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Deadline action questions
- Thread starter matleez
- Start date
I will start out by saying I do not own one personally.
Last year one of the shooters (who I know well) at the matches I run won a GC for a U300. Ultimatum said they would give him a Deadline Action instead at a later date as it is an improved action.
I have heard no complaints from him and he is quite happy with it - he finished 2nd at the last match with it (club match). I also personally know the smith who built it and he says it is a very nice action.
If you PM I can see if some of the folks I see online are happy with theirs a put you in contact. I think there are more of these running around in Canada than south of the border so far.
Last year one of the shooters (who I know well) at the matches I run won a GC for a U300. Ultimatum said they would give him a Deadline Action instead at a later date as it is an improved action.
I have heard no complaints from him and he is quite happy with it - he finished 2nd at the last match with it (club match). I also personally know the smith who built it and he says it is a very nice action.
If you PM I can see if some of the folks I see online are happy with theirs a put you in contact. I think there are more of these running around in Canada than south of the border so far.
I have a Deadline SA, 308 boltface. The action is built like a tank, but super smooth to operate. My Curtis Axiom is a lighter bolt lift, but the Deadline only has about 100rnds through it, so i'm expecting it to smooth out much more. I would have no reservations about buying another one. I have the 223 boltface as well, and will test the 223 barrel this weekend
It is not. I think 8541 Tac also just reviewed one but he probably got it for free so take that as you wish.
A buddy of mine runs one. I really liked the bolt throw on it. felt super fast. He hasn't had any firing pin issues that I know of, but he did rip the bolt right out of the action mid stage of a match. We both run bolts super hard (no homo). He said that they sent him a new and improved version of the bolt stop and hasn't had any issues with it so far but also hasn't ran it in a match since the change out. I honestly would not hesitate to buy one. Who knows, it may be an option later down the road for me.
Well not if you live in Europe, it's a pain in the ass importing from the US. The brands i got to chose from are Barnards, KS arms and Ultimatum. Unless i want to pay extra for some export/import license and other crap or pay a big chunk to a importer over here...
That is actually right... Here in Europe it is different story. To import almost anything from US is real pain. It is so easier to import from Canada!
Another thing is to deal with these guys - which is easy. That is another important thing.
So together - great products, great communication an good guys - I vote for Ultimatum ;-) I am actually waiting for their actions to arrive. It will be the base for my new competition gun. Together with MDT...
Another thing is to deal with these guys - which is easy. That is another important thing.
So together - great products, great communication an good guys - I vote for Ultimatum ;-) I am actually waiting for their actions to arrive. It will be the base for my new competition gun. Together with MDT...
Try living literally minutes from the border with the US (in Canada) and still having just as many hassles with getting stuff! More and more Canadian companies coming to market is great for us and our friends across the pond.
I just picked up my Deadline action and have it set up, but unfired. The fit and finish is outstanding. My only concern is not the bolt lift - which is in line with factory Tikka, Badger M2013, and AI rifles I've owned - it's the effort to close the bolt where the bolt rotation begins. It's heavy. If you don't have your off hand on the rifle, the force necessary to close the bolt will roll the rifle off a support bag, or lift one bipod leg off the ground. If the bolt is run hard, it doesn't feel as pronounced, but you won't be able to keep the target on glass easily.
I contacted Ultimatum, and they said the design of the action incorporates partial cocking on bolt closure. You can clearly see the last .060" of firing pin protrusion movement from the shroud when the bolt is locked/rotated down.
Here was their reply:
The heavy point you feel is "normal". Since we use a cock on close design, what actually happens is that you partially cock the firing pin on the bolt close. We did this to share the cocking efforts in between the open and closing of the bolt. It happens that the cocking resistance is a bit bigger on a brand new action. Once it will cycled a bit more, it should soften up quite a bit.
Real Shooter has a YouTube video on a DMR 18" 6.5 Creedmoor with the Deadline action. At 4:40" you can see the heavy bolt stalling the bolt throw momentarily.
If the bolt close weight lightens up, this will be an excellent action. Feeds flawlessly with AW mags, even when the entire weight of the rifle is on the mag, very smooth aside from locking up bolt, tool-less firing pin assembly removal, competitively priced, and very quick to respond to communications.
I contacted Ultimatum, and they said the design of the action incorporates partial cocking on bolt closure. You can clearly see the last .060" of firing pin protrusion movement from the shroud when the bolt is locked/rotated down.
Here was their reply:
The heavy point you feel is "normal". Since we use a cock on close design, what actually happens is that you partially cock the firing pin on the bolt close. We did this to share the cocking efforts in between the open and closing of the bolt. It happens that the cocking resistance is a bit bigger on a brand new action. Once it will cycled a bit more, it should soften up quite a bit.
Real Shooter has a YouTube video on a DMR 18" 6.5 Creedmoor with the Deadline action. At 4:40" you can see the heavy bolt stalling the bolt throw momentarily.
