Hey guys I'm working on a rifle build and look at actions. This will be somewhat of a do-all rifle for me. I'm torn between the Nucleus and the Origin and was just looking for some opinions/ others experiences with each.
ARC Nucleus or Bighorn Origin
- Thread starter Bloomer518
- Start date
Fortunately for you you’ll probably be happy with either.
When I was in your predicament I went with the nucleus.
Love it.
When I was in your predicament I went with the nucleus.
Love it.
Can't go wrong with either as far as I'm concerned.
You can pick up the ARC Nucleus version 1.1 for $795 right now, which is a sweet deal. They are unifying a few features between the Archimedes and Nucleus, so they partially modified the older 1.0 version a bit and are selling them cheaper until they run out of the "old" receivers. I'm thinking about picking up a second one after the new year if they are still in stock.
I've been very happy with my Nucleus.
You can read about the new version and 1.1 version here:
www.snipershide.com
You can pick up the ARC Nucleus version 1.1 for $795 right now, which is a sweet deal. They are unifying a few features between the Archimedes and Nucleus, so they partially modified the older 1.0 version a bit and are selling them cheaper until they run out of the "old" receivers. I'm thinking about picking up a second one after the new year if they are still in stock.
I've been very happy with my Nucleus.
You can read about the new version and 1.1 version here:
American Rifle Company, $795 Nucleus Gen 1.1 and Gen 2.0 Bolt Actions
Scroll down to read about the $795 Nucleus Gen 1.1 Customers with pending orders can choose from either the $795 Gen 1.1 or the $1000 Gen 2.0 American Rifle Company Nucleus® Gen 2.0 American Rifle Company is proud to introduce the Nucleus Gen 2.0 bolt action. We decided to update the Nucleus...
www.snipershide.com
Very informative. For $795 that sounds like a great deal. Thanks for the info.Can't go wrong with either as far as I'm concerned.
You can pick up the ARC Nucleus version 1.1 for $795 right now, which is a sweet deal. They are unifying a few features between the Archimedes and Nucleus, so they partially modified the older 1.0 version a bit and are selling them cheaper until they run out of the "old" receivers. I'm thinking about picking up a second one after the new year if they are still in stock.
I've been very happy with my Nucleus.
You can read about the new version and 1.1 version here:
American Rifle Company, $795 Nucleus Gen 1.1 and Gen 2.0 Bolt Actions
Scroll down to read about the $795 Nucleus Gen 1.1 Customers with pending orders can choose from either the $795 Gen 1.1 or the $1000 Gen 2.0 American Rifle Company Nucleus® Gen 2.0 American Rifle Company is proud to introduce the Nucleus Gen 2.0 bolt action. We decided to update the Nucleus...
For the Origin, if you're looking for the short action you can get it from Brownells. When they have their 10% discounts, that will work on the Origin as well, bringing it down to $742.50 (before any tax you may be subject to paying in your state).
When ARC's Archimedes action was so delayed past initial availability dates, I bailed on my pre-orders and decided to buy an Origin for a 300PRC build. Very glad I went that route as I had it within 2 weeks and I've not had any issues with the Origin. I know ARC did (and may still be doing) some re-work on early Archimedes. It is good that Ted fixed the issues, just that if I were an owner I would have preferred to them have not been there in the first place.
I've found customer service to be exceptional for the Origin. ARC had a bit of a rough patch in terms of delivery schedules and some other customer support. But, I will say that Ted's recent engagement may be a sign of better things to come from ARC.
When ARC's Archimedes action was so delayed past initial availability dates, I bailed on my pre-orders and decided to buy an Origin for a 300PRC build. Very glad I went that route as I had it within 2 weeks and I've not had any issues with the Origin. I know ARC did (and may still be doing) some re-work on early Archimedes. It is good that Ted fixed the issues, just that if I were an owner I would have preferred to them have not been there in the first place.
I've found customer service to be exceptional for the Origin. ARC had a bit of a rough patch in terms of delivery schedules and some other customer support. But, I will say that Ted's recent engagement may be a sign of better things to come from ARC.
I have both and like them both
Prior to the 1.1 release I would have said Bighorn for sure. The bolt is so much easier to disassemble and change bolt heads. Now it’s a wash. 1.1 is a great deal.
