Custom actions

[NJRaised]

I gotta ask a dumb question…. There’s a ton of custom actions out there, most of them look incredible. Aside from choosing controlled/push feed, integral recoil lug, integral rail, 60/90 throw…. What really separates all these actions? Does it really just come down to brand loyalty/preference?

Is there any “real” difference between the defiances, impacts, bighorns, kelblys, Curtis, surgeons, etc?

 

[TheOE800]

“Aside from all the salient differences…”

That’s what you just said.

 

[Kadams1563]

Yes there is a difference on how they feel as well.

I would go to your local PRS matches and play with a few. See what you like and what not.

For instance I had a nitride defiance that was very slick and sometimes I thought it would fail to strip a round off the mag. It was so smooth but it would bind up some ok unless you threw the bolt a certain way.

Then I went to an impact. It’s not as smooth and has some “hitches” but it doesn’t bind and it’s faster. The bolt lift is also lighter on the impact.

 

[NJRaised]

“Aside from all the salient differences…”

That’s what you just said.

What I mean is most “top end” actions these days have a integral rail, integral recoil lug, push feed, 700 footprint (usually)…. When all these actions have the same features, what really separates the brands?

I fully understand going with a certain brand if you want a controlled feed action. But it seems the majority of the actions all have the same features. What makes someone pick a defiance vs impact? Thanks hope I’m getting my point across. Thanks!

 

[NJRaised]

Yes there is a difference on how they feel as well.

I would go to your local PRS matches and play with a few. See what you like and what not.

For instance I had a nitride defiance that was very slick and sometimes I thought it would fail to strip a round off the mag. It was so smooth but it would bind up some ok unless you threw the bolt a certain way.

Then I went to an impact. It’s not as smooth and has some “hitches” but it doesn’t bind and it’s faster. The bolt lift is also lighter on the impact.

So it really just comes down feel?

 

[TheOE800]

What I mean is most “top end” actions these days have a integral rail, integral recoil lug, push feed, 700 footprint (usually)…. When all these actions have the same features, what really separates the brands?

I fully understand going with a certain brand if you want a controlled feed action. But it seems the majority of the actions all have the same features. What makes someone pick a defiance vs impact? Thanks hope I’m getting my point across. Thanks!

Same for same? Barely anything. Support, manufacturing, availability, quality are all similar.

 

[Matt_3479]

I currently own kelbly, surgeon, defiance, stiller, zermatt/bighorn, terminus, ks and impact. 100% once you get past features it comes down to brand preference, aesthetics would be the bigger ones and then feel. Only reason I list them that order is due to the fact most people can’t get there hands on multiple actions before making a purchase so once they decide on features they buy either what they like the look of better or what action (brand) is being told to them most

 

[NJRaised]

The only reason I ask is a bc I see so many brand loyalists with little “hard data” to backup why one is better than the other.

I have a zermatt origin. I understand it’s more of a “budget” action, but I have a hard time justifying why I need to spend more cash for performance. It can literally stack bullets. I’ve had a few guys look down their noses at my origin while praising their other brands.

 

[TheOE800]

The only reason I ask is a bc I see so many brand loyalists with little “hard data” to backup why one is better than the other.

I have a zermatt origin. I understand it’s more of a “budget” action, but I have a hard time justifying why I need to spend more cash for performance. It can literally stack bullets. I’ve had a few guys look down their noses at my origin while praising their other brands.

Given that 90% of your accuracy comes from the barrel and not the action…

 

[NJRaised]

Given that 90% of your accuracy comes from the barrel and not the action…

I fully understand that.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

The only reason I ask is a bc I see so many brand loyalists with little “hard data” to backup why one is better than the other.

I have a zermatt origin. I understand it’s more of a “budget” action, but I have a hard time justifying why I need to spend more cash for performance. It can literally stack bullets. I’ve had a few guys look down their noses at my origin while praising their other brands.

I have a real hard time with folks bad-mouthing others choices. too me, it is a sign of insecurity. Act big but small thoughts. People make lots of choices for lots of reasons, often logically based. If a fellow does not like your choice he has to understand why the choice was made.

