Vudoo vs rim x and gun smith.

mattman215 · Sep 1, 2024

Hello all,

Going to get a custom 22 for plinking hunting and some matches.

I can get a vudoo complete build.

Or I can get a rim x action and my smith can install a brux barrel.

Basically the vudoo would be 200 bucks cheaper but what do you think is going to be more reliable and accurate.

For either plan on doing lapua lot test.

Thoughts?

DFOOSKING · Sep 1, 2024

Match guns give up some reliability for increased on paper performance.

$200 is the cost of 1-2 bricks of ammo. It's kinda moot. Buy the rifle YOU want at the end of the day. You will never remember the $200 you saved.

Rob01 · Sep 1, 2024

Both will be accurate and having them tested will get you the best ammo for the rifle. All comes down to what you want. Vudoo uses Bartlein barrels so there is no issue with accuracy.

Reliability is about having the whole rifle set up correctly with magazine height correct in a .22. With it then the rifle should be very reliable but it's a .22 and you will have issues from time to time with either.

Looking into the cost you need to look at the magazine prices too. Saving $200 on the Vudoo and then going $40 for a Vudoo magazine versus $125 for a Rim X magazine.

David Lott · Sep 1, 2024

DFOOSKING said:
Match guns give up some reliability for increased on paper performance.

$200 is the cost of 1-2 bricks of ammo. It's kinda moot. Buy the rifle YOU want at the end of the day. You will never remember the $200 you saved.

Can you explain the "give up some reliability " part of a match gun?

Cody S · Sep 1, 2024

the only thing my match gun won't be able do to is extract a chambered unfired round because of my desired chamber specs. I have no idea what vudoo will offer.

if you're spending vudoo money just make sure you're super happy with the length and contour of the barrel and the stock. either the rimx or vudoo will be sick.
it'll be a great rifle but at that price it would behoove you to pick carefully the stock for what fits you best. fwiw you're going to like either a rimx or vudoo. I've cycled both a few times and they're sublime.

I went with a cz457 trued and threaded, custom barrel, timnet trigger and mdt gen 2 premier to save money but still get something on par with the vudoo or rimx. so cz 457 may be an option to consider.

Matt_3479 · Sep 1, 2024

I have the rimx, deuce and vudoo, and my shooting partner has a rimx and vudoo. We’ve had 3 different barrels for the rimx’s and 4 different barrels for the vudoo’s. I personally prefer the vudoo and he prefers the rimx. Both are excellent, both feed and extract great. The earlier rimx had a bit of extraction issues but I don’t see it much any more. The rimx mags are significantly better but also much more expensive. You won’t go wrong either way.

Cody S · Sep 1, 2024

Rob01 said:
Vudoo uses Bartlein barrels

was that a recent switch?

Rob01 · Sep 1, 2024

Cody S said:
was that a recent switch?

Been at least a couple years now.

DownhillFromHere · Sep 1, 2024

I own both Vudoo (first gen) and Rim-X. Both are excellent. A few thoughts wrt comparison.

When you buy a complete Vudoo, you buy a complete rifle. If it doesn't shoot s it should, Vudoo will take care of you.
When you buy a Rim-X action, you buy the action. If the completed rifle won't shoot, Zermatt will advise - but they won't tell you to ship the whole rifle to them for troubleshooting. If a smith assembles the rifle and it won't shoot, it's up to you and the smith.
Rim-X is compatible with pre-fit barrels and offers swapable bolt heads. Not Vudoo.
Rim-X aluminum magazines are works of art. They're beautiful. They freaking ought to be for $125 EACH. For 10-rounders.
Want a Rim-X branded 5-round extension? $55. So. $180 for a 15-round magazine, and it's a hoot trying to cram in the lat few rounds of super-slick Lapua ammo in summertime because the follower is only good for 10 rounds.
Vudoo polymer mags are $40 apiece. They used to offer a 3-pack for $100 but I don't see that on their site anymore.
Vudoo discontinued their 12- and 15-round aluminum mags. Apparently they were too troublesome to too many people. I have two of them (15 rounds) and they work flawlessly in my gen-1 action in MPA BA-Comp chassis. They keep saying they're going to offer new 12- and 15-round aluminum mags, but.....
In my experience, Rim-X feeds more smoothly than Vudoo (again, mine is first gen)... B U T....
And it's a big BUT. A Rim-X MUST be fed from a magazine - you cannot single-load through the ejection port. (Note: Modacam Custom Rifles has designed a conversion to allow a Rim-X to function more like a Vudoo wrt loading functionality)
Also part of the big BUT: If the bolt doesn't properly pick up the round from the magazine, there's a very good chance the round will be stuffed into the chamber, and the only way to extract it is to pry it out with some kind of tool or a fingernail far stronger than mine.