Personal preference I think the BH looks better in a sleek hunting type rifle, while the Nuke looks great in a chassis.
Prior to the 1.1 release I would have said Bighorn for sure. The bolt is so much easier to disassemble and change bolt heads. Now it’s a wash. 1.1 is a great deal.
Personal preference I think the BH looks better in a sleek hunting type rifle, while the Nuke looks great in a chassis.
Does the Nucleus v1.1 have the tooless bolt disassembly? Or is that limited to the v2.0?
OP i have both and enjoy both. Right now I'm kinda leaning towards the Big Horn for ease of disassembly of bolt. (i have the original Nucleus, v1.0?). However, i really like the short bolt lift on the Nucleus.
Bolt release seems to be more robust on the Nucleus, but the Origin bolt release is easier to use. Origin SA and LA have same tenon length and threads. I believe Nucleus is the same for SA and LA (not sure). Big Horn bolt heads are interchangeable through their "3" series actions, TL3/SR3, ORIGIN, Long and Short actions.
Nucleus bolt heads are slightly diff between the v1.0/v1.1 and V2.0/Archimedes. Based on Ted's statement v1.0/v1.1 will work with v2.0 (with slight bump feel). But v2.0 in v1.0/v1.1 may work.
Couldn't pick so i bought both. That is my advice to you, buy both ?
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Take a look at Terminus Actions before you pull the trigger
Origin. Great customer service and they actually support the prs/NRL matches.
Bighorn Origin and their amazing customer service for the win imo.
After suffering junk $70 ARC mags I'm a bit surprised any of you guys would lean that way.
After suffering junk $70 ARC mags I'm a bit surprised any of you guys would lean that way.
Could not be happier with my origin. Great action for the money, being able to change the bolt face is awesome.
I went with the origin action. It had the features I wanted, a good price point, and has good after market support. I was really interested in a proof carbon fiber barrel as well, so when I saw that proof was using the origin actions and now offers origin pre-fits...it was a no brainer for me.
The mags were a swing and a miss. However, ARC generally makes some solid products. Their M10 rings are the best rings out there IMO, and the Mausingfield action I have is one of, if not the best designed modern action to date.
If you're going to discount ARC just because of the mags, then that's your loss.
Not a bad choice between the two. You could make this choice with a coin toss and come out a winner.
If I was forced to choose, the Nucleus 1.1 would be a pretty compelling option at the current price Ted/ARC is offering it for.
If I was forced to choose, the Nucleus 1.1 would be a pretty compelling option at the current price Ted/ARC is offering it for.
No.
ARC swung and missed on the mags, said there was a fix coming and proceeded to launch new product after new product without taking care of the mags.
And still sells them.
Easy pass.
ARC swung and missed on the mags, said there was a fix coming and proceeded to launch new product after new product without taking care of the mags.
And still sells them.
Easy pass.
The follower is shit. The LRI follower is a pretty sufficient fix.
I've never had a problem with the ARC mags using CRF actions. I don't remember if Ive used them with push feed or not. I guess my sample size is limited only using 6BR, 22BR and 6x47L with them, but I never had a feeding issue with the stock follower.
I really wish the ARC mags work, they were a great idea and I had high hopes for them. I have two or three of them, and the feeding is extremely unreliable.
Never tried the LRI followers, but a friend of mine has that combo and he ended up drop kicking his mag off of a stage at a PRS match due to their unreliability.
Never tried the LRI followers, but a friend of mine has that combo and he ended up drop kicking his mag off of a stage at a PRS match due to their unreliability.
For me it was 6.5 creedmoor. Can't remember if I tried with my Mausingfield or the Defiance that was replaced by the Mausingfield.
My friend who had issues with them was with 6.5x47. *edit - his problems were on a Mausingfield (CRF) action.
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LRI followers are a must. Some slight modification to the factory spring with 419 extensions and they are unbeatable.
Feeds .308, 6 Dasher, 25 Creed, and 6x47 like you’re dry cycling. They are that smooth with some love.
But if anyone is looking to offload their ARCs... I’ll take them off your hands for cheap cuz they suck.
Feeds .308, 6 Dasher, 25 Creed, and 6x47 like you’re dry cycling. They are that smooth with some love.
