Reviews from those running Nucleus actions in PRS and other applications please offer your your experiences.
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Recent reviews on Nucleus actions that don’t include wait times.
- Thread starter Speedarino
- Start date
I like everything about mine. I haven’t swapped the bolt heads out for the new versions, and it runs great. One of the neatest actions around.
Mine has been flawless since I got it in December 18. Here's pics and my review in post #209. Ive been running CCI BR2 primers and whatever Prime ammo has and the 16# striker spring without any issues.
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I tried the 16,19, and 25lb striker springs. I didn’t like the bolt lift with the 25 lber. I eventually decide to try different primers and found one that worked 100% with the 16 striker spring. I’ve run mine quite a bit. I’ve competed with it in local matches without any issues. I wouldn’t hesitate to get another.
I have 2.
First one is from very first batch. Cycles smoothly. Had 1 light primer strike in a 2 day match with 16lb spring. Very dry bolt internals.
Second one was a March 2019 receiver in .223. It does not cycle so smooth and will bind when trying to close the bolt. I think it has to do with the plunger near the back of bolt. It also needs to be cycled with some force to eject .223 shells. Came with 19lb spring and not a fan of the lift.
First one is from very first batch. Cycles smoothly. Had 1 light primer strike in a 2 day match with 16lb spring. Very dry bolt internals.
Second one was a March 2019 receiver in .223. It does not cycle so smooth and will bind when trying to close the bolt. I think it has to do with the plunger near the back of bolt. It also needs to be cycled with some force to eject .223 shells. Came with 19lb spring and not a fan of the lift.
Ran mine in a match today and it was flawless. I never shot mine with the 16 pound spring because I wanted every primer to go off without worry. I don't find the bolt lift to be bad with the 25 pound spring. I'd say it was comparable to the Curtis I felt today in bolt lift.
Honestly, I love the action and I have not one shred of buyer's remorse.
Honestly, I love the action and I have not one shred of buyer's remorse.
Not a match shooter, this is my first custom and only have 100 rounds of factory 6.5cm through mine but here's my 2 cents:
Love it so far. 25lbs spring's bolt lift felt heavy, 19lb feels a touch lighter than my worn in Tikka T3 CTR. Love the extraction/ejection system as I have control over how hard the brass gets flung (who likes searching for brass in 3 ft of snow?). As far as what lennyo was saying, the plunger on the bolt needs to be depressed a bit before the bolt handle gets rotated down. It took a bit of getting used to, but at this point it's not even something I notice anymore. After cycling it at least a few hundred times with dry firing, and putting 100 rounds though it, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if I had the funds and need for one.
Love it so far. 25lbs spring's bolt lift felt heavy, 19lb feels a touch lighter than my worn in Tikka T3 CTR. Love the extraction/ejection system as I have control over how hard the brass gets flung (who likes searching for brass in 3 ft of snow?). As far as what lennyo was saying, the plunger on the bolt needs to be depressed a bit before the bolt handle gets rotated down. It took a bit of getting used to, but at this point it's not even something I notice anymore. After cycling it at least a few hundred times with dry firing, and putting 100 rounds though it, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if I had the funds and need for one.
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I've had 2. Sold 1 nuke and currently shoot my Hancock and AI/AT in matches. Both of mine run like a raped ape. .223, .6br, 6.5cm, and 6.5PRC. No issues even with the 16lb spring. I dont use the 19 or 25lb springs
I have one of the first off the line, single digit serial. I'm about 600 rounds in and it's been great. I had one light primer strike with Prime, 6.5C. I'm still running the 16lb spring, bought a 19 just in case as a backup. Trigger is a Timney CE, 2-stage. So far I've run Prime, Hornady ELD 140, and just tried the Hornady American Gunner 140s and I'm amazed at how nice it shoots for the price. I think that's my go to now.