Its not what I like, its what you can afford and what you like. However, in the end, its the downrange steel that is rung, not the make or appearance of the device enclosing the firing pin.

 

[Marine52]

To answer your question: yes there is a difference between custom actions. What separates the top quality actions from others is tolerance (not the rail, lug, throw, nitride finish). Simple as that. more precise and closer tolerances translate to better accuracy.

and yes the barrel is most important. If you have a top-notch custom action and a crappy barrel you will get bad results. if you have a top-notch cut-rifled barrel and a factory action it is possible to get very good results. If you want the ultimate in accuracy potential then you want a top-notch custom action and a cut-rifled barrel made by a company like Bartlein, Brux, Kreiger , etc.

 

[Matt_3479]

The only reason I ask is a bc I see so many brand loyalists with little “hard data” to backup why one is better than the other.

that right there is the reason I started purchasing actions. One group of guys craps on bighorn and impact, yet praise terminus and defiance and the next do the opposite. A while back now I decided I wanted to do my best to own 1 of all the major brands to determine for myself and help others around my range decide which action and why. I like building guns so instead of building all on defiance for sake of arguement, each new gun I build receives a different action and a fair shake at it. It’s help multiple people local to me make building there first rifles easier, and I’ve met a bunch of good people doing so.

Next on the lists are falkor and bat. I know the bat build but can’t decide on the falkor caliber

 

[Pete B]

Customer service......

 

[Baron85]

prefit availability. I have a bighorn tl2, archimedes, and just bought the Falkor 7even. I was wanting and impact but found the Falkor local for a much better price. Reason for wanting an impact was proof prefits. For me having a $500 barrel on the shelf ready to ship with no wait is a big deal. My archimedes is prefit capable but costs around 700 from the few places I checked and is 1-2 months out.

All 3 of my actions feel very different as well. In my friend group we have a few impacts and a defiance deviant and they all feel different as well. Every one of them is just as accurate as the next and all but my bighorn feed and eject reliably. Some feel slicker, some are easier to bind but all put bullets where they belong.

 

[Baron23]

Given that 90% of your accuracy comes from the barrel and not the action…

This ^^.

The action wars are silly. If it’s square, plumb and true and cycles reliably then spend more time concerned about the barrel and who/how it was spun.

To your list of equal features, might want to add Pre-fit capable or not. Seems like most of the big names now offer Pre-fit action.

 

[high right]

Customer service......

Customer service, maybe retained value? I can't give enough praise for Kelbly's.

 

[rothgyr]

The only reason I ask is a bc I see so many brand loyalists with little “hard data” to backup why one is better than the other.

I have a zermatt origin. I understand it’s more of a “budget” action, but I have a hard time justifying why I need to spend more cash for performance. It can literally stack bullets. I’ve had a few guys look down their noses at my origin while praising their other brands.

Once you're on a custom action, it's not really about accuracy anymore, it's about ergonomics and preferences around that. Your Zermatt is going to shoot just as accurately as my Lone Peak Fuzion. But I use a Fuzion and TL3 because I wanted to use AW mags, and the Origin isn't cut for AWs.

Some guys run thumb on the back of the bolt, some guys run their bolts only by the bolt knob. A bolt with "hitch" like an Impact or Tempest are going to like the latter, where the guys thumbing their bolts are going to like actions with no hitch, like a Defiance, Lone Peak, or Zermatt.

Some guys like 30* throws vs 90, etc.

Lone Peak is cut to be optimized for Trigger Tech triggers, and the bolt lift shows it vs running a stock Bix'n Andy trigger.

Defiance sucks in dusty environments like the great basin. If you don't live in a dusty location, then there's no reason to skip Defiance.

And finally, a real determining factor: does your gunsmith have an action in stock, and do they sell it to you at a discount... Probably the biggest determining factor I see in my area. Freaking EVERYONE in my area uses Lone Peak because the local smiths know the guys at Lone Peak personally and get dealer pricing, but don't get dealer pricing on stuff like Defiance. As a result, when I go to a local match, the most common custom actions are 70% Lone Peaks, 20% Zermatt Origins, and 10% other. Go to Ohio, and it's probably similar, but leaning strongly towards Kelblys. Go Southeast, and it's probably GAP actions. Texas/OK, and it's Impact.