But if anyone is looking to offload their ARCs... I’ll take them off your hands for cheap cuz they suck.
I personally would go with the origin, but I’m a little bias since I’ve got one and then ordered a TL3 to do a build one after running the origin since it’s release. The prefit barrel market has gotten really solid, you can run Tl3 profits with the hunts long range recoil lug and the customer service from bighorn is fantastic to the point they will go out of their way to make sure everything is perfect.
Arc mags have been shit for me when they get a little dirty. A mag that won’t feed consistently is worthless and a waste of money.[/QUOTE]
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You only get one chance to make a first impression.
The way some of you guys talk ARC is the only company making great rings and actions which is rather humorous really.
The way some of you guys talk ARC is the only company making great rings and actions which is rather humorous really.
Thankfully lots of great actions to choose from, I have actions from numerous manufacturers that I'm more then happy with.
The mag thing is frustrating, but minor in my world.
Enjoy the plethora of other great actions out there. If they ever make a misstep then there's thankfully other action manufacturers to move on to as well.
I have a TL3 and 2 Nucleus actions. If I had to buy a new one now it would be the origin.
Both my Nucleus actions needed work to run, including grinding on some bolt parts.
Neither of them consistently controlled round feed. I can feel and hear the extractor camming over the rim, even when cycling fast. I had a pretty bad double feed mid stage which I thought CRF was supposed to prevent. @just browsing watched that happen.
The plan was to shoot out the barrels currently on them (shouldered) and then sell the actions but with the Nucleus 1.1 and 2.0 I won’t be getting much for them.
The TL3 has been perfect and if the Origin performs the same like everyone says, I would choose that.
Both my Nucleus actions needed work to run, including grinding on some bolt parts.
Neither of them consistently controlled round feed. I can feel and hear the extractor camming over the rim, even when cycling fast. I had a pretty bad double feed mid stage which I thought CRF was supposed to prevent. @just browsing watched that happen.
The plan was to shoot out the barrels currently on them (shouldered) and then sell the actions but with the Nucleus 1.1 and 2.0 I won’t be getting much for them.
The TL3 has been perfect and if the Origin performs the same like everyone says, I would choose that.
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I love my origin to the point I bought a tl3 for a switch barrel project and get the hunts recoil lug to be able to switch barrels back and forth if needed
That sucks. I don't own a Nucleus but my Mausingfield has been an awesome action. Sorry to hear you had problems.
TL3 is a great action, hard to go wrong with that choice.
It’s not a terrible action, and is quite smooth. Just not as hassle free as I expected for a custom action.
On mine after I beveled the plunger on the bolt hood it was awesome.
The bevel gets rid of the hitch spot you could feel if you muscled the bolt closed.
So basically you have to tweak the action to make it functional? Even the 1.1? Sounds like an a flawed design to begin with.
No
It was 100% functional, you actually had to try hard to make it hitch up a bit.
I just made it impossible to do that thanks to some info from members here.
I’d 100% buy another original nuke action.
IMHO CRF is something that might need a little tuning from the end user (and I'd not fault ARC there) as tolerances can certainly stack with all the mags and DBM combos out there.
Kinda the nature of the beast.
I have both.
The Nucleus has a lighter bolt throw but it also feels cheaper than the Origin. The Origin just feels beefier than the Nucleus. The Nucleus has more slop between the bolt and the receiver. My Nucleus bolt throw feels great but has a serious catch at the top. If you run it fast it feels great, if you run it slow it feels pretty bad. It feels like that with TT Diamond, BnA and Huber triggers.
I do not have any rounds on my Origin but I have ran the bolt about 100 times now. It is getting smoother and nicer. It feels a lot smoother than the Nucleus but has a little more drag when closing the bolt. The bolt on the Origin just slides forward with the slightest angle. It is WAY smoother but harder to close but the hardness will go away with time based on how much better it has gotten in the 100 runs of the bolt.
Were the Origin really shines is with their a customer service. I had a cock on close issue and they sent me a replacement cocking piece to correct it at no cost. They were willing to help.