My only gripe is the difficult bolt close. If you try to close the bolt slowly, you just simply can't. It binds so bad it feels like you're going to break something. If you run the bolt quick, no problems. I'm using this rifle for matches so I run it quick. I do want to get the new bolt head because it does bother me, but I haven't yet. Other than that issue, it's an amazing action for the $.
My only gripe is the difficult bolt close. If you try to close the bolt slowly, you just simply can't. It binds so bad it feels like you're going to break something. If you run the bolt quick, no problems. I'm using this rifle for matches so I run it quick. I do want to get the new bolt head because it does bother me, but I haven't yet. Other than that issue, it's an amazing action for the $.
The new bolt head feels amazing. I sent my old one in and received the new one witwith 10 days with a new extractor and spring.
Yeah I agree with BLKWLF... I only have experience with the new bolt head, but experience no issues like you're describing on bolt close. Only had mine for a month but so far I like it a lot.
The one of mine that binds IS the new bolt head. My first production run does not bind so I have not bothered to send it in.
That being said, I chucked my plunger up in a drill bit and hit it with a file. Fixed the issue.
That being said, I chucked my plunger up in a drill bit and hit it with a file. Fixed the issue.
I have John Hancock #11. Now I am far from as experienced with long range shooting and bolt action rifles than most, or all, of y’all, but, so far my JHR has been flawless. I’m still running the factory spring, which I assume is the 16# spring, with the factory grease in it (the bolt has never been disassembled and cleaned) . After 140 rounds, not one light primer strike shooting Hornady ELD-M ammo and BR-2 primers in my reloads. I got both of these 5-shot groups during my load development, which I’m still working on. So, I think the rifle shoots way better than my ability, and the action, as far as I’m concerned, is 100%, and has met all my expectations.
140 rounds? You said you liked that thing, get out and shoot!
In all seriousness though, I didn't have my first light primer strike until 600 or so rounds.
Yep. I just kind of let it partially dry and then wipe off the excesses on the receiver and repeat. I had a bit of rust or something on the inside of the bolt stop knob. I just put a drop of oil or two into it and wiped it out after it sat for a while.
Yeah, I know. Frikkin life keeps getting in the way though. ?
I’m about to get my next round of loads made up. Hopefully I can get out next weekend and shoot them.....hopefully.
I really like the black lettering on your Bravo stock too.
That I actually had to take my time with. The texturing on the Bravo doesn't allow for me to cheat as easily by wiping off excess paint. I just used some model paint and a fine 3/0 brush. Was maybe 10 minutes of work at most. It looks good on the Sako green Bravo as well.
Still loving my 223AI nucleus build. Put 400 rounds through it over a weekend a couple of weeks ago on a squirrel blasting trip. Have about 1600 rounds on it now. Only light strike was caused by a bad piece of brass with the primer set stupid deep, my other rifles wouldn't hardly put a mark in the primer either. I started with the 16# spring, then tried the 19# spring, and am now back to the 16# spring. No complaints with Remington 7.5 primers.
As others have said, if you purposely run the bolt very slowly it can be a bit clunky on closing because of the spring loaded shroud locking pin which tries to push the bolt rearwards, plus any overcocking in your trigger adding additional bolt closing effort (my CG Mod 22 has 0.025" overcocking), and on top of that I still have the gen 1 bolt head-- but that's only if you're fussing with the bolt handle very slowly on the bench. If you're actually running the rifle it's quite smooth and quick as a little forward inertia on the bolt smooths it out dramatically.
At some point I'll have ARC swap my bolt heads out for the Gen 2 design with the more gradual lead in ramps which may help ease the bolt closing effort when running the bolt extremely slowly, but for now I'm very happy-- when running the action at a normal to fast speed it's very slick and smooth so I may not even swap them at all until it's due for another barrel so there won't be any slight headspace change with the current barrel.
Extractor is super beefy, mechanical ejection works great. Bolt release on mine locks firmly in the closed detent but is easy to rotate by fingertip to the open position to remove the bolt.
