To start I’d like to say I’m no expert, and my experience in the shooting world has been more limited then some. I have shot nrl/prs 22 matches, 2 “precision matches” (use to be a Canadian variant) and a ton of friendly comp or shoots out too 1100. I am just an avid shooter and hunter, and love the precision game!!
We see 10’s of posts each year asking about which action is best or some version of that. I am here to give my opinion and feedback from my experiences with the different actions I own to hopefully help someone else in the road to purchasing. I am no machinist or gunsmith so this is from the users point of view and there is obviously different views from the gunsmith side of things. Please remember this is 1 mans opinion and not a which is better then which. So let’s get into it,
1.) stiller tac 30; (2 different tac 30’s)
The stiller has proven so far to be a good action, but it isn’t my favourite and probably wouldn’t purchase another. At the time I purchased they were using 2 piece bolts and 2 different smiths that worked on mine and my shooting partners said they weren’t 100% square and required minor work to make them perfect which in my opinion shouldn’t be the case with an aftermarket action. The bolt lift is id say average, and the bolt cycle is pretty smooth. We’ve ran in some dirty conditions and the nitride tac 30 held perfect but my cerekote action slowed down off the get go. It was too tight with cerekote and took many of many dry fires and shots to wear in properly. Overall a good action but I definitely feel there is better for the money.
2.) kelbly atlas tactical and kelbly obsidian
I cannot speak enough good things about these action. For the value alone it’s simply incredible. I’ve handled 5 different and own 2 now. This bolt is smooth!!!! And the lift is one of the lightest I’ve felt, and could arguably be the lightest. The entire cycle from bolt lift, throw, and lock up is effortless. This has also been ran in some harsher conditions and never had a hiccup. The mechanical ejector works flawlessly and is a super nice feature when running on the bench. While doing load development and finding seating depths it doesn’t put any additional stress or false readings on your brass/loads. The only slightly negative thing I can come up with is it does have a certain feel to it that litterally no other action I’ve ran has. What I mean by that is if I run the bolt it feels different or that it’s not as rigid, and it could be something to do with how unbelievably smooth it is and lock up is so easy that I don’t feel everything engaging like you do from other actions and definitely can be looked at as a positive As well. Overall would buy many more and recommend to anyone. Customer service and the kelbly family is some of the best in the industry. With kelbly changing there bolt stop and coming a standard it is going make it just that much better!!
3.) bighorn/zermatt tl3
This action was something I wanted for a long long time. The features offered are incredible with the changeable bolt heads, mechanical ejector, control round feed!! Now this action is different and I love and it bothers me at the same time. It’s bolt lift and close with the trigger techs (even with a different cocking piece) I find heavier and has almost a gritty feel to it, hard to explain but it almost feels as though there’s sand in something while I’m closing the bolt. The bolt glides as if it was a hot sharp knife running though butter. It is so effortless that half the time it doesn’t even feel like I picked up a round from the chamber. It’s hard to explain as no other action I’ve ever felt feels this way. There is something about the tl3’s I find oddly attractive (for a round body action) and make for a nice action. The negatives are that on my particular set up the control round feed doesn’t work with the 223 set up and that a general thing about them is the bolt binds very easily. If I run this action all day or multiple days I rarely, if at all notice it. if I happen to be shooting literally any other action I own and pick this rifle up i bind it like no tomorrow! It is very very annoying when I don’t have this problem with any other action I own. If they could fix this I wouldn’t have a bad thing to say.
4.) defiance deviant tactical (2 different ones)
There isn’t a bunch I can say about this guy. It is a staple for other actions for a reason. It feels sold yet runs smooth. It looks good yet built like a tank! When using this action you know it’s not a toy, and it brings a level of confidence with it. Say what you will but confidence plays a large role in a shooters ability! With lots of different ways to order this action not everyone is the same so it’s a little unfair to give a feedback. From my experience though with 2 different deviants (one stainless and one dlc’d) they are super smooth, there entire bolt cycle just feels perfect. Not too light that’s your guessing if you picked up a round, not too sloppy or gritty that your binding anything, not too heavy on the lift that you want to complain but not too light your throwing it around like it’s nothing either!