 

[Rob01]

The only reason I ask is a bc I see so many brand loyalists with little “hard data” to backup why one is better than the other.

I have a zermatt origin. I understand it’s more of a “budget” action, but I have a hard time justifying why I need to spend more cash for performance. It can literally stack bullets. I’ve had a few guys look down their noses at my origin while praising their other brands.

There usually isn't anything. All the actions out today, including "budget" ones, are more than good enough to build an accurate rifle. Comes down to features. Integral lug versus pinned is a push as one barrel is torqued on it's there and not going anywhere. 60 vs 90 is personal preference. Push vs CF is personal preference as both work. Integral scope base vs pinned and screwed on is not an issue either. Both work fine. All comes down to what you want and can afford. Your Origin is a fine action with good features. Don't worry about others and go shoot your rifle.

 

[penguinofsleep]

Have tried a few custom actions and liked some a lot more than others despite them all being very similar on paper.

Aside from going to matches, where different actions may or may not "appear" on any given day, is there a way or place where one can easily try a bunch of different actions at once without buying all of these said actions?

Yes this post may reek of FOMO, but given how much I've disliked some of the actions I've tried, would rather not sort through this via process of elimination [edit: i.e. buying a lot of actions and going through them 1 by 1]

 

[Ty21]

Have tried a few custom actions and liked some a lot more than others despite them all being very similar on paper.

Aside from going to matches, where different actions may or may not "appear" on any given day, is there a way or place where one can easily try a bunch of different actions at once without buying all of these said actions?

Yes this post may reek of FOMO, but given how much I've disliked some of the actions I've tried, would rather not sort through this via process of elimination.

What actions have you tried and what have liked and dislike about them and what are you looking for in a new action?

 

[high right]

Like stated above, they can all provide more accuracy than your ability. For me, 1) customer service after the fact.
2) what does your smith like
3) pre fit avalibility if that's your thing.
Pinned this or that? You can't shoot the difference.

 

[Matt_3479]

Have tried a few custom actions and liked some a lot more than others despite them all being very similar on paper.

Aside from going to matches, where different actions may or may not "appear" on any given day, is there a way or place where one can easily try a bunch of different actions at once without buying all of these said actions?

Yes this post may reek of FOMO, but given how much I've disliked some of the actions I've tried, would rather not sort through this via process of elimination.

I’d be curious which actions you’ve tried and don’t like

 

[JAS-SH]

With VERY FEW exceptions, all actions, and I mean all of them are CNC machined these days. If they are not don't even look there.

This means that if the programmers did their jobs (and they are usually the CNC people that get the thing running), they are all good enough to then not have to worry about the action in terms of accuracy, but the barrel.

Some are slicker than others, and extract better. Those are design parameters - like 60 vs 90 degree bolt throws, Remington spring loaded vs. Mauser/Winchester leaf ejector, width and smoothness of the bolt rails and polishing. When the lugs lock onto the barrel there is really no difference.

 

[penguinofsleep]

This was originally a 3 sentence response, but as I thought about it more to organize my thoughts, the answer got way too long. But again, would rather think this out now than try 20 separate actions. Small text where the answer is too long.
---------------------
For custom actions - I almost don't want to say the ones I didn't like. This is because I only had a sample size 1 or 2 and can't rule out bad units, the smith/assembly (and not the action mfg) goofed, bad rounds/loads, I goofed, etc.