I shoot my Vudoo in pretty much all competitions now. I shot the Rim-X last year in a little monthly gallery-style match; did fine with it but I'm just more confident with the Vudoo (which I've shot for six years). The Rim-X has become a backup and practice rifle.

Much has been written about feeding issues in both Vudoo and Rim-X. Proper fit of action/stock/magazine is critical in both. I haven't had a feeding failure in my Vudoo in years, using either 10- or 15-round mags. Rim-x... I do have an occasional misfeed, but it's always with the 5-round extension in place and I run the bolt too fast.

At the end of it all... pick the one that feels best to you. With the R700 footprint and trigger options, you can swap all sorts of things anyway.

Criver600 · Sep 2, 2024

Two RimX rifles, TS Customs smithed the one in the McMillan stock. 18,000+ rounds Bartlien Barrel. Second pic RimX, AI AT-X AICS 2500 rounds, TS Customs spun up a 2nd Bartlien, barrel vice and a torque wrench it was off to the the races. Both feed flawlessly and are exceptionally accurate.

If your gunsmith has a clue build a RimX with a Bartlien or Krieger barrel.

Biggest reason I chose RimX over Vudoo was when I started playing the 3 local Vudoos all had feeding issues. My Son in-law has a Vudoo runs fine but he's sent it back twice. (one was a broken bolt catch, not sure about the other time) The Bartliens seem to out-shoot his factory Ace. If I ever purchase a Vudoo it will have a Bartlien or Krieger barrel preferably spun up by Modacam.

gwalker · Sep 4, 2024

DI Precision and Modacam are worth checking out for barrel actions. By once cry once.

DeathBeforeDismount · Sep 4, 2024

If I do it again, its going to be a RIMX. I had too many issues with feeding in various chassis with every type of vudoo mag out there. The mags are the weak link and the RIMX mags are much better designed.

Also keep in mind the brains behind the vudoo left the company years ago. You are buying essentially end of product life and its no surprise its been fucking years without a mag that works.

A $150 mag that works every time is 10000% better than a $40 mag that works half the time.

Dealing with mag issues was one of the reasons I got out of the .22 game. Spending all that time and money to loose points to missfeeds is not fun.

The other option is a CZ 457. You can drop into an ACC chassis and its a great platform, and you will save some bucks.

Defender32 · Sep 5, 2024

I own 4 custom Rimfire builds ( I have owned way more than that. ). MCR and Rachel Precision. 2 of them are Gen 1 Vudoos, 1 ModX and 1 40X Conversion. All of them are 100% reliable and I can extract a live round from all chambers.

Barrels are Muller Works, Brux and Kreiger. I prefer the Brux and Kreiger cut rifle barrels. I have found them to be les picky with ammo over the Mule Works Button rifled barrels.

I in the magazine debacle of metal over nylon I do love the RimX Magazines. My nylon Vudoo magazines do not cause me any loading issues, extraction or ejection issues. The RimX Magazines are the same way. I do have 2 metal OG Vudoo magazines 12 & 15 round. I did have some issues with those until I bought some longer springs from Hoz'n Shield. That 100% solved any issues I ever had.

I do run all my actions in Manners Stocks with their Mini Chassis and that is a little work in progress. You need to get an extended mag latch of .15 longer. The file it to fit perfect on the magazine locking. This will get your magazine all the way to the top and no more wobble. You can almost do without a mag block once that is done. With the RimX magazines you just adjust the mag catch on the back of the magazine to be where it needs to be. This take a little trial and error as well. Once that is complete there are no issues.

Lapua Lot test or home test with Eley is the best thing to do. I have found the Eley wax to build up a little more on my bolt nose so I remove the bolt ever 3rd stage and clear it with a brush. This does not matter if it's the ModX or the Vudoo. With Lapua and SK ammo that is a non issue. As well as RWS ammo. ( Wish we could still get some of that. )

It all boils down to what you really want. A rimfire come down to the Smith. If you are able to get a GREAT Smith Like Johnathan, Randy or David you will be in great hands. There is nothing wrong with either action. everything else is a 100% trade off. Shooters can all take good or bad either way.

My purchased rifles have been 5 - Vudoos, 4 - RimX Actions and 7 - Barrels, Bergara B14 & Remington 40X.

David Lott · Sep 9, 2024

DeathBeforeDismount said:
If I do it again, its going to be a RIMX. I had too many issues with feeding in various chassis with every type of vudoo mag out there. The mags are the weak link and the RIMX mags are much better designed.

Also keep in mind the brains behind the vudoo left the company years ago. You are buying essentially end of product life and its no surprise its been fucking years without a mag that works.

