Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Rifles & Gunsmithing at Redleg Company

Redleg Company builds custom precision bolt-action rifles and AR-style rifles for hunting, competition, and long-range work. We also handle the full range of gunsmithing: accuracy and function diagnostics, rebarreling, chambering, action blueprinting, bedding, muzzle threading for suppressors, Cerakote, and laser engraving. We restore and conserve older firearms as well, preserving original character rather than refinishing it away. Every job runs through the Redleg System: diagnose, authorize, build, prove.

Ready to order a custom rifle? Contact us through our website or give us a call. We'll start by asking, "What do you need it for?" From there, we'll design a firearm tailored to your needs and budget.

The lead time for a custom rifle build can vary depending on the complexity of the build and current demand. Generally, it ranges from 8 to 10 weeks. We will provide a more precise estimate during your initial consultation.

We guarantee our craftsmanship and workmanship. If our work is the problem, we make it right. Components and materials, such as the action, barrel, stock, or optic, are covered by the manufacturers' warranties, and we help facilitate those claims.

Yes. It is your rifle, so the components are your call.Bring a parts list and we will build to it, or tell us what the rifle needs to do and we will recommend an action, barrel, stock or chassis, trigger and optic that get you there. We are not tied to one brand.If a component you want is a poor fit for the job, we will tell you why before you spend the money rather than after.

Yes, we offer full gunsmithing services, including repairs, maintenance, and custom modifications. Our experienced gunsmiths ensure your firearm is performing at its best.

Yes, and a phone call first saves you the drive.We are at 430 Main Avenue in Chandler, Minnesota, open Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 Central. Call 507-677-6007 before you come.Redleg is a working gunsmithing shop rather than a retail counter, and we do not stock firearms for walk-in purchase. A few minutes on the phone means the right person is at the bench when you get here, and it often solves the problem outright.

We accept all major credit cards, bank transfers, cash, and checks. A deposit is required to begin the custom build process, with the balance due upon completion.

We can discuss payment options that will work for a client's budget.

Yes, we can build firearms tailored for various shooting disciplines, including long-range shooting, competitive shooting, and different types of hunting. Let us know your intended use, and we’ll create a rifle that excels in that environment.

Yes. For gunsmithing work, federal law lets you ship your firearm directly to us — and lets us return it directly to you when the work is complete. No local FFL transfer is needed. See the ship-in steps on our Start a Build page. For new rifle purchases, the completed rifle transfers through a licensed FFL in your state. All shipments comply with federal, state, and carrier regulations.

You can reach us through our contact form on the website, by email at info@redlegguns.com, or by phone at 507-677-6007. We’re here to answer any questions you may have.

Redleg Company in Chandler, Minnesota provides precision rifle accurizing services for hunters, competitive shooters, and long-range enthusiasts. We fine-tune each rifle to ensure sub-MOA performance and can ship builds to licensed FFLs nationwide.

A professional gunsmith ensures that every modification is performed with proper tools, tolerances, and safety in mind. At Redleg Company we use precision machining, torque specifications, and bore alignment tools to achieve results DIY work cannot match. This translates to tighter groups, improved reliability, and long-term safety.

To get a custom hunting rifle in Minnesota, start with a consultation at Redleg Company in Chandler. We will ask about your target species, terrain, shooting distance, and preferences for weight, caliber, and optics. Our rifles are built to match your hunt, whether you are going after elk in the Dakotas or whitetail in the Minnesota woods.

Redleg Company crafts long-range precision hunting rifles for shooters across Minnesota. Using top-quality barrels, actions, and triggers, we ensure accuracy and reliability trusted by hunters and marksmen.

The $95 Function Diagnostic is for reliability problems: failures to feed, extract, eject, or fire. The $150 Accuracy Diagnostic is a documented bench evaluation for rifles that will not group. We grade our findings red, yellow, or green and give you a written report with exact prices for each option. Either way, the report comes first. Nothing proceeds without your written approval.

Yes. Federal law allows you to ship a firearm directly to a licensed gunsmith for work, and it allows us to ship it directly back to you when the work is done. No local FFL transfer is needed for gunsmithing.New rifle purchases are different. A completed rifle we sell you transfers through a licensed FFL in your state.All shipments comply with federal, state and carrier regulations. The step-by-step ship-in instructions are on our Start a Build page, and we email you a prepaid label once you call.

Start with a free phone call to 507-677-6007. Many problems get solved on the phone, which saves you the shipping. If your rifle does need to come in, we email you a prepaid shipping label. Shipping is a flat $50 for one firearm; for more than one, call for a quote. Ship the rifle unloaded in a hard case with a copy of your driver's license inside. Once we evaluate it, you get a written report with exact prices, and nothing proceeds without your written approval. When the work is done, the rifle ships back to the name and address on your ID.

The Redleg System is how every job moves through our shop. Diagnose: a documented bench evaluation with a written, graded report. Authorize: nothing proceeds without your written approval. Build: the work gets done to spec. Prove: your rifle is tested and zeroed before it leaves. Diagnose first. Then build.

Yes. Cerakote for long guns starts at $300 and is applied in-house. Cerakote is a thin ceramic-polymer coating that resists rust, scratches, salt, sweat, and solvents far better than traditional bluing. For a rifle that gets hunted in wet weather, it is the most durable finish we apply.