Anyways - I'll have to dig up my notes to be sure but IIRC of the ones I didn't like one was a curtis as it felt like the bolt was always just about to bind while I cycled it. I think a bighorn I fired 2 or 3 rounds from had bolt lift/close issues (no flat primers, cratered primers, etc.). Another shooter who was there complained about how his action wouldn't cycle reliably if it got even a little bit dirty / dusty but I don't remember what action it was and I didn't try it myself. I also remember trying one ARC (think it was an early mausingfield per the owner, don't remember off the top of my head right now) that just didn't feel well put together in the way something feels when all the tolerances are just a little bit off but I tried another mausingfield once and it was WONDERFUL, not sarcastic. I think I also tried an impact and lone peak fuzion - the impact "just felt good" all around even though I wasn't used to the cocking being split between bolt open / close. The fuzion I guess was analogous of a Tikka for factory rifles - IMO nothing in particular wowed me, but the thing just felt like it worked in every single way, a little more so than I felt with the fuzion, which I guess should wow me on it's own. There were a few others I don't recall right now. I haven't tried Kelby, BAT, or Terminus as far as I can remember and I know there are many more that I haven't listed here.

Can list some likes / dislikes about most modern factory actions too but excluding as post is already too long.

Regarding some individual prefernce stuff - there are a few things I very mildly prefer (i.e. screw on rail and certain finishes), some things I don't care about (integral vs pinned recoil lug), some things I just won't know 100% until I get the individual rifle built (magazine configuration), but generally speaking, for most features I can't say I like one thing over another as a "checkbox item". Rather, it comes down to if something just "subjectively feels right or better". I guess this is why I'm looking for a place to try the actions. Otherwise I guess it would be really easy to just make a spreadsheet of features. Customer service is important too but I'm still going to pick a product I like over CS unless it's well below par. And hopefully the company is at least somewhat financially healthy but I doubt anyone really knows the answer to this. Here are just a few examples, not exhaustive:

60 vs 70 vs 90 degree bolt throw - hard to say, I have or have shot other factory and custom rifles with varying bolt throws - for me it wasn't so much a preferred angle, but some bolt throws just "felt better" than others when lifting / closing regardless of degrees of bolt throw. For example, I don't particularly like how the Tikka T3/x bolt feels when cocked where it starts easy, gets harder, and then suddenly cocks - I find that sometimes I goof, my fingers slip, and I have to do it again. Also it throws the rifle off target a little more. However, a Weatherby mk V with a shorter bolt throw actually feels pretty good to me and I don't get thrown off target much either.

Cock on close vs open - Everything modern I've tried is cock on open, but if I think of an Enfield vs a Mauser or clone, it really came down to the individual rifle.

Smoothness of bolt rails and wiggle in bolt - For example, Tikkas have some wiggle in the bolt due to generous clearances and the bolts / rails aren't super polished by any means - you actually hear and feel the bolt dragging against the rail the whole time, but somehow, when all is said and done, it seems like most people feel that they're still pretty smooth and easy to cycle for a factory action and almost impossible to bind. On the other hand, I have tried a lot of other factory rifles with tighter clearances that were more polished and better finished, but when I actually cycled them, they didn't cycle as easily (and they weren't dirty).

Extractor / Ejector - Mildly prefer the pseudo CRF of the Sako 85 but for the 85, I think the ejector placement at the bottom of the bolt face is also really dumb as once extractor spring loses tension, the casing tends to eject up into the scope / scope rail (i.e. jam the gun), especially on longer / heavier cartridges unless there is one round left in the magazine to help push the empty casing out properly. Like it mildly more than other actions as a CRF style ejector gives some control over how the casing is ejected which is convenient for collecting brass, mostly controlled feed b/c controlled feed benefits, but the extractor design still allows me to throw a round in and close the bolt as needed unlike a Mauser or other CRF actions I can think of.

Prefits - yeah, this would be nice, but it seems like everyone is trying to offer this on paper now. I watched one rifle get a barrel swap - this was not with a pre-fit barrel and the smith performed some minor fitting on par with what I expected. The other was with a different mfg rifle with a pre-fit barrel and based on what the smith told me, he performed about the same amount of minor fitting as the first rifle. So I don't know if, practically speaking, I'm going to need to see a smith every time anyways to "really do it right" or if I just got lucky / unlucky with those 2 rifles, my smith was just being really picky, etc.

