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Gunsmithing Action Question

Nathan11B

Nathan11B

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Oct 30, 2011
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Osseo, Minnesota
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So as I begin to assemble a list for my first rifle build, I'm running into questions about which direction to go for an action.

The first thought was buy a donor rifle in desired caliber and barrel contour. For this particular build the Remington Long Range in 30-06 has the desired contour and barrel length. Then sell off the stock and bottom metal as I plan on utilizing the Manner Mini Chassis in a Manner stock.

Second option is buy a Remington Long Action and a barrel separate, then have the action trued by a gunsmith at the same time installing the barrel with the varmint/sendero contour. Barrel would be top of the line Bartlien or something along those lines.

Between these two options I'm struggling as what is the best option, I know that people will recommend custom actions, but those are just out of my price range right now. My plan is to shoot anything from 178-210 grain projectiles. Any suggestions and thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

Nathan
 
The barrel is the heart of a rifle. Of your two options, I would get a barrel and a donor action.

If you plan on having a lot done to the action such as Action Truing, fluted bolt, enlarged bolt knob, side mounted bolt release, you should seriously consider a purpose build action such as the Stiller, or others. With a purpose built action you won't have to have it Trued.

If you decide to start with a factory Remington, it's kind of a crap-shoot. Remington does not guarantee their rifle to shoot within a specified grouping so you may get a lemon or a laser.
 
While there's nothing wrong with a worked up Remington and a new quality barrel, you will not save much over a custom action after the smith is done with it. Ask your chosen smith for a quote, and do the math. The only way you will save any money worth saving is if you are doing all of your own work.
 
STR said:
While there's nothing wrong with a worked up Remington and a new quality barrel, you will not save much over a custom action after the smith is done with it. Ask your chosen smith for a quote, and do the math. The only way you will save any money worth saving is if you are doing all of your own work.
Click to expand...

Unless you got some really cool friends :)
 
Nathan11B said:
So as I begin to assemble a list for my first rifle build, I'm running into questions about which direction to go for an action.

The first thought was buy a donor rifle in desired caliber and barrel contour. For this particular build the Remington Long Range in 30-06 has the desired contour and barrel length. Then sell off the stock and bottom metal as I plan on utilizing the Manner Mini Chassis in a Manner stock.

Second option is buy a Remington Long Action and a barrel separate, then have the action trued by a gunsmith at the same time installing the barrel with the varmint/sendero contour. Barrel would be top of the line Bartlien or something along those lines.

Between these two options I'm struggling as what is the best option, I know that people will recommend custom actions, but those are just out of my price range right now. My plan is to shoot anything from 178-210 grain projectiles. Any suggestions and thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

Nathan
Click to expand...

I agree with all of the above post in regards to your question. Get a donor action and have it trued by a gunsmith additionally, they can lap the lugs and install an oversized recoil lug at the same time. With you getting the barrel seperate you are able to choose the exact barrel for your application and load, this will allow you to be the most effective within your budget.
 
Action Question

By the time you buy and convert a donor action you will have spent almost as much money as it costs to buy a better action.
 
I have ran the numbers on this repeatedly and chose to buy a custom action.. By the time you spend the money on the donor (or pillage a current rifle in your collection); spend the time and money on gunsmithing; buy the upgraded bolt parts; etc you will be VERY close to buying an action with an integral rail and recoil lug.

Just my two cents but the math didn't work out to use a donor for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Best idea would be to simply find a rifle that is close to what you want and buy it. It will be less than the cost of building, less wait, less frustration. Just keep an eye on the adds here. Or simply purchase a used Rem based LR type rifle.
 
Out of your two options, I would go for the second choice. You will end up with a much better product in the end...as long as you choose a reputable smith.

If I knew exactly what you wanted done to your action, that would influence whether or not I'd recommend truing the Remington 700 or going custom. If you're just truing and putting on a heavier lug, then stick with the Remington...if you start adding bolt knobs, side release, PTG bolt etc, then you are saving money and time going custom.

I have a trued Rem 700 from GAP that shoots just as good as any custom as long as I feed it good ammo and I do my part....however, I do have a Defiance Deviant sitting in the safe for the next build - that's because I wanted all the extra features that the customs offer: side bolt release, integral lug and rail, m-16 extractor, fluted bolt, tight tolerance...ect ect ect.
 
thrusty said:
Out of your two options, I would go for the second choice. You will end up with a much better product in the end...as long as you choose a reputable smith.

If I knew exactly what you wanted done to your action, that would influence whether or not I'd recommend truing the Remington 700 or going custom. If you're just truing and putting on a heavier lug, then stick with the Remington...if you start adding bolt knobs, side release, PTG bolt etc, then you are saving money and time going custom.

I have a trued Rem 700 from GAP that shoots just as good as any custom as long as I feed it good ammo and I do my part....however, I do have a Defiance Deviant sitting in the safe for the next build - that's because I wanted all the extra features that the customs offer: side bolt release, integral lug and rail, m-16 extractor, fluted bolt, tight tolerance...ect ect ect.
Click to expand...

Thrusty- I would like to have the action trued and an m16 extractor added to the bolt, fluting and side bolt release are not necessary. The purpose is to build a rifle that can be used for hunting and or long range shooting. This is my first build and my first centerfire rifle, I understand the added benefits of going with a custom action, but unless I can add another $9-1,100 to my budget it's not going to happen.
 
