Vudoo V22 action vs Zermatt Arms RIMX

Which action would you choose for a training rifle build when trying to replicate a competition gun based around an Impact 737r? As far as I can tell they are both 90 degree bolt throws. It seems the Vudoo’s bolt handle is straighter more like the Impact and the RimX is angled slightly. Barreled action will be dropped in an MPA chassis with BnA trigger. Anything else I should be considering?
 
Which action would you choose for a training rifle build when trying to replicate a competition gun based around an Impact 737r? As far as I can tell they are both 90 degree bolt throws. It seems the Vudoo’s bolt handle is straighter more like the Impact and the RimX is angled slightly. Barreled action will be dropped in an MPA chassis with BnA trigger. Anything else I should be considering?

I use a Vudoo as a trainer for my impact. Foundations and B&A for both. It’s great being able to throw it on props and shoot short distance.
 
I own a Vudoo and had the opportunity to shoot a Rimx last night the gun shoots great functioned fine the only thing that felt differently is the bolt assembly on the Vudoo feels more solid(weight) like Impact action. both actions slide good.
 
I find the key to a V-22 action is proper lube (doesn't take much) especially when it's new. That is based on a sample size of 4 of the first generation. I have 2 second generation barreled actions in the mail as I type this. I'll report back after they arrive but I anticipate no change.
 
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Tomiboy,
My Vudoo runs great regardless of how I run my bolt. Fast and snppy or deliberate and slow. I once heard that a Vudoo bolt bound because it was stood on it's butt and the silencer grit went down the bbl. and into the action. But I have never had any kind of issues with my bolt or entire gun for that matter.

Shawn



I've read where some say the Vudoo action can bind unless the bolt is run a specific way. Anyone that can confirm this?
at
 
I find it to be the opposite. The RimX seems more solid and smooth. The Vudoo seems clunkier and not nearly as slick because of the cerakote finish. If Vudoo would do a melonite finish I really think that would help.

The first 1000+ were and I moved away from Melonite for various reasons.

MB
 
WOW..... Fair premium..... That is an UNFAIR premium. You poor folks are really getting screwed. I'm sorry to hear that.





@RAVAGE88

What are these mid year improvements that were mentioned before?

Im keen to grab a vudoo and have been speaking to my local stockist (rhinosports)
But due to our aussie dollar ect ect it's $7000au for one in a JAE chassis plus extra mags and scope and I'm at 10k.

Just don't want to drop that money if it's soon going to be outdated

For those playing at home $7000au is $4450us so we Deffinitly have a fair premium over here.


The one I had, a gen 2, was cerakoted




I just spoke with Jill at Vudoo and all guns with a SN below 3400 are a Gen 1 like mine. The internals of the receiver are Melonite and the externals are Cerakote. I just ran my bolt in very different ways and it runs flawlessly. With my choice of BA, chassis, mags and bi-pod, I'm at just over 6000.00 USD. It's worth it to me.

This Red one is named Ginger and it is the new single shot. I may pick up her twin sinister sister in 2021.

Shawn
USA
 

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Ok, so I am hesitant to post this but in the spirit of honesty and in the theme of this thread here it goes...

A disclaimer first:
It is no secret that I have been a fan / supporter / believer in VGW and Mike Bush starting with the Black Ops and UGSW days. Mike has always been so very helpful and has taken more time than he needed to to answer my questions about his products well before VGW was a company, not to mention the Black Ops and UGSW rifles were so well done! When he started VGW I was on board from day 1 b/c I knew how the company would be ran and the product would be on point. After I met Jay @ Ft Benning a few years ago and shot the rifle they donated to raise money for the Sniper Association (which I purposely bid up as high as I could and ended up winning, for a great cause) I was sold. I watched Jay interact with everyone at the vender shoot and the banquet and could see how much they care about their customers, their products, and their company. My brother and I immediately placed orders for more V-22 rifles. They both were early models and we ran them hard along with the rifle I won and gave to my dad. All 3 have been 100% reliable and very accurate.