Interchangeable bolt faces - I don't know there will be some practical limits just due to differences in centerfire cartridges and bolt face sizes, but I don't knw enough about the minutia of rifle action production, clearances, and tolerances to know if this is a good idea or not in terms of reliability, cost to properly implement, user safety, etc. vs whatever other solution someone may come up with.

 

[penguinofsleep]

Also, just remembered one other thing - as mentioned above, we don't 100% know how magazines will play out until the rifle is built and fired, but are there any custom actions out there that use the Tikka Tac A1 / CTR mags or even the Sako TRG mags? The little I've used them, they seem better thought out (and cheaper) than AI based magazines - granted, idk how much better or worse they would actually be across a ton of different platforms.

 

[Kadams1563]

If you tried an impact and a Lone peak. That’s about as good as it gets. If you weren’t wow’d by them then I have to tell you. You’re crazy and cannot be pleased. Lol

 

[Pete B]

Mate, kind of confused regarding what will please you going through your list?
Buy one, it doesn't have to be a life changing purchase, sell it if it isn't you.
Otherwise I feel as if you will still be evaluating things for years.
Best of luck to you, I think you have sampled more actions than most people do before purchasing and now you're over thinking.....
Pete

 

[TheOE800]

If you tried an impact and a Lone peak. That’s about as good as it gets. If you weren’t wow’d by them then I have to tell you. You’re crazy and cannot be pleased. Lol

Defiance. They even have a CRF option if he so chooses, just their prices are absurd now.

 

[Baron85]

Sounds like you should try a Kelby Prometheus. Offers mechanical ejector and you haven’t tried a Kelby yet so for your own journey it should be tried. I played with a kelby atlas tactical at a match and it was very smooth.

Honestly from reading your response it sounds like you just need to pick an action and go shoot. The action matters very little as long as it feeds and ejects. Biggest difference is feel. None are going to help you score more points or give you a competitive edge.

Last, if you’re having to do fitting it modifications with a prefit barrel something is wrong. I have installed 6 prefits so far and my friend group over 10 and none of us have had any issues. Buy a prefit from s reputable smith, torque it onto your action and go shoot. I don’t check headspace because I reload so I just adjust the dies to fit the chamber. If I shot factory I might check it.

 

[JM4590]

ARC - because I like three lug actions. And I found their CS to be top notch. I also have Surgeon and Defiance. As the HMFIC of this site says repeatedly…..the action just delivers the goods to where they need to be. The barrel is where the money is

 

[308pirate]

Also, just remembered one other thing - as mentioned above, we don't 100% know how magazines will play out until the rifle is built and fired, but are there any custom actions out there that use the Tikka Tac A1 / CTR mags or even the Sako TRG mags? The little I've used them, they seem better thought out (and cheaper) than AI based magazines - granted, idk how much better or worse they would actually be across a ton of different platforms.

Tikka/Sako magazines are cheaper than AICS mags?

Where?

 

[308pirate]

This was originally a 3 sentence response, but as I thought about it more to organize my thoughts, the answer got way too long. But again, would rather think this out now than try 20 separate actions. Small text where the answer is too long.
---------------------
For custom actions - I almost don't want to say the ones I didn't like. This is because I only had a sample size 1 or 2 and can't rule out bad units, the smith/assembly (and not the action mfg) goofed, bad rounds/loads, I goofed, etc.

Anyways - I'll have to dig up my notes to be sure but IIRC of the ones I didn't like one was a curtis as it felt like the bolt was always just about to bind while I cycled it. I think a bighorn I fired 2 or 3 rounds from had bolt lift/close issues (no flat primers, cratered primers, etc.). Another shooter who was there complained about how his action wouldn't cycle reliably if it got even a little bit dirty / dusty but I don't remember what action it was and I didn't try it myself. I also remember trying one ARC (think it was an early mausingfield per the owner, don't remember off the top of my head right now) that just didn't feel well put together in the way something feels when all the tolerances are just a little bit off but I tried another mausingfield once and it was WONDERFUL, not sarcastic. I think I also tried an impact and lone peak fuzion - the impact "just felt good" all around even though I wasn't used to the cocking being split between bolt open / close. The fuzion I guess was analogous of a Tikka for factory rifles - IMO nothing in particular wowed me, but the thing just felt like it worked in every single way, a little more so than I felt with the fuzion, which I guess should wow me on it's own. There were a few others I don't recall right now. I haven't tried Kelby, BAT, or Terminus as far as I can remember and I know there are many more that I haven't listed here.

