Best action for the money

paddlehead

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 23, 2013
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I want some opinions on what is the best action for the money. Pros and cons. The next part I'm trying to acquire for my custom is the action. Needing advice.

Thanks
 
A Pierce titanium action would be awesome paired with that proof barrel. Defiance also makes a nice action.
 
If you are building a long range competition gun or just a heavy gun where packing it around is not a consideration; Surgeon is widely excepted by comp shooters as the best. The last chart I saw on brands being used for competition, surgeon is being used about 5 to 1. The main reason is the machined integrated rail adds stiffness and rigidity to the actions. You ae also mounting the scope directly to the action which avoids mounts being unaligned, working lose, etc...The best of the best love them. If you don't care about adding 10oz, it would be great for hunting as well.

If you are building a more practical hunting rifle and weight is a consideration, i think you can't go wrong with many brands. Borden, Stiller, Defiance.
 
Best all around action would be the defiance. Super tolerances, customizable to a degree. Glen has been building actions for a long time. He was with Nesika before starting Defiance. Best benchrest action would be either the Farley or BAT. Those two have such tight tolerances that if dirt, dust, etc. . . get inside they tend to malfunction. Not the best situation for a hunting rifle. Surgeon, mentioned above, is very popular with the tactical guys, but long lead times and the rise of defiance has cut into their popularity there. Many of the big name tactical rifle makers are have defiance build actions to their specs, GAP is a good example of this. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for all the input. This is going to become my go to hunting rifle. I want it as light as possible, so I can hike with it and not kill myself. I have a gun that weighs a ton already, and was wanting something a little more user friendly.
 
The actions that Proof builds their rifles with is Defiance. They purchased the company along with Lone Wolf Stocks. They are just down the road from the Proof building in another facility.
 
Not sure what your budget is, but there are lots of very accurate custom hunting rifles made with Remington M700 actions that have been 'blue printed'.
 
most of the custom actions for hunting will be Remington clones. they will all have a Remington footprint. made on modern equipment i would doubt there is enough difference to ever notice in a hunting rifle. a blue printed remy will be the equal of a custom. in the end you will have about the same number of dollars in each.

if you already have a remy you will feel like you are a few hundred bucks ahead[and you probably will be]

this is a conversation you should have with your smith. smiths are sorta funny about what they like to work on. not every smith will work on a ruger or savage but everybody will work on a remy. well maybe not Fred Moreo, but most will. sometimes if a smith has not seen brand xxxxx he will tell you he prefers some other brand. in which case you may be looking for another smith.

either way, you will love it, once you build it -ray
 
I had considered doing the Rem 700 and having it blue printed. I figure for about a hundred or hundred fifty more I can have a custom action. Might be worth it in the long run to go with a custom. At this point, what is a extra hundred bucks...?

Thanks again for all the feedback.
 
when you order a custom you will usually get a bolt and receiver. although some do give a trigger guard with the receiver. so you must factor in the bottom metal in the cost of a custom. for single shot target rifles this is not necessary as there is no magazine. you will need a trigger also. these little things are one reason a remy that you already own makes it seem like a real good deal to build on.

in the end you will still call it your custom rifle.
 
To me the best action for the money is the savage.
1. Capable of 1/4 moa accuracy if the rest of system is up to par
2. Accu-trigger is good enough for a hunting rifle and user adjustable
3. Barrel can be installed by the owner
4. Premium barrels are available - some even made to your spec.
5. Barrel, bolt head and mag compenents can be replaced by owner for a switch barrel gun - .223 coyote gun and a 7/08 for elk - same gun different barrels
6. After market accessories, stocks ect are available, but not as plentiful as the 700
7. The mag length on a short action is more then 3.00 so building a 6.5x284, 7wsm, ect (any "long" short action cartridge) gives you bullet seating flexibility
8. Personal satisfaction - you can build it your self - anyone who can follow instructions can install a barrel, glass bed the action, and mount a scope to build your own custom rifle.

Jason Moeller
 
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