custom action

[Crosseyed]

I'm new here guys, so forgive me if I'm in the wrong spot, but I was wondering what yall's opinions were on a custom action. Specifically, I would like to know if you think that a custom action from one of those fancy action manufacturers is superior to a "trued" factory action (like a remmy or M70). The reason I'm asking is because I'm trying to decide if I should "true" my action (M70) or ditch it and start fresh with a fancy custom action. Thanks a whole lot. Looking forward to being a member.

 

[Willys46]

Most of the time you will have just as much money into a M70 as you will for a custom. Check out the Lawton actions I hear they're good.

 

[BountyHunter]

this has been discussed repeatedly, but at the endo of the day there is no comparison in quality and most importantly cost.

OH, yes there are those that say you you can spend less money and have an action that shoots very well, but it does not compare head to head with a custom and it will not be worth what you paid for it. That last part is absolutely undisputable!!

Trued 700s for sale bring no more than $450-500 absolutely tops, yet cost $750-1000 to get there when you include the cost of the action/resale value ($300)

To take a Rem 700 and truly blue print it, recut the threads add trued lug, change firing pin and springs and sleeve the bolt, etc etc where it is supposedly comparable to custom, it will cost you more than the custom action.

Most importantly the moment you pay the gunsmith bill and walk out it will only be worth about 50% of what you have in it.

Also it will not be as good an action as the custom. The customs normally have more accurate machining on all dimensions such as bolts, lugs, raceways, longer tenons, more accurate threads, better firing pins and holes, extractors etc. those are things that normally CANNOT be smithed into a Rem 700 locally.

Now if you are a smith and can do all the work yourself or someone will do it for an obscenely cheap cost, OK it is cheaper but it will never be equal much less better.

BH

 

[Crosseyed]

Thank you for that very informative response. I'm sort of a rookie and didn't realize all of the things you had to say. Thank you.

 

[goodgrouper]

+1 what BH said.

Some other things to consider:

Even a blued trued Remington can still have problems that can't be fixed. The best Remingtons have about .008" tolerances whereas customs like Stiller Predators run in the neighborhood of .004" and full blown BR actions running .001-.002 1/2. In other words, you can true an action up but it will never have the tolerances of an action that was built with precision in mind.


Another consideration too is that most of the super nice custom actions are built without a safety accomadation. This might not be what you want for a hunting action so check on that before you order one.

Also, the BR actions are sure nice, but some don't like dirt or foreign debris at all. My Stiller Viper action is so tight that it won't really run smooth unless it is in a horizontal position! And one time, I had a little bit of cotton patch strand about 1/16" long in my bolt raceway and it pretty much shut it down until I removed it. Not good for a hunting gun!

And you might want to check to see what's included with the action like trigger hangers, rings, trigger guards, recoil lugs, etc. These things can really increase the price of a custom action if you have to buy them accessory. And remember, none of the customs I'm aware of come with triggers so count on spending some extra dough there.

All in all, a Rem is cheaper than any custom, but the finished product will not be as nice, or have as much value as a custom. And it depends on what you want to do with the rifle. Is it for hunting deer at 500 yards, or is it for competition, or is it for knocking over p-dogs at 1k. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Crosseyed]

I will mostly be punching paper with it. I intend to use it in the field for some long range work but not out to 1k. I think a BR action is probably a little over the top, so I'll probably end up with a Stiller Predator. My toy right now is a win model 70 coyote in 243wssm. It's waiting on a new richard's microfit stock and probably a re-barreling by shilen down the road. The factory trigger is turned down to a little less than 2# and is actually pretty smooth for now. Once I get done with it, I'll turn my attention to a totally custom rig. I'm thinking 325 WSM. I can't get enough of the "short-fat" cartridges. Thanks for all your help.