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++Bighorn TL3 Builds++
- Thread starter earthquake
- Start date
All big horns should be consistent enough that they don’t need to see it in person. One of their biggest selling points, imo.
Like others have said, get an action, then just start buying shouldered prefits and screw 'em on yourself. A Viper Vise is like $60. I stopped using my Brownells vise and do them all in my Viper on my truck now...even at home. Super easy.
I do the same as well. Viper barrel vise attached to a trailer hitch. You can even leave the scope on if you clamp farther up the barrel.
Doesn't necessarily even need to be a "pre-fit" barrel. Any quality gunsmith who has done a barrel for a TL3 in the past, and who keeps records and can replicate a barrel from prior specifications can build you one.
I'll give a thumbs up to Keystone for price and being phenomenally fast in turnaround. I'm coming up on 7 barrels from 5 different gunsmiths at this point, several of those were barrels bought from other TL3 owners where the gunsmith never saw my action.
Doesn't necessarily even need to be a "pre-fit" barrel. Any quality gunsmith who has done a barrel for a TL3 in the past, and who keeps records and can replicate a barrel from prior specifications can build you one.
I'll give a thumbs up to Keystone for price and being phenomenally fast in turnaround. I'm coming up on 7 barrels from 5 different gunsmiths at this point, several of those were barrels bought from other TL3 owners where the gunsmith never saw my action.
Thank you. I’m creating a list of items needed, hopefully not missing anything:
Action and Action wrench
Barrel or barrels
Stock
Bottom metal (depending on stock)
Trigger (Thinking trigger tech)
Viper Barrel Vice
Anti-Sieze
Torque Wrench
If wanting to switch calibers add a bolt head and corresponding barrel? Anything else I’m missing?
Thanks again everyone for all the input.
I'd make sure you have an inch/lb torque wrench for setting action screws consistently when you pull the action in/out of the stock. You hopefully already have one for scope base and scope ring screws.
Other thing I'd add is to make sure to get the Bighorn specific action wrench that has the slot cut in it to fit around the mechanical ejector.
If you're going to be swapping barrels between calibers a bunch but only want to buy one muzzle brake, I'll put in a plug for the Area 419 Hellfire. You can buy one brake of the largest size you'll be shooting, then put an adapter fitting on each of your barrels and just move the brake from barrel to barrel when you swap. Very easy to take on and off and time, no tools required.
Other thing I'd add is to make sure to get the Bighorn specific action wrench that has the slot cut in it to fit around the mechanical ejector.
If you're going to be swapping barrels between calibers a bunch but only want to buy one muzzle brake, I'll put in a plug for the Area 419 Hellfire. You can buy one brake of the largest size you'll be shooting, then put an adapter fitting on each of your barrels and just move the brake from barrel to barrel when you swap. Very easy to take on and off and time, no tools required.
I have that brake on my Tikka but never thought about a plug. And I do have an. Inch lbs wrench so I have the cheap part out of the way lol.
Yeah, they don't have that option anymore. Looks like they now just have the recoil lug opened up. Curious about the action fit, bolt handle, etc.
Thanks to everyone in this thread! It helped me acquire everything I needed to put this together with no headaches. I slowly gathered parts and assembled it in about 15 minutes. Very easy build. I'm still waiting on my optic and rings to arrive from Vortex...looks like it might be another month or two. This is my first custom rifle and I am excited to see how well it will perform. My current Remington 700 5R in 308 will need a new barrel soon and I wanted something to shoot while that is being done.
I learned a few things and I probably will change the barrel contour when this one is shot out. I am not competing so the weight doesn't bother me too much at this point. It might once I start hauling it around to go shoot at some of my long range spots.
TL-3 SA with Factory DLC coating
Bartlein 1:8 M40 contour finished at 26" (Prefit done by Southern Precision Rifles)
Manners T4A in GAP with carbon shell and mini chassis
6.5 CM
Heathen Brake
Trigger Tech trigger
I learned a few things and I probably will change the barrel contour when this one is shot out. I am not competing so the weight doesn't bother me too much at this point. It might once I start hauling it around to go shoot at some of my long range spots.
