Practical Field/ Competition Action

[Ratchety]

I have a question for the hide... will a high quality action be a detriment to the shooter when dust and debris are introduced into the equation?

I currently have a Savage that is obviously way less tolerant than a Defiance, Curtis, etc. I can run it pretty dirty to say the least.
I have talked to owners of these beautiful actions and was surprised to hear they had issues with dust getting in the action during a field match, and even worse, the action would not close once because of a blade of grass.
So this strikes me as not very practical.

I run club level Pactical Rifle Shooting matches (see what I did there?) and we see our fair share of dust , rain, snow, and crap from time to time.

I am building a LH rifle, and my gunsmith suggests a Tikka T3x action, over a custom.
It would have a Cadex chassis and a custom barrel, so the debate here really is the action.
Will I get more grief than its worth by owning a Curtis /Defiance, vs a Tikka action?
Practicaly speaking, is the TIkka just a slightly better quality controlled factory action, or is it pretty damn good?
Let me know please.

 

[Supersubes]

There are a ton of custom actions available today, No need to tie yourself to Defiance or Curtis.

My first choice absolutely for a field rifle would be the AI AT. You could buy new from a number of sources, or used here. You can set aside any concerns about reliability after that. Probably won’t cost you any more than what you’re planning on building now.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I would say it depends on the action. Some are designed for super close tolerances, and others are designed for reliability. My GAP Tempest has been run in some fairly nasty conditions at matches, and I have never had an issue with reliability. I can feel it when the bolt gets dirty (it's not quite as fast) but I have never had any kind of failure due to dust, dirt, grime, or water.

 

[Ledzep]

If you get a Benchrest action to shoot PRS you will be disappointed. Tight tolerances may lend themselves to shaving off the last .1 MOA (although I've never seen in proven, and if I had to guess the real answer lies in the statistical noise), but absolutely suck in dust. Until a couple years ago Defiance actions were super tight and would choke in dust. I noticed it in almost every match I shot locally (wyoming/SD border area, lots of wind & dust). It was 5x worse with Cerakote. I also worked at LRI for about a year and Defiance actions were the worst to Cerakote because there was no room for the .001-.002" thick layer of Ckote between the bolt and action bore. More recently they have started offering 'undersized' bolt bodies to accomodate Ckote and dirty conditions. I'm sure they run a lot better.

The other issue I have with stainless actions is galling. I have a picture floating around of a Defiance action that came in for a rebarrel after 1200 rounds and pretty deep channels galled/grooved out of the lug abutments in the receiver. The fix seems to be melonite/nitride to up the surface hardness and resist galling.

Personally, I like the way American Rifle Company actions are designed. Plenty of bolt/action clearance with tapers that tighten things up as the bolt closes, and toroidal lugs to ensure lug contact. They also take advantage of M700 stock/trigger aftermarket, and savage small shank barrel aftermarket. Other people like other things. As was mentioned above, if you like the chassis, AI rifles are hard to beat.

As far as Tikka T3 actions go, the are superb factory actions. There is no reason to true/blueprint them, and the aftermarket has grown and still is growing for them. From a functional perspective they really don't leave anything on the table. The Custom actions may have slightly better surface finish, or more little features, etc. etc.. but IMO it's mostly cool-guy points. I've handled most actions out there, and built rifles or helped build rifles on most of them and wouldn't have a problem using a T3. In fact I'd prefer it over some of the 'custom' offerings out there.

Best suggestion is to get out there and see if you can manhandle a bunch of people's stuff and figure out what you like best. Same goes for stocks/chassis, triggers, etc..

 

[pineoak]

You want reliability... get an AI AT or AX. Just know you won't be changing much on the rifle from how it came from the factory. Spend the $ and never look back if you want reliability first. They are HEAVY though. Keep that in mind, and the triggers will not be super light.

Tikkas are wonderful factory actions. So very nice. I've read about the bolt pins shearing off, but never met anyone have that happen to them. Aftermarket triggers are limited, but the factory triggers are great with a YoDave trigger spring IMO. for what one costs with a quality factory barrel, trigger, and action- excellent deal. Factory barrels are very good, though reportedly somewhat slower than other barrels

Never used one, but research the Lone Peak & Impact Precision actions for a custom build if considering that route

 

[Mxridr]

Tikkas are great but have broken bolt release pins. I really like my tl3 with my 6 br. Works well in harsh conditions but not quite as smooth as a defiance.

 

[Sheldon N]

Bighorn TL3 has served me well from rain to snow to brutal dust in the last few years of match shooting. Impact and Lone Peak are two others I would consider. I had a Defiance and it bound up a bit when super dusty, but I know they can change the specs on clearance between bolt and action so that may have just been my particular model.

 

[kthomas]

My first PRS rifle was a GAP Crusader with a Cerakoted Defiance action - that thing would lock up at the mere sight of dust, it was really annoying.

I've since replaced it with a Mausingfield, and it's ran in some horrendously dusty conditions with zero issues. It seems to eat up the dust.

Lone peak is a another great option if you want a push feed action. Bighorn TL3's and Impacts also seem to do well in the dust.

Those are the four actions I would look to, if building a custom action for reliability in really dusty conditions.