5.) KS SAR 3 lug
This action might just be my happiest surprise yet. Being very hesitant about it due to lack of reviews and use in the wild I’ve never been more pleased with a turn out. With a very unique look, it can’t be mistaken. It stands out from other actions no doubt. The boys at KS are great to deal with and there barrels shoot as good or better then many top brands I’ve shot. For a 3 lug it is the lightest bolt lift I’ve ever felt. It matches many 2 lugs. From the best of my abilities I’ve measured the bolt lift at roughly 4-4.25lbs when compared to my impact at 3.5lbs. The bolt cycle is a dream to run. It’s fast, it’s insanely smooth, and light lift making it one of the nicest I’ve ran. With the unique look, prefit capabilities, and action as smooth as it is I’m not sure why it isn’t more popular. It is cut and interfaced to run both ai and aw with full weight of rifle magazine and it doesn’t cause a single issue!! Thinking I was taking a bit of a shot with this guy, it’s quickly becoming one of my favourites and puts a huge smile on my face each time I use it!!
UPDATE: this action is on a coyote hunting rifle,
So is used in cold weather. I had a bad batch (5000) primers that were giving me light strikes on almost all my actions and got worse as temps dropped. I couldn’t have reliably issues with this set up while out on a stand so I got a heavier spring installed. This actions bolt lift is now significantly heavier and no longer the lightest 3 lug I’ve felt and is probably the heaviest I own now. This was during the primer shortage so
Wasnt Like I was able to get more primers. All in all it doesn’t bother me as the reliability is 100% even on the bad batch of primers now. This rifle has proven to be insanely accurate, with very consistent Es and sd so the fire control must be very consistent. It also holds pressure really well! I AM NOT ADVOCATING for anyone to test high pressures in actions or loads. I just happened to find a node that should be way past pressure and its handles it’s beautifully in this set up.
6.) terminus Zeus
I actually started with a Curtis vector but traded quickly for a Zeus and glad I did. The Zeus is without a doubt amazing. Joel (owner of terminus) is a stand up guy, with top notch service and his innovations in this action show remarkable talent and attention to detail!! The action is smooooothhhh! The bolt lift is the heaviest I own due to being a 3 lug (lighter then my vector though) and the KS is a freak of nature with its ultra light bolt lift in the 3 lug. This thing is a beast! Heavy, rock solid, just overall puts a smile on your face when using it. The roller bearings in it makes the bolt almost close itself. The threaded trigger pins should be used in every action in the market, Talk about easy!!! I ordered both of mine with (now sold one to my shooting partner) the quick change feature. I’m not one for barrel swapping and caliber changing but having spare barrels on hand and 2 screws to swap them out makes things wildly easy. The return to zero and repeatability of this system far exceeds my expectations and anyone with doubt shouldn’t be worried!!
7.) impact 737r
This is the newest too the stable. This action does feel like it takes a lot of bonus from multiple other actions and combine it, but at the same time with the over hype from it I was actually kind of shocked it wasn’t… “more” If that makes sense. There is a bit of a sex appeal with it though that you just can’t deny. The overall cycle is smooth and lift is great, but I was expecting lighter as it’s said to be so so light. I find the kelbly lighter. It is smooth but I find the kelbly smoother and tl3 is damn close minus the lift/close. The thing I like about the impacts cycle is that it does have that feel where it is very light yet not delicate, it is super super smooth yet not getting away from you (which has happened with the tl3). Trigger hangers are handy as hell for spare triggers but are a huge negative in my mind when picking a stock. Impact does it nicely with being able to change sear engagement to help time the trigger to the action. It is my only action that doesn’t fit my bravo, whiskey 3 and my manners prs1t that fits other Remington clones. Honestly after getting past the “something more hype” which ended relatively quickly, im extremely pleased. It has a very positive lock up, and a very positive feel and can see where it might become my favourite 2 lug.
UPDATE; after 2850 rounds on this action I can see the hype of them. They are fast. With the light bolt lift and close, super smooth and reliability even in the hardest shittiest conditions these are pretty sweet!
8.) lone peak fuzion.
