Coup De Grâce, New Action from American Rifle Company, $899 WOW!

I really like conical breeches.

Not to derail, but the BR guys mostly use conical because it really helps that PPC round to go quickly into the chamber without a hiccup.
I bought a Kauger action last year to build a 6-BR and it feeds like greased goose shit on glass. In fact, it works very well with 5 round P-mags.

I highly recommend conical.

Did I mention I like them too?

Impatiently waiting on a Long Action...
Thanks for that. Conical breeches are definitely awesome for smooth feeding but not always necessary if the bullet tip finds the hole. The Coup has a 6 o'clock lug that effectively strips the cartridge from the mag. That lug needs to pass through a 6 o'clock slot in the receiver. The bullet tips of small cartridges will not get high enough to find the chamber and require the conical breech. The 300 Norma and 338 Lapua Mags find the hole and can be run with a flat breech. The pics below tell the tale, sort of.

Ted

1673191447440.png



1673191387673.png
 
Yep, that cartridge centerline on the smaller cartridge needs help.
The magnum centerline is already above the bottom of the chamber.

223s, Grendel, 6-ARC and BR variants really can use all the help they can get to make sure the bullet tip is pointing in the right direction to prevent it from running into the flat back side of the barrel.

I learned this lesson a long time ago with a Cooper Model 21 in 17 Mach IV.
The only way it would feed was super, super slow. It went back to Cooper and they put a very small radius (cone) on the breech end. Haven't had a hiccup since then.
 
I'm with you, but I'll have to wait on the long action. Exactly as pictured in post #1.

That 7 Mag barrel is almost gone and it needs to be replaced. Might as well build a completely new rifle.


I feel like Baruka in Charlie and the chocolate factory.
I WANT IT NOW!!!!
*Veruca Salt?

I do believe that is her name...;)
 
Yep, that cartridge centerline on the smaller cartridge needs help.
The magnum centerline is already above the bottom of the chamber.

223s, Grendel, 6-ARC and BR variants really can use all the help they can get to make sure the bullet tip is pointing in the right direction to prevent it from running into the flat back side of the barrel.

I learned this lesson a long time ago with a Cooper Model 21 in 17 Mach IV.
The only way it would feed was super, super slow. It went back to Cooper and they put a very small radius (cone) on the breech end. Haven't had a hiccup since then.
The general purpose bolt action that works with everything is a tricky if not impossible problem. I wish someone would order many thousands of these in one caliber. So much easier...

Think 8x57 k98 Mausers made in the millions. Optimized!

Ted
 
I’m loving the red, I have 3 Burris pros which look like they just need to have one of these to be mounted on to look right :).

Thank you Ted for clarifying the tighter tolerance on the bolt to body clearance. Never had issues with my Archimedes but didn’t personally like the “feel”

Also, really need to figure a way to get proof on board with prefits. I know there are plenty of other smiths that can turn barrels but with proof being hundreds of dollars cheaper and on the shelf it’s very hard to beat. This is the other reason I sold my Archimedes.
 
I'm waiting for some videos on the new actions. I love the option for the lapua bolt face. So tempting for a 300 norma mag. I have a nucleus with like 5 barrels I guess could have them coned for this action
 
I just want to say, this is how to run a business and deal with customers, when it seems there are plenty of excuses (supply chain, Covid, inflation, etc) to cut corners. This looks like a tremendous value and I also very much appreciate the time spent on here explaining the specs so a bolt action layman like me not only understands what you are saying but I’ve learned a ton just by reading this thread. I would hate to be a few other companies out there right now, but maybe they will get the memo. You got my business BF and I will be patiently waiting with a handful of cash for this one.

Much appreciated @karagias for the work you are putting in here.

S/F,

Josh
 
I’m loving the red, I have 3 Burris pros which look like they just need to have one of these to be mounted on to look right :).

Thank you Ted for clarifying the tighter tolerance on the bolt to body clearance. Never had issues with my Archimedes but didn’t personally like the “feel”

Also, really need to figure a way to get proof on board with prefits. I know there are plenty of other smiths that can turn barrels but with proof being hundreds of dollars cheaper and on the shelf it’s very hard to beat. This is the other reason I sold my Archimedes.
Proof’s stainless barrels are offered in essentially one contour: competition. When you see ARC actions dominating the comp circuit you’ll see Proof prefits.
 
