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Action help

Steve_O

Steve_O

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 29, 2020
203
87
Just got my MPA Matrix Chassis (long action) building a long range rifle out to a mile in .300 PRC. I was going to buy the Impact 787R action but Iam having a hard time convincing myself I need to spend that much on a action it’s nice I know but now Iam trying to keep the price of this build down and was thinking about just getting the Bighorn Orgin Long Action. My question is, would I be sacrificing accuracy or repeatability/shot consistency with the Bighorn? Thanks for the advice guys.
 
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Steve_O said:
Would you buy the Bighorn over the Nucleus Gen2?
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They are both excellent actions. I have both and the Bighorn has a lighter bolt lift while the Nuke has a lighter bolt close (at least with the 16lb spring). You are obviously not running PRS with it so save the money and get the Origin.
 
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Steve_O said:
Just got my MPA Matrix Chassis (long action) building a long range rifle out to a mile in .300 PRC. I was going to buy the Impact 787R action but Iam having a hard time convincing myself I need to spend that much on a action it’s nice I know but now Iam trying to keep the price of this build down and was thinking about just getting the Bighorn Orgin Long Action. My question is, would I be sacrificing accuracy or repeatability/shot consistency with the Bighorn? Thanks for the advice guys.
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Buy what you want. If it means that you need to hold off and save a little more for a few months, do so. Don't buy something now that is a compromise. You'll just end up selling it for a loss and buying what it was that you really wanted. Costs less in the long run.
 
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Threadcutter308 said:
Buy what you want. If it means that you need to hold off and save a little more for a few months, do so. Don't buy something now that is a compromise. You'll just end up selling it for a loss and buying what it was that you really wanted. Costs less in the long run.
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Question for you then is the Impact that big of a upgrade over the Bighorn to justify the extra $500-600 for a action that I won’t be running in a PRS setting? I’ve never owned one that’s why I ask.
 
Steve_O said:
Question for you then is the Impact that big of a upgrade over the Bighorn to justify the extra $500-600 for a action that I won’t be running in a PRS setting? I’ve never owned one that’s why I ask.
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I was speaking more in generalities. I have Bighorn TL2's that I bought just before they came out with the TL3's (unknown to me at the time). I am delighted with the TL2's and see no reason to "upgrade" to TL3's, just because they are the "latest and greatest". TL3's aren't going to make me shoot "better" than what I shoot with TL2's. I suppose that sounds contradictory to my advice, but I have been nothing but pleased with the design, machining and finish of the TL2's. I have no experience with Impacts, but they have what appears to be a very, very good reputation as well. I also have an Ultimatum Deadline that I dearly love, but it gets spotty reviews on the Interwebz. Why, I don't know, it's my favorite action.

Really, my point is more along the lines of buy what you want, don't settle, whether it be Bighorn or Impact. You'll regret it and just end up selling the "settled" action at a loss. I am not trying to steer you toward the Bighorn or away from the Impact. There are so many great actions out there these days, one would have to try real hard to buy junk.

Splurge a little, spend a little more, buy for a lifetime. It's much cheaper in the long run.
 
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Threadcutter308 said:
I was speaking more in generalities. I have Bighorn TL2's that I bought just before they came out with the TL3's (unknown to me at the time). I am delighted with the TL2's and see no reason to "upgrade" to TL3's, just because they are the "latest and greatest". TL3's aren't going to make me shoot "better" than what I shoot with TL2's. I suppose that sounds contradictory to my advice, but I have been nothing but pleased with the design, machining and finish of the TL2's. I have no experience with Impacts, but they have what appears to be a very, very good reputation as well. I also have an Ultimatum Deadline that I dearly love, but it gets spotty reviews on the Interwebz. Why, I don't know, it's my favorite action.

Really, my point is more along the lines of buy what you want, don't settle, whether it be Bighorn or Impact. You'll regret it and just end up selling the "settled" action at a loss. I am not trying to steer you toward the Bighorn or away from the Impact. There are so many great actions out there these days, one would have to try real hard to buy junk.

Splurge a little, spend a little more, buy for a lifetime. It's cheaper in the long run.
Click to expand...

I have been shooting Tikkas hunting and Competition this will be my first custom and I do have a good problem that there are a lot of good options out there.
 
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Pricing is a strange thing.

I have 2 rifles that I shoot a good bit.

One has a high end McMillian stock, custom action, jewel trigger, and it is a quarter minute rifle.

The other has a trued Remington 700, HS precision stock, worked over factory trigger and it is a quarter minute rifle.

I know which one I would take to war with me but other than that the upgrades are really in the eye of the beholder.
 
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swampbuck said:
Pricing is a strange thing.

I have 2 rifles that I shoot a good bit.

One has a high end McMillian stock, custom action, jewel trigger, and it is a quarter minute rifle.

The other has a trued Remington 700, HS precision stock, worked over factory trigger and it is a quarter minute rifle.

I know which one I would take to war with me but other than that the upgrades are really in the eye of the beholder.
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Yep.... ;)
 
swampbuck said:
Pricing is a strange thing.

