It really is as easy as Ted made it look. Follow his video and you're there. You can run it like that or verify/refine it with a caliper or depth micrometer.
- Thread starter karagias
- Start date
Anyone know if other 5/16x24 thread bolt knobs will fit the coup? I have one from anarchy outdoors I had on hand and it's for 5/16x24 but I'm not sure if the 2A thing on the thread description on the ARC page makes a huge difference
"
"
- Fits standard 5/16-24 UNF 2A bolt knob thread
When referring to the bolt knobs on their site
Unified Thread Standard. Class 2 means that it it is the most common 5/16-24 thread, “A” denotes external. So almost anything should fit. See basic info below.
Thanks! I know nothing of machining
RH LA parts are in! Per my conversation with Bella at ARC just now, they are going in to get finished this week and notices will be going out in August.
I’m running a steel 419 knob. The ARC lever is a tad long IMO. A half inch off the length wouldn’t hurt.
Interesting that the CDG, Defiance and Remington bolt knobs from Area 419 are 5/16"-24. While the ARC Mausingfield and Nucleus knobs are 10-32.
Changing to a more standardized size on the CDG?
Changing to a more standardized size on the CDG?
Yes. The CDG is the culmination of features Ted’s been historically resistant towards: tool-less bayonet shroud, AW mag cut, standard thread pitch bolt handle/knob, etc
Aww, man! Now I have to make a decision on which caliber and look into ordering a barrel.
Wha?? You only need to decide on what to start with
Lol, I know. Thinking 7mm PRC and hoping that brass becomes more available than unicorn horns.
Ha! Get the ol' Boomer 7 Rem Mag and you can be shooting without waiting on brass.
Stuff it with US-869 and a 180 ELDM and it's 16 MILs to a mile.
Even less if you get a 30 MOA rail...
Go to a 28 or 30" barrel and it could be 14 Mils.
I agree with Mike above, unless the 7 prc has you in its tractor beam.
Archimedes, Nucleus, and Mausingfield all have a completely different bolt knob design, where the is a effectively a stud in the knob, and a female thread in the handle.
I'm glad he changed it to internal threads in the knob, that seems much more solid to me.
Have you had problems with the previous knobs?
Someone here asked me to show the areas I removed material for a trigger fitting, so here they are.
Here are the photos, I marked the area were I removed some material. This is a mini chassis, so other versions may vary.
Hope this helps. will need to clean it up to make it look better , but for now this is what it look like.
No, I don't own one of the older designs. Have never heard of one being broken either. Having a stud on the bolt knob just seems like a weaker more complicated design to me based on past experiences with other types of equipment. I'm very happy with the current design of the CDG.
I wonder how many RH LA are in this lot and how many were ordered, especially compared to the SA receivers.
I got in on the pre-order quite a bit later so I'm not hopeful my RH LA is in this first lot.
I have a 7 PRC barrel on order and I ended up buying 3 cases of Hornady Match ammo from Arrowhead at $420 a case after I did the math and found out the first reloads were going to cost me roughly $2.36 a piece to make anyway.
Figure I can break in the rifle, save 10+ hours worth of hand loading and start with once fired brass in my rifle to make my handloads for hunting season.
Picked up my CDG on the way home from work yesterday and assembled it last night.
First impressions: Very nice machine work. Neat how the action and bolt shroud blend together. Giant ejection port makes it easy to load AW mags through the ejection port if you don't want to drop the mag. Completely toolless takedown is cool, but you have to be careful when compressing the firing pin spring not to launch anything or push sideways and tweak the firing pin tip on the bolt cross pin. Bolt lift out of the box is good, but isn't quite as smooth as my Archimedes-- but my Archimedes has about 4500 rounds on it plus dryfires so it's nice and worn in. Adding a bit of moly grease to the cocking ramps on the CDG really smoothed it out and it should get smoother after some use.
Bolt handle on the CDG is much more difficult to pivot than my Archimedes since the CDG uses a dedicated heavy pivot spring while the Archimedes bolt handle piggybacks off the firing pin spring. The stiffer bolt pivoting on the CDG is a good thing IMO as the CDG bolt handle is very unlikely to pivot unless you have a stuck case and really have to yank on the bolt, whereas with the Archimedes if you run the bolt fast and hard up you can sometimes feel the bolt handle give a bit, especially when you hit the bolt stop. The CDG handle with the stiffer pivot spring makes the bolt handle feel more "solid" when running the bolt fast.
