor

So far, I’ve only shot 45 rounds through this rifle and it shoots ½-inch 5-shot groups at 100 yards using Hornady Precision Hunter 175-grain ELD-X ammo. Velocity out of the 22” barrel has averaged 2,874 fps so far. Without the suppressor, this rifle weighs 8.5 pounds, which is light enough for me to carry around the mountains, but with enough weight that the magnum recoil is manageable, and the rifle is very shootable.

The Aero Precision SOLUS action has a lot of features only available in actions costing much more. Some examples: 60° bolt throw, 3-lug bolt, interchangeable bolt heads, integral recoil lug, integral 20 MOA optics rail, Remington 700 footprint, trigger hanger for easy trigger install, can take AICS or AIAW detachable box magazines, magnum-sized ejection port, can take CIP-length cartridges, fluted bolt body, and more. The bolt is also easy to dissemble, and changing bolt heads takes maybe two minutes.

The MDT HNT26 chassis features a carbon-fiber buttstock and forend, with a magnesium receiver with V-block bedding. The buttstock is foam filled to absorb some of the recoil vibration. I installed a custom Backstop recoil pad to further cut down on recoil. The Backstop recoil pad is quite helpful on this magnum rifle. This chassis folds, so you can easily carry it inside some backpacks, and it is a little more manageable inside a side-by-side. The chassis has a full-length ARCA rail, and M-Lok slots on the bottom, sides and top of the forend.

I installed a short pic rail at the muzzle end of the forend to attach a bipod. There are front and rear sling-swivel mounts, and fore and aft QD sockets on each side of the chassis. The MDT 7 PRC poly mag fits perfectly and feeds very smoothly. The chassis is available in black as well as cobalt green. If you really want a light hunting rifle, the MDT HNT26 chassis is a great place to start. It is one of the lightest on the market. The non-folding version weighs 26 ounces (hence the name, HNT26). The folding version weighs about 30 ounces. This is one of the coolest rifles I’ve ever carried.

6.5 PRC

• Aero Precision SOLUS Lightweight Short Action
• Proof Research 22” carbon-fiber shouldered prefit, threaded 5/8×24
• TriggerTech Primary single-stage trigger
• Grayboe Phoenix 2 stock, Gap Splash camo
• Grayboe M-5 DBM – Remington 700 bottom metal
• Amend2 Mod-3 6.5 PRC polymer magazine

I just put this rifle together this week, so I don’t have any velocity or accuracy data yet. I haven’t even put a scope on it yet. With just these parts, the rifle weighs 7.5 pounds. Interestingly, these components are almost exactly what Aero Precision uses in their complete rifle, the SOLUS Lightweight Hunter (not yet in production). The only thing that might be different is the trigger. So, you can either build this rifle yourself, or buy it already assembled. The Grayboe Phoenix 2 weighs about 40 ounces and has an adjustable comb height that is easy to adjust without tools, and adjustable length of pull via spacers.

I love the Gap Splash camo paint on this stock. The stock has 7 QD sockets, and an M-Lok ARCA-compatible forend. I attached a short polymer pic rail at the muzzle for a bipod and will attach a short ARCA section for tripod use later. The bottom metal and magazines work together to feed factory Hornady Precision Hunter ammo well, and the Grayboe M5 bottom metal has an ambidextrous magazine release. This bottom metal can take either AICS or AIAW magazines. The Phoenix 2 had a great recoil pad, a feature many manufacturers seem to overlook. I will put a Leupold VX-6HD 3-18×44 scope on this rifle with Leupold Mark 4 rings. It should weigh around 9 pounds with the scope.

6.5 Creedmoor

• Aero Precision SOLUS Short Action
• Aero Precision 22” Sendero Barrel – Black Cerakote
• TriggerTech Primary single-stage trigger
• Aero Precision Competition Chassis – 15”
• Aero Precision SOLUS Chassis NVG Mount – Black Anodized
• Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25×56
• Leupold Mark 4 rings

This rifle is great for competition shooting. It weighs 15 pounds with all the pieces above and can be made heavier by installing aftermarket weights. I used the standard SOLUS short action, which has a full-length 20 MOA rail, so it weighs significantly more than the SOLUS Lightweight short action.

The chassis is machined from 7075-T6 aluminum and is available in several colors. I chose Flat Dark Earth. This chassis is quite rigid, with numerous M-Lock slots on both sides and the bottom, and a built-in, full-length ARCA rail on the bottom. I added a short section of pic rail at the muzzle end of the chassis to attach a bipod. It has a vertical, AR-style grip. The length of pull and the comb height are adjustable without tools. This chassis has a Remington 700 footprint and V-block bedding surfaces. Both AICS and AIAW detachable box magazines can be used. Other features include an ambidextrous magazine catch which is adjustable, an adjustable thumb rest, 11 QD sockets, adjustable-cant recoil pad and can accommodate up to 1.25” barrel diameters.

With this rifle’s thick, heavy steel barrel, and supremely adjustable chassis, achieving great accuracy is easy. This obviously is no hunting rifle, but it’s great for long-range target practice, and for PRS-style matches, as well as heavy-division NRL Hunter matches.

Building your own custom rifle brings its own sense of satisfaction, especially when you wind up with something that routinely shoots ½ MOA 5-shot groups (or better). It’s kind of like catching fish on flies you’ve tied, or rods you’ve built. It’s really not difficult to do—I’ve built model airplanes that were more complicated. What’s more, extremely high quality, open-source parts such as custom stocks, chassis, actions, and other parts are more available today than they have ever been. Building your own may well become the norm in time, especially for hardcore shooting and hunting enthusiasts.

George Krumm is the editor for Fish Alaska and Hunt Alaska magazines. He can be reached at george@fishalaskamagazine.com.

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