Does custom action make this much difference?

#52
nksmfamjp said:
I have a real hard time believing this, except most of the time we make these comparisons with 3 shot groups or a couple 5 shot groups. Somehow I think a season of benchrest groups would show you different.

Savage is a great action and the most likely to achieve this. I think a Rem 700 wouldn’t even be close.


Still, it is not just accuracy. A factory action isn’t accurate enough to put Triggertech’s best trigger on it. Also, factory actions are so poorly machined that barrel tenons must be custom fit where all of the customs can be built to print and mailed to you for install....handy. Also, factory actions tend to have a fair amount of timing issues, extraction issues, firing pin fall issues.....you pay the gunsmith to correct those or live with the results. Then there is feeding....

Custom actions like Bighorn, GAP, Defiance, ARC, etc tend to have none of the above issues. That said, a “Fred” action would be custom too....who knows what a Fred action is. Go with a big name and you will have a big smile.
Click to expand...
I shot probably 1000 rounds through barrel on paper and steel then put it in my nucleus.
Absolutely nothing changed except for the vastly better feel and functioning with the nuke.
That barrel consistently stacked 10 in 5/8’s and smacked steel happily all its life.
That barrel got me into the mile club.
 
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#53
I have 4 Tikka T3 rifles.
Action is smooth, factory triggers are great, and you can find all kind of aftermarket stocks and chassis for Tikka action.
But, im not able to say, go for custom or stay on Tikka, because i have not even handled those custom actions.
I would love to try few brands that has come up on this talk.
For custom action, that uses Rem 700 blueprint, there are endles on chassis and triggers, but the price is also higher.
Think of the money you are willing to use, calculate, and do it one more time.
You will need ammo too, and a scope etc.
Let us see, what you did end up in the game ;).

My kids like to shoot with these rifles too.
 
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#54
Steel head said:
I shot probably 1000 rounds through barrel on paper and steel then put it in my nucleus.
Absolutely nothing changed except for the vastly better feel and functioning with the nuke.
That barrel consistently stacked 10 in 5/8’s and smacked steel happily all its life.
That barrel got me into the mile club.
Click to expand...

Well, sounds like your Rem was true,
- Did it cock on close or open at all?
- Was extraction 100%?
-Was primary extraction correct?
- firing pin fall and protrusion correct?
- firing pin fit to bolt face?
- how much bolt tilt when action closed?
-feeding ok?
 
#55
JMGlasgow said:
I can almost guarantee that if you need any type of CS from a custom manufacturer it will be better than Tikka or any firearm company owned by Beretta.

I had one blow up on factory 90gr 243 loads. The bolt failed and I'm 100% certain it was flawed from the factory. They gave me the finger and sent the rifle back without even looking at it other than a basic visual inspection. Fuck Tikka.
Click to expand...

yup

things that suck about Tikka's
1. CS, warranty, and spare parts
- shit CS, shit warranty, no spare parts,
and the ones that are available are more expensive than custom parts
2. Long bolt throw(front to back)
- all Tikka's are technically medium actions
3. The stupid bolt stop pin will break on you
- look at it wrong and it will break

other wise, Tikka's are great.
 
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#56
nksmfamjp said:
Well, sounds like your Rem was true,
- Did it cock on close or open at all?
- Was extraction 100%?
-Was primary extraction correct?
- firing pin fall and protrusion correct?
- firing pin fit to bolt face?
- how much bolt tilt when action closed?
-feeding ok?
Click to expand...
Yeah... we get that you’re trying to make a point but I think it would be better if you just shut the fuck up and go try to pontificate elsewhere.
 
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#57
spife7980 said:
Yeah... we get that you’re trying to make a point but I think it would be better if you just shut the fuck up and go try to pontificate elsewhere.
Click to expand...
45DFBFE7-3260-41B9-B1DF-3432F44D30F2.jpeg
 
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#58
CHILL52 said:
“sturdy woman from wisconsin” has me fkin dying. 😂😂
Click to expand...

Yeah I laughed out loud on that one too. This thread has been fun for me to watch everyone bitch and fight so much. Yet still, there isn't even agreement on what is even being discussed!!!

Ha ha. This thread made my morning. Thanks to all involved!
 