TL-3 SA with Factory DLC coating
Bartlein 1:8 M40 contour finished at 26" (Prefit done by Southern Precision Rifles)
Manners T4A in GAP with carbon shell and mini chassis
6.5 CM
Heathen Brake
Trigger Tech trigger
My dream hunting rifle...
Patriot Valley Arms full build
6.5 Gap4s
Bighorn TL3 DLC
24" Proof Sendero 1-8" w/Surefire MB
Mcmillan HTG M40A1 forest camo
Badger M5 enhanced bm
Timney CE 2 stage
S&B 5-20 US MSR in .94" ARC M10
Have you shot it yet? Just an FYI, I have a TL3 and used a Timney CE. There is a slight issue with that trigger on the Big Horn actions. I was getting light primer strikes and it wasn't hitting hard enough to ignite the primer. Big Horn knows of the issue and completely corrected the problem, I just had to send them my bolt for a slight modification. So if you haven't shot it and you get light primer strikes and failures to fire when you do try and shoot. That is most likely the problem. It only cost me the shipping cost of the bolt to bighorn and they had it back to me within 8 days of me shipping it to them. Incredible customer service.
me as well, both a single stage and two stage. no issues but I no longer have either of them so I can't say none ever arose.
Nearly finished, just got the receiver back from Bighorn today, looks as good as dad's and my Tempest did from Chad at CCG. Feels much better. Just need to properly torque the receiver down and add the 419 rail so i can use the Atlas CAL. Speaking of which i don't have an expensive calibrated torque wrench. It's just a $50 tekton or whatever off amazon. I know i don't set it to 75ft-lbs and go. So without sounding too ignorant on the subject, could someone enlighten me?
Set it at whatever torque settings you want, I usually then go back and forth between the screws getting tighter incrementally until the point that it pops.
That’s a minichassis right? If so manners recommends 60 front and 45 rear I think. So I would stand it up on end so the recoil lugs is tight again the chassis pocket and then Work the wrench up between action screws until 45, then move it to 60 and pop the front.
For the bipod rail idk, 20 lbs? Just snug it up to touching and then a smidge more, maybe a 1/5 turn? Tight but not stripped and you’ll be fine.
Arc rings say 55 per both rail cross bolt and top bolt but I haven’t had any issue running them at 45 myself. Then again I stripped a bolt out on one before (what led to my purchasing of a torque wrench) so I’m gun shy with them now on a precarious scope. I went way over 55 lbs though I’ve discovered comparing after the fact.
No i know the action screws i'm talking about putting the barrel back on with the action wrench. Yeah the mini-chassis hasn't changed to my knowledge it's tighten the front then back then torque the front to 65 in-lbs and the rear to 45 in-lbs.
Tighten it till it breaks and then back it off a quarter turn! That's what I do, never had an issue....
For the love of God, send that stock back to manners and have the ejection port inlet correctly for TL3.. far too nice of a stick to keep it like that. OCD rant over.
?
Been nearly two years lol it doesn't bother me that much. Shit i didn't even really notice until now. It's never had a failure to eject. It's not entirely done though. I still want an adjustable cheek piece and again have to put the 419 rail up front for the Atlas CAL.
I'm still leaning towards LRI for the ULATCH so it doesn't add anymore weight though it's pricey, i'm sure if i sent it Chad would have no problem inletting the ejection port. Having said that i'm waiting on my PRS2 for my Tempest so that's my only rifle up at the moment.
I run 60 ft/lbs to tighten the barrel onto the receiver.
I had to fix the ejection port on my Manners TL3 as well. Took 2 minutes with a flat file and a round file for the corner radius. I bet you could call Manners and they would send you some matching paint to cover up the area where you filed away the shell and exposed the fill material.
So should i worry about headspace changing from the previous chambering or just go with 60 ft-lbs and run with it?
I was over at Eric Cortina's (World Champ F class) shop over the weekend, and he literally clamps the barrel vise halfway down the barrel and smacks the edge of that barrel vise with a mallet to both torque and un torque a barrel from the action. I asked him how much torque that was and if he cared about repeatability and then he laughed and said he had no clue. So that was pretty reassuring to me that all the talk on torque settings is only important if there's inadequate torque. 50 vs. 75 vs 120 ft lbs- eh who cares- so long as your smith appropriately indicated the barrel and machined the barrel shoulder appropriately.
