Fortner?

gremcat

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Minuteman
Jun 15, 2008
53
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Anyone ever try one? I’ve liked the idea for a Sporter weight rifle and believe they offered a very limited supply of those but not in the US. I’ve shot PCP Guns with toggle bolts. I’ve not seen a Fordner action for sale in a bit but haven’t looked too hard. Is it just the price point on them that makes them less common?
 
Haha, I think your right. I’m just circling back to considering one so I haven’t searched hard and pulled the name from memory. Trying to get experience from the collective. It seems they’d be smoother than a PCP “toggle” action with the bearings in the design.
 
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My Anschutz 1727 has the fortner action.

About as fast as a semi with the accuracy of a bolt gun. Runs like sowing machine. She is as fun as a 22 can be!
 
That’s awesome, is the 1727 the HMR version? I’m wanting a Sporter in 22. Also, is the bolt swappable LH to RH without much work? I’ve one son that’s a lefty so that would be really useful and I hadn’t considered it until seeing yours. On the surface it seems the design might lend itself to that but I’ve not had the pleasure of one in my hand to look at.
 
That’s awesome, is the 1727 the HMR version? I’m wanting a Sporter in 22. Also, is the bolt swappable LH to RH without much work? I’ve one son that’s a lefty so that would be really useful and I hadn’t considered it until seeing yours. On the surface it seems the design might lend itself to that but I’ve not had the pleasure of one in my hand to look at.

No, the 1727 pictured is a 22lr. They make a 17hmr in the same gun.

Mine started life as a sporter with a beautiful wood stock. (I’ll look for a picture) and I sent back to ANA for the biathlon style stock. I was afraid to beat up a pretty piece of wood while whacking pdogs.
 
Beautiful. They are the best of that style action for sure.
If on a lighter budget one can look at the ISSC SPA or PWS/VQ Summit rifles. I do have both of those and both are a pleasure plus the Summit is like a tinker toy for build up.
 
A new Browning T-Bolt is a straight pull also and much cheaper than an Anschutz.
I have been using a Target/Varmint T-Bolt for 20 years for squirrel hunting.
When intial sighting in, I used Win Wildcat and then was going to go to my stock of Win T22.
The Wildcat was so accurate in the T-Bolt that I stick with it for hunting.
 
Phew, not my ideal stock, I like the grain on yours a lot better Siscoe. I’m thinking of buying an action if they still sell separately. If I found a complete gun like yours though I’d reconsider.
 
LL, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on the action smoothness. Honestly, I’d seen them discontinue the Sporter a few years back I thought and expected it would take a while to get any info.
Guess I’ll have to self some unused custom guns or dip into savings.
 
We’ve got plenty of Fortner actions in both LH/RH and multiple calibers. 17 HMR, 22LR, and 17HM2.
Scroll to the bottom of this page and it’s all the fortners.
 
We’ve got plenty of Fortner actions in both LH/RH and multiple calibers. 17 HMR, 22LR, and 17HM2.
Scroll to the bottom of this page and it’s all the fortners.

I didn't see your company name in your profile, but I'm assuming you are the authorized USA distributor for Anschutz?
 
I didn't see your company name in your profile, but I'm assuming you are the authorized USA distributor for Anschutz?
Anschutz North America, yes. We are the US arm of Germany. Jochen Anschutz has ownership in our company so we are more than a distributor. We are the importer/distributor/service center. I work for ANA
 
Anschutz North America, yes. We are the US arm of Germany. Jochen Anschutz has ownership in our company so we are more than a distributor. We are the importer/distributor/service center. I work for ANA

Thanks for the reply.
So when I finally have enough money for my dream rimfire, I know where to go.
 
I almost don't like regular bolt actions anymore after enjoying how unique, fast, and easy, it is to run a Fortner! Man I wish some Co would come up with one in 6mmBR...
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The PCP's don't feel near as good, they are more like the toggle type than the straight pull back and push forward on the back of the bolt which the Fortner is like.

Anyway, mine is the 1827F. It's not designed for scope mounting but with a lightweight scope and forward offset rings you can get away with it, that is if you have a short neck like I do. Put a heavy scope on it and the POI shifts will become apparent.
I had a custom rigid steel picatinny mount made for it that bridges the back of the action to the front of it.
I also bought the longer LOP extensions for mine.

Won many a 22rf tactical match with this baby, often because it's so fast and that I don't have to break position in awkward ones. It averaged .246" with a chosen lot# of Polar Biathlon ammo in the 50Y 6x5 years ago when I gave that a try.
 
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Mauser made a straight pull bolt action called the M96 for a little while in the 90's. My shooting buddy at the time had one in 270Win and it was under MOA pretty easily.

Could get one of those and rebarrel to a 6BR. Not sure how the feeding would be, but it's probably a problem that money would fix!
 