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#59
mmlook said:
yup

things that suck about Tikka's
1. CS, warranty, and spare parts
- shit CS, shit warranty, no spare parts,
and the ones that are available are more expensive than custom parts
2. Long bolt throw(front to back)
- all Tikka's are technically medium actions
3. The stupid bolt stop pin will break on you
- look at it wrong and it will break

other wise, Tikka's are great.
Click to expand...

I've got one in 6.5 that's been through two barrels so far, no issues, including bolt stops. Three others have worked without a hiccup, I've put them in a chassis and aftermarket stocks as well. The fact that they're a "medium" action is one of the things I like, perfect for a 7 saum. :)
 
#61
mmlook said:
yup

things that suck about Tikka's
1. CS, warranty, and spare parts
- shit CS, shit warranty, no spare parts,
and the ones that are available are more expensive than custom parts
2. Long bolt throw(front to back)
- all Tikka's are technically medium actions
3. The stupid bolt stop pin will break on you
- look at it wrong and it will break

other wise, Tikka's are great.
Click to expand...
Can't please everyone all the time.
Surprised that Tikka didn't just replace the rifle.
🤔
 
#62
GrumpyOleFart said:
Can't please everyone all the time.
Surprised that Tikka didn't just replace the rifle.
🤔
Click to expand...

tikka/barretta won’t warranty anything unless you are the original owner and have proof of purchase from a tikka dealer

they also won’t sell bolt assemblies

so, if you break a bolt, and you can’t find your receipt. you’re out of luck.

this is the main reason I sold 3 Tikka’s
 
#64
Okay, so it's a second hand rifle.
I honestly haven't heard of any failures with Tikkas, Doesn't meant it doesn't happen, have seen pics on SH of busted bolts, so its legit.
Pretty sure the new T3x have improved bolts over the T3.
My Super Varmint is a fucken rail gun.
Consistently shoots tight groups, and smacks ferals and steel at good distances.
My evil sense of humour has been relishing the fact that the high rollers with
extremely pricey rigs, at the local gun club, are cracking the shits over the performance of "cheap nasty" factory rifles.
Even to the stage they don't want non custom rifles in their comps.
Much like what @lowlight was chatting about in the podcast.
Half the reason I rarely attend.
Too much politics.
I'd rather smash ferals, and drive pills into steel at a distance with a few likeminded mates, than argue how price alone should justify a guys position on the scoreboard.
End of the day, if you find a decent rifle regardless of make, shoot the fuck out of it and enjoy!
 
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#65
spife7980 said:
Yeah... we get that you’re trying to make a point but I think it would be better if you just shut the fuck up and go try to pontificate elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Wow! I’m just pointing out the layers of fucked that all Rem 700’s are and then you decide to get all fucking personal and show us your ass.....well take your super duper Rem 700 and fuck off!

BTW, if you cannot hear me sarcastically laughing as I type this, I don’t know what the fuck to do!
 
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#66
22-Dasher said:
Action stiffness also has relatively little to do with rifle accuracy. Look at the record setting BR actions that are aluminum. Ex: Panda
Click to expand...
Aluminum pandas are also a great deal larger than “standard” steel/stainless, “Remington style” actions, and have steel inserts in stressed areas. Rigidity matters and aluminum pandas have it spades.
 
#67
mmlook said:
tikka/barretta won’t warranty anything unless you are the original owner and have proof of purchase from a tikka dealer

they also won’t sell bolt assemblies

so, if you break a bolt, and you can’t find your receipt. you’re out of luck.

this is the main reason I sold 3 Tikka’s
Click to expand...

Not anymore...

www.snipershide.com

LRI Direct Replacement Tikka T3 bolts

The title says it all. This has been overdue for a long time and we are happy to finally be able to offer this. Details: Stainless bolt body and handle Complete fire control Bar stock machined bolt shroud. -No plastic or Zinc casting .480 and .545 diameter bolt faces available We might do a...
www.snipershide.com www.snipershide.com

mmlook said:
yes they are, the bolt stop is not supported by the action, and the pin is way too small.

there’s also not enough metal to increase the hole size, to use a larger pin
Click to expand...

I mean, I love my Tikkas but everyone knows this is true. Not sure why people are debating it.

