Let me just start by saying that unless you are a high-end competitive shooter, nobody REALLY needs a full-on custom rifle. Even the budget rifles from companies like Ruger, Savage and CVA are good quality and perform very well.

However, there is a level of satisfaction that owning a truly high-end rifle brings that you just can’t get with a production gun. With the “plug and play” options we have today, you can create your idea of the perfect custom rifle with much less time and money invested than having a gunsmith do the work for you.

The action is the starting point. There are quite a few companies, like Defiance, Zermatt and Kelby, that make wonderful actions. They start at around $1,000 and go up from there.

For a DIY build, a quality action is important because they are built to such tight tolerances that you can buy barrels already chambered to your cartridge and just screw them on. So-called “pre-fit” barrels from makers like Proof, Criterion and Straight Jacket can be ordered in just about any caliber, contour, barrel twist and length you want.

Steel barrels are less expensive and start around $700, while carbon fiber is more expensive, starting at around $1,000. Do some comparison shopping. While carbon looks cool, it may not save you as much weight as you think.

You will need access to a barrel vise and action wrench to get the barrel torqued to spec. After the barrel is spun onto the action, rent a set of go, no go gauges for your caliber from reamerrentals.com for $10 to ensure you have proper headspace. The go gauge should chamber easily in your action, but the no go gauge should not.

Triggers usually start around $150 and are super-easy to install — typically, just two pins that hold them in place. I like TriggerTech, but there are a lot of makers out there.

Choosing a stock can be truly overwhelming. The options are almost unlimited. Traditional wood, laminate, composite, chassis or some combination thereof.

You can get a semi-inletted wood stock. I have done it. I used a Dremel tool to finish the inletting.

You can do a decent checkering job with a little research and the patience of Job. I have done that, too, and never will again.

Boyd’s sells laminate stocks from plain to super-fancy, starting at $200, that your action will drop right into. McMillan and Manners produce high-end composite stocks, and MDT, WOOX and others specialize in chassis.

Adjustable length of pull, cheek height, folding stocks —the sky’s the limit here. Some stocks come with bottom metal, others don’t, and you will have to buy it separately.

You can go with a mag well or blind magazine. Personally, I like a blind magazine on a hunting rifle because it is easier to carry, and a detachable mag on my competition guns because I miss a lot and need quick reloads.

Once you have all the parts screwed together and torqued to spec, you have something to be proud of, and that will likely shoot as well as you can hope for.