Had to clearance the trigger hanger a bit for a Bix'n Andy tacsport 2 stage safety lever, not a big deal; I've had to do that for Bix's and other triggers in other trigger hangers. Also had to sand off the front of the oversized Bix safety lever knob so the safety would fully disengage (again, not a big deal, have had to do that before.) Unlike the Archimedes which absolutely needed a low sear (all 3 of my Archimedes measure 0.154" pin to cocking piece height, and that's right at the bottom of the acceptable range even for the low sear on the Bix chart) the CDG had a 0.177 pin to cocking piece height which means it can use any of the Bix sears, but the medium (default) sear is the one right in the middle of the acceptable engagement window according to the chart, so I used the medium sear. Much like my Archimedes I set the Bix in the CDG up for 9oz first stage and 1lb 6oz break (13 oz break, the first stage on a Bix is just rotation of the trigger shoe before it contacts the lower sear lever) and had no issues with the firing pin following the bolt. Trigger timing is super easy with the CDG trigger hanger.
Dimensionally, the action, PVA barrel, and new Alpha 22GT brass were all very close; based on depth mic and gauge block measurements it looks like the brand new brass will only have to grow 0.003"-0.0035" on the first firing, so no excessive case stretch. Just for the sake of more data, the receiver face to bolt face dimension between 3 Archimedes (with 5 bolt heads between them) and the CDG all fall within a 0.0013" total window, the measurements ranged from 0.8242" to 0.8255"; ARC seems to have no problems holding the stated 0.825" +/- 0.001" action face to bolt face dimension. No issues with the tip of the extractor contacting the conical breech even dropping a case in the chamber and then closing the bolt to make the extractor snap over the case rim (extractor to breech contact was an issue someone else had on a build earlier in this thread, so I figured I should check.)
Before I spun the 22GT barrel on, I decided to bolt the CDG into a stock and play with some 223 and Accurate mags using the flat breeched .223AI barrel from my Archimedes. The small diameter 223 rounds slip through the 6 o'clock lug cutout and get presented very low on the breech face, so the conical breech is a must with the CDG and the small diameter .223 cartridge. Has anyone got a .223 CDG up and running yet? I'd love to hear how the feeding is. My current .223AI Archimedes build runs perfect and feeds excellent, and I still have another unbuilt short action Archimedes in the safe I was planning to use for a lightweight 223AI build since the Archimedes has a smaller diameter bolt and a full feed ramp optimized for single stack mags like the 223 mags. However, if the CDG feeds .223 smoothly and reliably I may consider selling the unbuilt Archimedes and picking up another CDG, because down the road if I ever decide to switch to a .308 family case I can run AW mags in the CDG, but I'm limited to single stack mags only with the Archimedes.
The CDG fit into a mini-chassis in a Manners TCS with no mods needed for the trigger hanger, but I did have to shorten the magazine latch about 0.025" for AW mags to latch in place. They sit all the way up against the magazine stops in the CDG. I need to call Manners and order a replacement magazine latch to keep in inventory.
Now I have to load some initial test/break in loads, and also need to rob a scope from another rifle for now. I bought an S&B 3-20 (non-ultrashort) for the CDG initially since I was planning on keeping it around 10-10.5# with a light barrel and HNT26 stock for varmint use; the S&B 3-20 non-US is super clear with a huge FOV, forgiving depth of field, and only about 32oz... a very nice crossover scope. However, I ended up changing to a much heavier barrel profile and dropped the CDG in a Manners TCS with a steel arca rail, so weight savings is no longer a concern (lol!) and now I want something with more top end mag than the 3-20. Have a Razor Gen 3 on order to try that will go on the CDG, but it's probably 3 months out. For now I'll probably rob an S&B 5-25 off one of my AIs to put on the CDG for testing and load development.
I'd love to get some test rounds loaded up this week and go test this weekend, but it's supposed to be 108-110F both days this weekend... the pool sounds more inviting than the range, and unfortunately I think the neighbors wouldn't like me shooting from the pool.
Looking forward to using it as soon as the weather cools off a bit.
Also, I noticed that ARC now has 3 different weights of striker springs for the CDG on their website; 70N (16#, standard), 80N (18#), and 100N (22.5#). The website does say to ensure your trigger is timed correctly before trying heavier striker springs if you're having light strikes. I had a Gen 1 Nucleus with with the 16# striker spring and never had any issues in about 3000 rounds of use, but I know others had light strikes. Haven't heard any complaints about light strikes on the CDG yet, but there are heavier striker springs if you're having issues or just want the most striker energy possible.
First impressions: Very nice machine work. Neat how the action and bolt shroud blend together. Giant ejection port makes it easy to load AW mags through the ejection port if you don't want to drop the mag. Completely toolless takedown is cool, but you have to be careful when compressing the firing pin spring not to launch anything or push sideways and tweak the firing pin tip on the bolt cross pin. Bolt lift out of the box is good, but isn't quite as smooth as my Archimedes-- but my Archimedes has about 4500 rounds on it plus dryfires so it's nice and worn in. Adding a bit of moly grease to the cocking ramps on the CDG really smoothed it out and it should get smoother after some use.
