Selecting and Ordering A Custom Hunting Rifle

One of the projects John and I worked on last winter was Selecting and Ordering A Custom Hunting Rifle. Texas gunmaker, Charlie Sisk, is the brains behind the book, and asked all his favorite gun writer friends to contribute their thoughts.  And while buying a custom rifle seems extravagant in these hard economic times, you have to ask yourself: wouldn’t it be more economical to have one rifle that fits you perfectly, that you can use forever, than to buy and sell, and buy and sell.  (Industry people call it ‘churning’ and it’s 99.9% of their profits, so you know the only one losing money is the guy trying to sell a rifle quickly so he can buy the next great hope.)
John wrote several chapters and shorts, including ones on controlled-round feed vs. push-feed, reality vs. expectations when buying a custom rifle, wildcat cartridges, walnut stocks, and scopes for custom rifles.  He also takes on the big question: Should you  buy custom?  And I wrote the chapter on fit, good fit, for both men and women.

Sisk says, “It may look like any idiot could do what I do, but it takes years of study and watching people mount and use guns to know what to look for and turn around and fix it right.”

I’ve listened to Charlie’s philosophy of fit for years, and shot his guns.  Might be this book should have been called Zen and the Art of Rifle Guns.