Proof’s stainless barrels are offered in essentially one contour: competition. When you see ARC actions dominating the comp circuit you’ll see Proof prefits.
Falkor is not dominating comps and they have prefits. Same with Daniel defense, ruger and some others.

I’m not sure exactly what the criteria is that proof used to decide who they are making prefits for but would really help sell these.
 
Falkor is not dominating comps and they have prefits. Same with Daniel defense, ruger and some others.

I’m not sure exactly what the criteria is that proof used to decide who they are making prefits for but would really help sell these.
Ruger is an easily purchaseable gateway gun. Perhaps my initial assessment was incorrect.
 
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I’m loving the red, I have 3 Burris pros which look like they just need to have one of these to be mounted on to look right :).

Thank you Ted for clarifying the tighter tolerance on the bolt to body clearance. Never had issues with my Archimedes but didn’t personally like the “feel”

Also, really need to figure a way to get proof on board with prefits. I know there are plenty of other smiths that can turn barrels but with proof being hundreds of dollars cheaper and on the shelf it’s very hard to beat. This is the other reason I sold my Archimedes.
We'll reach out to Proof soon. The more people stocking pre-fits, the better. It's great to be living through the heyday of gun making on earth. It's never been this good for gun buyers, ever. People all over the world love guns.
 
@karagias,

I've turned into a long throated 223 fan as well as many others. Some of other action manufacturers seem to treat the 223 as an after thought and seem to have issues from time to time. Just wondering do you do much testing with feeding and ejection in 223 with your new designs?

I waited for a long time(BF 2022) to pick up your Nucleus just to see if people have issues with it in 223 and most seem to like it. One of the major reasons I got your Nucleus was that the bolt nose it so short(.115" +/-) it allows almost the entire case body to be supported while others with .150" make me nervous.
 
I'm waiting for some videos on the new actions. I love the option for the lapua bolt face. So tempting for a 300 norma mag. I have a nucleus with like 5 barrels I guess could have them coned for this action
I don't think having them coned will be as simple as you think. Headspace is close to same, 0.825 vs 0.827, however the flat breech is 0.675 long from barrel shoulder and the beginning of the coned breech looks much closer to the bolt nose on the new action.
Screenshot_20230108_100606_OfficeSuite.jpgScreenshot_20230108_100504_Chrome.jpg
 
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To circle back, since you're discontinuing the Archimedes, what's the support going to be like on legacy actions? Parts like extractors, springs and bolt heads?
As long as the Nuke 2.0 isn't discontinued, the bolt head, extractor, rail, are compatible with the Archimedes. The striker spring isn't on the website though. Nuke 1.0 parts are still available on the website so I'm guessing support will be good.
 
Proof’s stainless barrels are offered in essentially one contour: competition. When you see ARC actions dominating the comp circuit you’ll see Proof prefits.

Haven't kept up on Comps but guess these are the guys dominating them now.
Tikka
Savage
Accuracy International
Falcor
Barrett MRAD
Q Fix
Blaser R8
Ruger RPR

Or Proof must be using some other criteria for deciding who to make prefits for.
 
Haven't kept up on Comps but guess these are the guys dominating them now.
Tikka
Savage
Accuracy International
Falcor
Barrett MRAD
Q Fix
Blaser R8
Ruger RPR

Or Proof must be using some other criteria for deciding who to make prefits for.
Yeah you missed the guy who said exactly that and my response. Catch up. At least 4 of those manufacturers are mainstays in bolt/long range, don’t be a bitch.
 
I personally think that proof is choosing actions that don’t have multiple revisions of specs so their is no chance that someone with an older style picks up a barrel that won’t work or could be unsafe.

From my understanding ARC has had a few revisions or barrel specs in the past???? I could be wrong.

But with this all new action it could be and hopefully will be an excellent opportunity for proof/ARC to make it happen.

I still use smith produced barrels for odd calibers or contours/ lengths but for PRS burning multiple barrels having the 223, 6 dasher, GT, and Creed barrels for hundreds less and no wait time is super sweet and a big deal.
 
Ted does a great job communicating















I don't think having them coned will be as simple as you think. Headspace is close to same, 0.825 vs 0.827, however the flat breech is 0.675 long from barrel shoulder and the beginning of the coned breech looks much closer to the bolt nose on the new action.