A $150 mag that works every time is 10000% better than a $40 mag that works half the time.

Dealing with mag issues was one of the reasons I got out of the .22 game. Spending all that time and money to loose points to missfeeds is not fun.

The other option is a CZ 457. You can drop into an ACC chassis and its a great platform, and you will save some bucks.

I understand your frustration but how is it 100's if not 1000s of other shooters have no problems with their Vudoo set ups?

Defender32 · Sep 9, 2024

Let me post you one here on your magazine fitment with stocks and chassis.

KnowNothing256 · Sep 9, 2024

David Lott said:
I understand your frustration but how is it 100's if not 1000s of other shooters have no problems with their Vudoo set ups?

I’m just a voice of one, but I’ve had issues with my Gen 1.2 Vudoo also, in particular feeding. The mag I trust the most is my 15-rd aluminum Vudoo mag, but it needs a barricade stop in front or shimming at the rear to prevent tipping when loading into a bag. I tried L3i mags, with various adjustments, and couldn’t get the reliability I need to win matches, so I sold them. The poly Vudoo mags seem functional, I just don’t have as many reps on it; it’s the backup/spare.

Feeding / mag reliability is in my top 10 risks to placement in 22LR competition, probably not top 5 anymore but still way up there on my “unacceptable problems” list. If my aluminum mag went down, I’d be up a creek; I’m in search of a replacement option because it’s a pretty concentrated point of failure right now.

ETA: I’m also not quite sure that most people don’t have problems. If a shooter gets one or two mag jams per 100 rounds, and they clear them quickly and finish their stage or group shooting or whatever, would you actually hear about it? I think most people wouldn’t identify that as a big problem. For instance, I watch Matt Hui’s videos sometimes (womfat on YouTube) and I was surprised how many feeding issues he’d have, several per match. But when you compare that to other platforms, it’s significantly less reliable performance. My thoughts on it changed after NRL22 Nationals this year, after I had multiple jams that cost me points. I decided “Never again will I accept this,” now I’m in the process of figuring out a permanent fix.

DeathBeforeDismount · Sep 9, 2024

David Lott said:
I understand your frustration but how is it 100's if not 1000s of other shooters have no problems with their Vudoo set ups?

Plenty of vudoo shooters have and had issues. Everyone knows their mags suck.

They came out with metal mags...which they no longer even sell becuase they suck.

They have promised for years they would release a mag but people are still waiting.

Had issues with foundations, mpa and manners stocks.

The brains behind the vudoo action left the company and they care more about making pistols and other dumb shit than fixing their core product.

Buckhead · Sep 9, 2024

I have my Vudoo 360 in a KRG X-Ray and I run the 10 round Vudoo poly mags as well as the L3I Elites.

Out of the 7500 rounds I have fired this year I have had a total of 2 misfeeds - one was my fault for not checking my mag was loaded correctly and the other happened when my action got full of dirt and sand at a really windy match.

It can be done. A bit of patience is required with the setup, is all.

Rob01 · Sep 9, 2024

It all comes down to mag placement in the stock/chassis for feeding. Some chassis allow you to adjust the mag height and also so do some DBMs that allow for different height mag releases. If the mag is placed properly in the stock/chassis in relation to the action then they will feed without issue unless short stroked or some other issue we shooters can cause. I had some Manners with DBMs run my poly Vudoo mags great but had two that were trouble and they made their way to centerfire rifles. My MPAs all run great after I adjusted the mag height to the proper place.

Here is a video Greg put out about mag fitment.

KnowNothing256 · Sep 9, 2024

I'm sorry, but no, height is not the only component. Some mags feed at an angle that doesn't play well (depends on magazine model), some magazines are very susceptible to front pressure due to the front-to-back clearance, some mags need a feed ramp filed into them to feed certain types of ammo...

I've played with mag heights and it's not a panacea. It's absolutely critical to get it right, as a mag won't run properly if it's too low; however, it's not a guarantee. I'll say that Vudoo mags do tend to work well, which makes sense. I've tried three models of third-party mags that I can't get to work well.

Rob01 · Sep 9, 2024

Yes the front pressure changes the height and angle and can cause issues as the video addresses. You are putting a little bullet in a little hole. You start changing things and yeah you will get issues and why most run some sort of a mag block to stop the bag from pushing on the mag. If you aren't then you should get one. It will help with a generous magwell which allows the mag to move with pressure.

As for the follower angle, I have never filed or changed anything in my poly mag followers since 2017 and have run thousands of Lapua, SK, Fed GMM, Eley Match and Eley Edge and there was no issue feeding any of them with the mag height right. The only issue is with Eley ammo and rimlock if you don't load the magazine with some care. I had it happen a few times when I just loaded the mag like I was using Lapua/SK.