By comparison I had a brand new Archimedes that had issues that I tried to resolve for over 3 months. I sent it in with two TT triggers and two cocking pieces to have them tune it. I got a call and they said the TT would not work. They said I needed to try different triggers. After trying two TT Diamonds, two BnA TacSport Pro, a Huber staged break, a Rifle Basix and a Kenyon style trigger I could not get any of them to work. They all did the same thing. I tried three different cocking pieces as well but nothing worked. One of the BnA triggers actually came off an Archimedes that worked fine but would not work in mine. I sent my Archimedes back for a replacement. I was told I was getting a refund because I would never be happy. I said I wanted a working Archimedes and I was told if I got a replacement Archimedes I was in my own, no warranty or refund if it did not work. I was told nothing was wrong with the Archimedes. It was implied that I got 7 bad triggers. Ted was unwilling to accept the fact that there could have been a problem. As he said “I designed the action and it is perfect”. I took the refund and ran.
The Nucleus has a lighter bolt throw but it also feels cheaper than the Origin. The Origin just feels beefier than the Nucleus. The Nucleus has more slop between the bolt and the receiver. My Nucleus bolt throw feels great but has a serious catch at the top. If you run it fast it feels great, if you run it slow it feels pretty bad. It feels like that with TT Diamond, BnA and Huber triggers.
I do not have any rounds on my Origin but I have ran the bolt about 100 times now. It is getting smoother and nicer. It feels a lot smoother than the Nucleus but has a little more drag when closing the bolt. The bolt on the Origin just slides forward with the slightest angle. It is WAY smoother but harder to close but the hardness will go away with time based on how much better it has gotten in the 100 runs of the bolt.
Were the Origin really shines is with their a customer service. I had a cock on close issue and they sent me a replacement cocking piece to correct it at no cost. They were willing to help.
By comparison I had a brand new Archimedes that had issues that I tried to resolve for over 3 months. I sent it in with two TT triggers and two cocking pieces to have them tune it. I got a call and they said the TT would not work. They said I needed to try different triggers. After trying two TT Diamonds, two BnA TacSport Pro, a Huber staged break, a Rifle Basix and a Kenyon style trigger I could not get any of them to work. They all did the same thing. I tried three different cocking pieces as well but nothing worked. One of the BnA triggers actually came off an Archimedes that worked fine but would not work in mine. I sent my Archimedes back for a replacement. I was told I was getting a refund because I would never be happy. I said I wanted a working Archimedes and I was told if I got a replacement Archimedes I was in my own, no warranty or refund if it did not work. I was told nothing was wrong with the Archimedes. It was implied that I got 7 bad triggers. Ted was unwilling to accept the fact that there could have been a problem. As he said “I designed the action and it is perfect”. I took the refund and ran.
I did indeed bevel the plungers. On one of them it wasn’t bad and only hitched up when I tried. The other one was much worse and hitched up cycling regular speed.
Once I beveled them, the problem went away.
I scratch my head at the ”dual personalities“ of ARC in these forums. Not that one is not accurate over another but that such a swing of opinions exists.
Very few have complained over their ring design. Everyone seems to hate their mags. 50/50 on their actions. More than anything it seems like trust in their products might have been shifted to dependable to trust but verify.
i ordered a long action Nucleus 1.1. I love their rings and never tired their mags.
Very few have complained over their ring design. Everyone seems to hate their mags. 50/50 on their actions. More than anything it seems like trust in their products might have been shifted to dependable to trust but verify.
i ordered a long action Nucleus 1.1. I love their rings and never tired their mags.
I bought someone else’s pre order. Before it shipped the problems started being reported so I called ARC and told them to keep it until it is right. They said it would be a few weeks and I said I don’t care if it takes months.
A few weeks later I got the Archimedes in and inspected it at the gun shop but found nothing obvious. It shipped with an 035 cocking piece installed but I bought an 045 to tune it. I got home and ran the bolt some before the trigger was installed and it seemed to drag. Thinking it was because the trigger wasn’t installed I installed one of the two TT Diamonds I had. It still dragged but I felt it would loosen with time. The biggest problem was the striker would drop when you ran the bolt at anything but gingerly. I took that TT Diamond out and put the one from my Nucleus in, same thing. I took the TT out and borrowed a RifleBasix from a friend and got the same result. My friend said something was really wrong with the Archimedes because of how bad it was dragging. I saw a spot on the bolt handle that looked like it was rubbing on the receiver. I sharpied it and ran the bolt to confirm. I took the bolt apart and hit those areas with a few strokes of a file, it changed nothing.