What is your budget for your finished rifle? If you've set one, then that will help guide you in your decisions. While we'd all like to have the "bells and whistles", they cost money. You have several costs associated with your finished rifle; scope base, rings, scope, stock, trigger and possibly a bi-pod which are going to eat up some money. There are several ways to reduce costs but it comes down to priorities and compromises. As another member said, the heart of the gun is the barrel. If it were me, I might opt to spend less on the stock (you can always upgrade later as funds allow) and put the savings towards the action/barrel.

If you decide to get a Remingotn 700 donor action and a barrel, then you might want to consider taking advantage of the deal that Chad Dixon at Long Rifles has offered up to Hide members. You can find more information in the PX Group Buys section of the forum.

Best of luck with your build...Sig Marine
 
Sig Marine said:
What is your budget for your finished rifle? If you've set one, then that will help guide you in your decisions. While we'd all like to have the "bells and whistles", they cost money. You have several costs associated with your finished rifle; scope base, rings, scope, stock, trigger and possibly a bi-pod which are going to eat up some money. There are several ways to reduce costs but it comes down to priorities and compromises. As another member said, the heart of the gun is the barrel. If it were me, I might opt to spend less on the stock (you can always upgrade later as funds allow) and put the savings towards the action/barrel.

If you decide to get a Remingotn 700 donor action and a barrel, then you might want to consider taking advantage of the deal that Chad Dixon at Long Rifles has offered up to Hide members. You can find more information in the PX Group Buys section of the forum.

Best of luck with your build...Sig Marine
Click to expand...

Sig Marine,

My total budget for rifle, scope, bipod is around $4-4.2k. The scope I'm looking at is the Bushnell HDMR. Stock is a Manners T2A w/ either Seekins or Badger bottom metal. Bipod either Atlas or Harris, would prefer the Atlas. Then necessary tools ie Borka torque wrench, reloading equipment, and such. My initial plan was to go with a folder from Manners, but cutting the cost again so I dropped that.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You could do a barreled action on a stiller for $1500, $8-900 for the manners with the mini chassis. If you are not spending all the cash at once get the main parts out of the way, the action and barrel first and get them to whoever you choose to build it since there will be a wait and get the order in for your stock since it will be 4+ months to get it also. Building a rifle is not a quick process so there is time to spread the cost out.
 
While it would be nice to get the Stiller action, getting what you want in terms of stock and scope probably means finding a donor Remington 700 and truing. Keep your eye on the classifieds here, I've seen Remington long actions show up occasionally at affordable prices.
 
Graham said:
By the time you buy and convert a donor action you will have spent almost as much money as it costs to buy a better action.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^

I've built two customs in the last 4 months. One on a trued Remington and one Stiller. They were basically the same price and you know what you are getting from Stiller. The trued Remington can be dicey depending on the smith. My two builds were almost identical in price. I built basically the same gun in two calibers. Stiller may have turned out a hair cheaper.

Save your $$$$ and go Stiller!
 
Unless you are really stuck on a 700 action I would spend the extra money on a custom action like a Stiller, etc. By the time you buy a donor rifle and and have the action blue printed you will have stuck just about enough into it to buy an custom action. You will likely only get very few dollars for the stock. The barrel will be key, so get yourself a Brux barrel and have your stock inletted for whatever contour you are using. I always tell my clients to stretch their dollars just a little further and have it done right!

Ruhlandrifles.com
 
Thanks, I'm looking into this more and more. RWS Gunsmithing can do a rifle for $3,800 and they are in Iowa.

Truthfully, I'd like to start with a 700 as I have little time behind centerfire rifles. Gain some experience with out breaking the bank. Knowing I will still have to buy reloading components as well, kinda the reason for going with a 700 action.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Nathan11B said:
Thanks, I'm looking into this more and more. RWS Gunsmithing can do a rifle for $3,800 and they are in Iowa.

Truthfully, I'd like to start with a 700 as I have little time behind centerfire rifles. Gain some experience with out breaking the bank. Knowing I will still have to buy reloading components as well, kinda the reason for going with a 700 action.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

There are several good reasons to go with a custom action BUT, you can still get an accurate rifle built around a trued Remmy...just look at the builds from Mike at Tactical Operations. Money is a valid concern. If the Remington 700 action fits your budget, go for it. The custom actions will be waiting for your next build. While Mike's work is exceptional, most "smiths" will guarantee a build with a trued Remington at .5 MOA with match grade ammunition.

Semper Fi...Sig Marine
 
I went with a somewhat unconventional action that has worked out VERY well for me. I run a Shilen DGR action. It's basically a Stiller Predator that has two unique features - it's a Remington 700 footprint (stocks, triggers, etc) but is threaded for Savage pre-fit barrels and it has a floating bolt head. It is available in short or long action, right or left handed with three choices of bolt face. I built a short action .284 Win that is performing extremely well. Great accuracy and no issues with feeding or extraction/ejection. These actions come in at just under $1000. Add a Northlander precision barrel nut, scope base, and Shilen trigger and you've got a solid barreled action.

By the way, if you don't know, the use of Savage barrels and barrel nut allows you to headspace your own barrels easily without any machining required and also allows you to rapidly change barrels (30 min) to other calibers that use the same bolt face.

-Bryan
 
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