Bolt disassembly may not be tool less, but a simple screw and a washer make it very easy and also gives you some other nice options like being able to easily hold the firing pin all the way back with the screw and washer so you have a better feel when setting your FL sizing die. Changing the firing pin spring and adjusting firing pin protrustion is also a piece of cake on these actions, and because of the castle nut design on the firing pin you can adjust the protrusion without losing firing pin travel and energy.
Also, the short barbell is my favorite bolt handle. I've tried the standard knurled one, the egg, the long barbell, and the short barbell. Short barbell is super comfy.
No other issues to report... it just works, and I really enjoy shooting that rifle. I also have a long action Nucleus that will be used for a 7 SAUM hunting build at some point in the future, I need to get off my ass and decide if I want to go with a fluted Bartlein or a Proof and get the blank on order.
As others have said, if you purposely run the bolt very slowly it can be a bit clunky on closing because of the spring loaded shroud locking pin which tries to push the bolt rearwards, plus any overcocking in your trigger adding additional bolt closing effort (my CG Mod 22 has 0.025" overcocking), and on top of that I still have the gen 1 bolt head-- but that's only if you're fussing with the bolt handle very slowly on the bench. If you're actually running the rifle it's quite smooth and quick as a little forward inertia on the bolt smooths it out dramatically.
At some point I'll have ARC swap my bolt heads out for the Gen 2 design with the more gradual lead in ramps which may help ease the bolt closing effort when running the bolt extremely slowly, but for now I'm very happy-- when running the action at a normal to fast speed it's very slick and smooth so I may not even swap them at all until it's due for another barrel so there won't be any slight headspace change with the current barrel.
Extractor is super beefy, mechanical ejection works great. Bolt release on mine locks firmly in the closed detent but is easy to rotate by fingertip to the open position to remove the bolt.
Bolt disassembly may not be tool less, but a simple screw and a washer make it very easy and also gives you some other nice options like being able to easily hold the firing pin all the way back with the screw and washer so you have a better feel when setting your FL sizing die. Changing the firing pin spring and adjusting firing pin protrustion is also a piece of cake on these actions, and because of the castle nut design on the firing pin you can adjust the protrusion without losing firing pin travel and energy.
Also, the short barbell is my favorite bolt handle. I've tried the standard knurled one, the egg, the long barbell, and the short barbell. Short barbell is super comfy.
No other issues to report... it just works, and I really enjoy shooting that rifle. I also have a long action Nucleus that will be used for a 7 SAUM hunting build at some point in the future, I need to get off my ass and decide if I want to go with a fluted Bartlein or a Proof and get the blank on order.
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If it matters I swapped my first gen bolt heads for gen 2, I couldn’t tell any difference at all. If yours closes smooth as is, don’t expect gen 2 to make it better.
I really enjoy shooting this action. The price was right and I'm glad I took a chance on the pre-order. I have an early one as well. If I had known it was gonna like it this much, I would have bought a LA at the same time I bought my SA.
Mine is pretty new production.
I can operate it slow no problem.
About 800 rounds now.
It’s absolutely filthy now and still smoother than any factory action I’ve ever tried.
I can operate it slow no problem.
About 800 rounds now.
It’s absolutely filthy now and still smoother than any factory action I’ve ever tried.
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I have about 700 rds on my Nucleus. Was really starting to like it until a match a month ago when I had a light primer strike with factory Hornady ammo. 2 stages later when I went to start under time I couldnt get the bolt to close. Come to find out, the bolt shroud pin, spring, and screw had come out somewhere along the way. I k ow it was tight prior to match, and now I'm paranoid that I'm going to have that happen again.
I have the new bolt and I cant tell any difference on close either. It does seem to not bind as easy when the bolt is all the way back like the original bolt head did if I didnt get the bolt going straight back.
I wanted to get another SA and a LA but now will probably wait for a while and see how this one continues.