I have 2 rifles that I shoot a good bit.

One has a high end McMillian stock, custom action, jewel trigger, and it is a quarter minute rifle.

The other has a trued Remington 700, HS precision stock, worked over factory trigger and it is a quarter minute rifle.

I know which one I would take to war with me but other than that the upgrades are really in the eye of the beholder.
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That’s what is driving me crazy lol. I keep thinking what does that extra $600 give me. I would probably love them both.
 
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Steve_O said:
Would you buy the Bighorn over the Nucleus Gen2?
Click to expand...
I’d get a nucleus because
2657B309-3A34-4203-A866-7079CE245737.jpeg

Ted is a professional lion wrestler and genius messiah!

spend your $$$$$ on what matters most
Barrel and scope.
 
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Keep this in perspective.

The action's job is to move the round from the magazine to the chamber, extract and eject.

All modern actions will do that very well possibly with a bit of tweaking and tuning.

When I researched this, I was told by those with more experience than me that I would be happy with all these alternatives but I would be happier with an Impact.

I have found that to be good advice.

Good luck.
 
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Lately, as I've had to make huge unexpected/unwanted purchases for various reasons, I've told myself that it's okay because there's huge inflation coming and you don't want to be sitting on cash. I now plan on using the same justification to enable gun purchases. Suggest you do the same.

Seriously, the action won't significantly change your scores or accuracy, but we all like nice things. I think all of the actions listed are nice and would scratch my itch for a nice action. But... I like my old Craftsman tool set that had a high polish and was American-made. The new tools that are rough-finished as cast probably work as well, but I don't like them as well. I'll spend more to get the ones I like. I'm not going to miss any of the kids' college payments or my house payment to do it, but when it's in my power, I'll sometimes buy something I just like or that I think is nicer. Often it's completely subjective.

But sometimes I really do prefer the cheaper option, too. And I find myself counter-justifying why I like the less popular/less costly choice. All this bloviating basically to say that mostly our preference isn't related to the spreadsheet of features/advantages/benefits, we just use those to justify the purchase.
 
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Steve_O said:
Question for you then is the Impact that big of a upgrade over the Bighorn to justify the extra $500-600 for a action that I won’t be running in a PRS setting? I’ve never owned one that’s why I ask.
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Personally, I prefer my origins over the impacts Ive fiddled with. But they are totally different animals and I have only messed with the short actions. The impact has a hitch in the bolt close that bugs me but it also seemingly wants to run itself which some people love.

Hard to make a bad choice, harder to find out what exactly you even really like.
 
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spife7980 said:
Personally, I prefer my origins over the impacts Ive fiddled with. But they are totally different animals and I have only messed with the short actions. The impact has a hitch in the bolt close that bugs me but it also seemingly wants to run itself which some people love.

Hard to make a bad choice, harder to find out what exactly you even really like.
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I agree with you.
after the Origin/ Nuke price point your just buying fluff/features/PRS cool kids cred.

For big boomer cartridges a bigger action is certainly a consideration but for the .532 bolt face stuff an origin or Nuke offers all the performance I desire.
 
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Is the pinned recoil and scope base of the Orgin a disadvantage vs the one piece impact?
 
Steve_O said:
Is the pinned recoil and scope base of the Orgin a disadvantage vs the one piece impact?
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One piece is harder to build and nicer. I don't know that it'll be more accurate.

I hate to be "that guy" who answers "Which is better for long range short action cartridge, 7 SAUM or 6.5 SAUM?" with "Get a long action .338 Lapua", but...have you looked at the Terminus Zeus action? Take a look; if nothing else, you can look at the difference in pricing between his pinned and one piece actions.
 
Steve_O said:
Is the pinned recoil and scope base of the Orgin a disadvantage vs the one piece impact?
Click to expand...
Just Loctite the screws...it won't go anywhere. Also allows you to put on a different rail in the future...
 
If it really matters for acuracy, like really mattered, there would be evidence of it.

Its simple, put a sweet Bartlein barrel on a Savage and it shoots.

You are really only buying reliability and features at higher price points. Once you get to Origin, there are diminishing returns.
 
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Terminus Zeuss is quite nice..... :)

Pinned vs 1 piece lug is probably not such a big deal. In the old days, R700 Actions w/seperate (un-pinned) lugs were a PITA. Seemed like being able to buy a lug alignment tool that mated up well with someone's aftermarket lug was always a crapshoot. I would give favor to an action with an integral lug, but a pinned lug wouldn't cause me angst. I seriously doubt there would be any accuracy/consistency differences between the two.
 
Steve_O said:
Is the pinned recoil and scope base of the Orgin a disadvantage vs the one piece impact?
Click to expand...
For me its a semi advantage. I have external action wrenches, the origin has a removable base so I can use the same tools and set up for everything I have. I know an internal wrench is a small expenditure but I dont mind the tools I already have.

