HOW TO BUILD 'THE ONE'

Custom rifle platforms all start with your dreams … and the action.

- PHIL MASSARO

When having a custom rifle built, one of the most enjoyable aspects is the blank canvas with which the project begins. I’ve seen all sorts of unique builds, from double rifles built on shotgun actions to pump rifles chambered in cartridges suitable for thick-skinned dangerous game, to drillings in some strange configurations … and rifles built on resurrected actions of a time long ago.

Custom guns can be downright fun. But the most popular—and often the most practical—choices are those classics that are relatively affordable and available. Many of the custom rifles were based on surplus military actions. Much of the WWII-era Springfields, Enfields and Mausers were transformed from the simple (yet obviously effective) military guise into sporting works of art.

With World War II more than 75 years behind us, those rifles are becoming increasingly scarce, and the custom rifle of the last three decades has been, as often as not, built on the Mauser 98 sporting rifle actions, Winchester Model 70s and Remington 700s—and with cause. These are solid designs that are easily worked and can make a rifleman’s dreams come true.

I’ve handled some absolutely amazing custom rifles based on more contemporary actions like the Ed Brown Model 704, the Granite Mountain Arms M98 clone, the CZ550, the Howa 1500 and more. It seems that the controlled-round-feed and push-feed crowds are equally represented in today’s custom rifle world.