Kind of embarrassing I didn't think of this beforehand.....
I ordered and received a left bolt / right ejection port action. Bought a LH trigger tech. Should that have been a RH trigger due to the bolt release being swapped? I have a long action true lefty Nucleus on order so not a big deal, just need to get the correct one for this action.
Also on stocks for that action, I have a pending order in with Manners and have no doubt they will get the inlet correct. In the meantime I was going to get a used LH stock and mill the ejection port to the right side just to get started shooting right away. Am I thinking about that correctly or is that action actually a RH footprint and I would need to mill out for the LH bolt handle?
Left a message with Bighorn but they might be out for a long 4th break.
I ordered and received a left bolt / right ejection port action. Bought a LH trigger tech. Should that have been a RH trigger due to the bolt release being swapped? I have a long action true lefty Nucleus on order so not a big deal, just need to get the correct one for this action.
Also on stocks for that action, I have a pending order in with Manners and have no doubt they will get the inlet correct. In the meantime I was going to get a used LH stock and mill the ejection port to the right side just to get started shooting right away. Am I thinking about that correctly or is that action actually a RH footprint and I would need to mill out for the LH bolt handle?
Left a message with Bighorn but they might be out for a long 4th break.
Sorry we haven't gotten back to you, still making the list of voicemails right now....
Since you have a left handed bolt, the configurations for everything (stock, trigger) will be left hand. The trigger does not need a bolt release and the safety needs to be on the left side as it's cut for a left handed user.
For a stock, you're correct. A used left hand stock will be what you need and you'll need to mill the right hand side down for the ejection port.
Please give us a call if you need more information. We'll answer until 4 ct today. Thanks!
Since you have a left handed bolt, the configurations for everything (stock, trigger) will be left hand. The trigger does not need a bolt release and the safety needs to be on the left side as it's cut for a left handed user.
For a stock, you're correct. A used left hand stock will be what you need and you'll need to mill the right hand side down for the ejection port.
Please give us a call if you need more information. We'll answer until 4 ct today. Thanks!
I agree with this, and I think that with a properly spun up barrel and an action such as the TL3, you won't see a bit of headspace difference between 60-100 ft-lbs.
The threads are 20 tpi, so 1 whole rotation of the barrel spinning onto the threads is 1/20 = 0.050". So every 3.6° degrees of rotation equates to roughly 0.0005" or a half thousandth. I'll bet if torque up a quality barrel to a quality receiver to 60 ft-lbs, place co-witness marks, and then increase the torque of the barrel to 75 ft-lbs, you won't be able to see any rotation with the naked eye. To change the headspace dimension by 0.001" you would have to rotate the barrel more than 7 degrees which would be easily seen by the eye.
Once the shoulder of that barrel smacks up against the face of the receiver and gets tight, there's really not much more it can go!
Here is one of my rigs using a TL3. I run this as a switch barrel between a 18 and 26" 308. Criterion barrel
Timney CE 2 stage
Mdt ess chassis
Timney CE 2 stage
Mdt ess chassis
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Looks great, how are you liking the ESS? I'm guessing you just got the R700 inlet, how was the fitment?
I love it so much I have sold all my other chassis and now have 3 ESS chassis some people hate them but I haven't figured out why yet they just work. Fit for the rem 700 was perfect for both the TL3 and mausingfields I use them with. Triggertech and timney ce both fit perfect and safety functions as they should with no rubbing. I had a krg whiskey 3 and a mpa folder that I got rid of both with minor issues that bugged me. The 6 position adjustable carbine stock IMO cannot be beat on the ess. I even use on an SPR 556 build. Every adjustment locks up solid and stays tight. I have one more mpa with a stiller 338 action in it that I am selling and once its gone I will get another ess probably.
TL3, Spuhr/AMG, MPA folder, Huber Trigger. Have 6mm and 223 barrels.
Also, what kind of torque on the front and back action screws are you guys using with the TL3 and MPA combo?
I have almost the exact same setup and love it. 65in/lbs on the front/back. I torque the front to 40in/lbs, then the back, then repeat with 65in/lbs
TL3 - TriggerTech Diamond - Hawkins Precision BM - Proof Research 6Dasher, 6XC and 6.5PRC chamberings - McMillan A3 - Kahles - Weibad - Atlas