If the bolt close weight lightens up, this will be an excellent action. Feeds flawlessly with AW mags, even when the entire weight of the rifle is on the mag, very smooth aside from locking up bolt, tool-less firing pin assembly removal, competitively priced, and very quick to respond to communications.
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I also noticed the heavy bolt close operation. I've run my Deadline about 500rnds/cycles now, and it has smoothed up, but still can stall if you run the bolt slowly. If you are running the bolt fast, it isn't all that noticeable to be honest.
I've had a Deadline for quite a while now and after talking with Praeger (After he asked my opinion), I feel the need to give post my own no BS review of the action. Keep in mind, I'm not trying to bash Ultimatum, but there are some issues with the action that I think could've been handle a little better.... Here's my rundown:
------ I run mine as a switch barrel with a barrel nut set up (Not from Ultimatum), I've got atleast 2500-3000 cylces on the action, and I own my own rifle building shop on the side -----
Pro's-
- Switch lug/bolt ability is the new wave and is super convenient. I've got 3 barrels for mine to shoot Open or Tac class in the PRS/NRL
- 700 footprint... you really cant go wrong.
- Built like a tank (even though the weight is a little overkill)
- Side bolt release
- Integral/ larger recoil lug makes bedding and headspacing wayyyyyy easier
- Bolt body is massive and will take a pounding (I've shot big short mag cartridges with it and it has no problems)
- Pinned scope rail is a big plus
- Nitride coating is strong and without the cocking piece in it, the action is super slick
- Savage 1-1/16 x 20 TPI is great... so many barrel options if you don't wanna thread a blank (or have a builder do a shouldered set up)
- AICS and AW mag capabilities
- 3 Lug/ Floating bolt face is super stable and allows the bolt face to align concentric to the bore
- The machining is very very good. I ran a dial indicator across the bolt face, raceways, and checked concentricity of the threads... It's all within 1-2/10000ths.
Con's-
- Bolt body..... IDK about your set up, but I was aggravated when I set my Deadline in my McMillan, and had to shave my mag release down for my AI mags to fit and feed properly.. and I was FURIOUS, when I set it in my AX and the mag was ATLEAST 1/4 of an inch too high for the bolt body to clear.... Ultimatum really hasn't done a good job of telling the end user of this issue. There's maybe 1 blurb on there FAQ page about it.... In my eyes, that's unacceptable....
- Trigger hanger..... Although its convenient for having a backup/cleaning, only having 1 screw and a tang holding the fire control group isn't the smartest/safest design.... There's a reason BAT, PANDA, and Kelbly actions have a 2 screw trigger hanger. You can't really deny 1000's of world records.
- Dual plunger ejector..... You've spent all this money to create a custom action, run a mechanical ejector... Its literally fool proof and prevents short stoking....
- "Almost" light striking..... This is the only action I've used that seems like it wants to light strike the primers... Which is weird, because with how heavy the throw is, the firing pin spring should be HAMMERING a primer. But it doesn't... Its significantly less "indented" vs my Remingtons and Kelblys… If you have the opportunity, or know someone who has the Deadline, look at the primers and compare them to spent brass from other actions. This isn't just on mine, I've looked at 3 others that show the same "almost" light striking.
- Bolt throw.... This is by FAR my biggest gripe... With a 3 lug design (and all the other manufactures of 3 lug actions already know this) the bolt throw is ALWAYS going to be an issue, due to the added lug creating extra pressure on the locking lugs.... Ultimatum had the same issues with the U300 action they had before the Deadline, so from a builders point of view, why the hell would you use almost the same technology on your flagship action? I called Marco to voice my opinion on how it could be fixed, but I'm almost 100% sure that they didn't want to fix it due to so many people waiting on the Deadline to come out (i.e. too many pending orders).
If I had another Deadline to mess with, I would retro fit it with a roller bearing/wheel on the cocking piece instead of metal to metal contact. What I mean, is where the cocking piece rides on the back of the bolt, is where the friction is coming from. If you add a roller bearing to the front of the cocking piece and set recesses for it to ride in, the bolt throw would be decreased immensely.... OR.... they could've adopted the BAT design with an adjustable cocking piece. They allow you to adjust the amount of distance from the piece to the recess. GA precision runs a 3 lug design on the Tempest, and they're smooth as butter.... Just saying....
Overall, there's a lot of pro's to the action... but the 2 or 3 legit con's that I have with it, are pretty substantial. I wanna like the action, and the guys at Ultimatum aren't bad guys... but I still dislike having to man handle it to open/close (When I'm doing load development on the flat range, I really hate it), refit mag latches when I change actions between chassis/stocks, or think about if its going to finally light strike when I pull the trigger.
This is a really long winded message, but I've had the action long enough to figure out what I like, don't like, and how to fix it, so I feel it's my duty to give everyone an all in all review of it. I feel like the guys who have been contracted to do reviews on the Deadline, haven't been 100% open and honest about it. If I had known what all I was going to be getting, I wouldn't have spun 3 barrels for it... but just like a small kid, you get a new toy, you're excited, overlook things, have to use it.... until it breaks and you're not happy (Which I take full responsibility for and should've known better than to jump feet first).