Bolt handle on the CDG is much more difficult to pivot than my Archimedes since the CDG uses a dedicated heavy pivot spring while the Archimedes bolt handle piggybacks off the firing pin spring. The stiffer bolt pivoting on the CDG is a good thing IMO as the CDG bolt handle is very unlikely to pivot unless you have a stuck case and really have to yank on the bolt, whereas with the Archimedes if you run the bolt fast and hard up you can sometimes feel the bolt handle give a bit, especially when you hit the bolt stop. The CDG handle with the stiffer pivot spring makes the bolt handle feel more "solid" when running the bolt fast.
Had to clearance the trigger hanger a bit for a Bix'n Andy tacsport 2 stage safety lever, not a big deal; I've had to do that for Bix's and other triggers in other trigger hangers. Also had to sand off the front of the oversized Bix safety lever knob so the safety would fully disengage (again, not a big deal, have had to do that before.) Unlike the Archimedes which absolutely needed a low sear (all 3 of my Archimedes measure 0.154" pin to cocking piece height, and that's right at the bottom of the acceptable range even for the low sear on the Bix chart) the CDG had a 0.177 pin to cocking piece height which means it can use any of the Bix sears, but the medium (default) sear is the one right in the middle of the acceptable engagement window according to the chart, so I used the medium sear. Much like my Archimedes I set the Bix in the CDG up for 9oz first stage and 1lb 6oz break (13 oz break, the first stage on a Bix is just rotation of the trigger shoe before it contacts the lower sear lever) and had no issues with the firing pin following the bolt. Trigger timing is super easy with the CDG trigger hanger.
Dimensionally, the action, PVA barrel, and new Alpha 22GT brass were all very close; based on depth mic and gauge block measurements it looks like the brand new brass will only have to grow 0.003"-0.0035" on the first firing, so no excessive case stretch. Just for the sake of more data, the receiver face to bolt face dimension between 3 Archimedes (with 5 bolt heads between them) and the CDG all fall within a 0.0013" total window, the measurements ranged from 0.8242" to 0.8255"; ARC seems to have no problems holding the stated 0.825" +/- 0.001" action face to bolt face dimension. No issues with the tip of the extractor contacting the conical breech even dropping a case in the chamber and then closing the bolt to make the extractor snap over the case rim (extractor to breech contact was an issue someone else had on a build earlier in this thread, so I figured I should check.)
Before I spun the 22GT barrel on, I decided to bolt the CDG into a stock and play with some 223 and Accurate mags using the flat breeched .223AI barrel from my Archimedes. The small diameter 223 rounds slip through the 6 o'clock lug cutout and get presented very low on the breech face, so the conical breech is a must with the CDG and the small diameter .223 cartridge. Has anyone got a .223 CDG up and running yet? I'd love to hear how the feeding is. My current .223AI Archimedes build runs perfect and feeds excellent, and I still have another unbuilt short action Archimedes in the safe I was planning to use for a lightweight 223AI build since the Archimedes has a smaller diameter bolt and a full feed ramp optimized for single stack mags like the 223 mags. However, if the CDG feeds .223 smoothly and reliably I may consider selling the unbuilt Archimedes and picking up another CDG, because down the road if I ever decide to switch to a .308 family case I can run AW mags in the CDG, but I'm limited to single stack mags only with the Archimedes.
The CDG fit into a mini-chassis in a Manners TCS with no mods needed for the trigger hanger, but I did have to shorten the magazine latch about 0.025" for AW mags to latch in place. They sit all the way up against the magazine stops in the CDG. I need to call Manners and order a replacement magazine latch to keep in inventory.
Now I have to load some initial test/break in loads, and also need to rob a scope from another rifle for now. I bought an S&B 3-20 (non-ultrashort) for the CDG initially since I was planning on keeping it around 10-10.5# with a light barrel and HNT26 stock for varmint use; the S&B 3-20 non-US is super clear with a huge FOV, forgiving depth of field, and only about 32oz... a very nice crossover scope. However, I ended up changing to a much heavier barrel profile and dropped the CDG in a Manners TCS with a steel arca rail, so weight savings is no longer a concern (lol!) and now I want something with more top end mag than the 3-20. Have a Razor Gen 3 on order to try that will go on the CDG, but it's probably 3 months out. For now I'll probably rob an S&B 5-25 off one of my AIs to put on the CDG for testing and load development.