With that said I am not here to talk bad about ANY other company, I fully support the free market. I feel competition is what drives innovation and betters our sport. When Zermatt released the Rim X I knew I would eventually own one to test, after all I have owned every other high end precision rimfire repeater that has been made / sold in this country. So what I am about to say is simply my experience and personal opinion. Feel free to disagree with me, point out where you may think I am wrong, I am open to anything & I have very thick skin.

Sorry about the above, but in these times of special snowflakes who can’t take constructive criticism I felt it necessary. On to the point. I purchased a Zermatt Rim X barreled action that was new (0 rounds fired), installed a Timney R700 2 stage trigger and put it in a KRG Bravo chassis. I was going to use a T7T trigger but it would not fit in the Bravo. I checked the action for stress in the chassis, the fit was good. I found the trigger would not release the cocking piece unless the over travel screw was backed all the way off and at that the action was very stiff to open and close (bolt travel from in battery to out of battery, cocking the action, not front to back cycling). I determined the cocking piece of the firing pin had too much pressure from the trigger. When shooting it I had some light primer strikes (FTF) which confirmed the extra drag on the firing pin. I reached out to Timney and got no response, so I spoke with Ray @ Zermatt and he said it was common with that trigger and to reduce the cocking piece by 0.010” or he would be happy to send me a modified cocking piece. It is a very simple job so I did it myself in 0.002”-0.003” increments testing along the way and found that at 0.010” it was much better, not perfect (still tighter than I had prefer, but better). I decided to stop at his recommended amount. That solved the FTF. I also was struggling with setting the magazine catch up for perfect cycling of the round into the chamber without any damage to either the bullet being chambered or the on sitting below the bolt as it closed. I was able to find the mag height that made it all but disappear but it was VERY finicky to an exact location, a few thousandths of an inch up or down would cause problems. I do believe the chamber had a role to play in this, but it is hard to say how much without either trying a different barrel / chamber or modifying this one (which I did not want to do). All that said I was not exactly impressed with the Rim X, it seemed to me to be a solution looking for a problem. There are a few other design details that I am personally not a fan of and feel like may not be optimal for the best ignition, but those are my opinions and difficult to substantiate so I will not bring them up here. Ultimately I sold the Rim X after I was comfortable that it IS capable so being a reliable platform with work, I will NOT pass along a problem to someone else **I say this to point out that I believe the Rim X can be reliable and function pretty good.**

On to the comparison:

After selling the Rim X I ordered a V-22 from Mile High and another one from Altus (both Gen II Kukri barreled actions a 20” & a 22”). The 20” from Mile High arrived last night and after picking it up I inspected it and noticed some nice updates from the original V-22’s I have owned. I installed the same Timney trigger that was giving me trouble in the Rim X, and found there was no excessive drag / upward pressure on the cocking piece like there was with the Rim X. No modification needed, that is good. Then I installed the barreled action in the same KRG Bravo chassis that I had the Rim X in, the fit was also good (no stress in the bedding). I used the new magazine and 4 of the old magazines that I purchased years ago for the V-22 and loaded them all up with 10 rounds of Center X (same lot # that I was shooting in the Rim X). I cycled 50 rounds through the V-22 with 5 different magazines operating the bolt both fast and slow and had zero issues. I closely inspected all the rounds under good light and the only marks I could find on any of the 50 bullets were the imprints of the lands. Not even a scratch on them.

I hope to shoot it this weekend and I will report back then. I will also do the same with the 2nd barreled action when it arrives next week and will report back. Please keep in mind this is MY experience with 1 Zermatt Rim X and several Vudoo V-22 repeaters, it is not exactly a scientific study so take it for what it is. But now you know how I feel about the 2 options...
 
So far, the only condemning things regarding RimX rifle fit/function/accuracy/precision, can be laid right at the feet of the person that built them... just like any and all other other custom rifles.


There is a lot of truth to this. However from my limited experience with it there are definitely some things that could be improved on in the design of the action.
 
There is a lot of truth to this. However from my limited experience with it there are definitely some things that could be improved on in the design of the action.
Possibly. Yet its very improbable that those improvements could exist at the $1150 price point the action currently occupies. I've suggested an "elite" version of the RimX to Zermatt. It's up to them whether they'll act on it, but I would expect that version to be near or north of $2000. As it stands, it's difficult for me to agree with the "things could be improved on the design" argument, when every single rifle and barreled action we've offered is running and shooting well above it's expectation.

