Hill Country Rifles

It doesn’t get much better in the shooting world than a custom gun. Owning a hand-built rifle, shotgun or handgun is Nirvana to the hardcore gun-lover. While most of us can’t afford anew (or used) Bentley, a custom rifle or pistol is achievable, if you really want one. I guess it all depends on your priorities. Of course, a lot depends on the gun you want. An English stalking rifle hand-made by John Rigby in London is probably out of the question ($15,000 on up).

And it’s not really appropriate for the kind of shooting most Americans do. Building something stateside that the major U. S. manufacturers don’t offer is something else, though. A purpose-driven rifle or pistol that’s tailored to your specifications by a custom shop is common today. Serious riflemen using custom-barreled actions set in fiberglass stocks are the new norm in the hunting world. So is a pistol hand-built for competition like PPC or Precision Pistol (bullseye).

If you compete, you’ll be using a hand-built gun if you’re serious about winning. Some of the best custom guns I’ve seen and used come out of a shop in New Braunfels, Texas. Hill Country Rifles (HCR, HillCountryRifles.com, is unique in the custom rifle world— they actually shoot the customer’s rifle before it’s shipped. If it doesn’t meet their accuracy standards it doesn’t get out the door.

Most places guarantee an accurate rifle and will stand behind their product, but Hill Country shoots the completed rifle with premium factory ammo before sending it out. That’s Top: Matt Bettersworth, General Manager of Hill Country Rifles, standing next to a rack of completed HCR rifles that have been test fired and ready for shipping. Each custom job receives this kind of personal attention. the critical difference. HCR spends in excess of $60,000 yearly for premium factory ammunition for use in testing.

Every rifle built or accurized must meet their 1/2" three-shot standard after completion. An on-site 100-yard underground range is busy testing finished rifles daily.

There’s an upside to doing so much shooting. Minor issues not noticed during assembly show up, functioning is verified, and quality control is looked at again during handling and firing. If the customer sent in a telescopic sight, it’s tested and then zeroed on the customer’s rifle. Sometimes even expensive scopes have issues. It’ll be spotted and corrected before shipping. The buyer gets a hand-built, reliable, very accurate rifle that’s fired and certified to perform like it should.

More expensive HCR built several 1911s that were gorgeous, match-pistol accurate, and dutyreliable. Unfortunately, HCR isn’t building 1911s now. than a store-bought gun, but if you’re going on a $20,000 hunting trip, it’s worth it. Plus, a Hill Country rifle will look pretty good, too. Hill Country Rifles made their name a couple of decades ago by

All work, including the Cerakote finish, is done in-house. Drop and wind drift at 300 yards mimics a 308/7.62mm centerfire at 1,000.

A controlled-feed rimfire that has full control of the bullet from the magazine into the action, minimizing any damage or distortion to the rimfire lead bullet. offering an accurizing service for standard production bolt action hunting rifles; factory barrels and chambers were checked, muzzles crowned, triggers tuned, and the barreled actions glassed, pillared, and the barrel channels free-floated. The rifle was then test-fired for accuracy with factory ammo before shipping.

And all for a pretty reasonable price, consider ing the amount of handwork and testing that goes into each rifle. HCR doesn’t do a whole lot of these accuracy jobs now. Matt Bettersworth, General Manager of HCR, told me that the quality of the barrels made by many gun manufacturers today just won’t meet Hill Country accuracy standards.

HCR will still accurize your factory rifle, but it might mean anew barrel, properly fitted, chambered and trued to the action that will This is a Ruger 77 that got a rebarrel and accuracy tune up. guarantee the accuracy level that Hill Country demands. Rebarreling a factory bolt-action hunting rifle takes a fairly quick accuracy and tuning job into the semi-custom build realm. Some customers still want it (I had one done and it’s well worth it), but it can be a lot of money spent on a factory gun.

It does give a customer another option besides a full-blown custom. And options are what a good rifle builder is all about. Besides building custom bolt rifles to the buyer’s specifications, HCR offers several grades of hand-built rimfire and centerfire rifles that are ready to ship. This is about as close to instant gratification that a shooter wanting a custom-built firearm can get. All gunsmithing and testing is done in-house by HCR’s 11 person staff. That includes metal finishes and stock painting.