I'd love to get some test rounds loaded up this week and go test this weekend, but it's supposed to be 108-110F both days this weekend... the pool sounds more inviting than the range, and unfortunately I think the neighbors wouldn't like me shooting from the pool.
Looking forward to using it as soon as the weather cools off a bit.
Also, I noticed that ARC now has 3 different weights of striker springs for the CDG on their website; 70N (16#, standard), 80N (18#), and 100N (22.5#). The website does say to ensure your trigger is timed correctly before trying heavier striker springs if you're having light strikes. I had a Gen 1 Nucleus with with the 16# striker spring and never had any issues in about 3000 rounds of use, but I know others had light strikes. Haven't heard any complaints about light strikes on the CDG yet, but there are heavier striker springs if you're having issues or just want the most striker energy possible.
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Good write up
I’m also curious how 223 feeds also
I’m also curious how 223 feeds also
Any photos of the TCS built up by chance? My TCS should arrive in september and I'm glad to hear it doesn't need modification to work. I was also planning to have a gun smith modify the mag latch to us AIAW mags, but it sounds like a super easy mod?
I’m staying with the Archmedes/Nuke 2.0 for my 223 needs until we get a proper double stack AW magazine I don’t see much benefits of going from Arch/Nuke 2.0 to CDG. Plus I can run a TT Diamond single stage very very low on a Nuke 2.0.
I'll take pics next time I have it out of the safe, probably when I swap the scope over in the next day or two.
Modding the mag latch is easy... Tap the roll pin out, remove the latch, clamp the latch in a vise, file a little off the end while maintaining the original angle, put the latch back in the stock and temporarily hold it in place with a dowel pin/drill/punch of the correct diameter that's a slip fit, and see if the mag will latch in. If not remove and repeat. Once the mag latches in make sure the latch is deburred and reinstall the roll pin. I had to take about 0.025" off.
Also, before removing material from the mag latch look into the ejection port and make sure the front and rear of the mag are fully seated against the front and rear mag stops on the action. If not you may have to tweak the feed lips to get the mag to seat fully. You don't want to cut the mag latch to accommodate a mag that isn't fully seating, you might trim too much off the latch.
Excellent, thanks a million for the advice! Ill get ahold of manners tomorrow and see if they can send a spare latch when they send me the stock.
Cheers!
Here’s an action that costs no less than double what our new favourite ARC action costs, and LOOK at those tooling marks! What, “dog shit”.
I'd always expect tooling marks in a pocket.
Defiance tumbles the actions after machining, unfortunately the media they use won't fit into those small lil cuts. I'm no fan of defiance either.
Even at 2500 bucks. But a 900 dollar action shouldn’t have any on the face of a bolt lug.
Especially in a narrow pocket.
It is on them to hand sort out the best machine runs that would be set aside for polishing. I wonder if they hand polish or if it's machine polishing. Either way the pockets would suck.
It's amazing how bad the finish machining finish Is on almost anything not nitrate or coated once you strip them.
Defiance has gone off the deep end on pricing.
It's amazing how bad the finish machining finish Is on almost anything not nitrate or coated once you strip them.
Defiance has gone off the deep end on pricing.
Once the initial run of LA's goes through, I am considering one for an under 2500 yard ELR build. For those looking at the LA builds, anyone looking to have a 30in barrel spun up? Where are ya'll looking for blanks? Most places I look at, that DON'T have 8-12 month lead times, only have 27 or 29in blanks. Ace barrels quoted me for a 31in blank but idk much about them.
Check with Southern Precision Rifles. Bugholes.com
They usually have some 31" blanks in stock, great guys to work with, reasonable turn times.
The SPR suggestion above is good, they always have a pretty healthy inventory of barrels. Might want to ask LRI too, I think they keep some long k&p blanks on hand, and Chad has said in the past he can get a custom blank from k&p fairly quickly.
Thanks! I want a 30in 7prc and PVA, PBB, etc dont go above 27-28. I know straight jacket does 30in but blanks are the part that drives up the lead times. Thought of just getting a blank and sending it to Hunts Long Range because he has quick turnaround
Hi PRS!
I ordered a 32" Shilen 4-ratchet blank through Nortland Shooters Supply (NSS) for my build of a .300 PRC (30" finished length) a month or so ago. They quoted 8-12 weeks but I received it in ~2 weeks. Great price and service too! I still need to get it to my smith for chambering and threading, but he's local and does a quick turnaround. Just waiting on the CDG LA to show up so he can check the fit.
Guys near me love shilen for BR and F class, so i've been looking at them too! And I'm in TX so shilen is "local"
I think you'll be very happy with Shilen! The 4 ratchet barrels I've shot have all been like lasers (300 PRC, 7 SAUM, 6.5 CM, ...).
