Ok Im in the market to build a rifle and wanted some guidance.
Here is what I want to do:

Rifle:I want to use a Remington 700 action
W/ detachable mag

Stock:Call me crazy but I want to add
Boyd’s or Stock’s Stock thumbhole stock in the “gray and black laminate”

Barrel:I want a heavy (bull) 20” barrel
I also want it fluted straight or spiral (Prefer Stainless steel finish)
Also I would like the bolt fluted too

Caliber:I want to stick only with
.243
.308
7mm-08


Questions?
What 700 model should start with?
Has anyone every had a barrel fluted?
Who did the work?
Are you happy with there work?
Do they use your existing barrel or make new?

Some guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Point me in the right direction!

A friend of mine builds custom 700's for fun. He makes some awesome weapons.
Here is a pic of one. I could probably get some info from him if you'd like. I've shot the gun in this pic many times from ranges out to 1300 yards.

He buys a blank barrel, almost always fluted, at the desired length of the owner. He cuts the threads into the receiver end of the barrel, then cuts threads on the business end, for a muzzle brake to be installed. He generally modifies the Remington extractor with a Sako extractor, and adds a trigger. The stock is one of my favorites. I'm not sure of the maker, but he calls it a Straight Line stock. He glass beds the stock, and does a ton of fine tuning machine work on other various parts. They are VERY fine rifles. The scope in this picture is not what most of them end up with. He generally puts either a S&B or Leupold of a higher power on these guns.

fluting a 700 wont make it custom. getting the action trued, custom barrell etc is a good place to start. Kampfeld Customs does some of the best fluting around, but his wait for a gun is a little long. I have two rifles he built and both are great. Also, have one shilen built and its a shooter as well.

The barrels I have fluted came directly from the barrel mfg already fluted. This way they can check the quality of the barrel after they have done the fluting.

A basic Rem 700 action will be fine. I would have the action trued up, lighten up the trigger (or replace the trigger with a Jewell, etc), chamber and install a Krieger or Bartlein Barrel. If you are set on 20", I would go 7mm-08 for much better ballistics than a 308.

Find a good gunsmith that can chamber the gun to the bullet you want to shoot. Let me know if you need a smith, as I know several good one's.

If you have a few extra dollars to spend, I would start with a custom Rem 700 action, like a Surgeon (591 or RSR) or Stiller (Tac 30, Predator, or Viper). The Surgeon 591 is my top pick for a custom action. They are built to tight specs, and will be a custom action. If you true up a Remington, it's still a Remington action. You have about the same amount of money into the factory Rem 700 once you true it up as you would buying a custom action.

Any suggestions on a good, affordable gunsmith?

I am sort of in the same boat but it looks like I need to find a gunsmith first.

Thoroughbred Rifles - Dale Troutt- 214-704-4700

I have shot several of Dale's rifles, and all were hammers. We used his 300 RUM on the mile target (1780 yards). I also shot his 260 Remington at 500 yards. Out of 8 rounds, I had one small splatter of bullets, which was about 1.5 to 2" big.

Mark Pharr www.tumbleweedsrifles.com he is in Austin. As soon as my barrel comes in its headed to his shop.

I have been looking at the Stiller actions for a while (which i shouldn't have) bec now i want to junk my 700 action and go with the custom one. Don’t think it will make it that much of a better shooter but it just has some good custom features. Plus there won’t be that much cost difference after doing all the gunsmith work to the factory action. I need to see if I get into a group buy on them to save a little money.

Here is a good video on custom vs factory actions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR8H4Xx_Nnk

My partner builds excellent ones as well, he is well known on the big forums for his builds.

You may also consider and Accuracy international stock. They are pricey, but not as pricey once you consider they already take magazine, already free floated etc. I love mine.

Alot of people go cheaper on the stock, but after they buy and have the magazine kit installed and barrel bedded the price is similar.

Why don't you send an E Mail to E.R. Shaw bbl Co. and give them
your specs..I'd bet they can do most of the work way under an
individual..and much faster...the clip and its rec will cost you
some bucks..DD

I wouldn't go .243 unless you plan on replaciing the barrel at around 1000rds, it's not a throat friendly rifle in a target enviroment.

Any base model 700 will work if you want to go DBM setup.

Barrel is probaly better off getting fluted from the maker. As far as type I would talk with which ever builder you choose they all have their personal prefrences.

How do ya figure?

284 BC's kill the .308 BC's in the weight range the 308 Winchester can effectivly handle.

Plus they fly faster therefore eat up the .308 all the way around trajectory and wind.

Charlie Sisk in Dayton, Texas. Not cheap, but builds great rigs.

Check with S&S precision in Argyle, ask for Stick

I agree on the .284 / .308 thing.

I thought you were saying that the 20" barrel is what made the 7-08 better. I figure that if a 7-08 wins with 20" barrels, it'll win with shorter or longer too.

It has to do with the higher BC 7mm bullets over the 308 lower BC bullets. A 308 out of a 20" will work. But when you look at the ballistics comparison to a 7mm-08 pushing a 162 A-max or 168 VLD out of a 20", the 7-08 will have much less drop and much less wind drift than a 308. This allows for a greater chance of a hit on target at longer ranges. If 200-300 yards is as far as you plan to shoot, then it won't matter that much. The difference will be more apparent the further out you shoot.

I realize that. I thought you were saying barrel length would make the difference.

The high BC of the 7s doesn't change with barrel length, hence my confusion.

The shorter barrel will serve the op better in those calibers better than the 243 will.