All these donor actions!

If I was going to build a 308, I'd use a 308 sized action. That rules out the T3.

I'd go Sako 75 or Tikka 595, though I wonder at the point in building a 308 for stalking given the availability of perfectly good factory rifles. If you need a specific non standard rifle, fine, but otherwise...?

Almost about to say the same thing, "perfectly good factory rifles", then saw your post! In my mind the cost is more than it's worth, can have endless headaches along the way and never seem to be delivered on time.

That said there are some very good rifle builders around (on SD as well) who will do a great job. Then there are some who are plainly part time butchers on a trip of 'I'm in the arms trade'! Choose your builder on establishment and reputation wisely.

Now, must get back to that .223 custom build I'm thinking about...!
 
Not to mention spare parts versus older factory actions...

I am just wondering how many people here have actually needed spare parts for their rifle?

Having shot with club members who were suing rifles that were close to 100 years old and that they shot on a regular monthly basis and on club days on the range they put far more rounds down the bore than most stalkers would shoot in several years. Shooting 60-100 rounds in the day was fairly normal for many of them! but I cannot remember them needing spare parts.............................. That is unless we include the rich spoilt child who could break a hammer head when hammering in a nail. He needed repairs to his guns more than once but always caused by his own silly actions and we cannot blame the gun of it's maker for that now..
 
I am going to be using it for shooting targets as well as stalking and prefer to have a very good level of accuracy for the same price!

Over what distance would you be shooting target and would this be competition or for fun?

If for serious 1000 yard work, you may need a longer barrel than that of a standard stalking rifle to keep the bullet above transonic speeds to long distance, which would sort of rule out that type of rifle for stalking, unless you're built like Jeff Capes!

For fun stuff to say 600 or 800 yards, something like a T3 straight out of the box is very accurate and I use mine with the optional longer barrel (are they still importing these?) to very good effect. It shoots around .35 to .4moa if I do my part properly using 155 SMKs, so unless you're wanting a serious competition rifle, that would seem to be pretty accurate for a factory rifle to my untrained eye. The bonus is it still makes a good stalking rifle.

As others have said, with such a popular calibre available in some very sorted factory rifles, I'm unsure if there's any advantage to going the custom route. It will cost more and may not deliver much better accuracy. You could always buy something like a T3 and drop it into say a KRG X-ray stock?
 
Back
Top