action quality question

For those who respond, explain the reasons for choosing one action versus another. I have very little knowledge/experience with building rifles. I've just been shooting various US factory rifles through the years and would like to try my hand at building something unique while not blowing myself to kingdom come.
I would gomwoth Tikka for the following reasons:
1. Manufacturers will actually build a shouldered prefit for a Tikka rifle. I am not aware of any.other factory rifles where thos is available. This means that the barrel work folks who stake their liability and reputation on customers having safe and functional rifles have come to accept the variance (or lack of variance) of those actions. This says a lot to me.

2. Tikka night becthe most butter smooth factory action out there. Others take lots of labor or lots of shots to become smooth.

3. The Tikka trigger is an excellent factory trigger and woth very inexpensive modifications is as good as anything out there for the average guy.

Good luck and send pics.
 
One thing I have done over the last couple years is try a different type of rifle thinking it may be the next donor action for me to use on builds or to play with doing different work. Example is paying a little more money but not custom money for a rifle such as a Tikka then shooting it and realizing you are not going to improve the rifle much by spending a lot of money and spending a lot of time. I hate to pull that type of rifle apart.

If you shoot like I do which I believe you said is hunting and fun bench shooting full custom from someone else is something to try and what you are doing as a treat to yourself or maybe for a big hunt you have in mind. It doesn't mean you are guaranteed a rifle that will shoot twice as good or even much better than some of these others. What it probably will be is a better quality finish, tighter tolerances, built to exactly what you want and a cartridge exactly what you wanted and not just what the OEM is making right now. It doesn't guarantee it will shoot better or you wont have any problems.

If you truly want to buy a rifle as a donor to build on yourself and learn on I have found that Savage, Ruger and I have not had a Howa in a long time but would include those are great. It doesn't bother me to buy and pull it apart before I ever shoot It as that is why I bought it, but I quite often will shoot it just to see how it does. I will go through the entire rifle because I enjoy doing that. The money invested in the entire unit has been $300-500 over the last 2 years If you watch for a used rifle or a new rifle sale. The Tikkas have just shot to good with modest spring change or $15 grip change for me to pull them apart as a primarily hunting rifle.

Lastly I will do an Origin or other maker but similar category of action this year for a complete custom build myself as I would like to try their action. The big difference I believe will be quality of build material, tolerance and smoothness of operation. Basically shouldn't have to do a bunch of mods to the action. The other big difference will be $$$$. $900+ action, $150+ Trigger, $300-900 barrel, $350 bare minimum stock, $200+ bottom metal, and more. Oh yes that's just parts.

Some people sit in a bar every night and spend $50-150 a night, some people gamble and the casino people I've talked with say if anyone tells you they go all the time and win, they are lying. Some people trade vehicles every year, my father-in-law had 6 trucks one year, That was a record year haha but crazy. I would rather spend my money on any of the gun options listed so far! have fun especially as it sounds like your just getting started. This is all just my opinion and you can ask any Libtard, its worth what your paying. Lol
 
GRG - your last post is essentially a written record of my thought process and actions the past few months. Everything you wrote I describes what I've been doing. The comments on this thread have confirmed and my assumptions.
Reading your post really made my day. Credit to you for taking time to write a thorough response. Thank you very much.
 
Feenix : I've been asking myself the same question. The practice build experience is worth the money - it may help me make a more informed choice on a full custom build. Thanks for your suggestion.

The comments on this thread are extremely helpful. I'm learning alot listening to others.
Having the correct information definitely, helps in your decision-making. However, your overall budget, preferences for components, and intended purpose drive a complete custom build. Your budget will dictate what components to acquire. Most of my DIY projects are built with Savage actions, so I recommended them. This is my latest build, https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/my-338-thor.327058/#post-2776837. While it meets "my" requirement, it might not meet yours/others. Good luck!

Ed
 
When you look at actions with tight machining tolerances like Zermatt and Tikka and you go with a pre-fit barrel from someone that is reputable then you won't have any worries. I have done custom via gunsmiths and had some great rifles. I've done remage style rifles, setting the headspace was a little headache but cost effective. And I've also done pre-fit shouldered barrels, and at this point that is the only way I will be doing my rifles down the road. With a barrel vise and an action wrench I can have a different caliber to shoot in less than 5mins that includes changing out the bolt head. I would say to save the money on doing a practice gun and do the custom you want, it will save you money down the road.
 
Having built a pile of savages I'm partial to them for a learner. Shoot well, easy to work on, decent aftermarket support.

One of the things I like about savage and any custom that uses a changeable bolt head is the fact you can use a single actions and play with multiple calibers and cartridges. For a leaner this opens up the one platform and many options realm. In the end any action with a prefit option is going to be about the same process. Pick your poison, have fun.
 
I too built a practice rifle and what I have learned from the experience is priceless. It shoots very well and I learned what is and isn't necessary.
I know why good gunsmith's charge what they do. Fit, finish, attention to detail and the possibility of the best possible accuracy are among the benefits.
But are they worth the cost to me for every rifle I want to use? Not really. With a couple actions and a small pile of barrels I can indulge my curiosity and wants at an affordable cost not to mention the convenience. Give building one for yourself a shot and you may find you have room in your safe for both.
 
You have opened up an action can of worms. Numerous opinions
On the subject at hand I have done 2 Savages,2 Tikka's,1 Remington 700,1 Zermatt and 2 Mac Bro's all with prefit tubes with barrel nut 7 of them had X-Caliber barrels and the Zermatt was a Criterion. Tikkas are a pain in the butt to get the barrel off as they are double tight. I use a lathe to cut an .080 deep groove .010 from action to loosen the factory barrel. Your choice all have worked great for me.
Things needed are a Short Action Custom modular action wrench, a good barrel Vice, a go gauge and a piece of Scotch tape to make a no go gauge.
 
Shane Lindsey - my concern with a shouldered prefit is after torquing it to spec then having it fail the go/no-go gauge test what's next - take it to a gunsmith? With your shouldered prefit build, which action were you using?

I've done shouldered prefits using Bighorn origin (1), ARC Nucleus (1) and the Kelbly Atlas I've done (2). All have been spot on with no issues and all shoot great. If the plan is to go custom action then just do it now and save $ in the long run.
 
Shane Lindsey - my concern with a shouldered prefit is after torquing it to spec then having it fail the go/no-go gauge test what's next - take it to a gunsmith? With your shouldered prefit build, which action were you using?


I've done shouldered prefits using Bighorn origin (1), ARC Nucleus (1) and the Kelbly Atlas I've done (2). All have been spot on with no issues and all shoot great. If the plan is to go custom action then just do it now and save $ in the long run.
Buy once cry once
 
It seems to be pretty obvious that what is being said if you have the time equipment and desire to do a diy study it and you can make a pretty solid rifle. Especially to hunting accuracy standards for most people. Target rifles it takes much more knowledge, precision and a little different class of of components. $$$$
None of this says you can replace a great gun Smith but it may keep you from settling on a poor or mediocre one.
It is a lot of fun. Good luck.
 

Recent Posts

Top