Can list some likes / dislikes about most modern factory actions too but excluding as post is already too long.

Regarding some individual prefernce stuff - there are a few things I very mildly prefer (i.e. screw on rail and certain finishes), some things I don't care about (integral vs pinned recoil lug), some things I just won't know 100% until I get the individual rifle built (magazine configuration), but generally speaking, for most features I can't say I like one thing over another as a "checkbox item". Rather, it comes down to if something just "subjectively feels right or better". I guess this is why I'm looking for a place to try the actions. Otherwise I guess it would be really easy to just make a spreadsheet of features. Customer service is important too but I'm still going to pick a product I like over CS unless it's well below par. And hopefully the company is at least somewhat financially healthy but I doubt anyone really knows the answer to this. Here are just a few examples, not exhaustive:

60 vs 70 vs 90 degree bolt throw - hard to say, I have or have shot other factory and custom rifles with varying bolt throws - for me it wasn't so much a preferred angle, but some bolt throws just "felt better" than others when lifting / closing regardless of degrees of bolt throw. For example, I don't particularly like how the Tikka T3/x bolt feels when cocked where it starts easy, gets harder, and then suddenly cocks - I find that sometimes I goof, my fingers slip, and I have to do it again. Also it throws the rifle off target a little more. However, a Weatherby mk V with a shorter bolt throw actually feels pretty good to me and I don't get thrown off target much either.

Cock on close vs open - Everything modern I've tried is cock on open, but if I think of an Enfield vs a Mauser or clone, it really came down to the individual rifle.

Smoothness of bolt rails and wiggle in bolt - For example, Tikkas have some wiggle in the bolt due to generous clearances and the bolts / rails aren't super polished by any means - you actually hear and feel the bolt dragging against the rail the whole time, but somehow, when all is said and done, it seems like most people feel that they're still pretty smooth and easy to cycle for a factory action and almost impossible to bind. On the other hand, I have tried a lot of other factory rifles with tighter clearances that were more polished and better finished, but when I actually cycled them, they didn't cycle as easily (and they weren't dirty).

Extractor / Ejector - Mildly prefer the pseudo CRF of the Sako 85 but for the 85, I think the ejector placement at the bottom of the bolt face is also really dumb as once extractor spring loses tension, the casing tends to eject up into the scope / scope rail (i.e. jam the gun), especially on longer / heavier cartridges unless there is one round left in the magazine to help push the empty casing out properly. Like it mildly more than other actions as a CRF style ejector gives some control over how the casing is ejected which is convenient for collecting brass, mostly controlled feed b/c controlled feed benefits, but the extractor design still allows me to throw a round in and close the bolt as needed unlike a Mauser or other CRF actions I can think of.

Prefits - yeah, this would be nice, but it seems like everyone is trying to offer this on paper now. I watched one rifle get a barrel swap - this was not with a pre-fit barrel and the smith performed some minor fitting on par with what I expected. The other was with a different mfg rifle with a pre-fit barrel and based on what the smith told me, he performed about the same amount of minor fitting as the first rifle. So I don't know if, practically speaking, I'm going to need to see a smith every time anyways to "really do it right" or if I just got lucky / unlucky with those 2 rifles, my smith was just being really picky, etc.

Interchangeable bolt faces - I don't know there will be some practical limits just due to differences in centerfire cartridges and bolt face sizes, but I don't knw enough about the minutia of rifle action production, clearances, and tolerances to know if this is a good idea or not in terms of reliability, cost to properly implement, user safety, etc. vs whatever other solution someone may come up with.

This is proof that information does not equal knowledge. I'm not even going to try to unpack this mess and answer point by point

 

[338dude]

So it really just comes down feel?

If all have the same features what else would you be looking for?weight ?

