It does depend on which Defiance action you have. The Deviant bolt assembly is $350. Still a pretty good deal for a complete bolt. Plus no disassembly to swap just the head.
- Thread starter jLorenzo
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That must have been what I was thinking. The disassembly of the Origin is nothing really. Tooless process of popping out the firing pin, take out the cross pin and pop out old bolt face and pop in new. Takes all of a minute and a half.
Not checking headspace and assuming it's correct and thereby safe, is Baldwin logic.
Idk I think I'm at 4 origins now. From initial pre-order to the new SS ones. SA and LA. And barrels from 4 different smiths. No issues here
I'm not knocking Bighorn. After all, they're headquartered in my beloved Nebraska. As stated above, the greater variable comes from whoever chambered the barrel.
Working with John from Keystone on an Origin build right now. Great fella to work with, communication is off the charts! Nothing but good to say about John!
Proof
Maybe I didn’t word that properly. If I put a PVA barrel on a tikka action and a PVA barrel on an origin would I gain anything?
I have a beanland built bighorn tl2 and a stock tikka tactical in a krg bravo. Honestly I like the feel of the tikka better. It cycles smoother and I like the shorter bolt throw and swept sterk knob and I get a little bolt binding on the tl2 if I don’t run the bolt just right. I also like the factory tikka trigger with an aftermarket spring.
Once again. Just trying to figure out what there is to gain with the origin other than changeable bolt head, and r700 footprint.
Well if the changeable bolt head and ability to have multiple calibers and large amount of aftermarket parts don't matter to you then probably not. A good custom barrel put on an action will work fine. Plenty of people shooting very accurate 700 actions that have been worked over by a smith and a new barrel put on. Same would work for the Tikka. Sounds like you like the Tikka better so stay with it.
Screw headspace gage?
@spife7980 .003 was enough that new OCD brass would not close either. I even backed off the torque to 50 foot pounds and it still would not close. Went hand tight and it would close but was snug. Only .004 between go and nogo on my GT gages. I don't like tight headspace. I use to run that way but they seem to run better with a bit more room. The OCD brass measured same as go gage too.
The point is, check it. I have had 12+ barrels on this action. 2 shouldered prefits did not headspace. One was chamber the other was not enough thread. I have a barrel smith I trust. He does all my barrels now and no issues. But I still check before I go shoot it. And I don't get barrels from the other places anymore. Preferred Barrels is one I had issues with. Tried to save some $$, lesson learned. Never again.
LOL. You do you. And not sure you understand what we were talking about. Go gage and bolt won't close, shouldered barrel on TL3 hand tight.
Well since everyone is saying origin I'll go a different route. I wrestled with this idea for almost 6 months, and ended up going back and forth between a custom action or a Tikka. I ended up getting a defiance tenacity from GA precision. I also have a Tikka. As far as build and bolt smoothness (the tenacity isn't even broken in yet.) I'd give a very, very slight edge to the Tikka on smoothness, But you can trick out a Tikka just fine. If you like the trigger in the Tikka, I'd go with a Tikka and save your money. They make trigger springs for Tikka to lessen the pull weight, and timney also makes a 2 stage trigger for about 140 bucks. Chassis's for the Tikka are also plentiful. Proof, Preferred barrels, criterion, all make Tikka prefits. Bug holes does Tikka barrels as well. I may be wrong on that though. Yes, there are more options with custom actions, but if you like the Tikka already save your money and get that. my next build will be off a Tikka action.
Jeff
3 years agoI am no gun smith, so excuse the dumb question. Is the head spacing affected by how the barrel was machined and how do you address that?
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Rifles Only3 years ago
No sir. Our gunsmith knows this rifle in and out and head space has never been an issue.
When he stated " Our gunsmith knows this rifle inside and out " , I took that to mean the smith had the action in hand at some point. Wouldn't that mean the smith had the exact bolt face to receiver face measurement and could chamber successive barrels based on that info? I'm not saying prefits don't work. They obviously do. My point is, why not check headspace?
Fair enough.
Is that a custom made barrel vise?
Reading this I would say take a look at the ARC Nucleus. I have Gen 1 and Gen 1.1 and they are on Gen 2 now. They are a few bucks more than an Orgin but have many of the same benefits being a R700 footprint. The bolt throw is between the Bighorn and the Tikka. It has changeable bolt heads for common cartridges and PVA makes prefits for them.
I have a Tikka T3x Varmint. I shoot 75 gr ELD-M at 2935 fps. Very accurate and the rockchucks hate it.
I have no experience with your other options but $700 fit my budget.
I have no experience with your other options but $700 fit my budget.
My Tikka Super Varmint is very accurate as well.
They are just a very good rifle.
They are just a very good rifle.
Are you in the States, can't seem to find any Tikkas lately, at least 223 varmints
I'm in Western Australia.
Top selling brand over here.
It surprises me Tikka doesn't have a larger supply to USA.
Though, am grateful we get access to them.
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I went Origin and had Josh @ PVA spin up a 223 barrel for me. I ordered it in September and still waiting. I have since picked up a PVA 6.5 Creed barrel and it is Great. I now have an Altus 6 Creed barrel on the bench for PRS 2022 matches. The 6.5 will be hunting barrel, 223 will be Yote and Plinking barrel and the 6mm will be PRS Matches. 1 Optic, 1 Chassis and 1 feel to the rifle. It was a Win, Win for me.
I was in the same boat as you, but was all set to get the Bighorn. Looked at the Origin and TL3 and decided I'd be fine with either one. Loaded up various online carts with everything I needed and prepared to be a big boy and exercise patience on a pre-fit barrel. Then on a whim I went into a local big brand store and handled a Tikka. Game over. The action was so ridiculously smooth. And for $1,000 I got something I could shoot the very next weekend, and the only thing I'd need to immediately change was the shitty stock. The barrel on this thing is so ridiculously accurate that I don't feel any urgency to replace it with a longer/better profile (mine's a CTR but still pretty "skinny").
If I had to pick one thing wrong with Tikka T3/T3x, it would be the factory stock.
Yet that is easily better than others in the same price range.
Let's face it, most of us factor in a different stock/chassis anyway.
Yet that is easily better than others in the same price range.
Let's face it, most of us factor in a different stock/chassis anyway.
What about magazine cost and round count for the Tikka? Are they as cheap or cheaper than Accurate Mags? Can you get them in a 10+ mag with extensions? Are they compatible still if you swap stocks & Chassis?
Tikka CTR mags are ~$85 (eurooptic) and 10 round capacity.
Some chassis are out there that use them, KRG and maybe MDT?
pick on and enjoy or buy both shoot them both and live happy . if you limit your self to one or the other you could always end up with a question should I have gone the other way buying both will kill that question every time which ever one you like most at that point you will have no doubt + which ever one you like least you can then gift to me ......
This is likely the route Ill take if I can source a 24" 223 varmint. They have been hard to find at least for me.
Top selling here as well but after 2020 almost everything is more expensive or hard to find. Never seen anything like it before.
Our reloading supplies have been in dribs and drabs.
Basically you have to swoop when even a hint of resupply.
Basically you have to swoop when even a hint of resupply.