In fact, HCR owns Paladin Coatings (PaladinCoatings.com, that does

Top row: What a first-class bedding job looks like, with pillars. This is a Remington 700. Bottom row: Perfect work on a rear and front sight installation for a 375 H&H Magnum dangerous game rifle. Cerakote finishing, laser engraving, stippling, and stock finishing. Best thing I can recommend is to look at the HCR website and give Matt a call to discuss what you’re thinking about. The rifle you’ve been planning may very well be sitting on the HCR completed rack, ready to purchase.

I would also advise doing a package deal with scope and rings—mounted, tested, and zeroed with your preferred ammo. All the hard work is done… just unpackage your rifle and go shoot. I like that. Again, a call to HCR can firm up the details of what scope and mounts will work best on your new Hill Country rifle. Shooter Demand Something I found very interesting while talking with HCR is what shooters are ordering today in anew build.

Centerfire tactical and hunting rifles are still number one in the custom gun market, but other types of firearms are becoming increasingly popular. HCR is building many premium rimfire rifles. Some would say a high quality 22 Long Rifle is an expensive toy, but it makes sense in today’s shooting environment. Rimfire ammo is

easier to locate and cheaper when you find it. Twenty-two caliber rifles can be fired just about anywhere, from a 50 foot indoor range to most any outdoor club. Noise restrictions usually don’t apply to a rimfire, especially with subsonic ammo. And you can fire thousands of rounds without worrying about barrel wear. The HCR staff is shooting their rimfires out to 300 yards (and beyond) with superb accuracy; drop at 300 yards simulates a 7.62mm/308 Winchester at 1,000.

A great way to practice long range shooting without the expense, recoil, and inevitable bore wear that happens when using a centerfire. Plus, it’s mucho fun! Hill Country currently offers two rimfire rifles for sale. The RPR is a highly modified Ruger bolt rifle that is certified to shoot under an inch at 100 yards with selected factory ammo. It’s available in 22 Long Rifle, 22 Magnum and 17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire. HCR tunes the trigger, crowns the muzzle, deburrs all metal edges, and smooths the bolt travel.

A PT&G Bolt Handle from Pacific Tool and Gauge is fitted for better function and looks. The stock is fully adjustable for length of pull and cheek height, and a bipod rail is added to the forend. Around a thousand bucks for a nicely tuned rimfire that’s guaranteed to shoot less than 1" groups at 100 yards is a pretty good deal. Usually HCR has these RPRs in stock, ready to ship.

The other HCR rimfire is a fullblown custom, built on a V-22 barreled action from Vudoo Gun Works that replicates the size and feel of HCR’s centerfire short rifle actions. It’s the only controlled round-fed rimfire made which guarantees feeding and extraction reliability. Also, the bullet never touches the feed ramp as it enters the bore, ensuring no deformation of the soft lead bullet; perfectly centered rounds that aren’t battered up when entering the chamber result in superior accuracy.

The Vudoo is an awesome shooter; HCR guarantees 1/2" groups at 100 yards with tested ammo; pretty impressive. The barrel is threaded and ready for a suppressor and the stock is the same "Rifleman" stock used on HCR’s Tactical Course Rifle and the magazines are full-sized 10-rounders that mimic Accuracy International centerfire mags. While expensive (about $4,100), you’re getting a fullsized rifle with the best action, barrel, and stock available.

The barrel will never overheat, wear out, or need to be cleaned constantly like a centerfire to maintain accuracy. If you shoot regularly, the money saved in ammo and barrel work will pay for a Vudoo eventually. If you want one, check with HCR; they may have what you want on the "Ready To Ship" page of their website. Unlike most expensive custom rifles that end up sitting in a safe, a Vudoo-actioned rifle is designed and built to be shot and used often.

The best part about a custom build is always in the planning and speaking with the future builder is a critical part in the process. The HCR people are always ready to talk with shooters about rifles, accuracy, and hunting big game. Give them a call if you’re in the market for a superb, hand-built rifle. AG