How do you reconcile the fact that we are having such success, and others are having such problems? I find it fairly easy to assign blame, and it doesn't land on Zermatt.
 
Possibly. Yet its very improbable that those improvements could exist at the $1150 price point the action currently occupies. I've suggested an "elite" version of the RimX to Zermatt. It's up to them whether they'll act on it, but I would expect that version to be near or north of $2000. As it stands, it's difficult for me to agree with the "things could be improved on the design" argument, when every single rifle and barreled action we've offered is running and shooting well above it's expectation.

How do you reconcile the fact that we are having such success, and others are having such problems? I find it fairly easy to assign blame, and it doesn't land on Zermatt.

Very valid point. I would have to think about more. I'm not trying to "lay blame" at anyone's feet. I'm just giving my personal thoughts on the discussion at hand. But I truly hear what your saying.
 
How do you reconcile the fact that we are having such success, and others are having such problems?

Could the answer be that those with such success have a vested interest in the that success?

Another excellent point in this discussion. The fact that there are several people having the same issues with the Rim X makes me ask what is the one common with those people? The Rim X action and magazine, not the person who assembled it as this isn't limited to Keystone, not the chassis / stock as there have been many different ones tried, and not the trigger as I know of at least 2 different brands that have had issues.

I'm not trying to be an ass about this, simply stating what I have been reading here on the Hide and seeing personally.

The question has been asked and I feel it's slowly being answered by reports from different sources who are not associated with each other.
 
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Is it that the RimX action is excellent but only works well with certain triggers and the RimX magazines work well but only with certain chassis/stocks? Does the geometry at the entrance to the chamber have to be just so?

Put shortly, are RimX actions and magazines very high quality but very fussy? Does it take a custom gunsmith who knows the "tricks of the RimX" to build a trouble-free RimX based rifle?
 
Maybe people that don't have a vested interest in selling functioning RimX rifles... should stop selling them. Maybe then there wouldn't be so many people with rifles that don't function.

Other outfits seem to be making money selling them too, but based on reports... aren't delivering a functioning product. It's almost like hardly anyone gives a shit.

Oh wait, it's not almost like that. It's exactly like that.
 
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Maybe people that don't have a vested interest in selling functioning RimX rifles... should stop selling them. Maybe then there wouldn't be so many people with rifles that don't function.

Other outfits seem to be making money selling them too, but based on reports... aren't delivering a functioning product. It's almost like hardly anyone gives a shit.

Oh wait, it's not almost like that. It's exactly like that.
Maybe instead of thumping your own chest on how awesome you are you could actually add something to this thread that’s worthwhile. If you don’t want to help the ones out that are actually having problems then maybe you should keep your bragging to yourself. I might not be a gunsmith but at least I try to pass along what I’ve learned to get my RimX running.
 
Maybe instead of thumping your own chest on how awesome you are you could actually add something to this thread that’s worthwhile. If you don’t want to help the ones out that are actually having problems then maybe you should keep your bragging to yourself. I might not be a gunsmith but at least I try to pass along what I’ve learned to get my RimX running.

You want me to get you a working RimX, you buy one from us. That's how it works. I have zero obligation to fix people's broken rifles they "got a deal on" which were bought somewhere else. I sure as hell have no plans of making a career out of fixing other vendors broken shit. You don't see my customers here begging for troubleshooting advice, and I intend to keep it that way. If I were Zermatt, I'd be disgusted to see the way their product is talked about on here all because some smiths are incapable of doing quality work.

Only reason I posted at all was to illustrate plainly and brightly that this isn't a RimX problem people are having. It's a rifle builder problem. That's a fact. I don't much care how uncomfortable that fact may be for some.
 