Hope this helps make your decision
------ I run mine as a switch barrel with a barrel nut set up (Not from Ultimatum), I've got atleast 2500-3000 cylces on the action, and I own my own rifle building shop on the side -----
Pro's-
- Switch lug/bolt ability is the new wave and is super convenient. I've got 3 barrels for mine to shoot Open or Tac class in the PRS/NRL
- 700 footprint... you really cant go wrong.
- Built like a tank (even though the weight is a little overkill)
- Side bolt release
- Integral/ larger recoil lug makes bedding and headspacing wayyyyyy easier
- Bolt body is massive and will take a pounding (I've shot big short mag cartridges with it and it has no problems)
- Pinned scope rail is a big plus
- Nitride coating is strong and without the cocking piece in it, the action is super slick
- Savage 1-1/16 x 20 TPI is great... so many barrel options if you don't wanna thread a blank (or have a builder do a shouldered set up)
- AICS and AW mag capabilities
- 3 Lug/ Floating bolt face is super stable and allows the bolt face to align concentric to the bore
- The machining is very very good. I ran a dial indicator across the bolt face, raceways, and checked concentricity of the threads... It's all within 1-2/10000ths.
Con's-
- Bolt body..... IDK about your set up, but I was aggravated when I set my Deadline in my McMillan, and had to shave my mag release down for my AI mags to fit and feed properly.. and I was FURIOUS, when I set it in my AX and the mag was ATLEAST 1/4 of an inch too high for the bolt body to clear.... Ultimatum really hasn't done a good job of telling the end user of this issue. There's maybe 1 blurb on there FAQ page about it.... In my eyes, that's unacceptable....
- Trigger hanger..... Although its convenient for having a backup/cleaning, only having 1 screw and a tang holding the fire control group isn't the smartest/safest design.... There's a reason BAT, PANDA, and Kelbly actions have a 2 screw trigger hanger. You can't really deny 1000's of world records.
- Dual plunger ejector..... You've spent all this money to create a custom action, run a mechanical ejector... Its literally fool proof and prevents short stoking....
- "Almost" light striking..... This is the only action I've used that seems like it wants to light strike the primers... Which is weird, because with how heavy the throw is, the firing pin spring should be HAMMERING a primer. But it doesn't... Its significantly less "indented" vs my Remingtons and Kelblys… If you have the opportunity, or know someone who has the Deadline, look at the primers and compare them to spent brass from other actions. This isn't just on mine, I've looked at 3 others that show the same "almost" light striking.
- Bolt throw.... This is by FAR my biggest gripe... With a 3 lug design (and all the other manufactures of 3 lug actions already know this) the bolt throw is ALWAYS going to be an issue, due to the added lug creating extra pressure on the locking lugs.... Ultimatum had the same issues with the U300 action they had before the Deadline, so from a builders point of view, why the hell would you use almost the same technology on your flagship action? I called Marco to voice my opinion on how it could be fixed, but I'm almost 100% sure that they didn't want to fix it due to so many people waiting on the Deadline to come out (i.e. too many pending orders).
If I had another Deadline to mess with, I would retro fit it with a roller bearing/wheel on the cocking piece instead of metal to metal contact. What I mean, is where the cocking piece rides on the back of the bolt, is where the friction is coming from. If you add a roller bearing to the front of the cocking piece and set recesses for it to ride in, the bolt throw would be decreased immensely.... OR.... they could've adopted the BAT design with an adjustable cocking piece. They allow you to adjust the amount of distance from the piece to the recess. GA precision runs a 3 lug design on the Tempest, and they're smooth as butter.... Just saying....
Overall, there's a lot of pro's to the action... but the 2 or 3 legit con's that I have with it, are pretty substantial. I wanna like the action, and the guys at Ultimatum aren't bad guys... but I still dislike having to man handle it to open/close (When I'm doing load development on the flat range, I really hate it), refit mag latches when I change actions between chassis/stocks, or think about if its going to finally light strike when I pull the trigger.
This is a really long winded message, but I've had the action long enough to figure out what I like, don't like, and how to fix it, so I feel it's my duty to give everyone an all in all review of it. I feel like the guys who have been contracted to do reviews on the Deadline, haven't been 100% open and honest about it. If I had known what all I was going to be getting, I wouldn't have spun 3 barrels for it... but just like a small kid, you get a new toy, you're excited, overlook things, have to use it.... until it breaks and you're not happy (Which I take full responsibility for and should've known better than to jump feet first).
Hope this helps make your decision
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@Mavrykk there are numerous threads about the Deadline and required modifications to the stock. I run both my deadlines in 'Defiance' cut Manners stocks. I had to relieve some stock for the safety, and trim the match catch slightly. These are both well-known requirements, and take 5 minutes each with a dremel.
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