This thing from day 1 has completely blown me away. Finish is superb, but feel is top notch 100%. Being so similar to the impact I assumed I wouldn’t be overwhelmed the way I was. My impact now has roughly 2850 rounds on it, plus countless 1000 dryfires. So it’s well broken in. When the lone peak arrived, I strapped on my spare impact barrel, cleaned the action, no oil, and ran them side by each. Out of the box the lone peak was smoother then my well broken in impact and my impact is super smooth so it’s hard to tell. I’m not saying it’s miles different but if one had to choose it would have been the lone peak. The bolt lift is pretty equal but bolt close is lighter on the lone peak. The lone peak fits more chassis’s and stocks as there is no trigger hanger. I ran my spare impact barrel to break it in, fireform some brass, and get use to the action. Well it’s been in 8 other shooters hands and each of them is blown away.
9.) ultimatum deadline gen 2
This action has a pretty unique look too, and really like the aesthetics of this one. The bolt lift and close for a 3 lug is great. It’s actually the lightest bolt lift of a 3 lug i own. The bolt close is very smooth. This rifle has demonstrated incredible accuracy and repeatability, which mostly I believe is the barrel but speaks to the whole system. I have the highest confidence in this rifle of all my rifles. They do not like to single feed though, I’ve tested on 2 of them and neither liked to singe feed. My deadline also binds where the other 3 others I’ve felt don’t. Same thing as the tl3. When using solely my deadline I rarely bind it but if I touch any of my other actions and go back to the deadline it will bind. Don’t know what’s wrong with mine but since the whole system is just so accurate I won’t touch it lol overall it’s a great action.
There should be a falkor joining this list soon as well and will update when they happens and I get some time behind one.
Overall the purpose of this post is to show the next person just to get what you want from the beginning as you will regret your decision if you allow yourself to be swayed one way or another. As you can see from a relatively wide variety of actions, overall I am extremely pleased with all of them! The stiller tac 30is the only one I don’t find worth it’s price when you compare it to others like the tenacity, atlas tactical or origin but I still very much like it. it’s actually the rifle I’ve shot my smallest group at distance with, go figure eh! One persons opinion is very different from the next, and then there’s fan boys, and sponsored shooters, and some people just giving negatives opinions on actions they’ve never owned, handled or shot! Each of these actions have there differences but at the same time they are all similar in a way. All 700 foot prints, all ridiculously nice, and all have proven to be stand up, and excellent platforms.
I hope some find this helpful, and relieve or ease the mind when shopping for there next action. I do have my favourites, but this was suppose to be as unbiased as possible. I paid full pop for all these so in no way, shape or form was this to talk up one company over the other as you can see throughout this post.
We see 10’s of posts each year asking about which action is best or some version of that. I am here to give my opinion and feedback from my experiences with the different actions I own to hopefully help someone else in the road to purchasing. I am no machinist or gunsmith so this is from the users point of view and there is obviously different views from the gunsmith side of things. Please remember this is 1 mans opinion and not a which is better then which. So let’s get into it,
1.) stiller tac 30; (2 different tac 30’s)
The stiller has proven so far to be a good action, but it isn’t my favourite and probably wouldn’t purchase another. At the time I purchased they were using 2 piece bolts and 2 different smiths that worked on mine and my shooting partners said they weren’t 100% square and required minor work to make them perfect which in my opinion shouldn’t be the case with an aftermarket action. The bolt lift is id say average, and the bolt cycle is pretty smooth. We’ve ran in some dirty conditions and the nitride tac 30 held perfect but my cerekote action slowed down off the get go. It was too tight with cerekote and took many of many dry fires and shots to wear in properly. Overall a good action but I definitely feel there is better for the money.
2.) kelbly atlas tactical and kelbly obsidian
I cannot speak enough good things about these action. For the value alone it’s simply incredible. I’ve handled 5 different and own 2 now. This bolt is smooth!!!! And the lift is one of the lightest I’ve felt, and could arguably be the lightest. The entire cycle from bolt lift, throw, and lock up is effortless. This has also been ran in some harsher conditions and never had a hiccup. The mechanical ejector works flawlessly and is a super nice feature when running on the bench. While doing load development and finding seating depths it doesn’t put any additional stress or false readings on your brass/loads. The only slightly negative thing I can come up with is it does have a certain feel to it that litterally no other action I’ve ran has. What I mean by that is if I run the bolt it feels different or that it’s not as rigid, and it could be something to do with how unbelievably smooth it is and lock up is so easy that I don’t feel everything engaging like you do from other actions and definitely can be looked at as a positive As well. Overall would buy many more and recommend to anyone. Customer service and the kelbly family is some of the best in the industry. With kelbly changing there bolt stop and coming a standard it is going make it just that much better!!