That being said obviously you're being dramatic AF saying "look at it wrong and it will break". More like, if you run it hard on a competition gun you'll break one.
 
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#69
R_Swanson said:
Not anymore...

www.snipershide.com

LRI Direct Replacement Tikka T3 bolts

The title says it all. This has been overdue for a long time and we are happy to finally be able to offer this. Details: Stainless bolt body and handle Complete fire control Bar stock machined bolt shroud. -No plastic or Zinc casting .480 and .545 diameter bolt faces available We might do a...
www.snipershide.com www.snipershide.com



I mean, I love my Tikkas but everyone knows this is true. Not sure why people are debating it.

That being said obviously you're being dramatic AF saying "look at it wrong and it will break". More like, if you run it hard on a competition gun you'll break one.
Click to expand...

is it the bolt stop that breaks or the pin that holds it in? I might purchase an extra to keep in my hunting bag.
 
#74
khuber84 said:
How hard are you slamming the bolt into the stop? I have 5 tikkas and have broke one stop, it broke because I modded a SA stop into a LA stop, it wasn't a pin failure and I have thousands of rounds through my Tikkas.
Click to expand...
Known issue with competition shooters. They are shooting more than most of us and running their bolts hard.

Some(many?) have speculated(stated?) its the main reason you dont see many Tikkas in competition. Pretty sure its commonly accepted the rest of the action is up to it, they headspace super consistently so its easy to source barrels, and theres multiple competition chassis for them now...
 
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#76
R_Swanson said:
Not anymore...

www.snipershide.com

LRI Direct Replacement Tikka T3 bolts

The title says it all. This has been overdue for a long time and we are happy to finally be able to offer this. Details: Stainless bolt body and handle Complete fire control Bar stock machined bolt shroud. -No plastic or Zinc casting .480 and .545 diameter bolt faces available We might do a...
www.snipershide.com www.snipershide.com



I mean, I love my Tikkas but everyone knows this is true. Not sure why people are debating it.

That being said obviously you're being dramatic AF saying "look at it wrong and it will break". More like, if you run it hard on a competition gun you'll break one.
Click to expand...

I've ran mine for a couple years in club matches that were as tough as PRS matches, never managed to break anything. Guess I'm doing something wrong. :)
 
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#78
I’m new to precision rifle and have only shot one bolt gun, and it’s my Bergara HMR in 6.5CM.

It does everything I need and is sub-moa. I am, however, still planning on getting a custom because I can appreciate the machining and quality. Buying prefits will be nice as well. Plus, my Bergara sometimes doesn’t feed well.

Overall, I don’t think the custom gun will make me better (maybe I can squeeze out smaller groups) but I’m an enthusiast so I’ll appreciate the workmanship.

Not sure if this helps the OP, but that’s my reasoning for wanting one.
 
#82
had a crazy overpressure round onetime running ppu 300 win mag on my old superlite. Culling a shit ton of goats down on the south end of the sound island of New Zealand (blue mountains if ur familiar) Bolt was stuck as fuck.

Held the barrel and it took a hell of a stomp from the heel to get it open. The little throw lever on the swfa 3-15 gashed my calf pretty good. The bolt stop got hammered

I’ve had tikka’s buried in mud and run.
2BF5B58A-8684-44E0-94B8-7D4D34284901.jpeg


And Survive pretty gnarly fall down mountains. The first slam was straight onto the rifle when it was strapped on my pack.
0FE88BB2-B007-4B3A-AB18-33B5F7B58A2E.jpeg


They take a lickin and keep tickin.
 
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#84
reubenski said:
If you're slamming your bolt back hard enough to break something you're doing it wrong. I know it happens. It happened before PRS existed, it's happened with many other actions, it does happen. But running your bolt like that is pretty shitty technique. I would agree that the Tikka bolt stop could be improved a little, but it's not a major flaw that justifies paying 3x as much for a custom action. I think there's a lot of confirmation bias in that idea.

I would also agree that Tikka's customer service and retail parts could be improved. In fact, I just got linked up with the new head of rifles for North America for Beretta. Former 160th guy. Ive been showing him my Tikka, all the KRG aftermarket support, and invited him out to a PRS match. Unfortunately the parent company are Europeans. Old dudes. Typical of Europeans and a very old company they are just rigid. It will be a slow process. I'm trying to talk him into a KRG edition for a modern tactical/ competition rifle.
Click to expand...
Talk him into getting better support for leftys or more importantly a way to order anything off of the choose.tikka.fi/usa site.
 