I called and spoke to Justin and we both agreed that I should send it back with both TT Diamonds to have it tuned. I sent it back with both TT Diamond triggers and the 035 and 045 cocking pieces.
A few days after it got in their hands Ted called me. He asked if I had hit the bolt handle with a file and I said I had. He said his worker inspected the bolt and agreed that was the dragging issue and said they would polish and refinish it but it would be a few weeks. I told him my Nucleus feels better and he was surprised. He said that there is no way the Nucleus feels better than the Archimedes. He asked if I could send the Nucleus in because he did not believe it felt better.
Here is the ARC “fluff and buff” to fix the dragging issue.
Next he said the action would not work with the TT Diamonds. He said the way the TT was designed the striker drops with most actions if you run it fast. I told him it works perfectly in my Nucleus and he said it should also be dropping the striker when running the bolt fast in my Nucleus, it doesn’t. He asked what the Archimedes was for and I said I shoot off the bench mostly. Then he said I could just close the bolt slowly and I would not have a problem. I said that is not a fix and that if I decide to get into PRS it won’t work. Ted then suggested I buy a different trigger. I asked what triggers work 100% and he said he could not tell me but said I should try a Timney or Jewell. He said as long as I was shooting off the bench dirt should not be a problem with them. I told him I do not like either trigger and he said to try others and let him know what works. I then asked for my TT Diamond for my Nucleus to be sent back while they refinished the Archimedes. The trigger was lost, temporarily, by UPS. ARC comped me the cost of a replacement.
A week or two later the Archimedes shows back up. Wanting to try different triggers I traded my TT Diamond for a Huber Staged Break. I installed it in the Nucleus and it worked perfectly. I installed it in the Archimedes and if you ran the bolt anything but gingerly the striker fell.
Next I bought a Kenyon style trigger from PTG, it had issues and would not work in any action. I also tried a standard X Mark but it would not work because of its own issues.
Frustrated I put the Archimedes up for sale. I was contacted by someone who wanted to trade a Nucleus for another Archimedes. Full disclosure I told him the action was not working with TT and Huber triggers. He offered to send me his BnA to try that worked in his Archimedes. I got it, installed it and got the same result as before, striker falls when the bolt is ran like normal. I swapped cocking pieces with no change. I returned the BnA.
In speaking with Huber we thought maybe the striker was dropping onto the trigger sear and bumping the sear off its shelf. The Archimedes had .018” fall with the 035 cocking piece and .008” with the 045. I contacted Justin and swapped the 035 for an 055. After installing the 055 the cocking piece has a positive cock on close but the striker still fell when the bolt was ran fast. Because I did not have the 055 when I tried the BnA I bought another BnA to try. With the 055 and the BnA it still dropped.
I went back and forth between selling and getting a refund. I would have gotten more by selling but did not want the hassle of selling something that had issues.
I considered swapping the Archimedes for another Nucleus but Ted said the next Nucleus would not be as good because they feel worse than an Archimedes. At that point I took the refund.
Justin is a true asset to the company. He worked with me on absolutely everything. Knows the product, no BS and does what he says. I love my Nucleus, it is an amazing action that feels great except the catch when running it slow but it is worth it. I would have gladly swapped the Archimedes for another action until Ted said the new one would not feel as good as the one I have.
I don’t think the problem is the Archimedes, I think it was a problem with MY Archimedes because I know people are running them. Every company has a bad apple at some point but Ted refuses to acknowledge it is possible. All I wanted was a working action and refused several offers for a refund to try to fix the issue. Ted suggested I would not be happy no matter what but that is not true. I am very happy with the Nucleus. The biggest reason I took the refund is because Ted said I would be on my own, implying I had no refund or warranty on the new action.
It was in a Magpul Pro and KRG Bravo with both TTS, the Huber and the loner BnA.
I never put it in a stock with the RifleBasix, the latest BnA or the XMark.
ETA: Here is a picture of it setup waiting on Huber I traded the TT Diamond for.
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I just placed an order for an origin now the waiting game