I assumed have to set the barrel back to do it












I
 
From my understanding ARC has had a few revisions or barrel specs in the past???? I could be wrong.
Every action past like 2017 has the same spec.
The OG Mausingfield is the odd duck out.
All those post are the same spec. Long or short action regardless of model.

Meanwhile, other manufacturers have different specs on different models or even different specs based on long vs short action. Proof still makes prefits for them. No one knows why Proof does what they do except Proof. Not worth speculating
 
Proof’s stainless barrels are offered in essentially one contour: competition. When you see ARC actions dominating the comp circuit you’ll see Proof prefits.

We'll reach out to Proof soon. The more people stocking pre-fits, the better. It's great to be living through the heyday of gun making on earth. It's never been this good for gun buyers, ever. People all over the world love guns.
I suspect that Ted will find it much easier to reach out to Proof once he has evidence (proof if you will) of how many have been sold in the presale.
 
I wonder how this will feel compared
To the Gen I nucleus. The one I had was not impressive whatsoever. It was sloppy, would bind easy, bolt lift wasn’t that great.

Hopefully this is a whole different design and puts it in another league
 
I wonder how this will feel compared
To the Gen I nucleus. The one I had was not impressive whatsoever. It was sloppy, would bind easy, bolt lift wasn’t that great.

Hopefully this is a whole different design and puts it in another league
I welcome criticism, in fact I want it because it drives design, but please keep it accurate. No Nucleus was ever prone to binding. It is true that there was lots of clearance between the bolt and the receiver, but that clearance never caused binding and it was there by design to tolerate filthy conditions. Binding is only caused by tightly coupled opposing forces and the distance between these forces does not appreciably decrease by an increase of one or two degrees in bolt yaw or pitch with respect to the receiver.

It is also true that some people thought that the bolt lift on the Nucleus was heavy.

It is also true that some didn't. In fact, many Nucleus customers have been running these for years with lighter springs that they purchased from us.

The word sloppy has a negative connotation for people who know little or nothing about engineering. There are times when sloppy, or more appropriately clearance, is good and times when it's bad. In regards to bolt actions, sloppy is generally good, again because it does not contribute to binding while tolerating contaminants. The only good thing about tight (opposite of sloppy) is that it can be used by an unscrupulous sales guy to peddle an action having nothing substantive to offer leaving. That's actually a bad thing and it leaves the poor customer none the wiser. We don't and won't do that.

As of now, the Coup De Grâce has 0.2mm (.008 in) between the bolt and receiver. It is tighter than the Nucleus but it also functions differently as it does not have bolt lugs that engage the receiver to prevent rotation (roll) when the bolt is retracted. Rotation is prevented by the bolt stop and the ejector engaging a slot cut along the length of the bolt. Mitigating the tendency to bind relies more heavily on surface finish and coatings than it does in Nucleus and Archimedes. But this is a solvable problem as demonstrated by Accuracy International and Weatherby.

Ted
 
@karagias,

I've turned into a long throated 223 fan as well as many others. Some of other action manufacturers seem to treat the 223 as an after thought and seem to have issues from time to time. Just wondering do you do much testing with feeding and ejection in 223 with your new designs?

I waited for a long time(BF 2022) to pick up your Nucleus just to see if people have issues with it in 223 and most seem to like it. One of the major reasons I got your Nucleus was that the bolt nose it so short(.115" +/-) it allows almost the entire case body to be supported while others with .150" make me nervous.
As I stated earlier, cases are surprisingly strong but I also acknowledge that case head separation do happen but almost never with new brass unless the barrel work is really really bad or the case is defective in a big way.

We have run the Coup De Grâce with 223 from and Accurate mag. Seems to work well but coned breech is a must for that one.

Ted
 
@karagias - What will be costs for additional bolt heads? And will the 338LM heads be available at release? Know someone looking to build a 300NM and I was going to sell them a Mausingfield for them to build with, but if the Coup can handle it I'll point them that direction.
 
I'm on board with pre-ordering this. I pre-ordered the nucleus when it first came out and have had almost zero issues. Only problem was light strikes on 224 valkyrie which was resolved with a heavier striker spring.