DeathBeforeDismount · Sep 9, 2024

I tried everything, Shimming the mags with masking tape, adjustable mag catches and a Bag Stop/Mag Block.

When you have a ton of 12-15 round stages a 10 round mag is a nogo. So the 10 round plastics suck. And if you put a +2 in them, you can no longer load them with the thumb knob. Then you start getting rimlock issues.

The 15 round AL mags worked sometimes, but i can't count the number of points I lose due to mag issues, timing out while trying to get shit to feed.

Maybe I had a defective vudoo? Who knows. All I know is I wont be wasting money on that shit again. I would buy a CZ or a 10/22 before dealing with vudoo again.

There is a reason gun designers who know what they are doing, Start with a magazine, and then Build the gun around the mag. Its the weak link of ANY firearm system that utilized magazines. A good reliable magazine should be the first thing to get sorted out.

Rob01 · Sep 9, 2024

You won't get rimlock issues in the +2 or even +5 extensions with Lapua or SK but might get with Eley if not done carefully. I use a loading tool with my mags with extensions and no button. Works great.

Vudoo Speed Loader

Small speed loader for filling the vudoo magazines. makes it a little easier on the thumbs especially when using the extended magazines as the slider needs to be removed. Has a small hole on either…

jklprecision.com

David Lott · Sep 9, 2024

DeathBeforeDismount said:
I tried everything, Shimming the mags with masking tape, adjustable mag catches and a Bag Stop/Mag Block.

When you have a ton of 12-15 round stages a 10 round mag is a nogo. So the 10 round plastics suck. And if you put a +2 in them, you can no longer load them with the thumb knob. Then you start getting rimlock issues.

The 15 round AL mags worked sometimes, but i can't count the number of points I lose due to mag issues, timing out while trying to get shit to feed.

Maybe I had a defective vudoo? Who knows. All I know is I wont be wasting money on that shit again. I would buy a CZ or a 10/22 before dealing with vudoo again.

There is a reason gun designers who know what they are doing, Start with a magazine, and then Build the gun around the mag. Its the weak link of ANY firearm system that utilized magazines. A good reliable magazine should be the first thing to get sorted out.

You make some very valid points, it is possible you had some bad mags. but also keep in mind that vudoo makes an action and a magazine not a complete ground up rifle. So the chassis and whomever is assembling the rifle needs to understand that fitment of the magazine is of paramount importance. Proper fitment being the kew words, you are "making a .22 LR" work in a system designed for a centerfire cartridge. While the Rimx mag is a better design there are plenty of feeding issues if not fitted correctly. Speaking of magazines and gun designers, Glock a very well known gun manufacturer has a video to cover proper loading of the mazines in order to avoid rimlock,

David Lott · Sep 9, 2024

glock 44 pistol feeding issues - Google Search

Rob01 · Sep 9, 2024

David Lott said:
but also keep in mind that vudoo makes an action and a magazine not a complete ground up rifle.

Yes they do.

Paul did a video on loading the magazines also.

David Lott · Sep 9, 2024

Rob01 said:
Yes they do.

Paul did a video on loading the magazines also.

Vudoo assembles a rifle from existing 700 short action centerfire components the same as we do making sure everything works properly, they do not make a factory rifle like Bergara, CZ, Ruger etc.

Rob01 · Sep 9, 2024

David Lott said:
Vudoo assembles a rifle from existing 700 short action centerfire components the same as we do making sure everything works properly, they do not make a factory rifle like Bergara, CZ, Ruger etc.

No it’s not a “factory” rifle like those companies but they do sell complete rifles. Not just barreled actions and magazines. That was my point.

David Lott · Sep 9, 2024

Rob01 said:
No it’s not a “factory” rifle like those companies but they do sell complete rifles. Not just barreled actions and magazines. That was my point.

"There is a reason gun designers who know what they are doing, Start with a magazine, and then Build the gun around the mag. Its the weak link of ANY firearm system that utilized magazines. A good reliable magazine should be the first thing to get sorted out"

I was referencing this part of his post, Vudoo makes an action and a magazine "only" designed to work in a 700 Short action chassis.

Hoser · Sep 9, 2024

DeathBeforeDismount said:
Plenty of vudoo shooters have and had issues. Everyone knows their mags suck.

They came out with metal mags...which they no longer even sell becuase they suck.

They have promised for years they would release a mag but people are still waiting.

Had issues with foundations, mpa and manners stocks.

The brains behind the vudoo action left the company and they care more about making pistols and other dumb shit than fixing their core product.

It must be hard to be you.

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