ARC Archimedes

[HOLLYW00D]

I have two (long and short), and absolutely adore the feel and innovation of this action. This is my first foray into custom actions. I do have a couple of Tikkas that I am fond of, also.

Does anyone have, or is considering, an American Rifle Company Archimedes action for their build? Why? What are your impressions? Any photos to share? Curious to see what others are doing with them. Mine are in KRG Bravos, with BnA TacSport triggers. Short action currently set up for fun at the range (.223 Remington, Savage pre-fit), and the long action awaits its fate. I have .473, .535, and, obviously, the .378 bolt heads, but am not quite certain where I want to go with the long action.

With the leverage the pivoting bolt handle provides for primary extraction, seems like it would be a great safety net for big game hunters. Scenario: You're hunting dangerous game. You find yourself in a situation where your point of impact isn't exactly where you intended. Your quarry is none too happy, and is making a bee line for you. Hastily, you grab the bolt handle to chamber another round, but the chamber will not let go of the spent case. With danger fast approaching, you are forced to start whacking the bolt handle with your palm in order to eject the spent case, and chamber another round.

Perhaps a hot load, dirty chamber, inclement weather, or some other happenstance causes a stuck case. Seems like the leverage provided by the Archimedes would be "good insurance" if the above scenario would ever present itself.

Would love to hear your thoughts/experiences.

 

[lilharcher]

Building a 7 Sherman Max throated for 190 EOLs on a Archimedes L/A.....Mike at Hells Canyon is spinning me up one of his carbon fiber barrels with a Manners EH1.....should be a tad over 7 lbs. And nasty on virtually any NA game!

 

[J3n]

The only concern I have with it is that its a new action from ARC and they are still working some things out. They will address issues as they find them just like they did with the Nucleus. It's just going to take a bit to work it all out. Hopefully yours works well for you. I can tell that you've put a lot of thought in to the unique leverage of the action and that you see a clear use for your hunting scenarios.

To play devil's advocate - I do wonder the actual percentage of times it would make a difference. There is also the chance that the extra leverage just helps you tear the rim off the case and be no better off

 

[HOLLYW00D]

Building a 7 Sherman Max throated for 190 EOLs on a Archimedes L/A.....Mike at Hells Canyon is spinning me up one of his carbon fiber barrels with a Manners EH1.....should be a tad over 7 lbs. And nasty on virtually any NA game!

Would love to see pics, and hear your impressions, once you've had some time behind that beast!

 

[HOLLYW00D]

The only concern I have with it is that its a new action from ARC and they are still working some things out. They will address issues as they find them just like they did with the Nucleus. It's just going to take a bit to work it all out. Hopefully yours works well for you. I can tell that you've put a lot of thought in to the unique leverage of the action and that you see a clear use for your hunting scenarios.

To play devil's advocate - I do wonder the actual percentage of times it would make a difference. There is also the chance that the extra leverage just helps you tear the rim off the case and be no better off

Yep. There were some kinks to work out on the first few preorders, but ARC was quick to react and rectify. Although, from those kinks, modifications were made to the design to improve the function of the action (more leverage from the lever). Also, it's pretty nice that there are different length cocking pieces available for a drop-in trigger timing solution.

You're right. We may never be able to quantify if, and by how much, the fulcrum/lever handle would aid in the hypothetical (for me, at least) scenario above. In my eyes, it just seems like it has a foot up on the traditional bolt actions in the aforementioned scenario. If nothing else, a peace of mind. If the rim rips off, I sure hope I end up using better brass on my next go-around.

I am experimenting: I have a Schlage lock pin/spring kit from which I sourced a t-pin top spring, stretched it out a bit, and have replaced the shroud locking pin spring. Preliminary tests are quite favorable, to me. It virtually eliminates the need for any kind of momentum to rotate the bolt closed when running the bolt slowly, without eliminating the function of the locking pin. The bolt cycles telepathically. I'm a huge fan of this action. Now, just need more barrels.