My 2 rim x's are running "ok" but not near as good as I feel they should. I do have very minimal rounds through them so maybe they will settle in?... they should be much better considering the price/level they are supposed to be at. I originally was going to purchase 2 vudoos and to be honest wish I would have went that route at this point. Lets be honest, these days one should be able to purchase a high end barreled action, install a good trigger and drop it into a good chassis/stock and not have tons of issues... Rimfire or center. Just like jbell with his vudoo. I'm not saying the rimx is bad or my barreled action Smith was bad. But if they are truly this finicky then its not something I want long term. One I built for my father who is just a 65 year old hobby shooter around his farm. He doesn't want to nor even really know how to get really in-depth with working on guns. I just want him to be able to grab it and go shoot.
Seems the people who are vested and have some skin somewhat in the game defends the rimx like no other. And say its all the DIY owners faults... I don't believe so. That's like saying the 6.0 powerstroke was a great engine because a few people got "good ones" or they ran well after they dumped 5-10k into them
 
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You want me to get you a working RimX, you buy one from us. That's how it works. I have zero obligation to fix people's broken rifles they "got a deal on" which were bought somewhere else. I sure as hell have no plans of making a career out of fixing other vendors broken shit. You don't see my customers here begging for troubleshooting advice, and I intend to keep it that way. If I were Zermatt, I'd be disgusted to see the way their product is talked about on here all because some smiths are incapable of doing quality work.

Only reason I posted at all was to illustrate plainly and brightly that this isn't a RimX problem people are having. It's a rifle builder problem. That's a fact. I don't much care how uncomfortable that fact may be for some.

Some of your statement is true, I do feel that there has been some chambering (maybe not issues, but let’s call them strategies) that have exaggerated some potential trouble spots with the Rim X bolt and magazine design. That is what it is and it apparently takes a very specific chamber to not raise any problems. So well done to those who have figured it out. But you have to admit that it could be avoided with a “better” or more forgiving design. I say that because Zermatt is offering some “updated” parts to address some specific chambering issues that quite a few people are having.
Another thing that can not be blamed on anyone but Zermatt is how sensitive the action is to what trigger is being used, it isn’t the trigger manufacture when there have been at least 3 different brands that I have heard of having trouble: Timney, Tubb T7T, and the Trigger Tech Diamond (there may be others but those are the ones I have heard of). Zermatt is also offering a fix for this issue with a shorter cocking piece.

I have to compliment and acknowledge Zermatt for seemingly doing everything in their power to support their products and help their clients, you certainly can’t fault them for that. I know that sometimes you can’t find all the potential trouble areas until a product is out in the wild, I think this is what is going on here. I am sure Zermatt will eventually get all of this sorted out and the action will be as good as we all hope that it would have been. But until then I have no problem being honest about what I am experiencing, it is what it is...
 
@orkan : "You want me to get you a working RimX, you buy one from us. That's how it works. I have zero obligation to fix people's broken rifles they "got a deal on" which were bought somewhere else"

Any new members here should take note of this attitude. Then, keep an eye out for posts from @MikeRTacOps as well as from @Terry Cross. These 2 gentlemen routinely go out of their way on this website to help fix peoples rifles that they did not build/sell and stand to make essentially no money off that particular customer.

It seems to me maybe the biggest issue Zermatt has is who it chooses to do business with and how that may reflect poorly on their image.
 
You want me to get you a working RimX, you buy one from us. That's how it works. I have zero obligation to fix people's broken rifles they "got a deal on" which were bought somewhere else. I sure as hell have no plans of making a career out of fixing other vendors broken shit. You don't see my customers here begging for troubleshooting advice, and I intend to keep it that way. If I were Zermatt, I'd be disgusted to see the way their product is talked about on here all because some smiths are incapable of doing quality work.

Only reason I posted at all was to illustrate plainly and brightly that this isn't a RimX problem people are having. It's a rifle builder problem. That's a fact. I don't much care how uncomfortable that fact may be for some.
I can promise you that that attitude will mean I’ll never buy a rifle from you. If you’re not here to help people, then you’re just a troll.
 
@orkan : "You want me to get you a working RimX, you buy one from us. That's how it works. I have zero obligation to fix people's broken rifles they "got a deal on" which were bought somewhere else"

Any new members here should take note of this attitude. Then, keep an eye out for posts from @MikeRTacOps as well as from @Terry Cross. These 2 gentlemen routinely go out of their way on this website to help fix peoples rifles that they did not build/sell and stand to make essentially no money off that particular customer.