Mauser made a straight pull bolt action called the M96 for a little while in the 90's. My shooting buddy at the time had one in 270Win and it was under MOA pretty easily.

Could get one of those and rebarrel to a 6BR. Not sure how the feeding would be, but it's probably a problem that money would fix!

Yep.

I had a Swiss K31 that was kinda like the M96 but it's not quite the same as the Fortner. I chose 6mmBR because its such a short cartridge and hopefully somehow "the pull with forefinger and push with thumb "thing" could be retained.
 
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That would be pretty awesome. Kind of a Fortner version of the Borden short 6 action. The crazy thing is that the bolt is really just a ball lock pin that actuates inside the action abutments and shouldn't be all that hard to make. I guess it's all about market desire though.
 
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That would be pretty awesome. Kind of a Fortner version of the Borden short 6 action. The crazy thing is that the bolt is really just a ball lock pin that actuates inside the action abutments and shouldn't be all that hard to make. I guess it's all about market desire though.

I hit up Tedd/ARC with the idea but he seemed to think there were hurdles concerning primary extraction. Yeah if there was market desire, but people don't know what they don't know as far as how cool these actions are.
ETA - build the field and they will come.........

I have an old SAKO FinnWolf lever action which is not unlike the Fortner in the way that "once the force is overcome to unlock the lever, the bolt flys/springs back fast from the stored tension.

Like you said - throw enough $ at the problem...
 
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Blaser R8 would be a start.

EuroOptic carries them.

Thanks but yes, "a start", and expensive at that.

I visit their booth and play with R8's every year I go to the ShotShow but not quite what I'm after.

I've got great ideas but I'm far from a John Browning implementor, nor have the $$,$$$ that the aforementioned endeavour would require, lol. Ha, if I was a king I'd say "make it so'

Sure am a good fantasizer though :p
 
We’ve got plenty of Fortner actions in both LH/RH and multiple calibers. 17 HMR, 22LR, and 17HM2.
Scroll to the bottom of this page and it’s all the fortners.

You know, if you offered the 1727 in a chassis, you'd probably get more attention from the NRL22 crowd. The absence of a chassis option has been my main deterrent from ordering one. It's not so much about the money per se, more about pulling off a nice stock and just having it sit in the safe, taking up space (but too expensive and unique to sell P2P).

Just a thought....
 
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You know, if you offered the 1727 in a chassis, you'd probably get more attention from the NRL22 crowd. The absence of a chassis option has been my main deterrent from ordering one. It's not so much about the money per se, more about pulling off a nice stock and just having it sit in the safe, taking up space (but too expensive and unique to sell P2P).

Just a thought....

Good things come to those who wait. It is such an expensive rifle I’m not sure the market is there. Having shot a regular turn bolt Anschutz and the Fortner in an NRL match, there wasn’t much of a speed advantage
 
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I see the Fortner's value not in speed, but in not having to break position, but yeah, it's a pricey offering. I spoke to LRI about inletting a chassis for it a few years ago, so it's something I've considered for a few years now.
 
I had LRI put my Fortner on a Manners T6a. Got it home and immediately sent the rifle to ANA to correct problems.
That’s why my gun sits in a biathlon stock now
 
I had LRI put my Fortner on a Manners T6a. Got it home and immediately sent the rifle to ANA to correct problems.
That’s why my gun sits in a biathlon stock now
siscoe308, could you share more on this? Just a peculiarity with the Fortner and however it was bedded? I know LRI is known for their pillar and bedding work, so I’m curious why the Fortner didn’t mesh and shoot well in the Manners.
 
siscoe308, could you share more on this? Just a peculiarity with the Fortner and however it was bedded? I know LRI is known for their pillar and bedding work, so I’m curious why the Fortner didn’t mesh and shoot well in the Manners.

Well it was kind of a shit show.
The Fortner barrel is glued in so I was very worried about the glue from the ceracoat job (which was a bad communication on my part, I guess. I didn’t intend the barreled action to be coated at all)

Then as we looked into more looked into it, the worst the quality of work was found to be.
Bad cerakote job and incorrect length action screws....I just kinda gave up on the job & asked Mr Steve B for a complete rebuild (clean cekacote out of trigger/chamber/ off muzzle threads & recoat to the black I wanted/inspect all the moving pieces for proper function/ re-tune the action)
The stock sits on display as my most expensive (gun related) screwup. Lol shit happens.

The Manners t6a has to be rebuilt up in top rear for the different geometry & a custom trigger guard was made in the attempt to get all different heights needed to squish all the parts together.
 
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Here is my dream rifle. Shooting a 64 for nrl22 and nrlx and love it. Gf just got one also and hunting an adjustable stock. I think a former would be a true vudoo killer. The 64 hangs with them.