Need your expertise

[Aitch]

I'm going to build a .284 Win on a #3 (preferably) or #1 action. I have some nice English walnut for the furniture and am undecided on Krieger, Shilen, Douglas or other barrel.
I have some #3's and #1's but I'm not eager to take one of them down so I would prefer to buy an action to build on.

A retired gunsmith acquaintance of mine with health issues has a #1 action that he will never use and is willing to part with it.
He says "I don't know if $5 is too much or $500 is not enough".
My quandary is, I want to be fair to the guy but I don't know what to offer him and he won't put a price on it.
Hope you chaps can help me with the fair value of this action.

I thank you.

Aitch

 

[picketpin]

You can buy a lot of used #1 for $500 if you shop. Unless stocked with a 2x4 you can sell the factory wood for at least $200. That makes a barreled action, $300. That being said In 40 years I have NEVER seen a action alone for sale for that price. If "I was trying to be fair" and knew I was going to re-stock it anyway I'd offer him $300-$350 and that would seem to be fair to everybody.

Barrels boil down to what you want to spend. I've used nearly all the major guys over the years, but have pretty much settled on Shilen or Douglas. Both will turn the profile to factory spec without additional charge. Krieger, Hart etc send you a barrel blank for $350 or so and that's bare and untapered. It's really easy to get $650 - $7550 into a Hart or Krieger by the time it's on your rifle and working and that does NOT include blueing.

Of course as you are doing the wood having a factory profile barrel may well not be an issue for you.

Ross

 

[Aitch]

Hey Ross, thanks for the input. Makes sense. $500 #1's are not that common in these parts nowadays. Might have more if they were.

Still sounds like $300-350 is reasonable.

Unless my memory is worse than I think, Brownell's used to sell #1 barreled actions. Used to is the operative phrase.
I'm leaning toward a 26" #5 contour chrome moly barrel.

Aitch

 

[picketpin]

Yes, Brownells closed out the barreled actions for #s a couple of years ago. The price counting shipping was pretty close to $500 which was why I didn't buy any.

Don't get me wrong there is NEVER a bunch of #1s for sale at the $500 or less price point. Howver, if a guy isn't in a hurry and doesn't care about caliber they do show up occassionally. As I need more #1s like a holes in the head I just wait and when I find one at that price point or less I pick it up for "projects".

I bought a NEW and I would swear unfired 204 stainless/laminate "V" a few months back for that $500 price. A tad more for shiupping but I'm still into it less than $550 ready to go less blocks.

Several months ago my smith called me. Seems a guy brought in a #1 "B" in 270 from the early 80s. It was in great shape as far as the exterior. Seems he had fired a handload that was a squib and it got stuck in the bore. I have no idea why but at some point he tried to DRILL the bullet out!!!! He dinged the side of the bore. He called Ruger for the price to re-barrel. Close to $500 when it's all said and done. So he took it to Jim who quoted him even more with a custom tube.

I thought Jim put him in touch with me as I have quite a few take off barrels, especially in 270 and 30-06. Nope, the guy was tired of it and wanted something else and didn't want to mess with it. I gave him the asking price of $350 and his wife even took it over to the wifes house and delivered it.

I realize that's aan exception but it does happen. Heck, many years ago I bought a 30-06 with a pretty nice blonde factory stock and the mottled factory recoil pad at a gun show in Boise for $350. The surprise was it was on it's third show and had never sold!!?? Go figure.

THe 284 really works well in a short 22" "A". I built one years ago and have held onto it for a lot of years. ;-)


Ross

 

[Aitch]

Ross, To your point, I stumbled upon a Ballard rifle and a 30-40 #3 at a yard sale.
Picked up both. Ballard for $250 and the #3 for $450.
That makes my second 30-40.
The first I bought in a local gun shop for $550 I think. It was really clean but I suspect the PO had installed a Unertl or similar scope on it because the barrel had been tapped. You don't happen to have a spare 30-40 barrel lying around do you?
If I can't get together with this guy on price, I'll probably build on my .223 #3 with #1 wood.
Thanks for the input on the .284. I'd like to keep the barrel as long as I can and keep it looking proportionate.

 

[weshowe]

Gents,

I purchased one of Brownell's 1B barreled actions in the now discontinued 6mm Remington. It's still in the box, but I now have a beautiful English Walnut blank that will probably be used for the project.

Seems to me I paid right about $500 for the barreled action complete with Ruger Rings. A good deal, IMHO, and a great caliber. To bad they discontinued it.

As for barrels...I have Hart, Kreiger, Douglas, Shilen, and Obermeyer tubes. For a custom #1 I'd go with a Kreiger tube and not look back. My preference is for Obermeyer barrels, but Boots is doing so much work with the government that getting his barrels is hard. Luckily, I have a .30 cal light weight contour and a .30 cal AMTU taper tucked in the safe...

Wes[/quote]

 

[Aitch]

Wes,
Krieger has an exclusive deal with Boots Obermeyer now and is offering his 5-R rifling in their barrels for a $30 up-charge.
Currently they offer it in a limited number of calibers: 6, 6.5, 7mm, .30T Palma and .308.

This may be the direction I will go.

Thanks,

Aitch