It seems to me maybe the biggest issue Zermatt has is who it chooses to do business with and how that may reflect poorly on their image.

Couldn't agree more. Ive seen posts before that weren't the most friendly and a little arrogant but this one blew me away.... I just don't understand that attitude. No matter if your the best in the business it still isnt called for. I sure appreciate the ones who offer up help to us amateurs. To me thats one thing I love about this hobby/community. Most are extremely friendly and will go out of their way to lend a hand. I also tend to have 1-2 customs built a year and after today I know where my next one or accessories wont be coming from....
 
@orkan :

It seems to me maybe the biggest issue Zermatt has is who it chooses to do business with and how that may reflect poorly on their image.

Isn't that the truth. Good products have failed due to partnerships and personalities. Building a rifle isn't brain surgery. I can name dozens of builders that have been doing it longer than some of us have been alive. Evelio McDonald (a standup guy that I have spoken to numerous times and he hasn't made a dime off me), Penrod (think he build Jbell's sweet Annie), Gene Davis (not sure if he is still building), chacon, the list goes on. Point is, in times when information is at your finger tips, you have options that maybe 20 years ago you didn't. The internet is a great way for a seller to get business, if he is savvy about the image he portrays. You showcase your skills by helping people with their simple problems, then when those people need something bigger, they send you the rifle. Moreover, when people see you helping others and getting their rifles to shoot better, they trust your work and your abilities and are more apt to give you business. Everyone in business wants to make money, some go about it better than others.

How you do business matters more now than ever.
 
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If you buy a blender,car,rifle,phone,drill etc it should work right out of the box ? All comes down to quality and quality control.
sure there maybe some updates but the core function should be solid.
Look at off the shelf rifles that have triggers that are horrible for the most part why? Actions that are sloppy etc. It’s the manufacture that determines the input and outcome of a product.(price point for a certain market)
Example Vudoo vs Ruger Precision .(not knocking Ruger it just a different price point market)
Ruger could’ve made a 22LR in there centerfire frame Or made truly custom rifle but back to price point and market- all about $$$$$$
 
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Well I'll share my xp with my rimx. I went the traditional route sending all my parts out to be chambered, and bedded all as one into a t4 with TT diamond.

I've probably shot about a bricks worth of varying ammo thru it to see what the barrel likes. I have not experienced any issues at all with the rifle other than getting time out to shoot it. I realize 500rds or so isn't a very high round count but so far I am very pleased with the way things are running.
 
Couldn't agree more. Ive seen posts before that weren't the most friendly and a little arrogant but this one blew me away.... I just don't understand that attitude. No matter if your the best in the business it still isnt called for. I sure appreciate the ones who offer up help to us amateurs. To me thats one thing I love about this hobby/community. Most are extremely friendly and will go out of their way to lend a hand. I also tend to have 1-2 customs built a year and after today I know where my next one or accessories wont be coming from....
What I have going on currently is sort of related to this. I had a custom barrel put on my V22 by a guy that I use for normal centerfire stuff. We ran into a problem with the chamber/extraction cuts. My smith offered to make it right but I wanted to talk to @RAVAGE88 to get his thoughts on my problem since he’s been so forthcoming and helpful with any other topics we’ve discussed over his years on here. I reached out to him and explained the problem. He offered to fix it!! I bought the barreled action second hand. I had someone else rebarrel it for me. Yet, he offers to fix it so I can’t get my 22elr project moving forward. One hell of a guy! That in itself is a big reason I’m using the V22 to begin with.
 
What I have going on currently is sort of related to this. I had a custom barrel put on my V22 by a guy that I use for normal centerfire stuff. We ran into a problem with the chamber/extraction cuts. My smith offered to make it right but I wanted to talk to @RAVAGE88 to get his thoughts on my problem since he’s been so forthcoming and helpful with any other topics we’ve discussed over his years on here. I reached out to him and explained the problem. He offered to fix it!! I bought the barreled action second hand. I had someone else rebarrel it for me. Yet, he offers to fix it so I can’t get my 22elr project moving forward. One hell of a guy! That in itself is a big reason I’m using the V22 to begin with.