 

[338dude]

Defiance. They even have a CRF option if he so chooses, just their prices are absurd now.

Got my first custom action, a (defiance anti-x) just before the change of hands and increase in price.

 

[Baron85]

I just got a Lone Peak to replace my Falkor that wouldn’t eject 6dasher and they refunded me. Disappointed that we couldn’t get the Falkor to work. That action was SLICK! I’m heading out now to shoot the Lone Peak but so far it feels good and very hard to bind. The bolt lift from memory is a little harder than my friends Impact but the bolt close is very light and smooth which I prefer since I’m on target when closing the bolt. The “hitch” on the impact I don’t notice when running the bolt, I only notice it when looking for it.

I will be comparing the lone peak side by side with my buddies impact today so looking forward to that and will try to come back and update. Won’t be truly fair since his impact has over 1k on it but will be interesting.

Once again. You can’t go wrong with any of the main actions available today. Find one in stock or the one you can get the action and a barrel the fastest and go shoot.

I was going to buy an impact since that’s what most of my friends shoot but found the lone peak in stock and couldn’t find an impact. On a positive the lone peak fits the impact, Falkor, and lone peak proof prefits that I tested so far (1 of each using a fired piece of brass to test head space)

 

[Matt_3479]

Anyways - I'll have to dig up my notes to be sure but IIRC of the ones I didn't like one was a curtis as it felt like the bolt was always just about to bind while I cycled it.

Im super confused on this part, your problem with Curtis is it felt like the bolt was always just about to bind but it never actually did?

 

[Matt_3479]

I just got a Lone Peak to replace my Falkor that wouldn’t eject 6dasher and they refunded me. Disappointed that we couldn’t get the Falkor to work. That action was SLICK! I’m heading out now to shoot the Lone Peak but so far it feels good and very hard to bind. The bolt lift from memory is a little harder than my friends Impact but the bolt close is very light and smooth which I prefer since I’m on target when closing the bolt. The “hitch” on the impact I don’t notice when running the bolt, I only notice it when looking for it.

I will be comparing the lone peak side by side with my buddies impact today so looking forward to that and will try to come back and update. Won’t be truly fair since his impact has over 1k on it but will be interesting.

Once again. You can’t go wrong with any of the main actions available today. Find one in stock or the one you can get the action and a barrel the fastest and go shoot.

I was going to buy an impact since that’s what most of my friends shoot but found the lone peak in stock and couldn’t find an impact. On a positive the lone peak fits the impact, Falkor, and lone peak proof prefits that I tested so far (1 of each using a fired piece of brass to test head space)

The falkor wouldn’t eject dasher brass? How so? Seems like an easy fix not having to refund it?

The lone peak fits falkor and impact prefits?

 

[rothgyr]

If you get a KRG chassis, you could mill the mag port to open up to a CTR mag footprint (square as opposed to tapered aics) and put an extended mag latch in, but you're essentially ruining a chassis for the mag. Wouldn't recommend it. Just run AWs, it's the only reason I moved from Tikka to custom. AWs are the answer.

 

[Baron85]

The falkor wouldn’t eject dasher brass? How so? Seems like an easy fix not having to refund it?

The lone peak fits falkor and impact prefits?

The Falkor was dropping rounds back on top of the mag or ejecting and bouncing back in. I shipped it back to Falkor and they said they could modify the ejector but I didn’t want to have modified parts for future service and maintenance. A few people at the local matches run Falkor with dasher. 1 person without modifications and the other had to modify the ejector to get it to work because his was doing the same thing mine was.

And yes, I just went out and shot my new lone peak with the Falkor barrel installed on the lone peak my head space on fired brass is exactly the same measurement as the fired brass that came out of the same barrel screwed onto the Falkor action.

When I screwed my buddies impact barrel onto my Lone Peak you could feel the bolt lightly crushing some of the pieces of brass fired from the Falkor so close enough for me on head space. I have not fired the impact barrel on lone peak action yet but have an impact/proof barrel coming since I got a deal on it.

