First Custom Build...Action Choices?

[mg5035]

Hey yall...I'm gonna try to pick up a donor rifle (action) for a custom gun...want to know the pro's and cons of several different actions. I was leaning toward Tikka but would like to hear input on others particularly Savage from those who know.....thanks

 

[NovaHunter]

If you are going full custom and having a good gunsmith put the rifle together, then go with a good action. Some names are Bighorn, Surgeon, Defiance, Stiller, but there are others too.

Those actions will run you $1000+, but they don't need any blue printing or truing.

You can buy a cheap savage action for $200 or a Remington for $450, but by the time you pay a gunsmith to blue print and true the action you'll have another $500 or more into it. So, might as well just spend the money upfront and get a custom action that comes straight and true.

I have read the Tikka actions don't need much gunsmithing work, and are very good for a mass produced action. But, you probably want to research that further as I haven't ever owned one myself.

Have you spec'd out the rest of your build?

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[SuperSneakySniper]

If you'd like to do a custom with a factory action, I say Tikka hands down. No need to have its action trued, and Patriot Valley Arms provides barrel-nut barrel setups for it (or a gunsmith can chamber it if you don't feel comfortable taking the factory barrel off).
Also, you could just get the Tikka with the 24 inch 6.5 Creedmoor barrel and not have to get a new barrel for a while.
In addition, the triggers are amazing for the money, there is plenty of aftermarket support (pretty much any chassis/stock you want), the action itself looks good, the bolt is a clean and SMOOTH 70 degree throw (one of the best feeling bolt actions on the market!). You get a side bolt release. They are reliable, and priced well.

I've played with Savage, Mossberg, and Remington 700 rifles, and to me, Tikka takes em' all.

 

[Moose]

If you got the cash go custom,you will not be sorry.I have a Defiance Machine action and it is so much better then a remington action.

 

[Sig Marine]

...You can buy a cheap savage action for $200 or a Remington for $450, but by the time you pay a gunsmith to blue print and true the action you'll have another $500 or more into it.

It always amazes me that many of our members throw out these numbers for "truing" an action without being a little more specific regarding the details. You can get an action trued for as little as $100. Now, before someone tries to pile on and says " oh yeah, well what give of a job can you get for that?", I suggest you call GA Precision and ask them. Most anyone on this forum that has any tenure knows of their work, it's top tier. This said, prices can be upward from there depending on the services performed on the action. When y'all start talking numbers in the $500 range, do us a favor and break down what you're getting for that kind of money. Usually you're talking about taking a Remington action and customizing it with a new bolt, side bolt release, bolt knob and truing services. While these are nice features, they're overkill if you're looking for a basic, trued action that will get the job done at an affordable price.

I do agree that if you are going to buy a factory action and have it customized with all the "bells and whistles", you're better off buying a Stiller or one of the other actions up the price chain, but you can still have a good factory action trued without breaking the bank.

 

[Desert_Racer]

You can get a Stiller Tac30 or Tac300 for around $1000. No truing needed, comes with a 20 MOA rail, larger bolt knob and a pinned, larger recoil lug. That leaves you with around $320 for a barrel blank and about $300 in smith work to chamber, install and thread for a brake. So you're looking at around $1600 without a trigger or paint.

At best, you can get a beat up R700 from a pawn shop for a couple hundred bucks, which is cheaper than buying a bare action from Remington. If you go the LRI Group Buy route, you're looking at about $1k for them to do their magic, paint it and flute the bolt (that includes their recoil lug and bolt knob). You still need to buy a scope base, so that's about $120. Blank is the same cost. You're going to want a trigger, so say $120 for a Timney 510. That would put you at around $1800 for a complete barreled action. If you shop around the hide PX, you might be able to get a couple parts and knock that price down.

Resale value is something to consider as well.