This is exactly why I have always been and will always be a supporter, and customer of anything Mike Bush puts his name on. This is why I am constantly saying that VGW sets the standard for customer service. There are a lot of companies that have the same ethos as VGW, Mile High comes to mind they always exceed expectation. But unfortunately there are some companies out there that could learn a lot from how these 2 companies conduct business...
 
What I have going on currently is sort of related to this. I had a custom barrel put on my V22 by a guy that I use for normal centerfire stuff. We ran into a problem with the chamber/extraction cuts. My smith offered to make it right but I wanted to talk to @RAVAGE88 to get his thoughts on my problem since he’s been so forthcoming and helpful with any other topics we’ve discussed over his years on here. I reached out to him and explained the problem. He offered to fix it!! I bought the barreled action second hand. I had someone else rebarrel it for me. Yet, he offers to fix it so I can’t get my 22elr project moving forward. One hell of a guy! That in itself is a big reason I’m using the V22 to begin with.
I want to echo this post and offer that I had some issues with my vudoo when I first started using it. I e-mailed vudoo and ended up having an hour-long conference call with @RAVAGE88 and an engineer. That conversation made a vudoo fan for life no doubt! I don't know if this helps compare one vs the other but, customer service-wise, vudoo is one of, if not, the best companies I have worked with. Oh, and I routinely punch sub moa groups @100m with Sk+!
 
I don't want to continue the fanboyness but +1 to everyone. Vudoo has been top notch in their customer support and the time I met MB at Nationals, he would just freely discuss the work and engaged in conversation with everyone that came by. He brought spare parts with him and inspected everyone's rifle, cleaned them up, tweaked them, lubed them. All out of just his passion for the product and its customers. For a 'small' business I'm very surprised at the level of customer support. This isn't like Vortex with a million scopes and large company, this is a small company having built what 4000 or so rifles.
 
Not bashing Zermatt one bit! I have 3 Bighorns and absolutely love them.
I picked up the RimX on the group buy on a whim.
Like I said, I have a Vudoo and really like it. I just got done dicking with the tensioner, adjusting the Mags, polishing the Extractor. It cycles much better. I Borescoped the chamber with my Hawkeye and see the problem with the difficulty chambering rounds. Extremely rough! The chamfer is rough as well. It explains why it's shaving brass. I can't chamber a round with a pair of tweezers with the bolt out without excessive force. I'm bringing to my smith Monday to pull the barrel and get it fixed. Lesson learned and no money saved. Anybody know the go to trigger for timing? I have a Jewell in it now. Thinking maybe a Bix.
 
Not bashing Zermatt one bit! I have 3 Bighorns and absolutely love them.
I picked up the RimX on the group buy on a whim.
Like I said, I have a Vudoo and really like it. I just got done dicking with the tensioner, adjusting the Mags, polishing the Extractor. It cycles much better. I Borescoped the chamber with my Hawkeye and see the problem with the difficulty chambering rounds. Extremely rough! The chamfer is rough as well. It explains why it's shaving brass. I can't chamber a round with a pair of tweezers with the bolt out without excessive force. I'm bringing to my smith Monday to pull the barrel and get it fixed. Lesson learned and no money saved. Anybody know the go to trigger for timing? I have a Jewell in it now. Thinking maybe a Bix.

BixN Andy TacSport Pro with the LOW sear is what you need for Zermatt actions
 
Just to follow up from my post earlier in this thread. I was able to get the first of my 2 Vudoo V-22 barreled actions that I ordered after selling my Rim X out to the range for a quick zero and function check. This is the one that I had in the Bravo that was very difficult for me to get the Rim X set up to feed reliable and also with the same Timney trigger that I had to adjust the cocking piece for it to function properly. I fired 1 round at 50 yards and then adjusted for a zero and fired 10 rounds on the target below. This target is 0.500” in the inside diameter of the circle, so with a little wind today (2-7 mph switching) and a brand new barrel I am thinking this one will shoot as good as any of the V-22’s I have owned in the past. My daughters shot some really good groups also. They put 100 rounds through it before dark and we had zero failures of any kind, the action was very smooth and the rounds fed effortlessly (night and day different than the Rim X).

Basically exactly what I was expecting...

Round #2-#11 through this barreled action:
IMG_20201018_183754364.jpg