3.) bighorn/zermatt tl3
This action was something I wanted for a long long time. The features offered are incredible with the changeable bolt heads, mechanical ejector, control round feed!! Now this action is different and I love and it bothers me at the same time. It’s bolt lift and close with the trigger techs (even with a different cocking piece) I find heavier and has almost a gritty feel to it, hard to explain but it almost feels as though there’s sand in something while I’m closing the bolt. The bolt glides as if it was a hot sharp knife running though butter. It is so effortless that half the time it doesn’t even feel like I picked up a round from the chamber. It’s hard to explain as no other action I’ve ever felt feels this way. There is something about the tl3’s I find oddly attractive (for a round body action) and make for a nice action. The negatives are that on my particular set up the control round feed doesn’t work with the 223 set up and that a general thing about them is the bolt binds very easily. If I run this action all day or multiple days I rarely, if at all notice it. if I happen to be shooting literally any other action I own and pick this rifle up i bind it like no tomorrow! It is very very annoying when I don’t have this problem with any other action I own. If they could fix this I wouldn’t have a bad thing to say.
4.) defiance deviant tactical (2 different ones)
There isn’t a bunch I can say about this guy. It is a staple for other actions for a reason. It feels sold yet runs smooth. It looks good yet built like a tank! When using this action you know it’s not a toy, and it brings a level of confidence with it. Say what you will but confidence plays a large role in a shooters ability! With lots of different ways to order this action not everyone is the same so it’s a little unfair to give a feedback. From my experience though with 2 different deviants (one stainless and one dlc’d) they are super smooth, there entire bolt cycle just feels perfect. Not too light that’s your guessing if you picked up a round, not too sloppy or gritty that your binding anything, not too heavy on the lift that you want to complain but not too light your throwing it around like it’s nothing either!
5.) KS SAR 3 lug
This action might just be my happiest surprise yet. Being very hesitant about it due to lack of reviews and use in the wild I’ve never been more pleased with a turn out. With a very unique look, it can’t be mistaken. It stands out from other actions no doubt. The boys at KS are great to deal with and there barrels shoot as good or better then many top brands I’ve shot. For a 3 lug it is the lightest bolt lift I’ve ever felt. It matches many 2 lugs. From the best of my abilities I’ve measured the bolt lift at roughly 4-4.25lbs when compared to my impact at 3.5lbs. The bolt cycle is a dream to run. It’s fast, it’s insanely smooth, and light lift making it one of the nicest I’ve ran. With the unique look, prefit capabilities, and action as smooth as it is I’m not sure why it isn’t more popular. It is cut and interfaced to run both ai and aw with full weight of rifle magazine and it doesn’t cause a single issue!! Thinking I was taking a bit of a shot with this guy, it’s quickly becoming one of my favourites and puts a huge smile on my face each time I use it!!
UPDATE: this action is on a coyote hunting rifle,
So is used in cold weather. I had a bad batch (5000) primers that were giving me light strikes on almost all my actions and got worse as temps dropped. I couldn’t have reliably issues with this set up while out on a stand so I got a heavier spring installed. This actions bolt lift is now significantly heavier and no longer the lightest 3 lug I’ve felt and is probably the heaviest I own now. This was during the primer shortage so
Wasnt Like I was able to get more primers. All in all it doesn’t bother me as the reliability is 100% even on the bad batch of primers now. This rifle has proven to be insanely accurate, with very consistent Es and sd so the fire control must be very consistent. It also holds pressure really well! I AM NOT ADVOCATING for anyone to test high pressures in actions or loads. I just happened to find a node that should be way past pressure and its handles it’s beautifully in this set up.
6.) terminus Zeus
I actually started with a Curtis vector but traded quickly for a Zeus and glad I did. The Zeus is without a doubt amazing. Joel (owner of terminus) is a stand up guy, with top notch service and his innovations in this action show remarkable talent and attention to detail!! The action is smooooothhhh! The bolt lift is the heaviest I own due to being a 3 lug (lighter then my vector though) and the KS is a freak of nature with its ultra light bolt lift in the 3 lug. This thing is a beast! Heavy, rock solid, just overall puts a smile on your face when using it. The roller bearings in it makes the bolt almost close itself. The threaded trigger pins should be used in every action in the market, Talk about easy!!! I ordered both of mine with (now sold one to my shooting partner) the quick change feature. I’m not one for barrel swapping and caliber changing but having spare barrels on hand and 2 screws to swap them out makes things wildly easy. The return to zero and repeatability of this system far exceeds my expectations and anyone with doubt shouldn’t be worried!!