I can attest to LRI's work. I had them build me a 6.5CM off of an R700 and it shoots lights out. The work was top notch and it took a week, door to door, to have it done. I plan on doing it again with an R700LA I have lying around in the future. On the other hand, I'm having a 28 Nosler built on a Tac300. The Stiller actions are very nice too. There are a plethora of other routes you can go and you can't really go wrong with most of them. Its really all in how much money you want to spend. No matter how you slice it, it isn't cheap. Life is short, so why not treat yourself?

 

[Threadcutter308]

Agreed to prior statements about going the custom action route. I have spent a lot of time and a lot of money truing up Rem 700 actions. Twenty years ago, there weren't nearly the choices of great custom actions as there are today. Spend $1,250.00 on a Bighorn and don't look back. It comes all tricked out from the factory and the tolerances/consistency are fabulous. For any action (Bighorn included) that has a built in recoil lug, I love that. That reason alone is a big part of why I can't/won't go back to truing 700's. You still have to dick with the loose recoil lug. IMHO, if you're going to put together a switch barrel setup, a fixed/built in lug is mandatory.

 

[jschroed]

I have seen many others go through the same thing...Remington, Savage, etc. At the end of the process, even if the gun shots good they still have a Remington, Savage or whatever. If the gun shoots poorly the action is the first part they question. They realize that for not much more they could have had a higher end custom action, especially if they have to buy the action and pay a smith to perform any work before the build begins.

I do realize there are many very nice rifles built of Remington, Savage and Tikka actions, but my advice would be to wait and save a few extra $ and get a custom.

 

[NovaHunter]

It always amazes me that many of our members throw out these numbers for "truing" an action without being a little more specific regarding the details. You can get an action trued for as little as $100. Now, before someone tries to pile on and says " oh yeah, well what give of a job can you get for that?", I suggest you call GA Precision and ask them. Most anyone on this forum that has any tenure knows of their work, it's top tier. This said, prices can be upward from there depending on the services performed on the action. When y'all start talking numbers in the $500 range, do us a favor and break down what you're getting for that kind of money. Usually you're talking about taking a Remington action and customizing it with a new bolt, side bolt release, bolt knob and truing services. While these are nice features, they're overkill if you're looking for a basic, trued action that will get the job done at an affordable price.

I do agree that if you are going to buy a factory action and have it customized with all the "bells and whistles", you're better off buying a Stiller or one of the other actions up the price chain, but you can still have a good factory action trued without breaking the bank.

Fair enough request. And, and agree with you that basic truing services are less. OP stated action for a custom firearm, so I assumed all "bells and whistles" applied.

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[Ravenyzf-r6]

Pacific Tool still has these discount R70" actions that already have work done.

http://pacifictoolandgauge.com/cabi...eceiver-w-ptg-bolt-and-remington-trigger.html

 

[Sig Marine]

Purpose and budget. OP only gives a general idea of what he wants. Give us the particulars and the answers can then be more specific.

 

[hunter223]

Bud, check out the curtis custom axiom sub $1k and has some really nice features and has a short 60 degree bolt throw that feels really nice. Just built one 18" for the shop and it shot sub 3/8" with hornady factory ammo

 

[mg5035]

Thank yall for all the input and u all make great points...I'm going keep looking and figuring it all comes down to budget and value and quality ...plus I really enjoy doing the research, educating myself, and drooling over the classifieds....thank yall again

 

[Hondo64d]

Hey yall...I'm gonna try to pick up a donor rifle (action) for a custom gun...want to know the pro's and cons of several different actions. I was leaning toward Tikka but would like to hear input on others particularly Savage from those who know.....thanks

Check out the Shilen DGR. 700 footprint, floating bolt head and will accept prefit barrels for small shank savage. Only $1k with recoil lug and 20 MOA rail. Absolutely love mine.

http://www.shilen.com/productsCompleteRifles.html

John

 

[jschroed]

Take a look at Curtis actions. They are new and a couple things I like are that they are a 3-lug bolt and 70 degree throw. I'm going with one on my next build.