I have the new bolt and I cant tell any difference on close either. It does seem to not bind as easy when the bolt is all the way back like the original bolt head did if I didnt get the bolt going straight back.
I wanted to get another SA and a LA but now will probably wait for a while and see how this one continues.
I put some vibra-tite VC3 thread locking compound (the gummy semi-reusable stuff that dries on the threads) on the bolt locking pin retaining screw for exactly that reason.
Never had any issues with it loosening up, but I knew what would happen if it did back out and didn't notice it in time... So it got a coat of vibra-tite.
That's also why I have 2 spare locking pins, springs, and retaining screws in my spare parts inventory.
Thanks, I will get some to put on it. I asked when I called to order parts if there was a torque spec and was told not really. Asked about loctite cuz I sure didnt want to loose it again and was told I could but not really recommended for for disassembly reasons. And stupid me only ordered a replacement set and not a spare to go along with it.
I've had issues with mine on a few occasions. I found that unless I clean the bolt and firing pin assembly every 400 rounds or so, I'll get light strikes, even when running it completely dry as Ted has mentioned on the other thread.
This started with the factory 16# spring. I had to purchase the 19# spring, and it hasn't improved, yet remained the same.
I have no intentions on running a 25# spring.
Brake cleaner has become my friend.
If I were to do it over, I'd buy a Bighorn or maybe even an Impact.
After all, buy once cry once.
This started with the factory 16# spring. I had to purchase the 19# spring, and it hasn't improved, yet remained the same.
I have no intentions on running a 25# spring.
Brake cleaner has become my friend.
If I were to do it over, I'd buy a Bighorn or maybe even an Impact.
After all, buy once cry once.
Have you pulled your striker spring and checked for sear drag?
New bolt head has two bevels on the leading corner of the lugs. Old head has one.
I didn't notice any difference on the three new bolt heads I got.
I have a single digit serial short action and long action Nucleus. I have seen 5 others and shot a couple. The heavier springs do change bolt lift considerably. I haven't handled them enough to tell any appreciable difference except the spring changes
I still have 16 LB springs in my actions still, and run CCI primers without any significant issue. I have had some light primer strikes, but that was before I cleaned the bolt out.
I am running Huber and Trigger Tech.
I am currently waiting for the Archimedes to ship. I love me some ARC actions. I an having a hard time actually deciding whether I really want to sell my long action to get an Archimedes instead. I will never sell my short action and it is getting married to a forever barrel in Colorado next week.
As I say when anyone asks about buying one, they are a field action. If you want a rifle to just run fast and in adverse conditions, Nukes will do it. Buy one.
If you want to sit on a bench, slow fire and fondle and stroke the bolt handle as you cycle it, this is NOT the action for you.
I didn't notice any difference on the three new bolt heads I got.
I have a single digit serial short action and long action Nucleus. I have seen 5 others and shot a couple. The heavier springs do change bolt lift considerably. I haven't handled them enough to tell any appreciable difference except the spring changes
I still have 16 LB springs in my actions still, and run CCI primers without any significant issue. I have had some light primer strikes, but that was before I cleaned the bolt out.
I am running Huber and Trigger Tech.
I am currently waiting for the Archimedes to ship. I love me some ARC actions. I an having a hard time actually deciding whether I really want to sell my long action to get an Archimedes instead. I will never sell my short action and it is getting married to a forever barrel in Colorado next week.
As I say when anyone asks about buying one, they are a field action. If you want a rifle to just run fast and in adverse conditions, Nukes will do it. Buy one.
If you want to sit on a bench, slow fire and fondle and stroke the bolt handle as you cycle it, this is NOT the action for you.
Attachments
RH Short action SN 5x configured in 6.5 creedmoor with a triggertech diamond and 16# spring. 600 rounds on it in all weather conditions, dry and dusty 95+ degrees to wet and snowy 25 degrees to cold and windy -25 degrees. No issues with primers. I haven't had to clean the bolt/firing pin any, just de-greased when I took delivery.
