Tyro questions: Barreled action and shouldered prefit barrels for

[John?]

Ego checked. Nomex suit on. I don’t know what I don’t know. Looking for some advice.

BLUF: Please recommend reputable providers of barreled actions and prefit barrels for Bighorn Origin actions, and why they are recommended. Price is always a consideration, but not the highest consideration in this case.

Details.

I’m ready to dip a toe into this bespoke rifle business. Up to now I’ve bought hunting gear off the rack: CZ, Sako, and Remington bolt rifles. My competition experience has been strictly Service Rifle with the Garand and a Colt Match target that was worked over by Compass Lake and now wears a Criterion barrel. Not many of the factory parts remain on that Colt. I have no experience with F class rifles.

After lots of reading on this forum and talking with folks at the local range, I think that buying an Origin barreled action and prefit shouldered barrels is a viable path for me. This rifle will be mostly used in hunting. PRS isn’t a thing around here. I’m interested in PRS as a future hobby, but not yet. If past experience holds, I would want to build a specialized rifle for matches. The origin action might accommodate experimentation for the price of a barrel and maybe a bolt face. Correct me if I’m wrong on that assumption.

In a perfect world I would like to buy a chassis with a lot of adjustment range for length of pull so that my teen and pre-teen kids can shoot it too.

I’m fairly certain I want to use shouldered barrels, unless there is a damned good reason to use a barrel nut system. Nothing wrong with the barrel nut as I see it. It works on the AR and worked on a savage rifle I had years ago. I just can’t see any advantage to it if shouldered profits are available.

Calibers: .308, because I have been shooting it for years and have components on hand.
.223, because recoil is no friend when teaching kids to enjoy shooting
6.5 creedmoor, because my 6.5x55 shoots better than my .308 and all the cool kids say the 6.5 creed is decent for game. This barrel would be a deferred purchase because money matters and the ammo is unavailable locally.

I know I could buy a Tikka and get prefit for that as a cheap entry point. Not sure what limitations of that approach might be.

- So, who are reliable vendors for barreled actions and prefit barrels? Preferably an outfit that doesn’t mind dealing with a tyro and all his questions.
- Recommended chassis for my use?
- Recommended barrel makers and profile? I’ve used Criterion on the poodle shooter and Douglas on my PPC revolver. Both have performed well. I’m looking for a lighter profile, say 4 to 4.5-ish pounds for a 24-inch barrel. Not ultralight for sure, but not super heavy either.

Thanks for your helpful advice.

John
Eastern Kansas, where cows outnumber people by a significant margin

 

[BoilerUP]

As of this post, Bugholes.com has nine (9) Origin SA 308 bolt face actions in stock.

Any quality gunsmith should be able to spin up a high-quality Origin shouldered prefit. Easy button would be to buy an action from Bugholes and have him make you a barrel at the same time.

I've been very pleased with Patriot Valley Arms shouldered prefits for my ARC Nucleus.

 

[Franko]

Origin actions are recommended because they follow the Remington action pattern for maximum compatibility with aftermarket accessories, they are a fantastic action for the price, Bighorn has really good customer service, and you can swap bolt heads to increase versatility. The thing to be careful of is that switch barrel setups have a nasty habit of turning into 2 or 3 rifles before you know it. Prefit shouldered barrels are great and the only reason not to use them is that you might want to save a few bucks using a barrel nut.

The disadvantage of using a Tikka is that it has more limited choices when it comes to all the extras (chassis, triggers, etc.). Due to the way Tikka sets up their magazine length I wouldn't use them for a long action build but they are fantastic for short magnums that benefit from being able to load longer then standard short action lengths (6.5 PRC, 7 RSAUM, etc.). Here are my thoughts on your other questions:

1. I can personally vouch for Southern Precision Rifles. I have bought multiple barrels and actions from them and they are superb. Greg and Russ are fantastic at answering questions and working with you. The man that runs LRI also posts here and from the quality of his communications I wouldn't hesitate to contact him or his people about a project.
2. If the ability to adjust the chassis for your kids or cost is a major issue buy a KRG Bravo chassis. If light weight is top priority look at the XLR Element 4.0 magnesium or the MDT HNT chassis. I own two Element chassis but would buy the MDT as it appears to be lighter than the XLR and offer the same features. Both companies have great customer service.
3. The consensus thinking is that the most important criteria is "is it in stock" when looking at the major barrel makers (Bartlein, Kreiger, Shilen, Brux, etc.). I am currently running 2 Bartlein barrels, a Kreiger, and a Shilen and am happy with all of them. Because your priority is hunting I would lean towards shorter lighter contours, so think 20 inch barrel in a medium sporter.

 

[Temper]

The Origin is a very hard action to beat and punches way above it's price point with it's feature set and quality. If it was out the time I got my TL3, I wouldn't have bought my TL3 since it could do everything the same. I have Bugholes, PVA and Proof prefits for my TL3. All three easily shoot under 1/2MOA and were not difficult to find a load with at all. As far as barrel blanks, you can pretty much get any cut-rifled, hand lapped barrel and they will all hammer when chambered well. I get what's available at the time I need it, as far as specific brands go; Bartlein, Rock Creek, Proof, Krieger, Hawk Hill, Mullerworks etc etc get a lot of love here. I have personal experience with Brux, Proof, Lilja, Bartlein and Krieger and they've all shot. I pretty much apply the same philosophy when choosing a gunsmith, whoever is the quickest while being reputable. Bugholes and LRI are very fast in my experience and do excellent work. Barrel contour is a pretty personal thing, especially since you're hunting with it. I always get the heaviest contour I can get away with since I like to shoot my rifles, for me that would be around a 18-20" light palma or bull sporter for hunting. Switchbarrels are the bee's knees. You're going to find yourself with 3-4 barrels before you know it.

 

[John?]

Thanks. This is genuinely helpful.

the KRG bravo looks like a contender. A shorter LOP would be useful tho.
Sincere thanks for the helpful advice on barrels and suppliers.