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#85
Tokay444 said:
Are you winning?
Click to expand...

Nope, I'm usually a mid packer and on a good day I might make the top ten. But then there's more than a couple in the club that capable of winning a PRS match so the competition is pretty good. Not sure how placement matters in this instance, in fact I'd suggest that less experienced shooters are harder on equipment. While they may run the bolts fast, from what I've seen the best shooters are smooth and controlled in their movements
 
#86
NewsShooter said:
Nope, I'm usually a mid packer and on a good day I might make the top ten. But then there's more than a couple in the club that capable of winning a PRS match so the competition is pretty good. Not sure how placement matters in this instance, in fact I'd suggest that less experienced shooters are harder on equipment. While they may run the bolts fast, from what I've seen the best shooters are smooth and controlled in their movements
Click to expand...
My line of thought was, if you’re not winning, perhaps the answer to your question is yes.
 
#87
Followed this but finally got to a computer where I can log in.
@Oldmauser The action itself probably has one of the smallest impacts on overall accuracy. Even a 'cheap' (aka Savage) action mated with an top notch barrel can produce fantastic results. This is NOT a statement of "Just as good"

The difference in actions lies in other areas of the rifle's function:
Easy of Bolt Cycling
Bolt Motion
Robustness of bolt
Feeding
Ejection
Built in Rails
Ease of Barrel Replacement
and a host of other options.

As for the "sturdyness" of an acttion--all metal is subject to fatigue, wear, creep and a host of other issues. Certain designs hold up better than others, but it isn't the action itself that usually fails--its the small pins/spirings/etc.. that are more common to bite you. But given enough people something weird will happen.

I blew up a perfectly good shotgun barrel shooting clays (< 25 rounds into life). No obstruction, no explanation, something just wasn't right. I have never seen, heard, anything like it. Sometimes luck is a bitch. Wrecking a bolt handle is probably like that. Now springs and slidestops on things like a CZ handgun? Carry spares. We know it breaks. put 40,000 rounds through a gun, shit is gonna break. Different issue though. Mag Springs wear out. Slides and frames eventually crack. Price of "using" a gun.
 
#88
Tokay444 said:
My line of thought was, if you’re not winning, perhaps the answer to your question is yes.
Click to expand...

The rifle is certainly capable, even on my best day I'm not likely to beat someone that is regularly in the top 5 of a national match. The equipment doesn't matter that much, all my rifles shoot well enough to win a match, it isn't the equipment. You chose poorly.
 
#89
NewsShooter said:
The rifle is certainly capable, even on my best day I'm not likely to beat someone that is regularly in the top 5 of a national match. The equipment doesn't matter that much, all my rifles shoot well enough to win a match, it isn't the equipment. You chose poorly.
Click to expand...
But did I?
 
#90
reubenski said:
Smooth is subjective. Some people refer to sliding the bolt in the raceways, some to bolt lift and close. Tikka are notably smooth in every regard beside lift. It's that short throw. No way to get around it, just basic cocking ramp geometry. A two lug, 90 like an Impact is going to have a much, much lighter lift and if the trigger is timed, a much lighter close.

I bought a T3 for $400, cannibalized the action, sold the stock, BM, and mag for $120, barrel is still in my safe. Guy that sold it already put the Yo Dave trigger in it. $280 for one of the best production actions that has a unique look, has a wide availability of shouldered prefits(indication of quality of production?), and a trigger that beats a $400 AI trigger. Not really sure how you beat that...

View attachment 7511399
Click to expand...

I have a Surgeon action so I'm well positioned to say conclusively that Tikka's suck ;)
 

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#92
Thank you for your insight on custom actions. I think I will try one. Just wondering which one offers the best money/quality ratio.
 
Last edited:
#94
The problem with all these companies is that they are focuses on the US market. They don't have dealers in the EU or if they have the price is like 170% of the US price. I find it odd that there is no premium custom action maker in the EU, so I have to import custom action from US. I know NC Rado, but think that the US made custom action are way cooler.
 
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