Yes. We are a Class 2 SOT, so we handle suppressors and other NFA items. NFA transfers are $150, waived with a suppressor purchase. Standard FFL transfers are $40. Military, veteran, and law enforcement transfers are free.

Yes. Action blueprinting is the foundation of our custom builds. It means machining a factory receiver so every critical surface is true to the bore centerline: the receiver face, the lug seats, and the threads. When those surfaces are square, the barrel, bolt, and action work as one rigid unit and the rifle shoots consistently. We blueprint actions in-house at our Chandler, Minnesota shop, and many of our blueprinted Remington 700 builds are documented on The Precision Report blog.

Yes. Scope mounting and lapping is $200 at our Chandler, Minnesota shop. We true and lap the rings for full contact, torque every fastener to spec, level the reticle, and set your eye relief. A properly mounted scope holds zero and protects your optic. Bring the rifle and the optic and we handle the rest.

Yes. Redleg Company is a veteran-owned precision rifle shop in Chandler, Minnesota. Founder Brandon Lolkus is a U.S. Army veteran, and that discipline carries into the work: documented bench evaluations, written approval before any work proceeds, and every rifle tested and zeroed before it leaves the shop. Military, veteran, and law enforcement transfers are always free.

Every build starts with a written quote, and nothing proceeds without your written approval.Labor is $95 per hour, and common work is priced up front: chambering a barrel is $450, action blueprinting is $450, and barrel threading runs $175 to $225. Pillar and glass bedding is $250 for a Remington 700 or 700-footprint action into an inletted stock; other actions are quoted from that base.Component costs depend on the action, barrel, stock and optic you choose. Start with a free phone call at 507-677-6007 and we will put a real number on your build.

Not as a formal class. Reloading instruction happens case by case, usually alongside load development or accuracy work on your rifle. If you want to learn, call 507-677-6007 and tell us what you are working on. The Precision Report blog covers reloading in depth, and our free reloading sheet is available on the site.

Yes. Proving the work is step four of the Redleg System, and it is not an add-on you pay extra for.Before a rifle leaves this shop it is test fired and zeroed. You get the results in writing, not a verbal assurance that it is good.On diagnostic work you also get the findings graded red, yellow or green, with exact prices next to each option, so you can see what actually needs doing and what does not.We would rather tell you a rifle is fine than sell you work it does not need. That has happened here, and we would do it again.

You will not have to chase us. Going dark on a customer is the most common complaint people have about gunsmiths, and it is the reason the Redleg System is built the way it is.Here is the cadence. When your rifle arrives we evaluate it and send you a written report with the findings and exact prices. Nothing is done to your rifle until you approve that report. When the work is finished we contact you before it ships back.You are also talking to the person doing the work. Redleg is a small shop. Call 507-677-6007 Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 Central, and you reach Brandon, not a service desk.Lead time on build work currently runs 8 to 10 weeks. If something changes that, we tell you rather than letting the date pass quietly.

Call us first at 507-677-6007. A lot of problems get solved on the phone, and that saves you the shipping entirely. If the rifle does need to come in, we email you a prepaid label. Shipping is a flat $50 for one firearm; call for a quote on more than one.• The rifle must be unloaded. Check it, then check it again. No ammunition inside the case, ever.• Use a hard case with padding so nothing shifts in transit. Poor packaging is the fastest way to void an insurance claim.• Put a copy of your driver's license inside the case. Your rifle ships back only to the name and address on that ID.• Include a note with your name, your phone number, and what you want us to look at. Be specific about what the rifle is doing wrong and at what distance.• If the problem is accuracy, write down exactly what ammunition you were shooting, including brand, bullet weight and lot number if you have it. Do not ship ammunition with the rifle.Anything else, ask when you call. It is a short conversation and it beats guessing.

We would rather you find it in your own garage for free than pay us to find it. Work through this list first.• Action screws. Loose action screws are the most common cause of a rifle that will not hold a group. Check them with a torque wrench, not by feel.• Scope base and ring screws. Same problem, same fix. Also make sure the rings were not overtightened.• Check that the barrel is free floating. Slide a dollar bill between the barrel and the stock, from the muzzle back toward the action. If it snags, something is touching the barrel that should not be.• Try different ammunition. Two or three boxes of a different factory load will tell you more than another fifty rounds of the same thing.• Clean the barrel properly, including copper fouling. A badly fouled bore imitates a worn one.• Look at the crown with a light. A ding on the muzzle will open groups up and it is inexpensive to fix.• Shoot from a solid rest, on a calm day, at a tape-measured 100 yards. More inaccurate rifles turn out to be position and wind than most of us want to admit.If none of that changes anything, then it is worth sending in. Our Function Diagnostic is $95 and our Accuracy Diagnostic is $150, and either one ends with a written report and graded options rather than a guess.

Pillar and glass bedding is $250 for a Remington 700 or 700-footprint action going into a stock that is already inletted. That covers most custom actions, because the 700 footprint is the industry standard.Other actions are quoted from that base rather than carrying a different list price. A Winchester Model 70 or a Mauser has an integral or blade recoil lug and a different inletting profile. Savage, Tikka and Howa use their own lug and pillar geometry, so the 700 pillars and jigs do not carry over. Lever guns, military surplus and older wood are the least predictable of all.If your stock arrives semi-inlet or has to be inlet from a blank, that is a different job and it is billed at $95 per hour rather than flat.We tell you the number before we start. Call 507-677-6007 with your action and stock and you get a real figure, not a range.