7.) impact 737r
This is the newest too the stable. This action does feel like it takes a lot of bonus from multiple other actions and combine it, but at the same time with the over hype from it I was actually kind of shocked it wasn’t… “more” If that makes sense. There is a bit of a sex appeal with it though that you just can’t deny. The overall cycle is smooth and lift is great, but I was expecting lighter as it’s said to be so so light. I find the kelbly lighter. It is smooth but I find the kelbly smoother and tl3 is damn close minus the lift/close. The thing I like about the impacts cycle is that it does have that feel where it is very light yet not delicate, it is super super smooth yet not getting away from you (which has happened with the tl3). Trigger hangers are handy as hell for spare triggers but are a huge negative in my mind when picking a stock. Impact does it nicely with being able to change sear engagement to help time the trigger to the action. It is my only action that doesn’t fit my bravo, whiskey 3 and my manners prs1t that fits other Remington clones. Honestly after getting past the “something more hype” which ended relatively quickly, im extremely pleased. It has a very positive lock up, and a very positive feel and can see where it might become my favourite 2 lug.
UPDATE; after 2850 rounds on this action I can see the hype of them. They are fast. With the light bolt lift and close, super smooth and reliability even in the hardest shittiest conditions these are pretty sweet!
8.) lone peak fuzion.
This thing from day 1 has completely blown me away. Finish is superb, but feel is top notch 100%. Being so similar to the impact I assumed I wouldn’t be overwhelmed the way I was. My impact now has roughly 2850 rounds on it, plus countless 1000 dryfires. So it’s well broken in. When the lone peak arrived, I strapped on my spare impact barrel, cleaned the action, no oil, and ran them side by each. Out of the box the lone peak was smoother then my well broken in impact and my impact is super smooth so it’s hard to tell. I’m not saying it’s miles different but if one had to choose it would have been the lone peak. The bolt lift is pretty equal but bolt close is lighter on the lone peak. The lone peak fits more chassis’s and stocks as there is no trigger hanger. I ran my spare impact barrel to break it in, fireform some brass, and get use to the action. Well it’s been in 8 other shooters hands and each of them is blown away.
9.) ultimatum deadline gen 2
This action has a pretty unique look too, and really like the aesthetics of this one. The bolt lift and close for a 3 lug is great. It’s actually the lightest bolt lift of a 3 lug i own. The bolt close is very smooth. This rifle has demonstrated incredible accuracy and repeatability, which mostly I believe is the barrel but speaks to the whole system. I have the highest confidence in this rifle of all my rifles. They do not like to single feed though, I’ve tested on 2 of them and neither liked to singe feed. My deadline also binds where the other 3 others I’ve felt don’t. Same thing as the tl3. When using solely my deadline I rarely bind it but if I touch any of my other actions and go back to the deadline it will bind. Don’t know what’s wrong with mine but since the whole system is just so accurate I won’t touch it lol overall it’s a great action.
There should be a falkor joining this list soon as well and will update when they happens and I get some time behind one.
Overall the purpose of this post is to show the next person just to get what you want from the beginning as you will regret your decision if you allow yourself to be swayed one way or another. As you can see from a relatively wide variety of actions, overall I am extremely pleased with all of them! The stiller tac 30is the only one I don’t find worth it’s price when you compare it to others like the tenacity, atlas tactical or origin but I still very much like it. it’s actually the rifle I’ve shot my smallest group at distance with, go figure eh! One persons opinion is very different from the next, and then there’s fan boys, and sponsored shooters, and some people just giving negatives opinions on actions they’ve never owned, handled or shot! Each of these actions have there differences but at the same time they are all similar in a way. All 700 foot prints, all ridiculously nice, and all have proven to be stand up, and excellent platforms.
I hope some find this helpful, and relieve or ease the mind when shopping for there next action. I do have my favourites, but this was suppose to be as unbiased as possible. I paid full pop for all these so in no way, shape or form was this to talk up one company over the other as you can see throughout this post.
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