Just received RH SA SN 56x to play with, suspect it will run just as well as it's brother.
Also awaiting an Archimedes.
Just received RH SA SN 56x to play with, suspect it will run just as well as it's brother.
Also awaiting an Archimedes.
Have a long action magnum Nuke. 300 PRC, 31" barrel, big heavy dedicated ELR gun.
Long action & slow fire is not the Nucleus' strong point. I've handled friends' S/A Nukes and they feel more natural in that configuration than the L/A. It could just be me, not being used to the longer throw, though.
One complaint- the detent on the bolt shroud that prevents the bolt from closing until it's pushed ALL the way forward. I cut a chamfer on the detent and it does seem to be wearing in very nicely, however.
Now the good; Super slick, super smooth when feeding live rounds and running from behind the rifle. Even with the 300 PRC, primary extraction is no problem. Keyed lug works great for assembly- much better than M700's and clones. I had some light primer strikes (5-8%) with 16# spring. Was shipped a 25# spring, and ended up cutting 3.5-4 coils off for about a 20lb spring. Has been 100% since, and 20lb is smoother to operate than the 25lb.
My personal take is that a short action Nucleus would be great for PRS style shooting. In a perfect world I would have a L/A Mausingfield for my application, but for the money I'm happy.
Long action & slow fire is not the Nucleus' strong point. I've handled friends' S/A Nukes and they feel more natural in that configuration than the L/A. It could just be me, not being used to the longer throw, though.
One complaint- the detent on the bolt shroud that prevents the bolt from closing until it's pushed ALL the way forward. I cut a chamfer on the detent and it does seem to be wearing in very nicely, however.
Now the good; Super slick, super smooth when feeding live rounds and running from behind the rifle. Even with the 300 PRC, primary extraction is no problem. Keyed lug works great for assembly- much better than M700's and clones. I had some light primer strikes (5-8%) with 16# spring. Was shipped a 25# spring, and ended up cutting 3.5-4 coils off for about a 20lb spring. Has been 100% since, and 20lb is smoother to operate than the 25lb.
My personal take is that a short action Nucleus would be great for PRS style shooting. In a perfect world I would have a L/A Mausingfield for my application, but for the money I'm happy.
I was having light strikes early on. Since installing my latest barrel, the updated bolt head, and going back to the 16# spring, I have had no issues and I’m just shy of 1200 rounds since March 1. Running a Huber trigger and shooting Lapua 6.5CR brass primed with BR-4 primers. Love the way it feels and cycles and overall it is a great competition action. I’m looking to buy another in LA for a 300PRC build.
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I received mine late last year. Had a couple light strikes and the hang ups on bolt close. Sent the bolt in to ARC, they replaced the head and installed the 25# spring and had returned in days. Still have the hang ups but no misfires. Only about 200rnds though.
Are you able to post a pic of this change to the plunger?
So I have around 400 rounds through my nuke in 6 creedmoor. I was having light primer strikes at first but after switching to the 19 lb spring I’ve had no issues. I wasn’t a big fan of the factory bolt knob that came with the action so I replaced it with the ARC egg and I like it way more. Overall I’m happy with the action, in a couple of weeks I’ll switch it over to 7mm saum to see how my PVA barrel shoots. So far I would recommend it now that some of the growing pains have been had.
Report on Nucleus action SN3XX with TT Diamond. Started out with a PVA shouldered bbl in 6.5 Creed. No FTF in ~500 rounds. Recently installed a non-shouldered prefit in 223. Past weekend we shot a couple hundred 223 with zero FTF. Action has not been disassembled other than changing bolt heads. I assume it has the 16# spring. Action has been 100% reliable so far. We're enjoying the action and would buy another. The bolt hitch isn't noticeable when operating the action as its intended to be run, meaning deliberately. I like the innovative extractor, fast bolt throw and have even warmed up to the lampshade knob.
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