That pinned base is tight to get off even without screws. The recoil lug I go either way on, its the only one I use pins on, everything else is just a free lug that I align myself. I dont care about the integral. At 100ftlbs any lug is not going anywhere.
 
hereinaz said:
If it really matters for acuracy, like really mattered, there would be evidence of it.

Its simple, put a sweet Bartlein barrel on a Savage and it shoots.

You are really only buying reliability and features at higher price points. Once you get to Origin, there are diminishing returns.
Click to expand...
👆 👆

The keyed lug of the Nuke makes it super simple to deal with and the ability to run different rails is a big advantage.
Integrated rail to me is a detriment and could care less about the lug.
 
spife7980 said:
For me its a semi advantage. I have external action wrenches, the origin has a removable base so I can use the same tools and set up for everything I have. I know an internal wrench is a small expenditure but I dont mind the tools I already have.

That pinned base is tight to get off even without screws. The recoil lug I go either way on, its the only one I use pins on, everything else is just a free lug that I align myself. I dont care about the integral. At 100ftlbs any lug is not going anywhere.
Click to expand...

Yup, lugs whether pinned, integral, keyed, etc. don't determine accuracy. They are just another feature, IMO. They won't make any difference to the way your gun shoots.
 
i vote origin here. actually swapped out my TL3 for an origin to keep the same swept handle from RimX to Origin short action comp guns to long action Origin

i can't stand how an impact feels with the 50/50 cocking compared to the zermatt actions
 
And does it really matter between CRF and push feed? I noticed the Orgin is a CRF.
 
Steel head said:
CRF isn’t as important to me but the mechanical ejector that comes with it is.
The ability to send em flying or dribble them safely onto the mat is really nice.
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Yep. That why I like my origin so much. I shoot by myself mostly and I take my time. I try to not go chasing brass if I can help it.
 
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I feel you, man.

I find myself undecided between custom actions...paralysis through analysis. I'd buy a KRG action if I could, but I can't... thought about getting something from Terminus just to preserve something of the feel. There's always Lone Peak... I find myself oddly interested in both the Origin and the Nuc G2... Somehow, it seems like "use your stimmy, but them all!" isn't the right answer, either.

Might just come down to printing out a little wheel with the different options arrayed around it. One shot, cold bore, 300 yards...what you hit is what you get. ;-)
 
Kind of coming to the conclusion if both will be equally as accurate Iam leaning towards the Orgin. 99% sure Iam going with a Bartlein barrel, haven’t decided between a Bix and Andy or Trigger Tech and undecided on a scope at the moment.
 
When you look at actions there is only a very few with a different way to extract a round from the chamber. The IMpact nuke or origin all use a camming surface to start the bolt back. It is in a position that if you have a stuck case you will have to tap it with something. The Archimedes is a much different and imho better method of removing the case. Is that worth the extra money that is charged? For me in a magnum caliber yes.
Of the 3 you mentioned I like the nuke. You have a 30 or 45min rail option that the origin doesn't have. 3 vs 2 lug is a personal thing. Both are Savage pre-fit so you could do bar-loc on either. Both are controlled round feed Mech ejectors and both can change bolt heads. Call customer service and ask questions. It will become obvious soon enough when you ask
 
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Tikka: great barrel, action, trigger for a great price.

In the end, the accuracy is in the barrel. Bartlein, steel Proof, Kreiger, Hawk Hill, etc a quality barrel will get you the accuracy you want if its done right.

Figure out what you want in terms of features, name, style, reputation, look, etc. and go with that.

Don't skimp on the scope.
 
Bought a Nuc this week...I've got a weak spot for American eccentricity it seems. It was something of a coin toss between the Origin and the Nuc...
 
Off topic but this build will be for long range but let’s say I want to use this rifle for PRS rebarrel it and change the bolt head for 6 or 6.5 Creedmoor, would there be a issue using 6 or 6.5 Creedmoor in a long action?
 
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Maybe? It's not dissimilar conceptually to what folks are doing with the BR family in a SA...mag spacers and the like to get the case positioned properly in the magazine for feeding. The other example would be Tikka...same action for everything, just a different bolt stop and magazine spacers to manage how it functions with short action chamberings. I've not heard of any reliability issues inherent in that. That's a long way of saying that if you set it up right, it will run because people are doing something similar. Lots of folks will give the standard "But...why though?" It's not an unfair question.
 
DJL2 said:
Maybe? It's not dissimilar conceptually to what folks are doing with the BR family in a SA...mag spacers and the like to get the case positioned properly in the magazine for feeding. The other example would be Tikka...same action for everything, just a different bolt stop and magazine spacers to manage how it functions with short action chamberings. I've not heard of any reliability issues inherent in that. That's a long way of saying that if you set it up right, it will run because people are doing something similar. Lots of folks will give the standard "But...why though?" It's not an unfair question.
Click to expand...

Only reason I would consider using my long action rig for PRS to avoid the cost of building another expensive rifle. If I get bored of long range or just want to shoot PRS instead that’s what got me thinking about just using what I got with a rebarrel.
 
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