From my understanding reading on here and talking to a gun smiths the difference is in the bolt to barrel clearance. Not sure what the technical term is but the impact has .01” more clearance than the lone peak I believe.

 

[Brym427]

I really like the tacops delta 51 i just got, it is using a surgeon

 

[BurtG]

Lone Peak is cut to be optimized for Trigger Tech triggers, and the bolt lift shows it vs running a stock Bix'n Andy trigger.

Do you know what trigger the vudoo 360 is optimized for ?

 

[rothgyr]

Do you know what trigger the vudoo 360 is optimized for ?

Beats me. I just know a bunch of guys who talk to Mike and Brian all the time. My buddy's Fuzion has a lighter bolt lift on his TT vs my Bix. It's not a real big deal, it's just a hair lighter on bolt lift.

Look up timing your bolt.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I’m not convinced my defiance anti is any smoother than my tikka, but it is a true long action!

 

[Baron85]

Tikkas are amazing for the money. My tikka is smoother and can’t bind it. Strongly prefer it over my Bighorn. My only hold up with mine was wanting a 2 stage trigger than broke at 1lb or a little less. I finally ponied up for the KRG Midas and removed a spring and I actually like it better than my trigger tech diamond now.

 

[Matt_3479]

The Falkor was dropping rounds back on top of the mag or ejecting and bouncing back in. I shipped it back to Falkor and they said they could modify the ejector but I didn’t want to have modified parts for future service and maintenance. A few people at the local matches run Falkor with dasher. 1 person without modifications and the other had to modify the ejector to get it to work because his was doing the same thing mine was.

And yes, I just went out and shot my new lone peak with the Falkor barrel installed on the lone peak my head space on fired brass is exactly the same measurement as the fired brass that came out of the same barrel screwed onto the Falkor action.

When I screwed my buddies impact barrel onto my Lone Peak you could feel the bolt lightly crushing some of the pieces of brass fired from the Falkor so close enough for me on head space. I have not fired the impact barrel on lone peak action yet but have an impact/proof barrel coming since I got a deal on it.

From my understanding reading on here and talking to a gun smiths the difference is in the bolt to barrel clearance. Not sure what the technical term is but the impact has .01” more clearance than the lone peak I believe.

Thank you.

I’m realy wanting a falkor, I think they are super slick and a nice looking action but that seems odd to me. Not planning on a dasher but I wonder if there is other issues with other calibers.

I almost went falkor but went lone peak instead so one of the next ones is going be a falkor I believe.

 

[Baron85]

A friend of a friend is running 2 falkors 223 and 6.5 creed. No issues from what I was told. Haven’t seen them in person.

I really liked the falkor and wish it would have worked out for me. Falkors customer service was good to deal with and I think in the end was mostly fair. They paid the shipping both ways. My only complaints are they never answered their phone, always had to leave a message or email and they would call back, usually same day. Which is a minor gripe but lone peak and bighorn have answered almost every time I have called. And the big complaint is they wouldnt refund or pay to get the new barrel refit to another action. It had 50 rounds on it when I sent the action to them. Fortunately for me the barrel fits the Lone Peak.

 

[high right]

In

 

[penguinofsleep]

Sounds like you should try a Kelby Prometheus. Offers mechanical ejector and you haven’t tried a Kelby yet so .....

Thank you very much to those who waded through my 2-3AM, 2 hours of sleep the night before, super jet lagged word vomit and gave a meaningful answer.

This is proof that information does not equal knowledge. I'm not even going to try to unpack this mess and answer point by point

Mate, kind of confused regarding what will please you going through your list?
.....

For you guys and everyone else, apologies for the word vomit.

Will post more coherently and succinctly for actually meaningful suggestions and discussion later today or tomorrow.

 

[penguinofsleep]

Tikka/Sako magazines are cheaper than AICS mags?

Where?

Seems like most AIAW based mags (which I should have spelled out, not just wrote AI based) are $80ish or more but rarely seem to go on sale. Tikka Tac A1 mags are $80-90 MSRP but can be had for 30-50% off, depending on quantity purchased, directly from Beretta during their various sales throughout the year.